International

House of Representatives releases 33,000 pages of Epstein case documents

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday released more than 33,000 pages of documents related to the late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender, as provided by the Department of Justice.

The release was made by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and is described as the first installment of a series of public disclosures, following political agreements aimed at increasing transparency in the Epstein case.

“There are more documents on the way,” said Committee Chairman James Comer after announcing the release.

Out of the 333,295 pages made public, only about 3% contain new information, with the remainder already available in the public domain.

“Less than 1% of the files have been released; the Department of Justice is obstructing,” commented Representative Ro Khanna of California shortly after the records were made public.

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The Epstein case has remained a high-profile issue in U.S. politics in recent months. Former President Donald Trumphad promised during his last campaign to release a purported list of Epstein’s clients, but once in office, he took a more restrained approach.

This secrecy has frustrated Trump’s political base, particularly after the Department of Justice announced in July that no further Epstein information would be released.

Meanwhile, Epstein’s former partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for facilitating underage girls to Epstein, recently met with Justice Department officials and stated that her former partner did not maintain a list of high-profile clients.

In August, the Justice Department also released two interrogations of Maxwell conducted by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in July, in which Maxwell expressed doubts about Epstein’s reported suicide in prison.

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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.