International

Milei to meet Pope, Netanyahu and Macron during june diplomatic tour

Argentine President Javier Milei will depart for Europe on June 5 for an international tour that includes meetings with Pope Leo XIV and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the presidential office announced on Friday.

Milei is also scheduled to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The tour will begin in Rome, where Milei will meet with Meloni on June 6 and with Pope Leo XIV the following day. The president had missed the pope’s enthronement on May 18 due to local legislative elections in Buenos Aires. Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff, previously served as a missionary in Peru and has shown a special interest in Latin America.

After a brief visit to Spain—where he will speak at an economic forum but is not expected to meet with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, with whom he has had diplomatic tensions—Milei will travel to Nice to meet with President Macron on June 9. The two leaders have met several times since Milei took office in December 2023, including a recent bilateral meeting in Buenos Aires in November, prior to the G20 Summit in Brazil.

On June 10, Milei will arrive in Tel Aviv for a packed agenda that includes meetings with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is also expected to visit the Western Wall that same day.

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Netanyahu is currently the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

This will be Milei’s second visit to Israel, a country with which Argentina maintains close ties. Argentina’s ambassador to Israel, Axel Wahnish, told local media on Friday that the visit will include the announcement of a new direct air route between Buenos Aires and Tel Aviv.

“This is not just a technical detail. For me, it symbolizes the deep connection between our two peoples,” Wahnish said in an interview with Radio Mitre.

On June 11, Milei will meet with families of hostages kidnapped by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and will deliver remarks before the Israeli Parliament.

He is expected to return to Buenos Aires on June 14 after a second stop in Spain.

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International

IEA warns Middle East conflict could spark worst energy crisis in decades

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East could trigger the worst energy crisis in decades, warned Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), who described the situation as “very serious.”

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Birol compared the current scenario to the oil crises of the 1970s, noting that during those events the world lost around five million barrels of oil per day in each crisis.

“Today, we have lost 11 million barrels per day—more than the two major oil shocks combined,” he said.

The Turkish economist referred to the conflict that began on February 28, following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, which have significantly disrupted global energy markets and driven oil prices higher.

Birol warned that the global economy is facing a “very, very serious threat” and expressed hope that the crisis will be resolved soon.

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“No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues in this direction. Global efforts are urgently needed,” he emphasized.

International

Colombian Air Force Hercules plane crashes during takeoff with troops onboard

A Lockheed C-130 Hercules operated by the Colombian Air Force was involved in a “tragic accident” while taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, in the Putumayo department of southern Colombia, as it was transporting troops, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez reported on Monday.

The minister stated on social media that the exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined. He also extended his condolences to the families affected and urged the public to avoid speculation until official information is confirmed.

“This is a deeply painful event for the country. Our prayers are with the victims and their families,” Sánchez said, adding that emergency protocols have been activated and an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro expressed hope that there would be no fatalities in what he described as a “horrific accident that should not have happened.”

Petro also highlighted ongoing efforts to modernize the country’s air fleet and reiterated the need to acquire new helicopters and transport aircraft to strengthen military mobility, particularly in remote regions.

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According to local media reports, approximately 110 soldiers were on board the aircraft. So far, at least 20 injured military personnel have been rescued.

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.