International

Argentina launches construction tender phase of mega gas pipeline

AFP

Argentina on Thursday launched the construction tender phase for a gas pipeline megaproject that will eventually extend more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from the southwest to north of Buenos Aires.

It is the largest natural gas project in Argentina in the last four decades and comes at a time when worldwide energy costs have shot up due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The tender will be launched in May with a decision due in July.

The first stage of the project is due to cost $1.5 billion, beginning in August and ending in 2024.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

In an official ceremony near to the Vaca Muerta pipeline project in Neuquen province, President Alberto Fernandez celebrated “the start of work to create the Nestor Kirchner pipeline.”

The aim of the megaproject is to expand Argentina’s fuel transport capacity for both domestic use and exports.

The first section of the pipeline, named after a late former president, will extend 558 kilometers from Neuquen province to Buenos Aires province.

A second section will extend another 467 kilometers northwards, reaching San Jeronimo.

In total, the new pipeline will increase Argentina’s gas supply by more than 40 million cubic meters a day “supplying urban centers and industry in the center and north of the country and giving the opportunity to export to Brazil and Chile,” the presidency said in a statement.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The Vaca Muerta deposit holds unconventional gas which is harder and more expensive to extract than more conventional natural gas.

The site is being exploited by state energy firm YPF and US giant Chevron.

The US Department of Energy rates the Vaca Muerta field, which extends over 30,000 square kilometers in Patagonia, as the world’s second largest shale gas reserve, and fourth in the world for shale oil.

Extraction from this site has slowed down in recent years due to the fall in the price of crude which made it less profitable due to the high costs of hydraulic fracturing to extract unconventional gas.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

Brazil offers to mediate Colombia-Ecuador tensions, calls for restraint

The government of Brazil has offered to mediate in the ongoing tensions between Colombia and Ecuador, while calling on both nations to exercise restraint.

In a statement released Wednesday, Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the parties involved to act with moderation and seek a peaceful resolution to the dispute.

“Brazil encourages all sides to act with moderation in order to find a peaceful solution to the controversy. It stands ready to support dialogue efforts aimed at preserving peace and security in the region,” the statement said.

Brazil also expressed “serious concern” over reports of deaths in the border area between Colombia and Ecuador, noting that the circumstances surrounding the incidents have not yet been clarified.

The diplomatic move comes amid rising tensions between the neighboring countries, increasing regional concern over stability and security along their shared border.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

U.S. lowers travel advisory for much of Venezuela but keeps high-risk zones under warning

The U.S. Department of State announced on Thursday that it has lowered its travel advisory for much of Venezuela to Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”), reflecting what it described as improved security conditions in parts of the country.

However, the agency will maintain the highest Level 4 warning (“Do Not Travel”) for several regions, including the states of Táchira, Amazonas, Apure, Aragua and Guárico, as well as rural areas of Bolívar, citing ongoing risks such as crime, kidnapping and terrorism.

The updated advisory marks a shift from December, when the United States raised the alert for Venezuela to Level 4 nationwide, warning of severe security threats.

Despite the partial downgrade, U.S. authorities continue to urge caution, emphasizing that conditions remain volatile in certain areas and that travelers should carefully assess risks before planning any trips to the country.

International

EU lawmakers move to ban AI tools that generate non-consensual nude images

Members of the European Parliament are pushing to ban across the bloc artificial intelligence services that allow users to digitally “undress” people without their consent.

The proposal, adopted on Wednesday at committee level, aims to prohibit applications that generate non-consensual explicit images. Irish lawmaker Michael McNamara, one of the sponsors, said the measure seeks to stop tools that “have caused significant harm for the benefit of a few.”

Dutch MEP Kim van Sparrentak welcomed the move, calling it “a major victory, especially for women and children in Europe.”

The amendment, part of broader EU legislation on artificial intelligence, was approved by the Parliament’s civil liberties and internal market committees. It specifically targets systems that use AI to create or manipulate sexually explicit or intimate images resembling identifiable individuals without their consent.

The proposal will be put to a full vote in the European Parliament on March 26. If adopted, lawmakers and European Union member states will need to agree on a final version before it can take effect.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Separately, representatives of the 27 EU countries recently backed a Franco-Spanish amendment seeking to ban AI services used to generate non-consensual sexual images or child sexual abuse material.

The initiative follows controversy surrounding a feature introduced in Grok, developed by xAI, which allowed users to create simulated nude images from real photos. The tool sparked widespread criticism and prompted an EU investigation.

In response, xAI restricted image generation features in mid-January to paying subscribers and stated it blocks the creation of sexualized images in jurisdictions where such content is illegal.