International

Trump leads in all key states and Harris’ options fade

The Republican candidate for the White House, Donald Trump, won in North Carolina and Georgia and, although the count continues, leads the recount in the other five key states, a situation that greatly complicates the options of Democrat Kamala Harris, who even decided to suspend the speech she was going to offer during the election night.

Shortly after midnight and after the defeat in these two important states became known, the US vice president and Democratic candidate for the White House canceled the message she was scheduled to offer from Howard University, in Washington.

In Florida, members of the Trump campaign and supporters gathered at the West Palm Beach convention center wait for the Republican to appear to sing victory tonight.

“I have won,” the former president said to his followers when he arrived at that party, although there were still no definitive results.

After winning in North Carolina and Georgia, it would only need to win in Pennsylvania, although it would also need the results of Alaska and a delegate in Maine, traditionally republican states but still lagging behind in the count.

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Of the seven key states, for the moment the winner has been announced in North Carolina and Georgia, while in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada the ballot continues but the former president remains in the lead in all of them.

Trump is at the advantage of Kamala by almost 40 delegates

In the presidential race, for the moment, the Republican is ahead of the Democratic Vice President by 247 delegates compared to 210, according to projections from the main US media.

Trump has managed to win, in addition to North Carolina (16), Indiana (11), Kentucky (8), South Carolina (9), West Virginia (4), Ohio (17), Alabama (9), Florida (30), Mississippi (6), Missouri (10), Oklahoma (7), Tennessee (11), Arkansas (6), Kansas (6), Louisiana (8), North Dakota (3), South Dakota (3), Texas (40), Wyoming (3), Montana (4), Utah (6), Idaho (4), Georgia (16) and 4 delegates from Nebraska.

While Harris has Vermont (3), Connecticut (7), Delaware (3), the District of Columbia (3), Illinois (19), Maryland (10), Massachusetts (11), New Jersey (14), Rhode Island (4), Colorado (10), New York (28), California (54), Oregon (8), Washington (12), New Mexico (5), Virginia (13), Hawaii (4), a delegate from Nebraska and another from Maine.

The Republicans have also managed to take control of the upper house, after they have managed to snatch two seats from the Democrats, according to media projections.

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At the Democratic headquarters, installed at Howard University in Washington, where Harris studied as a young man, the initial optimism was mitigated with an increasingly evident seriousness as the night lengthened and many people began to leave the place.

Large screens and national flags decorate a campus surrounded by a strong deployment of security and that has mainly welcomed students and alumni, all pending key states.

Meanwhile, tycoon Elon Musk, Eduardo Bolsonaro and British politician Nigel Farage are some of the guests at the dinner held in Mar-a-Lago, in southern Florida, where the Republican candidate has been following the election results.

Americans do not decide by popular vote who will be their next president, but they designate a number of voters in each state who make up the Electoral College and who are responsible for electing the next tenant of the White House.

The Electoral College is a body made up of 538 delegates who elect the states according to their population. The winning candidate in each state, even by a single vote, takes all his compromises with the exception of Nebraska and Maine. The candidate who reaches 270 wins the election.

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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.