ALEX BLOG

BUENOS AIRES, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Argentina's lower house ‌of Congress early ‌on Friday approved a contentious ​labor reform bill backed by libertarian President Javier Milei even after unions ‌opposing the ⁠changes staged a nationwide strike that ⁠brought parts of the country to a ​halt.

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The bill, ​which ​was passed last ‌week by the Senate, was approved with 135 votes in favor and 115 against. After ‌going through some ​modifications, it ​will ​go back to ‌the Senate for a ​final ​vote before it can become law.

(Reporting by ​Nicolas ‌Misculin; Writing by Daina ​Beth Solomon; Editing by ​Christian Schmollinger)

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The kindergarten and first grade students in Linda Davis' classes sobbed and shed tears after being told their teacher, who greeted them most mornings with an infectious smile, wouldn't be coming back.

Immigration Enforcement Fatal Crash

Davis, 52, was killed during her morning commute Monday, less than a half mile (0.8 kilometers) from the school where she taught students with special needs. Local and federal authorities say a Guatemalan man crashed his pickup truck into Davis' car as he was fleeing a traffic stop by immigration officers.

"It was extremely difficult to tell 5 and 6 year olds that the teacher they loved and cherished will not be returning to see them," said Alonna McMullen, principal of Herman W. Hesse K-8 School in Savannah's southside suburbs. "To see the looks on their faces, it broke my heart."

Teachers at Hesse were trying Thursday to create a normal routine for the students, but their grief remained fresh.

Many on their drives to and from school every day pass the crash site where a cross made from red roses and several bouquets of flowers have been left in the median. A paper sign on the ground reads: "Rest In Peace & Power, Dr. Davis."

Students in Davis' two special education classes drew pictures of her to help deal with news of her death. And faculty crafted banners in her memory to display at the school's home basketball game Thursday.

'A vacuum of compounded grief'

Davis began teaching at Hesse in September after the school year had begun. Her upbeat personality and her dedication to helping students with special needs thrive soon endeared her to fellow teachers and students alike.

"Even the most difficult students, she knew how to make them shine," McMullen told reporters.

Davis had been teaching in the Savannah area since 2022. Outside of work, she was raising four children of her own and was guardian to a fifth, according to her sister, Felicia Jackson.

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"The preventable, sudden, and violent loss of her presence and love has created a vacuum of compounded grief so vast it feels as though it fills the Mariana Trench," Jackson said in a social media post.

Standing nearly 6 feet tall, Davis "filled her house with laughter and music," Jackson said, recalling how her sister loved singing Disney songs and show tunes with her children "at the tops of their lungs."

"That was Linda: fully alive, engaged, and loving," Jackson wrote.

Local officials question whether ICE pursuit was necessary

Federal immigration officers have faced increased scrutiny for their aggressive tactics during the Trump administration's nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration, especially since they shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Prettiin Minneapolis.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and Chester Ellis, chairman of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, have questioned whether the pursuit that ended in Davis' death was necessary.

A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, Lindsay Williams, said the fleeing driver had no criminal history but was in the U.S. illegally.

Security camera video from outside the school Monday morning shows a red pickup truck speeding past the school, followed several seconds later by two law enforcement vehicles with flashing lights.

Authorities identified the driver of the truck as Oscar Vasquez Lopez, 38. He suffered minor injuries, according to police, and has been jailed on charges including vehicular homicide and driving without a valid license.

ICE officers pulled over Lopez to enforce an immigration judge's 2024 deportation order, Williams said, and Lopez drove away as the officers approached his vehicle. ICE said in a news release that Lopez crashed into Davis' car after making a U-turn and running a stop light.

"He is presumed innocent, and the court process will determine the outcome," said Don Plummer, a spokesman for the Georgia Public Defender Council, which has an attorney representing Lopez.

By Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang

SEOUL, Feb 20 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his reclusive country had overcome stagnation and accomplished major economic goals over the past five years, as he opened the Ninth Party Congress, state media ‌KCNA reported on Friday.

The congress, which opened on Thursday, is the country's biggest political event. Held every five years, it can ‌bring changes in leadership roles beneath supreme commander Kim.

