International

Cristina Fernández affirms that persecution against her is for seeking social justice

Photo: @CFKArgentina

22 mars |

The Vice President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, affirmed on Tuesday that the attacks and persecutions against her by the “judicial party” are due to the fact that progressive sectors seek equality in societies and fight for social justice.

“They do not persecute us because we are populists, or from the left, from the right, or from below or from above,” said the Argentine leader during her participation in the meeting called Popular Will and Democracy – From the Military Party to the Judicial Party, organized by the Puebla Group in Buenos Aires.

“They persecute us because we equalize societies, for social justice, for the right of workers to actively participate in the gross product of what they produce,” added Fernandez de Kirchner, who was president of Argentina from 2007 to 2015, and who has a court ruling that prohibits her from aspiring to a new electoral candidacy.

She stated that “they will never forgive us for the reconstruction of the economy and what we were able to build in terms of human rights (…) They will never forgive us”.

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He maintained that “what the military party was to the popular governments of the 20th century, the lawfare (judicial persecution) is to the national, popular and democratic governments. Exactly the same”.

In this sense, the official denounced that lawfare “cannot be explained without the media. The sentence is written in the media and then a prosecutor or a judge subscribes the accusation or subscribes the sentence”.

Fernandez de Kircher said that, even if she runs the risk of being imprisoned, her main mission is to rebuild a democratic state in the country under the slogan of the Constitution.

“I am not interested in whether we are going to be condemned or if I am going to be disqualified, or if I am going to be imprisoned, I do not care, what matters to me fundamentally is that we return to rebuild a democratic and constitutional State, in which the guarantees established in the Constitution are not a painted cardboard”, she said.

The meeting was attended as members of the Puebla Group by former governors Rafael Correa (Ecuador), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Ernesto Samper (Colombia), José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (Spain) and José Mujica (Uruguay), who expressed their support to the Argentine Vice-President.

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International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.

International

Oil prices surge again as Middle East tensions persist

Oil prices climbed again on Friday for a second consecutive session, as markets remained concerned about a prolonged conflict in the Middle East with no tangible diplomatic progress.

North Sea Brent crude for May delivery rose 4.22% to close at $112.57 per barrel.

Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) approached the $100 mark, settling at $99.64, up 5.46%.

The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to delay by ten days his ultimatum for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz failed to reassure market participants.

“It means there will be ten additional days of disruptions in the Middle East for crude and refined product flows,” said Andy Lipow, of Lipow Oil Associates.

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“For prices to come down, a resolution to the conflict is necessary,” Lipow added. “And even in the event of a ceasefire, it is not certain that Iran would allow oil shipments to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”

International

Young Spanish Woman Receives Euthanasia After Legal Battle, Sparking Debate

A 25-year-old Spanish woman, Noelia Castillo, received euthanasia on Thursday following a prolonged legal dispute with her father.

She passed away at a care center in Sant Pere de Ribes, about 40 kilometers from Barcelona, where she had been living for some time, according to Spanish media reports.

In an interview broadcast a day earlier on Antena 3, Castillo expressed her exhaustion after enduring prolonged suffering. She indicated that her decision was influenced by a combination of personal circumstances and health-related challenges, including family conflicts and a condition of paraplegia following a previous incident that left her with lasting physical consequences.

Spain legalized euthanasia in 2021, becoming one of the few countries that allow patients under strict conditions to seek medical assistance to end their lives in order to avoid what the law defines as unbearable suffering.

The case has reignited debate in Spain over the ethical, legal, and family dimensions surrounding euthanasia, as well as the broader issue of support for individuals in vulnerable situations.