Global Pulse

标签： Oceania

大洋洲

  • Huge crowd in Buenos Aires marks 50 years since Argentina’s coup

    Huge crowd in Buenos Aires marks 50 years since Argentina’s coup

    Tens of thousands of Argentinians flooded Buenos Aires’ historic Plaza de Mayo on Tuesday, marking a somber milestone—the 50th anniversary of the military coup that initiated the nation’s brutal 1976-1983 dictatorship. The massive demonstration, one of the largest witnessed in recent years, saw participants bearing white balloons, photographs of missing relatives, and banners proclaiming “They didn’t defeat us” and “We are still looking for you.

    Social and political organizations mobilized nationwide under the resonant slogans “Memory, Truth and Justice,” with parallel gatherings occurring across Argentine cities. The iconic Mothers and Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo led the procession, continuing their decades-long vigil that began during the dictatorship to demand information about children abducted by the regime.

    The organization has achieved significant victories, having restored the identities of 140 grandchildren who were stolen as infants or born in captivity to detained dissidents. Estela De Carlotto, the 95-year-old president of the Grandmothers association whose own grandson was the 114th to be identified, emphasized that each recovery stands as evidence of “the atrocities committed by sinister state terrorism.”

    The commemorations occurred against a backdrop of contemporary political contention. The current far-right administration of President Javier Milei has challenged the widely accepted figure of approximately 30,000 victims of disappearance and death during the dictatorship, instead maintaining an official count of fewer than 9,000. The presidential office released a statement criticizing what it termed a “biased and revanchist perspective” of historical analysis.

    In a significant transparency move, Argentine authorities recently declassified nearly 500 pages of intelligence documents from the 1973-1983 period, including detailed surveillance records targeting universities, unions, and media organizations. According to accompanying documentation, this release aims to “strengthen institutional credibility” and demonstrate “commitment to the truth.”

  • Sydney teenager charged with terrorism offences ‘outlined plans for acts of violence’

    Sydney teenager charged with terrorism offences ‘outlined plans for acts of violence’

    Australian authorities have brought terrorism-related charges against a 16-year-old male following a comprehensive investigation into online threats of extremist violence. The adolescent, whose identity remains protected due to his minor status, was initially apprehended by the New South Wales Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) during a December operation at an inner-west Sydney residence.

    The investigation commenced after law enforcement agencies detected concerning online communications indicating potential violent extremist activities. During the residential search, investigators reportedly confiscated multiple electronic devices and discovered both a gel blaster and a flick knife, resulting in initial weapons charges last year.

    Forensic examination of the seized digital equipment allegedly revealed disturbing materials, including documents purportedly created and collected to facilitate terrorist acts. Law enforcement officials indicate the teenager maintained what they describe as ‘a mixed ideology’ while allegedly formulating specific plans for violent actions.

    On Tuesday, prosecutors formally filed multiple terrorism-related charges against the minor, including: one count of collecting documents likely to enable terrorist activities, two counts of creating such documents, and two counts of possessing violent extremist materials.

    The JCTT—a collaborative task force combining resources from NSW Police, Australian Federal Police, ASIO, and the NSW Crime Commission—has reiterated the importance of community vigilance in identifying and reporting potential extremist behavior. The case marks another instance of Australia’s ongoing efforts to combat domestic radicalization among youth populations.

    The accused is scheduled to appear before a NSW Children’s Court on Wednesday, where the matter will be addressed within the specialized juvenile justice system. Authorities have indicated their investigation remains ongoing and may yield additional developments.

  • Gang crackdown carried out without ‘abuses,’ Guatemalan defense chief says

    Gang crackdown carried out without ‘abuses,’ Guatemalan defense chief says

    Guatemala’s Defense Minister Henry Saenz has articulated a distinct approach to combating gang violence, positioning the nation’s strategy in direct contrast to the controversial methods employed by neighboring El Salvador. In an exclusive interview with AFP, Saenz emphasized that Guatemala’s ongoing security operations have successfully dismantled criminal networks while rigorously upholding human rights protections.

    The current crackdown was precipitated by a severe escalation of violence in mid-January, when gang-affiliated inmates orchestrated coordinated hostage situations across three prisons. These events culminated in the deaths of 11 police officers and triggered President Bernardo Arevalo to declare a month-long state of emergency. Military and police forces remain deployed across six departments as a preventive measure.

    Minister Saenz provided concrete metrics demonstrating the operation’s effectiveness: a 50 percent reduction in street killings and a 33 percent decline in extortion activities. These outcomes were achieved through strategic disruption of gang communications, effectively paralyzing their command structures. Saenz attributed this success to operating within a strict legal framework that requires judicial authorization for all raids and operations.

    While acknowledging the popularity of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s results in reducing violence, Saenz explicitly rejected emulating methods that have drawn international condemnation for human rights violations. Guatemala is instead developing a maximum-security prison designed to meet international certification standards, explicitly rejecting the overcrowded conditions prevalent in El Salvador’s facilities.

    The Defense Minister reported that after two months of intensive operations, no formal complaints regarding human rights abuses have been registered. This record, he maintains, demonstrates that effective security policy can coexist with respect for civil liberties. Guatemala’s approach represents a deliberate choice to pursue what Saenz characterized as ‘the longer but better road’ – one that strengthens democratic institutions while combating criminal elements.

    Looking regionally, Saenz expressed optimism about hemispheric cooperation against drug trafficking, noting Guatemala’s active participation in United States-led initiatives against cartels. This collaborative framework, he suggested, signals ‘good times coming for the hemisphere’ in the shared battle against transnational criminal organizations.

  • US officials downplay controller ‘distraction’ in New York crash

    US officials downplay controller ‘distraction’ in New York crash

    Federal investigators are urging caution against attributing blame to air traffic controllers as the probe into a fatal runway collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport continues. The incident, which occurred late Sunday, resulted in the deaths of two pilots when an Air Canada Bombardier aircraft collided with a fire truck, crushing the aircraft’s cockpit and severely damaging the emergency vehicle.

    National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy addressed speculation that controller distraction might have been a factor, particularly following media reports that controllers were simultaneously managing an odor-related emergency on a United Airlines flight—the very incident to which the fire truck was responding. ‘I would caution pointing fingers at controllers and saying distraction was involved,’ Homendy stated during a press briefing. ‘We rarely, if ever, investigate a major accident where it was one failure.’

    Homendy emphasized that the U.S. aviation safety system relies on multiple layers of defense, suggesting that a catastrophic failure implies numerous breakdowns in the safety chain. The investigation has revealed that two controllers were on duty in the tower at the time of the accident, handling both departure clearances and ground traffic control, though the specific distribution of these duties remains unclear.

    While noting that the staffing level was consistent with national standards for a midnight shift, Homendy acknowledged that the NTSB has previously raised concerns about controller fatigue during such hours, though no evidence currently links fatigue to this incident.

    A significant finding emerged regarding the airport’s runway safety system (ASDE-X), designed to track aircraft and ground vehicles. The system failed to generate a collision alert because the fire truck involved was not equipped with a necessary transponder.

    NTSB lead investigator Doug Brazy confirmed the agency is analyzing substantial evidence, including over 25 hours of cockpit voice recordings and 80 hours of flight data. The final moments of the recording reveal the co-pilot transferring control to the captain just six seconds before the recording ended, for reasons that remain unknown.

    The collision marks LaGuardia’s first fatal accident since 1992. The Queens-based airport, ranked as New York’s third-busiest with 33.5 million passengers in 2024, now faces scrutiny amid a series of recent U.S. aviation tragedies, including January’s deadly collision near Washington that claimed 67 lives.

  • Trump has destroyed Venezuela’s socialist ideology: opposition leader

    Trump has destroyed Venezuela’s socialist ideology: opposition leader

    Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado has declared that former US President Donald Trump delivered a decisive blow to Venezuela’s longstanding socialist ideology, fundamentally altering the nation’s political trajectory. In an exclusive interview with AFP in Houston, Texas, Machado characterized the Chavismo regime—which dominated Venezuelan politics for 25 years under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro—as “irreparably wounded” and in the process of being systematically dismantled.

    The political transformation began in January when US military forces orchestrated the ouster of leftist leader Maduro, replacing him with former deputy Delcy Rodríguez. Despite her previous affiliation with Maduro’s administration, Rodríguez has demonstrated willingness to comply with Trump’s directives, including reopening Venezuela’s oil sector to American corporations. Her recent comprehensive reshuffle of top military leadership signals further alignment with US interests.

    Machado, recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, emphasized during the CERAWeek global energy forum that these developments represent crucial steps toward political transition. “Following President Trump’s instructions, they are dismantling their own repressive and corrupt structures,” she stated, acknowledging the unusual circumstance of a regime actively participating in its own unraveling.

    Regarding Venezuela’s future electoral landscape, Machado confirmed her intention to participate in upcoming presidential elections without explicitly declaring her candidacy. She expressed confidence that Venezuelans would “freely decide who they want” as their next leader, a marked contrast to her experience in the 2024 election when she was banned from running and forced into hiding following Maduro’s disputed reelection.

    The opposition leader’s relationship with Trump has evolved significantly throughout her exile, which she has spent primarily in the United States. In a symbolic gesture, she presented her Nobel Prize to Trump during a White House meeting shortly after US forces captured Maduro and extradited him to New York to face drug trafficking charges. Despite Trump’s earlier expressed desire to “get her involved” in Venezuela’s political process, his administration has subsequently prioritized support for Rodríguez’s interim leadership while Maduro awaits trial in a New York detention facility.