In his opening speech, Kim said the last five years had been "a proud period", citing North Korea's accomplishments in politics, economy, defence, ​culture and diplomacy, in addition to enhancing self-reliance.

For the outside world, North Korea has brought a "big change" in relations with other countries and the global geopolitical landscape, he said.

Kim did not mention relations with the United States or South Korea in his speech, nor refer to his country's efforts to develop a stockpile of nuclear weapons.

At the meeting, attended by 5,000 members of the ruling Workers' Party, new goals and plans in various sectors for the next five ‌years were submitted, KCNA reported.

North Korea is expected ⁠to showcase military capabilities at a parade and weapons development goals as part of the meeting.

FOCUS ON DAUGHTER JU AE

Analysts are monitoring whether Kim will be given the title of "president" and if his teenage daughter, Ju Ae, makes ⁠an appearance or receives some form of official post.

There has been increasing speculation among analysts and from South Korea's spy agency that Kim is grooming Ju Ae to succeed him.

When the previous Eighth Congress was convened, the circumstances surrounding North Korea were "literally so harsh that we could hardly maintain our own existence", Kim said. The ​country's ​economy and industries were antiquated, he added.

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North Korea's economy suffered its biggest contraction in ​23 years in 2020 as it was battered by ‌continued U.N. sanctions, COVID-19 lockdown measures and bad weather, South Korea's central bank has said.

But more recently there have been signs of recovery and the economy grew 3.7% in 2024, the fastest annual pace in eight years, backed by expanded economic ties with Russia, according to Bank of Korea estimates.

"Everything has changed fundamentally for the past five years," Kim said.

In a speech that focused mostly on economic development and promoting party leadership, Kim said the country was "faced with heavy and urgent historic tasks of boosting economic construction and the people's standard of living."

Earlier this week, Kim marked the completion ‌of 10,000 new houses in Pyongyang, achieving the goal of building 50,000 homes set ​during the Eighth Congress.

Kim also said, however, the country should "review shortcomings" in development, without ​providing details.

MILITARY PARADE

It is unclear how long the gathering will run, ​but the Seventh Congress lasted four days and the Eighth Congress ran for eight days.

Satellite images showed thousands of ‌North Koreans spelling out the slogan 'Ninth Party Congress' in large ​Korean characters in central Pyongyang last ​week, NK News reported, citing it as possible evidence of plans for a military parade.

Kim may have toned down his speech to avoid international or military issues, said Jeong Eun-mee, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-run think tank.

"He appears ​to be refraining from making public comments about ‌sensitive issues," she said, especially ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to China in April.

Kang Dong-wan, a political science professor ​at Dong-A University in Busan, said Kim may revise rules to formalise the "hostile two states" rhetoric guiding policy toward South Korea.

(Reporting ​by Heejin Kim; Editing by Ed Davies, Lincoln Feast and Stephen Coates)

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The kindergarten and first grade students in Linda Davis' classes sobbed and shed tears after being told their teacher, who greeted them most mornings with an infectious smile, wouldn't be coming back.

Immigration Enforcement Fatal Crash

Davis, 52, was killed during her morning commute Monday, less than a half mile (0.8 kilometers) from the school where she taught students with special needs. Local and federal authorities say a Guatemalan man crashed his pickup truck into Davis' car as he was fleeing a traffic stop by immigration officers.

"It was extremely difficult to tell 5 and 6 year olds that the teacher they loved and cherished will not be returning to see them," said Alonna McMullen, principal of Herman W. Hesse K-8 School in Savannah's southside suburbs. "To see the looks on their faces, it broke my heart."

Teachers at Hesse were trying Thursday to create a normal routine for the students, but their grief remained fresh.

Many on their drives to and from school every day pass the crash site where a cross made from red roses and several bouquets of flowers have been left in the median. A paper sign on the ground reads: "Rest In Peace & Power, Dr. Davis."

Students in Davis' two special education classes drew pictures of her to help deal with news of her death. And faculty crafted banners in her memory to display at the school's home basketball game Thursday.

