International

Former argentine president seeks brazilian leader’s visit amid house arrest

Former Argentine president Cristina Fernández hopes that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, her longtime ally in the region, will visit her at her Buenos Aires apartment, where she is serving house arrest for corruption. The final decision rests with the court that sentenced her and sets the terms of her six-year confinement.

Alberto Beraldi, Fernández’s lawyer, made the request on Tuesday before the three judges of the Federal Oral Court No. 2 for Lula to visit her, taking advantage of the fact that the leftist leader will be in Buenos Aires from Wednesday afternoon to attend the Mercosur Summit, which will bring together the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The regional bloc meeting is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

Fernández, who began serving her six-year sentence in mid-June for a corruption case during her administration, is allowed visits from a group of family members, security police, doctors, and lawyers at her apartment in an old building in the south of the capital. One of the rules she must follow is to request permission for extraordinary visits and justify the reasons.

This is the first such request Fernández has made, and it concerns Lula, with whom she maintained strong political and ideological ties during their respective administrations.

The Brazilian president called Fernández to express his support after Argentina’s Supreme Court upheld the conviction last month, which had been imposed by the federal court in 2022. The Workers’ Party leader said on social media that during the call he told Fernández “how important it is for her to remain strong during these difficult times.”

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Lula himself has experienced imprisonment. While confined in a police station in Curitiba in 2019 on corruption charges, he received a visit from then-presidential candidate Alberto Fernández, who later led the government in which the now-convicted Peronist leader served as vice president (2019–2023).

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.