International
Elon Musk says the planet needs more oil… and babies
AFP
Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has fathered 10 children, said on Monday the world needs to “make more babies” — and keep digging for oil.
The richest man on the planet, who has repeatedly warned that low birth rates pose a “danger” to civilization, said ahead of an energy conference in Norway that the world is facing a “baby crisis”.
Asked about the greatest challenges facing the world, Musk cited the transition to renewable energies but also said the birth rate was “one of my favourite… things to be concerned about.”
“We don’t want the population to drop so low that we’ll just eventually die,” Musk, founder of American electric car manufacturer Tesla and SpaceX, told reporters in Stavanger, southwest Norway.
“At least make enough babies to sustain the population,” he added.
Many Western societies and populated countries such as China are facing declining birth rates and ageing societies.
“They say civilization might die with a bang or with a whimper,” added Musk. “If we don’t have enough kids, then we will die with a whimper in adult diapers. And that will be depressing.”
He also said the planet still needed new fossil fuel sources.
“I think realistically we do need to use oil and gas in the short term, because otherwise civilization would crumble,” he said, adding that “some additional exploration is warranted at this time”.
He went on to advocate the maintenance of nuclear power plants, describing himself as “pro-nuclear”.
Several European countries had decided to phase out nuclear power, but following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February and Europe’s subsequent push to wean itself off of Russian oil and gas, the nuclear debate has reignited.
“I know this may be an unpopular view in some quarters, but I think if you have a well-designed nuclear power plant, you should not shut it down,” Musk said.
The businessman, who has been divorced three times, has fathered 10 children, one of whom died at 10 weeks old.
Earlier this year one of his children, who recently turned 18, filed a petition in a California court to change her name and gender identity to female.
Court documents said that she did not want “to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form” as one of the reasons for the name change.
Musk also has two children with the musician Grimes, a girl they named Exa Dark Sideræl Musk — although the parents said they will mostly call her Y — and a boy born in May 2020 called “X Æ A-12”, or more simply, X.
Musk announced last autumn that he was “semi-separated” from the singer.
The American press recently revealed that he also had twins in November with an executive at Neuralink, Musk’s brain-implant maker, a few weeks before the birth of Exa Dark Sideræl Musk.
International
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.
According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.
“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.
In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.
In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.
The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.
International
Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
Pope Leo XIV said Thursday that migrants must be treated with dignity as he addressed the global migration crisis during a press conference aboard the plane returning from his tour of Africa.
The pontiff answered questions from journalists regarding his upcoming trip to Spain, which will include a visit to the Canary Islands, a region heavily affected by migration flows and growing political polarization surrounding the issue.
“Obviously, migration is a very complex issue and affects many countries — not only Spain, not only Europe, but also the United States. It is a global phenomenon,” the pope said.
Pope Leo XIV also questioned the role of developed nations in addressing the crisis.
“My response begins with a question: What is the Global North doing to help the Global South and those countries where young people no longer see a future and dream of going north, even when the North sometimes has no answers to offer?” he asked.
While acknowledging that “a state has the right to establish rules for its borders,” the pope insisted that the debate must go beyond border control and address the structural causes that force people to leave their home countries.
International
Authorities Say Teotihuacán Gunman Was Obsessed With Mass Shootings and Extremist Symbolism
Julio César Jasso Ramírez, identified by authorities as the gunman behind the armed attack at the archaeological site of Teotihuacán, had allegedly spent years building a personal narrative shaped by an obsession with historical mass shootings, extremist symbolism, and an increasing detachment from reality.
According to preliminary findings from the Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México, the 27-year-old suspect, originally from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, acted alone and appeared to have carefully planned the attack.
Investigators also pointed to signs of a severe psychological or psychiatric disorder. One official involved in the case stated that the suspect seemed to live in “his own reality,” disconnected from the world around him.
“I would not speak of a motive; I would speak of psychopathy, a condition, an illness,” the official said while discussing the ongoing investigation.
Authorities reported that Jasso Ramírez was allegedly fixated on mass violence incidents that occurred outside Mexico, particularly in the United States.
Among the items found in his possession were writings, images, and materials reportedly linked to the Columbine High School massacre, the school shooting that took place on April 20, 1999.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue analyzing evidence connected to the suspect’s background and mental state.
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
Guatemala Court Voids List of Candidates for Top Prosecutor Position
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International2 days agoIran refuses to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ongoing U.S. Naval blockade
-
International4 days agoFour injured in shooting at Teotihuacán archaeological site in Mexico
-
Central America4 days agoBukele administration surpasses 1,100 homicide-free days amid ongoing crackdown
-
Central America4 days agoU.S. extradites Iranian man over alleged sanctions evasion scheme
-
Central America22 hours agoGuatemala Court Voids List of Candidates for Top Prosecutor Position
-
International22 hours agoPope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
-
International3 days agoVenezuelan opposition demands election date and minimum wage increase
-
International3 days agoTrump extends Iran ceasefire after Pakistan mediation request
-
International4 days agoElon Musk skips French court appearance over X investigation
-
International3 days agoMaradona’s daughter accuses medical team of “horrible manipulation” in court
-
International2 days ago
Authorities Say Teotihuacán Gunman Was Obsessed With Mass Shootings and Extremist Symbolism
-
International8 hours agoU.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico