Latin America reinforces emergency plans for El Niño

Attack on strategic plant in Kuwait

On Friday, an Iranian attack hit a power and desalination plant in Kuwait, causing damage to several power generation units and a fire that was controlled by emergency crews. Kuwaiti authorities activated contingency plans to maintain the supply of water and electricity.

Kuwait relies on desalination for about 90% of its drinking water, similar to other Gulf countries such as Oman and Saudi Arabia. Most of these facilities are on the Persian Gulf coast, making them vulnerable to missile or drone attacks.

This incident highlights the fragility of critical infrastructure in the Middle East amid regional escalation.

China bets on global governance of AI

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the promotion of global governance of artificial intelligence (AI) and stated that its development should not belong to a single country. During the opening of the World Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Shanghai, he questioned what he called an “overreach” of the concept of national security in this area, in clear reference to the technological restrictions imposed by the United States.

“Artificial intelligence must become a symphony of global cooperation, not an isolated competition between nations,” Xi said.

As part of its strategy, China will strengthen AI collaboration with organizations such as ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, CELAC and the BRICS countries. In addition, it will offer five thousand training opportunities for developing countries in the next five years.

Multilateral agreement in Shanghai

Before the event, 29 countries—including Russia, Pakistan and Kazakhstan—signed an agreement with Beijing to create a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, based in Shanghai. Analysts interpret this initiative as China’s response to the US Pax Silica framework, which seeks to strengthen AI supply chains with its allies.

Donald Trump’s administration implemented a drastic change to the visa system for international correspondents. From now on, visas for foreign journalists will have a maximum validity of 240 days, compared to the several years allowed by the previous scheme. In the case of Chinese journalists, the stay permit is reduced to only 90 days.

Reactions and justifications

The Department of Homeland Security explained that the “duration of status” system, which allowed correspondents to remain in US territory as long as they met their visa requirements, is eliminated. Instead, renewable fixed periods are established, with the aim of facilitating the supervision and review of each case.

Organizations such as Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists pointed out that the measure restricts press freedom and hinders information coverage by international media in the United States. From Beijing, the Chinese government described the decision as discriminatory and warned that it will take response measures.

The new regulations also impact students and other visitors under similar schemes. At a time when Washington and Beijing seek to stabilize their bilateral relations, this immigration hardening could fuel tensions between both powers.