International
Dozens treated in Chile for suspected pollutant exposure

AFP
More than 100 people have sought medical treatment this week after suspected exposure to a pollutant in an area known as the “Chilean Chernobyl” for the environmental impact of heavy industry.
Local authorities declared an environmental emergency in the area, suspending classes and banning physical activity, after the Quintero Air Quality Station reported a concentration of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the air five times the norm on Monday.
A total of 105 people — among them 50 children — have sought help in the towns of Quintero and Puchuncavi in the Valparaiso region, complaining of headaches, itchy eyes and throats, and nausea, the SMA environmental agency said late Wednesday.
The Quintero prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the incident.
Quintero and Puchuncavi, two coastal towns with some 50,000 inhabitants combined, have been deemed “sacrifice zones” since 1958, when the Chilean government converted what was an fishing and farming community into an industrial hub.
Today it houses four coal-fired thermoelectric plants and oil and copper refineries.
Environmental group Greenpeace dubbed the area the “Chilean Chernobyl” after hundreds of people sought medical help for symptoms ranging from dizziness and headaches to vomiting blood and paralysis of the extremities in an episode in 2018.
On Wednesday, Chile’s environmental superintendent Emanuel Ibarra ordered six companies operating in the area to “limit their productive activity, without harming the primary supply.”
The companies include Chile’s principal fuel company, Copec.
On Tuesday, the regulator also ordered measures to reduce pollution from the operations of state mining company Codelco — the world’s largest copper producer — and the Aes Andina thermoelectric plant in the area.
Codelco, which is responsible for eight percent of the world’s copper supply, said in a statement that its Ventanas smelter halted operations on Monday and will “maintain a voluntary suspension of operations” for maintenance.
International
Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.
The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.
The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).
“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.
Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”
International
Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.
Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.
A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”
According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.
International
Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.
Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.
“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.
“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.
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