International

Israel will limit visas for the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) to just one month

Israel announced this Wednesday at the UN Security Council that it will limit visas to only one month for employees of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which it accused of having “a continuous bias against the State of Israel”.

The Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, assured that the OCHA has within it several workers affiliated with Hamas, some of whom even participated in the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 that cost the lives of almost 2,000 people.

However, he did not provide evidence of his accusations.

The session was convened to discuss the humanitarian emergency in Gaza and the increasing cases of death from starvation, but Danon used his speech to counterattack the alleged hostility of the UN to his country, since the alleged collusion with Hamas was already used to organize an effective campaign to discredit UNRWA, the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Danon also announced that his country will not automatically renew visas to international OCHA staff, and that “hundreds of employees” of that agency have been examined in what he called a “security veto” that led Israel to withdraw their work permits from several officials “for clear evidence of a solid affiliation with Hamas”.

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He also confirmed that the head of the OCHA in the Palestinian territories, Jonathan Whittall, will not be able to renew his visa “and will leave the country on July 29,” after complaining about what he called “an endless campaign of defamation” against his country.

The diplomat took the opportunity to launch a global attack on the entire UN: “What the UN does is cling to a political agenda, protect its biases and defend its agencies that have long since abandoned neutrality.”

And he boasted that Israel “makes the Middle East safer for all those who value peace and tranquility. In other words, we are doing the work of the UN,” he proclaimed.

The accusations against the OCHA are reminiscent of those that Israel launched against UNRWA for the same cases – complicity with Hamas and terrorist attacks – that cost this agency a discredit and withdrawal campaign that it took many months to overcome, and only partially, since the United States withdrew all its funding and even banned it with a vote in Congress.

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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.