International

Milei closed about 200 areas of the Public Administration in its first year of Government

The Government of the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, closed during the first year of his administration about 200 areas of the Public Administration as part of its plan to deregulate and downshrage the State, official sources reported on Saturday.

The list of closed offices was announced by the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, who through a message on the social network X thanked Milei for “the conviction and leadership in the need to reduce the State.”

For his part, the Secretary of State Transformation and Public Service, Maximiliano Fariña, explained that, as the structures of each ministry have been reviewed, “excesses, duplications and totally unnecessary areas” have been found in the public administration.

“During 2024 we have already eliminated more than 200 areas (national directorates, directorates and coordinations) that had duplicate or obsolete functions and almost 100 secretariats and undersecretaries,” Fariña said.

Areas that can be charged by the “private sector” or “provinces”

Fariña indicated that there were areas that fulfilled functions or tasks that “the private sector can do or with others that directly fulfilled functions that correspond to the provinces or municipalities, breaking federalism.”

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“This demonstrates the exaggeration of State size that we find,” he said.

Among the closed areas are, among others, the National Directorate of Gender and Diversity Policies, the Office of Coordination and Strengthening of the Social and Popular Economy, the Coordination area of Adaptation to Climate Change and the Directorate of Policies for the Promotion and Protection of Rights.

The actions to close public areas are part of the severe fiscal adjustment plan launched by the Milei Government since the beginning of its mandate, in December 2023.

International

Iran Reports 201 Dead, 747 Injured After U.S. and Israeli Strikes

The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported Sunday night (local time) that at least 201 people were killed and 747 injured following attacks carried out by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.

A spokesperson for the humanitarian organization said more than 220 rescue teams have been deployed across affected areas and that relief operations are continuing without interruption. The official highlighted the difficulty of treating the large number of wounded and the urgent need for additional resources in impacted provinces.

Out of Iran’s 31 provinces, 24 have reported damage, according to a statement carried by the Isna news agency. This marks the first overall casualty toll released by Iranian state-affiliated media since the launch of the offensive.

Among the dead are 85 schoolgirls from a school in the southern city of Minab, according to the country’s judiciary. “The number of martyrs at the Minab girls’ school has risen to 85,” the local prosecutor’s office said, as quoted by the judiciary’s website, Mizan Online.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian described the attack as a “savagery” that “constitutes a new black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors.”

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Meanwhile, the international community continues to monitor the situation closely amid concerns about possible further reprisals and the broader impact on Middle East stability, energy markets, and global security.

AFP noted that it was unable to independently verify the casualty figures or the circumstances surrounding the events.

International

Pope Leo XIV Urges End to ‘Spiral of Violence’ in Middle East

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to the “spiral of violence” in the Middle East, following military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran and subsequent retaliatory bombardments in the region.

“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I urge the parties involved to assume their moral responsibility and stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” the pontiff told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Speaking during the Angelus prayer, the U.S.-born pope said stability and peace cannot be achieved through threats or weapons. “Stability and peace are not built with reciprocal threats or with arms that sow destruction, suffering and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue,” he declared.

The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics also called for diplomacy to “regain its role” amid escalating tensions.

In addition, the pope urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to urgently resume dialogue after several days of clashes between the two countries.

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International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.