International
Partner of Chile’s president-elect draws feminist ire over first lady role
AFP
Irina Karamanos, an avowed feminist and partner of Chile’s leftist president-elect Gabriel Boric, has drawn fire from women’s groups for her decision to accept the “anachronistic” role of first lady.
Feminist groups derided Karamanos for accepting a post they say is not awarded on merit but obtained through a woman’s private relationship with the president.
Boric, who was elected Chile’s youngest-ever president aged 35 in December, is due to assume office on March 11.
Karamanos, a social scientist and activist of 32, said Tuesday she would accept the first lady job, but exercise it with a modern, feminist twist.
The pair have been in a relationship since 2019.
Like in many other countries, the role of first lady in Chile is not officially defined, but traditionally involves overseeing the work of social organizations.
It does not come with a salary, and is exercised from the presidency’s socio-cultural division, which has an office in the presidential palace.
Boric himself had spoken in favor of abolishing the position, saying on the campaign: “There can be no posts in the State that have to do or are related to a relationship with the president or with anyone.”
– ‘Different times’ –
But then Karamanos said Tuesday that reforming the role would involve “adapting it to the times.”
She added: “Also, as a feminist I think this position — and it seems contradictory to take it on as a feminist — in reality is mostly a challenge that we can exploit to talk about different issues, and display a new way of exercising power.”
Her announcement divided the feminist movement.
While some applauded her commitment to reform, others agreed with her own statement that accepting the role contradicted her commitment to advancing women’s rights.
Karamanos is head of the Feminist Front of the Social Convergence party which is part of the leftist Broad Front to which Boric also belongs.
“We have different ways of looking at feminism,” Daniela Osorio, spokeswoman for the activist group Coordinadora Feminista 8M, told AFP.
“Our analysis has nothing to do with Irina herself… For us, the right thing to do would have been to abolish the position.”
Added Priscila Gonzales of the Chilean Network Against Violence Against Women: “I do not doubt in her abilities, what I question is the continuation of a profoundly chauvinist position in which women are relegated to a secondary role.”
But Erika Montecinos, founder of the Rompiendo el Silencio (Breaking the Silence) lesbian rights group, said the focus should be on Karamanos’s promise to change the position.
“That is what’s important. To transform spaces — and give them a feminist vision.”
Questions have also been asked about the couple’s unmarried status.
“How do you ask for an audience with the president’s concubine?” former lawmaker and one-time presidential candidate Tomas Jocelyn-Holt asked on Twitter, inviting a flurry of criticism.
Boric has come out in support of his partner.
“Her intention to modernize and make the office transparent reflects the work we have collectively been doing: we have to make the changes responsibly and from within,” he said.
International
Trump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority
President Donald Trump issued an executive order this Monday for the immediate construction of two new warships that will bear his name. These vessels will be the pioneers of what he described as the “Golden Fleet,” a future generation of “Trump-class” battleships that he claimed would be “100 times more powerful” than those currently in service.
The announcement took place at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The President indicated that following the initial two ships, the administration aims to commission up to 25 additional vessels. He is scheduled to meet with Florida-based contractors next week to expedite production, criticizing existing defense firms for failing to deliver results efficiently.
This naval expansion is a cornerstone of Trump’s goal to revitalized the American shipbuilding industry and address the strategic gap between the U.S. and competitors like China.
The move comes amid heightened geopolitical tension. Just last week, Trump ordered the seizure of all sanctioned tankers involved with Venezuela’s “ghost fleet” to cripple the country’s crude oil industry. Since December 10, the U.S. military—deployed in the Caribbean under the guise of counter-narcotics operations—has already detained two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil transport.
International
U.S. Judge Blocks ICE from Re-detaining Salvadoran Erroneously Deported Under Trump Administration
A U.S. federal judge ruled this Monday, December 22, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is prohibited from re-detaining Salvadoran national Kilmar Ábrego García, who was erroneously deported to El Salvador earlier this year during the administration of President Donald Trump.
During a hearing in Maryland, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Ábrego García must remain free on bail through the Christmas holidays, concluding that his initial detention lacked a legal basis. The ruling follows a request from his legal team for a temporary restraining order to prevent ICE from carrying out a new arrest.
Earlier this month, on December 11, Judge Xinis ordered his release from a Pennsylvania migrant detention center after determining that the government had detained him without a formal deportation order. In 2019, an immigration judge had already ruled that Ábrego could not be returned to El Salvador because his life was in danger.
Despite that protection, Ábrego García was deported in March 2025 following a raid by the Trump administration. Officials argued at the time that he was a gang member, and he was sent directly to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) in El Salvador. In June, he was returned to the United States to face a new trial for alleged human smuggling—a charge he denies.
On Monday, Judge Xinis also temporarily invalidated a new deportation order issued by an immigration judge following Ábrego’s recent release, granting him legal protection through the coming weeks. His trial is scheduled to begin in Tennessee in January 2026.
International
Fire at substation triggers major blackout in San Francisco
The U.S. city of San Francisco was plunged into darkness Saturday night after a power outage left about 130,000 customers without electricity, although the utility company said service was restored to most users within hours.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) said in a statement posted on X that nearly 90,000 homes had their power restored by 9:00 p.m. local time (05:00 GMT on Sunday), while the remaining 40,000 customers were expected to have service restored overnight.
Large areas of the city, a major technology hub with a population of around 800,000, were affected by the blackout, which disrupted public transportation and left traffic lights out of service during the busy weekend before Christmas, a crucial period for retail businesses.
“I know it’s been a difficult day,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a video posted on social media from the city’s emergency operations center. “There has been progress, but for those still without power, we want to make sure they are safe and checking in on their neighbors,” he added.
Lurie said police officers and firefighters advised residents to stay home as much as possible. He also noted that officers and traffic inspectors were deployed to manage intersections where traffic lights were not functioning.
The mayor confirmed that the outage was caused by a fire at an electrical substation. Parts of the city were also covered in fog, further complicating conditions during the incident.
As a result of the blackout, many businesses were forced to close despite it being the weekend before Christmas. The sudden drop in shopper traffic ahead of the holiday is “devastating” for retailers, the manager of home goods store Black & Gold told the San Francisco Chronicle.
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