International

Russian authorities announce the evacuation of another district of Kursk due to Ukraine’s military incursion

The authorities of the Bolshesoldatsky district in the Russian region of Kursk, where Ukraine has been carrying out a military operation since August 6, announced on Tuesday the evacuation of the population in the face of the unstable situation in the area.

“Until now there was no evacuation in our district. Those who wanted to, left on their own and no one was hitting them. Today we begin to collect data from the people who do need to be evacuated,” wrote the local leader, Vladimir Zaitsev, on his Telegram channel.

In the Bolshesoldatski district, adjacent to the Sudzha district, the first target of the Ukrainian incursion, live about 10,000 people.

It is a territory close to the city of Kurchatov, which hosts the Kursk atomic power plant, and the regional capital, with about 430,000 inhabitants.

The governor of the region, Alexei Smirnov, acknowledged yesterday that about 121,000 people have already been evacuated from the border areas with Ukraine and another 60,000 would be transferred to safer places later.

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Smirnov also assured that Ukrainian forces already control 28 locations in the territory of Kursk, where about 2,000 people live without their fate being known so far.

Ukraine, for its part, recognized yesterday for the first time that its forces are in Russian territory and assured that within the framework of the operation in Kursk they already control about 1,000 square kilometers.

On the other side of the border, the Ukrainian authorities decided on Tuesday to restrict the movement of civilians in part of the Sumi region that borders the Russian region of Kursk, for security reasons.

The Ukrainian General Staff has confirmed that the restrictions are established by “the increase in fighting, the intensification of sabotage activities and reconnaissance groups and special operations forces of the enemy and to preserve the lives of the civilian population and military personnel.”

The limitations will affect residents in a strip of 20 kilometers from the border.

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This area can only be accessed after showing a Ukrainian passport that contains an address that accredits the bearer as a resident in this strip.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kiev assured today that the objective of the Ukrainian incursion into the border oblast is not to “take the territory of the region” but to protect Ukrainian civilians.

“Ukraine is not interested in taking the territory of the Kursk region, but we want to protect the lives of our people,” said the spokesman, Gueorgui Tiji, in statements cited by the “Ukrinform” agency.

According to the spokesman, since the beginning of the summer alone, more than 2,000 attacks have been recorded against the Ukrainian border region of Sumi, from Kursk.

“Therefore, it is necessary to liberate these border areas where Russian military contingents with the help of the (Russian) Armed Forces attack Ukraine or cover the terror against the Ukrainians,” he alleges.

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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.