International

Ecuador’s Citizen Revolution considers cross-death illegal

Photo: Prensa Libre

May 17 |

The Citizen Revolution (RC) movement today considered the cross death decree issued by Ecuador’s president, Guillermo Lasso, a victory in the face of the impeachment process, although it qualified the measure as illegal.

The president’s decision represents the victory of the CR bench against the impeachment process that would lead to his dismissal, said former first vice president of the National Assembly Marcela Holguin in a press conference on Wednesday.

According to what the representative of the force related to former governor Rafael Correa declared, Lasso prevented the vote on the “trial of history” with a strategy taken at the last minute by a “hopeless president who clings to power”.

The cross-death is a constitutional mechanism in Ecuador that allows the chief executive to dissolve the unicameral legislative body and advance general elections.

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We are not afraid of the popular pronouncement in the ballot boxes and we are not going to take any action because we believe that the people in a crisis situation is the one who must decide, affirmed the parliamentarian Virgilio Hernandez.

However, the CR affirmed that the measure at this moment is illegal because it is not justified with the causes foreseen in the Constitution, such as the existence of an internal commotion or serious political crisis.

If the president calls for a crusade death, we will not shy away from it and we will put our positions as always at the service of the Ecuadorian people, Holguin underlined.

So far, the Constitutional Court has not ruled on the legality of the decree, which allows Lasso to continue in power for at least six months and to govern during that time through executive measures.

The National Electoral Council, for its part, called for a press conference this afternoon to refer to the early elections that would allow Ecuador to have a new president in November.

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International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”