  • Russia rains drones on Ukraine, killing eight, hitting UNESCO site

    Russia rains drones on Ukraine, killing eight, hitting UNESCO site

    In a significant escalation of aerial tactics, Russian forces launched one of their most extensive daytime drone assaults against Ukraine, deploying nearly 1,000 unmanned aerial vehicles over a 24-hour period. The coordinated offensive resulted in at least eight fatalities and targeted multiple western regions far from conventional front lines.

    The attack marked a dramatic departure from Moscow’s typical nighttime bombardment strategy, with 550 drones dispatched during daylight hours following 392 overnight launches. Western cities including Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Vinnytsia suffered severe impacts, with civilian infrastructure and cultural landmarks sustaining substantial damage.

    In Lviv, a UNESCO-protected historic center came under fire during evening rush hour, with strikes damaging areas adjacent to the 17th-century St. Andrew’s Church and Bernardine Monastery. Eyewitnesses reported flames engulfing residential buildings, with roofs collapsed and windows shattered throughout the city center. First responders and civilians sought refuge in churches during the attack, awaiting clearance to emerge.

    The assault on Ivano-Frankivsk proved particularly devastating, with two civilians killed and four injured—including a six-year-old child. A maternity hospital and approximately ten residential buildings sustained damage in the strike. Vinnytsia region reported one fatality and eleven wounded, while Lviv documented at least thirteen hospitalizations.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the urgent need for enhanced air defense capabilities, stating the massive drone numbers demonstrate requirement for increased protection against Russian strikes. The attacks occurred amid growing concerns about Ukraine’s dwindling supplies of US-provided air defense systems, compounded by shifting international attention to the Middle East conflict.

    The bombardment extended beyond western regions, with overnight strikes hitting residential areas and critical infrastructure across Poltava, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Five additional fatalities occurred in these attacks, which also severed power connections to neighboring Moldova and compromised energy infrastructure serving the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility.

    This tactical shift to大规模daylight drone warfare represents a new phase in the four-year conflict, challenging Ukraine’s air defense resources and testing civilian resilience across previously relatively secure western regions.

  • NASA to build $20 bn moon base, pause orbital lunar station plans

    NASA to build $20 bn moon base, pause orbital lunar station plans

    In a significant strategic shift for America’s space exploration agenda, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced the agency will suspend development of the Gateway lunar orbital station and instead channel approximately $20 billion toward establishing a permanent surface base on the Moon. The declaration came during a major policy address at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., marking a substantial reallocation of resources within the Artemis program.

    The revised approach prioritizes ‘infrastructure that enables sustained surface operations’ over the orbital transfer station concept. While existing Gateway hardware will be repurposed where feasible, and international partnerships will be redirected toward surface objectives, the orbital component has been effectively paused in its current form. This decision follows internal evaluations criticizing Gateway as potentially redundant and diverting resources from more critical lunar surface ambitions.

    NASA’s revised blueprint outlines an ambitious seven-year timeline involving dozens of missions conducted alongside commercial and international collaborators. This methodical approach aims to construct ‘humanity’s first permanent surface outpost beyond Earth,’ creating a foundational presence that would eventually support missions to Mars. The overall target of returning American astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028 remains unchanged despite these architectural changes.

    The strategic reassessment occurs alongside scheduling adjustments for the Artemis 2 mission. Originally slated for February, this crucial lunar flyby—the first in over fifty years—is now targeting an early April launch. This mission serves as a vital test flight to rebuild operational ‘muscle memory’ before attempting a subsequent landing. The U.S. effort maintains its competitive dimension, with China pursuing its own crewed lunar mission objectives by 2030, relying heavily on advancements from private sector partners like SpaceX and Blue Origin, who are developing the essential lunar landing systems.

  • Czech ‘arks’ help preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage

    Czech ‘arks’ help preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage

    Prague’s National Museum has unveiled a groundbreaking mobile digitization laboratory designed to preserve Ukraine’s endangered cultural artifacts amid ongoing conflict. The innovative system, dubbed Archa III (Ark III), consists of a Volkswagen van transformed into a high-tech studio equipped with an autonomous robotic scanner and three specialized cameras.

    This advanced preservation technology can create hyper-realistic 3D digital replicas of historical items ranging from small artifacts to large museum pieces, both indoors and outdoors. According to National Museum director Michal Lukes, the system generates ‘precise digital copies that serve documentation, research, restoration, and potential reconstruction purposes.’

    The Archa III represents the third phase of a comprehensive Czech preservation initiative for Ukraine. Previous deployments included Archa I, a container-based system for book conservation, and Archa II, designed for digitizing two-dimensional items. These efforts have already processed approximately 40,000 pages of historical documents, including newspapers rescued from the Regional Scientific Library in Kherson.

