International
The Argentine Anti-Corruption Office will investigate Milei and his cabinet for the fiasco of a cryptocurrency
The Anti-Corruption Office (OA) of Argentina will investigate President Javier Milei and members of his cabinet, at the request of the head of State himself, after he promoted a cryptocurrency on his social networks with possible links to virtual scams.
“President Javier Milei has decided to give immediate intervention to the Anti-Corruption Office (OA) to determine if there was improper conduct on the part of any member of the National Government, including the President himself,” the President’s Office said in a statement.
The OA, a decentralized entity but dependent on the Executive Branch under the Ministry of Justice directed by Mariano Cúneo Libarona, is led by Alejandro Melik, who was a partner of the minister when he worked as a defense lawyer.
Milei decided to create a Research Task Unit (UTI) to investigate ‘$LIBRA’ – the digital currency he advertised – along with all the companies or people involved in his operation.
The UTI, which will be under the President’s orbit, will be composed of representatives of organizations linked to crypto assets, financial activities, money laundering, and other related areas.
“All the information collected in the investigation will be delivered to the Justice to determine if any of the companies or people linked to the KIP Protocol project committed a crime,” they added in the document.
According to the presidential office, the representatives of the KIP Protocol company had a meeting with Milei on October 19, where they told him about the idea of developing a project called “Viva la Libertad” with the intention of financing private ventures in the country using blockchain technology.
“In that meeting, which was duly settled in the Register of Public Hearings, was attended by the President of the Nation; the representatives of the company KIP Protocol, Mauricio Novellli and Julian Peh; and the presidential spokesman, Manuel Adorni,” they listed.}
On January 30 of this year, Milei met at Casa Rosada – headquarters of the Executive – with businessman Hayden Mark Davis, who, according to KIP Protocol, would provide the technological infrastructure for this project.
“Mr. Davis had and has no connection with the Argentine government and was presented by the representatives of KIP Protocol as one of its partners in the project,” the statement said.
From Casa Rosada they established that the Argentine president shared the launch publication of ‘$LIBRA’ on his “personal accounts,” but that it was not “part of the development of cryptocurrency” in any instance.
After the repercussions, Milei decided to delete the publication to avoid spreading it, but in the hours it took, the demand for the cryptocurrency exploded, its price inflated, moved millions, its initial investors withdrew the money obtaining about 87.4 million dollars and it collapsed.
Both KIP Protocol and Davis issued statements on their social networks, where they passed on blame for what happened to each other, although the latter accused Milei’s team of charging against Julian Peh to avoid taking responsibility for what happened.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
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
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