International

UN Security Council holds emergency session on Syria at Russia’s request

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting this Monday afternoon, requested by Russia, to address the situation in Syria after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad last weekend.

The session will take place behind closed doors and is scheduled to begin at 15:00 local time in New York (20:00 GMT).
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, already spoke this Sunday about the future of the country, assuring that its future must be decided by “the Syrian people.”

“After 14 years of brutal war and the fall of the dictatorial regime, today the people of Syria can take advantage of a historic opportunity to build a stable and peaceful future,” Guterres noted after the Levant Liberation Agency group took Damascus and al-Assad fled the country.

UN Security Council meets to discuss situation in Syria

And he added that for this new stage in Syria “the international community is needed to ensure that any political transition is inclusive and broad, and that it meets the legitimate aspirations of the people of Syria in all their diversity.”

The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary-General of the United Nations already today discussed solutions about the transition period in Syria and the possible measures to rebuild the country, according to the Turkish foreign portfolio itself.

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During today, the insurgents commissioned Mohamed al Bashir, the president of the Salvation Government – the de facto administration in the northern Syrian province of Idlib controlled by the Levante Liberation Agency – to form a government for the transition in Syria, said the Syrian television now directed by the opposition.

New government

“The president of the Salvation Government, Mohamed al Bashir, will be in charge of forming a new Syrian government to manage the transition phase,” said the Syrian channel.

The Salvation Government is a kind of political and civil branch of the Levant Liberation Agency (Hayat Tahrir al Sham or HTS, in Arabic) that was created in Idlib, a province in northwestern Syria and a bastion of the opposition.

16 million Syrians need help

The United Nations estimates that 16 million Syrians are currently in need of humanitarian aid and urges the international community to increase funding for cooperation in order to “open new facilities for refuge, sanitation and food.”

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said on Monday at a press conference that “our colleagues (on the ground) tell us that more than 16 million people already need humanitarian aid in Syria, which represents a huge proportion of the population, and is increasing as the situation continues to develop.”

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The Islamist coalition Liberation Agency of the Levant (HTS, in Arabic), heir to the Al-Nusra Front – a former affiliate of Al Qaeda in Syria – took control of the main Syrian cities and on Sunday declared Damascus free after an offensive of just twelve days.

Possibility of accepting the Levant Liberation Agency

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, left open the possibility of recognizing the legitimacy of a hypothetical HTS government, which led the overthrow of Bashar al-Asad.

“I think we are all anxious to know what the future holds for us, but I think we have to take things little by little; seeing how they advance day by day and maintaining certain objectives,” Dujarric said at his daily press conference.

In addition, the General Secretariat stressed that “Syria, regardless of the changes that have been made, remains, obviously, a member state” of the organization.

“Very often, when there is a change of government, there is a communication that comes from a permanent mission (…) Everything is hypothetical for now, we will see how it progresses,” said Dujarric.

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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.”

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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.