International
chilean mothers harness AI to seek children stolen during Pinochet era”
The organization Sons and Mothers of Silence (HMS) has launched an international campaign to search for the thousands of children who were stolen during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship (1973-1989) and given to other families around the world.
The initiative includes demanding an apology from the Chilean state for what happened and a project to recreate the faces of these children using Artificial Intelligence.
“I always felt oppressed because I was the first mother in Chile to denounce the illegal adoption of two of my children. Everyone was afraid of Pinochet,” explained Ruth Cárdenas to EFE during the presentation of the international search campaign ‘The Children of the Dictatorship’, at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights in the Chilean capital.
Meanwhile, the founder and president of the HMS foundation, Marisol Rodríguez, told EFE that they are asking the “State to take responsibility for this, for justice and reparation.” Additionally, they want “a state DNA bank to be established and for apologies to be issued, not only by Chile but also by all the countries involved, such as France, Italy, Sweden, and many more.”
This new initiative involves creating, through digital genetics and artificial intelligence, images of the children who never had photos taken, showing what they would look like today, with the aim of disseminating them and “reuniting them with their true families,” detailed the organization, founded in 2014.
Children disappeared during the dictatorship
HMS estimates that 20,000 Chilean children were sold to Europe and North America, while mothers were told by the military and other agents of the regime that their children died after birth, without allowing them to see their corpses.
“My mother has been telling her sad story for forty years and the State has no willingness to acknowledge the crime,” said Andrea Mercado to EFE, daughter of Ruth Cardenás and sister of the two children stolen during the dictatorship.
Amelia Flores gave birth to her son in 1974, who died two hours after birth; but now she does not know if that is the real story.
“My daughter, my ex-husband, and I have been searching for my other son for three years; he would have turned fifty now. I just need them to tell me if he really died, to prove it to me,” Flores said in an interview with EFE.
The Chilean dictatorship
The event was also attended by the former president of the Special Investigative Commission of State Organizations’ Acts, Boris Barrera. “I have mixed feelings. It is good that this organization is strengthened with these meetings, but I don’t know if it is something to celebrate, because the idea is that these organizations should not exist because these human rights violations should never have existed,” he said.
The director of the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, María Fernanda García, explained in her speech that they are facing “the horror of horror” of the dictatorship, referring to the children and therefore, the most vulnerable.
Chile’s dictatorship lasted 17 years and left more than 40,000 victims, including executed individuals, disappeared detainees, political prisoners, and torture victims, according to figures from the official commission that collected testimonies from victims and their families. More than 3,200 Chileans died at the hands of state agents.
The government of current president Gabriel Boric launched an unprecedented campaign to search for disappeared detainees aimed at clarifying the fate of 1,469 people, of whom only 307 have been found.
International
Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027
Mexico and Guatemala agreed Tuesday on a 2027 Binational Plan built around five areas of cooperation, along with a schedule of meetings and initiatives aimed at making progress by the end of 2026 on security, border infrastructure, human mobility, development and technical and social cooperation.
The agreement was announced by the foreign ministers of both countries following a meeting in Mexico City.
Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said the plan will establish the “direction and priorities” of bilateral relations for next year. His Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, said the meeting allowed both governments to make decisions, schedule activities and revitalize bilateral cooperation mechanisms.
Security and border infrastructure
In the area of security, the two governments have nearly completed negotiations on a new memorandum of understanding for the Mexico-Guatemala High-Level Security Group (Ganseg), which was reactivated in 2025.
The countries expect to sign the agreement in the coming months to strengthen coordination and their ability to respond to shared security threats.
Regarding their nearly 1,000-kilometer shared border, Mexico and Guatemala agreed to advance infrastructure improvements at border crossings and continue work on a joint cargo clearance program between Ciudad Hidalgo and Tecún Umán, two border areas separated by the Suchiate River.
The measures are intended to facilitate bilateral trade while making cross-border exchanges safer and more efficient.
