International

An anti-Revista candidate sees “desperation” as his biggest rival in the municipal elections

The opposition candidate for Mayor of Caracas Jorge Barragán assured, in an interview with EFE, that his main contender in next Sunday’s municipal elections in Venezuela is “desperance”, which, he considers, has been installed in the electorate due to distrust in the vote.

“Our main rival is not the (ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela) PSUV itself, our main rival is hopelessness. It’s getting up every day thinking that things are not going to change and that they (Chavismo) have already won,” said this 27-year-old.

Backed by the Alianza del Lápiz party, Barragán aspires to occupy the position held since 2021 by the admiral and former minister Carmen Meléndez, a charter of Chavismo for re-election, whose management he especially criticizes what he describes as the deterioration of public services, in particular the lack of water and garbage collection.

A native of Táchira, a state in the west of the country bordering Colombia, this opponent considers that change should not come from a “break” by force as, he says, proposed by some anti-Chavista sectors that call for abstention after the 2024 presidential elections, in which Nicolás Maduro was proclaimed the winner despite opposition’s allegations of “fraud”.

“I believe that the way is transition, and the transition is achieved through voting. The breakup has not worked in these 25 years that we have been living this political process,” he added.

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Barragán, who began his career in the student movement at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), where he studied International Studies, is confident of winning the mayor’s office and explains that for this he has focused on taking his message to the streets of the capital.

Among its main proposals are the creation of a training center in technological trades aimed at young people, the development of a telemedicine application to improve access to health, a program of investment incentives through tax exemptions and the organization of the informal economy, which he prefers to call the “entrepreneurial sector”.

This young man wants to “turn Caracas into an educational city and example of Latin America,” he proposes to modernize it, “that people feel proud” of the capital “for the ideas, for the form and management,” as well as for coexistence and values.

For this he hopes to have the support of professionals from all over the country and the “human capital” of different political formations such as Unión y Cambio, promoted by the opponents Henrique Capriles and Tomás Guanipa -elected deputies to Parliament last May -, or Un Nuevo Tiempo, headed by figures such as former governor Manuel Rosales and Stalin González, who also got a chair for the legislative period 2026-2031.

As a politician, he distances himself from the “authoritarian” leaderships in the world and says he is inspired by leaders of Venezuelan history, such as former President Isaías Medina Angarita, also from Táchira.

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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.