    Museum IT director Martin Soucek explained the technical capabilities: ‘The robotic system moves along three axes and can capture thousands of high-quality photographs within minutes, creating detailed digital twins with exceptional precision.’

    The project, developed in partnership with the foundation of Czech billionaire Karel Komarek, includes comprehensive training for Ukrainian experts and a dedicated website to showcase the digitized artifacts. The van is scheduled for delivery to Kyiv in early April, where it will be operated by Ukrainian cultural preservation teams.

    Vitalii Usatyi, charge d’affaires at the Ukrainian Embassy in Prague, emphasized the significance of the mobile capability: ‘This technology can operate across Ukraine, including regions exposed to risks related to Russian aggression, which is crucial for preserving our cultural heritage.’

    The urgency of such preservation efforts is underscored by UNESCO reports verifying damage to 523 cultural sites in Ukraine as of March 11, including religious sites, historical buildings, museums, and libraries.

  • War in the Middle East: latest developments

    War in the Middle East: latest developments

    The Middle East conflict continues to escalate with significant developments across diplomatic, military, and security dimensions. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has offered Islamabad as a potential mediator for negotiations between the US-Israel coalition and Iran, signaling diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions.

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with G7 counterparts in France to coordinate responses to the ongoing crisis. Despite the alliance’s close ties with the United States, no G7 nation has explicitly endorsed the offensive against Iran, creating diplomatic friction with President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump has claimed ongoing communications with Tehran, though Iranian officials have denied these assertions.

    Iran has intensified internal security measures, announcing the arrest of 466 individuals accused of destabilizing the country through online activities. The Iranian government has maintained internet restrictions since the conflict began on February 28, though specific details regarding the nature of the alleged offenses and arrest timelines remain undisclosed.

    In a significant security appointment, Iran has named Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a former Revolutionary Guards commander, as head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, succeeding Ali Larijani who was killed in an Israeli strike last week.

    The Gulf security architecture faces potential restructuring as Qatari officials describe a ‘breakdown of the security system’ that will necessitate regional reevaluation. Lebanon has dramatically escalated tensions by withdrawing accreditation for Iran’s ambassador and demanding his departure, accusing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of directly commanding Hezbollah operations against Israel.

    Military operations have intensified with Israel confirming completion of ‘large wave of strikes’ in Isfahan while announcing plans to establish a 30-kilometer ‘security zone’ inside Lebanon. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has warned against this measure, citing potential ‘major humanitarian consequences.’

    The United Nations Human Rights Council will convene an emergency session to address Iranian strikes targeting Gulf region countries. Energy infrastructure has become a focal point with Iranian media reporting strikes on two gas facilities and a pipeline, though Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi claims Iran’s distributed energy infrastructure (150 power plants nationwide) provides resilience against such attacks.

    Casualties mount across the region with six Peshmerga fighters killed in Iraqi Kurdistan by what regional authorities describe as Iranian ballistic missiles. Tel Aviv reported four wounded from missile impacts, prompting Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to threaten ‘heavy missile and drone strikes’ in support of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians.

    Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed at least two fatalities from an Israeli strike on Bshamoun, south of Beirut, while western Iraq witnessed the death of 15 fighters including Saad Dawai al-Baiji, provincial commander of the Hashed al-Shaabi forces, in an attack blamed on the United States.

  • Married at First Sight star Mel Schilling dies at 54

    Married at First Sight star Mel Schilling dies at 54

    The entertainment industry mourns the loss of renowned relationship expert Mel Schilling, who passed away at age 54 after a courageous two-year battle with colon cancer. Her husband Gareth confirmed the heartbreaking news via Instagram on Tuesday, revealing she died peacefully surrounded by loved ones.

    Schilling, a pivotal figure on both the Australian and UK versions of the reality series ‘Married at First Sight’ since 2016, received her initial diagnosis in December 2023. Earlier this month, she disclosed the disease had metastasized to her brain, with doctors confirming they had exhausted all treatment options.

    In an emotional tribute, her husband described Schilling as “an incredible mum, role model, and soulmate” who maintained extraordinary grace throughout her illness. Despite undergoing 16 rounds of chemotherapy while continuing her television work, she “never complained and never stopped showing courage, compassion and empathy.”

    Channel 4 and production company CPL Productions issued statements honoring Schilling’s professional legacy and personal character. They highlighted her “fierce advocacy for other women,” passion for healthy relationships, and the “joy, warmth and optimism” she brought to every room.

    Schilling’s health journey began when she experienced severe stomach cramps in 2023. Initially misdiagnosed with constipation, subsequent scans revealed advanced colon cancer. Her passing has triggered an outpouring of grief from colleagues, fans, and the reality television community worldwide.