The two governments will also continue defining a route toward a railway connection between their countries through Line K of Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), with the aim of strengthening economic and community ties.
Migration and development
On human mobility, Mexico and Guatemala will maintain coordination to ensure safe, orderly and dignified returns, while strengthening protection for people in transit.
The bilateral agenda also includes a second phase of the Sembrando Vida program in Guatemala, which is expected to benefit 10,000 people across 15 departments.
Both countries will also advance initiatives under Juntos para el Bienestar, as well as six technical, scientific and energy cooperation projects approved by the Joint Commission.
The agreements seek to strengthen bilateral ties and establish concrete priorities for cooperation between Mexico and Guatemala during 2027.
International
France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that France will expel two Iranian diplomats in response to what Paris described as an attack on two French representatives in Iran last month.
“Two French diplomats were scandalously and deliberately assaulted on July 19. I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. It has now happened. Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the coming days,” Barrot said in a message posted on X.
The two Iranian diplomats have been declared persona non grata and will be required to leave France within the coming days, according to the French foreign minister.
About a month ago, Barrot said that two members of the French diplomatic staff had been detained by Iranian security forces for several hours. One of them was also subjected to harassment, he said.
The French government described the incident as an “extremely serious act of intimidation” that violated diplomatic immunity.
The two French embassy staff members were working on programs supporting Iranian civil society, particularly initiatives involving artists and researchers.
Iran has denied France’s allegations regarding the incident. The diplomatic dispute comes amid already strained relations between Paris and Tehran.
International
Heat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C
More than 70 million people remained under heat alerts Monday as an intense heat wave continued across the southern United States, particularly Florida and states along the Mexican border, where temperatures and heat indexes could reach as high as 46 degrees Celsius, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Several cities recorded or tied temperature records over the weekend and into Monday, including Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Florida; Laredo, Borger and Austin’s airport in Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; and Memphis, Tennessee.
The NWS warned that the heat wave will continue affecting the southern and southeastern United States, with maximum temperatures expected to remain near 38°C to 40°C for several days. The heat index, which combines temperature and humidity to estimate how hot conditions feel, could reach 46°C.
The extreme heat is also spreading into the Southwest, where temperatures began rising again between Monday and Tuesday. Forecast highs in the region range from about 38°C to 43°C.
Heat alerts remain in effect across Nevada, Arizona and California, including areas in southern Arizona and California near the Mexican border, as authorities warn of the risks posed by prolonged extreme temperatures.
The NWS urged residents to limit outdoor activity, stay hydrated, ensure access to air conditioning or cooling centers, and check on vulnerable friends, neighbors and family members.
The United States is experiencing a summer marked by above-average temperatures and repeated heat waves. One of the most intense episodes occurred during the July 4 weekend, when extreme heat was blamed for roughly 30 deaths.
July was the hottest month ever recorded in the United States since measurements began, with the average temperature across the contiguous country approaching 25°C, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The combination of extreme heat and drought conditions has also fueled wildfires. Nearly 3 million hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, making it the largest area affected by wildfires in a decade.
Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027
France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials
Heat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C
Trump warns Iran over nuclear ambitions as U.S.-Iran ceasefire deadline passes
Brazil’s Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro kick off election campaigns amid focus on crime
Actress Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36, Representative Confirms
Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
ICE Plan to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves Raises Abuse Concerns
France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials
Actress Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36, Representative Confirms
Trump warns Iran over nuclear ambitions as U.S.-Iran ceasefire deadline passes
Heat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C
Brazil’s Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro kick off election campaigns amid focus on crime
Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027
-
International16 hours agoFrance to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials
-
International3 days agoActress Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36, Representative Confirms
-
International2 days agoTrump warns Iran over nuclear ambitions as U.S.-Iran ceasefire deadline passes
-
International2 days agoHeat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C
-
International2 days agoBrazil’s Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro kick off election campaigns amid focus on crime
-
International16 hours agoMexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027