International

Mexico Arrests Suspect in Shooting of Sinaloa Lawmakers

Mexican security authorities announced on Tuesday the arrest of one of the alleged perpetrators of last week’s armed attack against two local lawmakers in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, one of the most violent regions in the country.

The suspect was identified as Jesús Emir “N”, who authorities say is a member of a criminal cell and was “one of those responsible for the cowardly attack against lawmakers” from the opposition party Movimiento Ciudadano on January 28, according to Public Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch in a post on X.

García Harfuch said the detainee was in charge of controlling radio communications, installing surveillance cameras to monitor the movements of authorities, and acquiring drones for the criminal organization.

The attack took place in broad daylight as local lawmakers Sergio Torres and Elizabeth Montoya were leaving the state Congress building in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa, when they were shot by armed assailants.

According to Mexican media reports on Monday, Torres, 59, remained hospitalized in critical condition due to his injuries, while Montoya, 55, lost an eye in the attack but was reported to be out of danger.

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Following the attack on the lawmakers and the kidnapping on January 23 of 10 workers from a Canadian mining company operating in southern Sinaloa, the federal government reinforced security in the state by deploying 1,600 military personnel.

Located along Mexico’s Pacific coast, Sinaloa is among the country’s five most violent states, particularly since an internal conflict erupted within the Sinaloa cartel in 2024.

That factional war broke out after the capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, one of the cartel’s historic leaders, who was allegedly lured to the United States by a son of his former associate Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

International

Paris prosecutors alert U.S. over alleged deepfake strategy linked to Elon Musk

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said on Saturday that it had alerted authorities in the United States over suspicions that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk may have encouraged the spread of sexualized deepfake content on the social platform X to artificially boost the company’s valuation.

According to prosecutors, the controversy surrounding explicit AI-generated videos—reportedly linked to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence system—may have been deliberately triggered to increase the market value of X and X AI.

The office added that the alleged strategy could be tied to the planned June 2026 public listing of a new entity formed through the merger of SpaceX and X AI.

French authorities said they contacted the U.S. Department of Justice as well as legal representatives at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this week to share their concerns.

Responding on X in French to a report about the case, Musk referred to French prosecutors using an offensive term.

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When contacted, X’s legal representative in France did not immediately comment.

Grok, the platform’s AI system, has its own account on X, allowing users to interact with it or request content generation. For a period, users were able to tag the bot in posts to generate or edit images, a feature that may have facilitated the spread of such material.

International

Netanyahu vows to target Iran’s leadership after missile strikes in southern Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to target Iran’s leadership directly, escalating rhetoric amid ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran.

Speaking during a visit to the southern city of Arad, which was struck by an Iranian missile a day earlier, Netanyahu said Israel would intensify its response against Tehran.

“We are going after the regime. We are going after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that gang of criminals,” he told reporters while standing among the debris left by the தாக்க.

He added that Israel intends to strike “personally” at Iran’s leadership, as well as its facilities and economic assets.

In addition to Arad, Iranian missiles also hit the city of Dimona on Saturday. The area is widely believed to host Israel’s undeclared nuclear facilities. The strike caused significant damage following a direct impact.

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Netanyahu also visited Dimona, where he urged residents to strictly follow military instructions and seek shelter whenever warning sirens are activated.

“The entire nation is a front line, and the home front is also a front line. And when we are on the front line, we follow these instructions,” he said.

International

US panel backs Trump-themed coin amid controversy

The United States Department of the Treasury confirmed to AFP that the Commission of Fine Arts approved the design of a new collectible coin featuring Donald Trump, with members of the commission appointed by the current administration.

According to the proposal, the coin will feature an image of Trump standing with clenched fists over a desk on the obverse, while the reverse will display an eagle, a traditional symbol of the United States.

The sale price of the collectible has not yet been disclosed, although the United States Mint typically offers similar items for more than $1,000.

“There is no more iconic portrait for the front of these coins than that of our president Donald Trump,” U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a statement sent to AFP. He added that two additional coins — a $1 piece and a one-ounce gold coin — are also under consideration.

However, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC), another body responsible for reviewing new coin proposals, declined to discuss the Trump design in late February.

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“Only nations governed by kings or dictators place the image of a sitting leader on their currency,” said Donald Scarinciat the time. “No country in the world has minted coins featuring a democratically elected leader during their term in office,” he added.

When contacted by AFP, the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.