International
Brazil raises $620 mn in huge concession auction
AFP/Editor
Brazil wrapped up a massive auction Friday for concessions to operate 22 airports, a rail line and five ports with a total take of $620 million and planned investments of $1.75 billion in all.
The three-day auction was seen as a risky bet by some analysts, coming as Brazil reels from a new surge of Covid-19 that is weighing down Latin America’s biggest economy.
But President Jair Bolsonaro’s government mostly managed to attract strong bids, seeking to show Brazil remains an attractive destination for private investors.
Despite the pandemic, which has now claimed nearly 350,000 lives in Brazil, the government was keen to underline its committment to long-delayed plans for large-scale privatizations and concessions of state-run companies and infrastructure.
That was a key campaign promise in 2018 from Bolsonaro, who comes up for reelection next year.
“We’re very happy because we’ve shown Brazil is a country with a bright future,” said Infrastructure Minister Tarcisio de Freitas.
His ministry closed out the week with the 216-million-reais ($38-million) lease of five port terminals in the northeastern state of Maranhao and southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
On Wednesday, it raised a higher-than-expected $600 million for 30-year concessions to operate 22 small and medium airports — the biggest day of the event it billed as “Infra Week.”
French group Vinci and Brazilian group CCR were the winning bidders.
Thursday was the only lackluster day of the auction: the 35-year concession for the Fiol 1 freight rail line in the northeastern state of Bahia drew just one bidder, who won with a minimum bid of $5.75 million.
The government says it expects total investments of at least $1.75 billion over the lifetime of the projects.
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.
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.
International
Netanyahu vows to target Iran’s leadership after missile strikes in southern Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to target Iran’s leadership directly, escalating rhetoric amid ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran.
Speaking during a visit to the southern city of Arad, which was struck by an Iranian missile a day earlier, Netanyahu said Israel would intensify its response against Tehran.
“We are going after the regime. We are going after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that gang of criminals,” he told reporters while standing among the debris left by the தாக்க.
He added that Israel intends to strike “personally” at Iran’s leadership, as well as its facilities and economic assets.
In addition to Arad, Iranian missiles also hit the city of Dimona on Saturday. The area is widely believed to host Israel’s undeclared nuclear facilities. The strike caused significant damage following a direct impact.
Netanyahu also visited Dimona, where he urged residents to strictly follow military instructions and seek shelter whenever warning sirens are activated.
“The entire nation is a front line, and the home front is also a front line. And when we are on the front line, we follow these instructions,” he said.
International
US panel backs Trump-themed coin amid controversy
The United States Department of the Treasury confirmed to AFP that the Commission of Fine Arts approved the design of a new collectible coin featuring Donald Trump, with members of the commission appointed by the current administration.
According to the proposal, the coin will feature an image of Trump standing with clenched fists over a desk on the obverse, while the reverse will display an eagle, a traditional symbol of the United States.
The sale price of the collectible has not yet been disclosed, although the United States Mint typically offers similar items for more than $1,000.
“There is no more iconic portrait for the front of these coins than that of our president Donald Trump,” U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a statement sent to AFP. He added that two additional coins — a $1 piece and a one-ounce gold coin — are also under consideration.
However, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC), another body responsible for reviewing new coin proposals, declined to discuss the Trump design in late February.
“Only nations governed by kings or dictators place the image of a sitting leader on their currency,” said Donald Scarinciat the time. “No country in the world has minted coins featuring a democratically elected leader during their term in office,” he added.
When contacted by AFP, the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
Paris prosecutors alert U.S. over alleged deepfake strategy linked to Elon Musk
Netanyahu vows to target Iran’s leadership after missile strikes in southern Israel
Guatemala narrows emergency measures to hardest-hit gang violence areas
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
Central America4 days agoCosta Rica closes embassy in Cuba, citing human rights concerns
-
Central America3 days agoGuatemala narrows emergency measures to hardest-hit gang violence areas
-
International4 days agoMeningitis outbreak in England rises to 27 cases with two deaths reported
-
International3 days agoUS panel backs Trump-themed coin amid controversy
-
International4 days agoU.S. lowers travel advisory for much of Venezuela but keeps high-risk zones under warning
-
International4 days agoEU lawmakers move to ban AI tools that generate non-consensual nude images
-
International4 days agoBrazil offers to mediate Colombia-Ecuador tensions, calls for restraint
-
International4 days agoHiroshima survivor who embraced Obama dies at 88
-
International3 days agoFed’s Waller warns of rising inflation risks amid Middle East conflict
-
International4 days agoColombia seeks ‘total suffocation’ of armed groups with regional support
-
Central America4 days agoCosta Rica closes Cuba embassy as president escalates rhetoric
-
International15 hours agoNetanyahu vows to target Iran’s leadership after missile strikes in southern Israel
-
International14 hours agoParis prosecutors alert U.S. over alleged deepfake strategy linked to Elon Musk