International

Milei celebrates 100 days as president, between the controversy and his obstinacy about the course

The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, celebrates 100 days of management this Tuesday, in which he has shown obstinacy in the course to achieve fiscal balance and reduce the weight of the State to lower inflation, despite the setbacks in Congress; the fall in purchasing power and criticism for his confrontational method.

In several publications that Milei replied on his social network account X, a direct media that he appreciates a lot, he celebrated that he “avoided the hyperinflation” that was “activated” by his predecessor, the Peronist Alberto Fernández (2019-2023); he began the “sustained process of disinflation” and the decrease in country risk, today at 1,520 basis points.

In terms of security, he replied messages that say that he “ended the pickets” and “he stood against insecurity and narco-terrorism,” and as for corruption, “the amount of illegalities” that he is discovering.

Milei took advantage of this Tuesday to exhibit the unit with her vice president, Victoria Villarruel, on social networks, where they came to publish a photo hugging, after she participated in the meeting of the Cabinet of ministers in the Casa Rosada: “Those who are fighting…!!!,” the president said ironically.

The relationship between Milei and Villarruel reached a peak of tension last week due to the decision of the vice president – who also chairs the Senate – to convene a session in the Upper House where the megadecree of necessity and urgency (DNU) signed by the president in December was rejected.

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The presidential spokesman, Manuel Adorni, defined the first 100 days as “a case study” and “an atypical case,” in his usual press conference at the Executive headquarters.

Adorni listed that since Milei took office on December 10, Congress rejected the DNU and a fundamental bill for the Executive, the main union center called for a general strike on January 24 and there were train and bus stops.

In addition, the Patagonian province of Chubut threatened to cut off the supply of hydrocarbons and opposition groups “fantasized” that the far-right would fall for these months.

“This was the only Government (…) that in the first days of the Government has meticulously fulfilled each of the points it had promised in the campaign,” Adorni said, because it “attacked from the outset” the fiscal deficit and clung to the balance of public accounts to “end inflation and the destruction of the currency.”

Milei is an ‘outsider’ who, with aggressive speech and disruptive forms against the “political caste,” won the elections in a second round last November, with 56% support.

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“No other government so far had been encouraged to put their hand in politics’s pocket” or “exposed as much to politics” as Milei’s, Adorni said.

Fernández is one of the opposition politicians who criticized the first 100 days of Milei, by showing on his social networks that inflation rose by 71.3%, industrial production fell by 19.4%, retail sales of SMEs fell by 23% and the real salary of registered private workers fell by 27.1%, among other negative indicators.

Amnesty International Argentina warned that the “confrontation” practiced by the Government of Milei is to divert attention from those real conflicts – inflation, poverty, lack of medicines – and violate freedom of expression, and asked for “basic rules of coexistence and non-aggression, especially from the presidential investiture and its collaborators.”

Despite the severe economic adjustment that causes a loss of purchasing power, with inflation that climbed to 276.2% year-on-year last February, Milei maintains a positive image of more than 50%, according to opinion polls.

In that sense, the Government of Milei also boasts of having “changed the concept of governance” because now “it is given by the support of the people,” in a context in which its far-right party, La Libertad Avanza, only has 38 deputies, 7 senators and no provincial governor.

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Adorni acknowledged that “there is still a lot to do,” remembering that seven out of ten minors are still poor in Argentina, but that “this time a new sun comes to impoverished Argentina.”

International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.

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“I am an artist who has taken a step into politics to bring peace to my country,” Álvarez told reporters while surrounded by supporters.

International

FBI: Man who attacked Michigan synagogue died from self-inflicted gunshot

The man who died during Thursday’s attack on a synagogue in the United States suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the FBI.

FBI agent Jennifer Runyan told reporters that the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Lebanese citizen Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, shot himself at some point during the confrontation.

“At some point during the shooting, Ghazali suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” Runyan said during a press conference.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the suspect’s identity.

Authorities said Ghazali drove a truck into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, located in the state of Michigan, on Thursday.

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According to Michael Bouchard, sheriff of Oakland County, synagogue security personnel noticed the vehicle and confronted the suspect with gunfire.

Investigators said it would be premature to speculate about the motive for the attack, although reports indicate Ghazali recently lost relatives during Israeli strikes in Lebanon earlier this month.

“It would be irresponsible for me to speculate about his motive,” Runyan said.

Ghazali arrived in Detroit in 2011 on a spouse visa for U.S. citizens and obtained American citizenship in 2016, according to reporting by The New York Times.

He was the father of two teenagers, divorced from his wife in 2024, and had recently been working as a waiter.

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The newspaper also reported that Ghazali attended a memorial service in the nearby city of Dearborn for relatives killed in the recent conflict, alongside other grieving family members from the Lebanese town of Machghara.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the incident is being investigated as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.

A source from Michigan’s Lebanese-American community told CBS News that several of Ghazali’s relatives had been killed roughly ten days before the attack, leaving him deeply devastated.

International

Mexican Navy Ships Deliver Third Shipment of Humanitarian Aid to Cuba

Two logistics support vessels from the Mexican Navy — the ARM Papaloapan and the ARM Huasteco — docked again on Friday in the bay of Havana carrying a third shipment of humanitarian aid for Cuba.

The vessels had previously arrived on the Caribbean island on February 28 with a second cargo that included 1,200 tons of food, sent to help alleviate the country’s ongoing crisis, which has worsened following the U.S. oil restrictions affecting fuel supplies to the island.

Cuba’s deputy foreign minister Josefina Vidal confirmed the new shipment in a social media post.

“Two ships carrying a third shipment of aid from the Government and the people of Mexico for the Cuban people are now arriving at the port of Havana. Thank you Mexico for your solidarity with Cuba,” she wrote.

Previous aid shipments

During the second shipment, the Papaloapan transported 1,078 tons of beans and powdered milk, while the Huastecocarried 92 tons of beans and 23 tons of assorted food products collected by social organizations with support from the government of Mexico City.

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In recent months, Mexico has become the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Cuba, sending around 2,000 tons of supplies, mostly staple foods and hygiene products, in the two shipments prior to Friday’s delivery.

The first shipment alone included 814 tons of food.

Cuba praises Mexico’s support

Hours before the ships arrived, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel highlighted Mexico’s support during a televised appearance, describing the country as “a friendly and brotherly nation that has shown tremendous solidarity,”particularly praising Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Díaz-Canel also addressed reports suggesting that Mexican donations were being resold in state-run stores, dismissing them as a “disinformation campaign” promoted by right-wing groups.