International
Milei closed about 200 areas of the Public Administration in its first year of Government
The Government of the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, closed during the first year of his administration about 200 areas of the Public Administration as part of its plan to deregulate and downshrage the State, official sources reported on Saturday.
The list of closed offices was announced by the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, who through a message on the social network X thanked Milei for “the conviction and leadership in the need to reduce the State.”
For his part, the Secretary of State Transformation and Public Service, Maximiliano Fariña, explained that, as the structures of each ministry have been reviewed, “excesses, duplications and totally unnecessary areas” have been found in the public administration.
“During 2024 we have already eliminated more than 200 areas (national directorates, directorates and coordinations) that had duplicate or obsolete functions and almost 100 secretariats and undersecretaries,” Fariña said.
Areas that can be charged by the “private sector” or “provinces”
Fariña indicated that there were areas that fulfilled functions or tasks that “the private sector can do or with others that directly fulfilled functions that correspond to the provinces or municipalities, breaking federalism.”
“This demonstrates the exaggeration of State size that we find,” he said.
Among the closed areas are, among others, the National Directorate of Gender and Diversity Policies, the Office of Coordination and Strengthening of the Social and Popular Economy, the Coordination area of Adaptation to Climate Change and the Directorate of Policies for the Promotion and Protection of Rights.
The actions to close public areas are part of the severe fiscal adjustment plan launched by the Milei Government since the beginning of its mandate, in December 2023.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
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