In Argentina, record-breaking flood kills over a dozen
Argentine port city Bahia Blanca saw a year’s worth of rainfall on Friday, resulting in flash floods that killed at least 16 people and caused over 100 more to go missing.
Bahia Blanca, a city southwest of Buenos Aires with more than 300,000 residents, saw over 400 millimeters of rainfall in just eight hours — doubling its previous record of 175 millimeters set in 1930. Argentine President Javier Milei declared a three-day national mourning period on Sunday after the fatalities were announced.
“We looked at the street and saw a river,” Soledad Bengochea, a resident, told The Guardian. “We saw cars, trucks, containers, everything floating by. You could hear store windows breaking, and see furniture being dragged by the current. In one car, we saw two people trapped. It was overwhelming and terrible. There are many people who have suffered.”
The storms led to the evacuation of over 1,400 individuals, including patients at a local hospital, and caused $400 million in infrastructure damage — with some areas engulfed in more than a meter of water. The damage was worsened by a heatwave that took place weeks prior, which increased humidity and destabilized the atmosphere, making the storm more viable.
Argentina’s government authorized $9.2 million in emergency reconstruction aid for the people of Bahia Blanca, including funds for restoring collapsed roads, bridges and electricity. However, the country’s minister of human capital has come under fire for dismantling its disaster relief unit — firing 485 employees in an effort to curb spending — just days before the floods.
In the UK, container ship hits US tanker
A Russian captain was arrested in northern England on Tuesday for “suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter” after a Portuguese cargo ship collided with a U.S. oil tanker on Monday morning, causing one death.
The clash with the oil tanker, which was carrying jet fuel for the U.S. military, took place off the coast of East Yorkshire and triggered explosions and a fire on both ships. One sailor on the cargo ship was presumed dead, with no major injuries to the 36 other members of the two crews.
Investigators said they have not found any evidence of foul play, nor have they found anything to indicate that the captain’s nationality contributed to the crash.
“Extensive work has already been carried out, and we are working closely with our partners to understand what happened, and to provide support to all of those affected,” detective chief superintendent Craig Nicholson of the Humberside Police, said on Tuesday. “The man arrested remains in custody at this time whilst inquiries are under way, and we continue speaking with all those involved to establish the full circumstances of the incident.”
The incident sparked concern among environmentalists, who are worried that jet fuel spills could result in severe “damage to wildlife as well as fish populations.” They also suspected that the container ship, which was Portuguese, held toxic chemicals. Ernst Russ denied this accusation, stating that the four containers on the ship that had previously held toxic chemicals were empty.
In Spain, gov’t to impose fines for unlabeled AI content
The Spanish government approved a bill on Tuesday that would fine companies up to $38.2 million if they fail to label content generated by artificial intelligence.
Spain’ Minister for Digital Transformation and Civil Service Óscar López said the act aims to promote ethical AI usage for medical research, traffic control and disaster prevention as opposed to “hoaxes, lies and defamation.” It would also prohibit organizations from analyzing biometrics — specifically race, political views, religion and sexual orientation — to evaluate an individual’s likelihood of committing a crime.
“AI is a very powerful tool that can be used to improve our lives — or to spread misinformation and attack democracy,” López said on Monday.
Under the new bill, incorrectly labeled AI content would be considered a “serious offense” and cost companies millions in fines. The legislation comes amid concern about AI in hiring practices and after the country was hit with widespread deepfake attacks, often involving altered videos, images or audios that feature young girls.
The bill adopts guidelines from the EU AI Act, which was passed last year and aims to mitigate harmful and discriminatory AI practices. Once Spain’s act — which will be overseen by the Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence — goes into effect the country will have some of the harshest AI laws in Europe.
Contact Amanda Chen at [email protected].