'A vacuum of compounded grief'

Davis began teaching at Hesse in September after the school year had begun. Her upbeat personality and her dedication to helping students with special needs thrive soon endeared her to fellow teachers and students alike.

"Even the most difficult students, she knew how to make them shine," McMullen told reporters.

Davis had been teaching in the Savannah area since 2022. Outside of work, she was raising four children of her own and was guardian to a fifth, according to her sister, Felicia Jackson.

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"The preventable, sudden, and violent loss of her presence and love has created a vacuum of compounded grief so vast it feels as though it fills the Mariana Trench," Jackson said in a social media post.

Standing nearly 6 feet tall, Davis "filled her house with laughter and music," Jackson said, recalling how her sister loved singing Disney songs and show tunes with her children "at the tops of their lungs."

"That was Linda: fully alive, engaged, and loving," Jackson wrote.

Local officials question whether ICE pursuit was necessary

Federal immigration officers have faced increased scrutiny for their aggressive tactics during the Trump administration's nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration, especially since they shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Prettiin Minneapolis.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and Chester Ellis, chairman of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, have questioned whether the pursuit that ended in Davis' death was necessary.

A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, Lindsay Williams, said the fleeing driver had no criminal history but was in the U.S. illegally.

Security camera video from outside the school Monday morning shows a red pickup truck speeding past the school, followed several seconds later by two law enforcement vehicles with flashing lights.

Authorities identified the driver of the truck as Oscar Vasquez Lopez, 38. He suffered minor injuries, according to police, and has been jailed on charges including vehicular homicide and driving without a valid license.

ICE officers pulled over Lopez to enforce an immigration judge's 2024 deportation order, Williams said, and Lopez drove away as the officers approached his vehicle. ICE said in a news release that Lopez crashed into Davis' car after making a U-turn and running a stop light.

"He is presumed innocent, and the court process will determine the outcome," said Don Plummer, a spokesman for the Georgia Public Defender Council, which has an attorney representing Lopez.

President Donald Trump on Thursday was considering a range of options formilitary strikes against Iran, including a possible limited strike aimed at enhancing the United States' negotiating position, a person familiar with the planning told ABC News.

The president was also considering larger-scale strikes on government, military and nuclear targets, the person said.

The options, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, came as the presidentdeclared a 10-day deadline-- "15 maximum" -- for the two sides to cut a deal on its nuclear and ballistic missile program.

Trump gives Iran a 10-day timeline in Board of Peace meeting on whether he'll continue talks or strike

If Iran didn't meet U.S. demands, Trump said, "really bad things" would happen.

"We're either going to get a deal or it's going to be unfortunate for them," he said Thursday.

The U.S. military in recent weeks has surged more than 100 aircraft and a dozen ships, including two aircraft carriers, to the Middle East -- an extraordinary buildup of military assets in such a short period.

Sources say the assets in place are enough to sustain a weeks-long campaign against the Islamic government, stoking widespread speculation that the U.S. was on the brink of war.

It's not clear though whether Trump's show of force itself is a kind of negotiating tactic to force Iran's hand to make concessions, or if he is intent on trying to topple the regime, whichexperts say is at its weakest since its 1979 revolution.

Last June, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt cited a "substantial chance of negotiations" with Iran, telling reporters in a briefing that the president planned to make his decision "within the next two weeks."

Two days later, Trump bombed three of Iran's nuclear sites in a carefully planned operation.

2nd US carrier group heads toward Middle East amid Iran tensions

Now, U.S. officials say that Trump wants Iran to agree to remove any remaining enriched uranium from the country, as well as cap its long-range missile stockpile and stop supporting militant groups in the region like Hezbollah and the Houthis, which the U.S. considers terror groups.

Iran has not agreed. Sources told ABC News that following talks in Geneva this week, Iran would offer a new written proposal in the next two weeks.

On Wednesday, Trump huddled with his top advisers in the White House Situation Room to discuss his options.

On Thursday, Trump told attendees at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace that everyone would find out what might happen within the next 10 days -- a deadline he later adjusted to 15.

"They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region, and they must make a deal," he said. "Or if that doesn't happen, I maybe can understand. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But, bad things will happen if it doesn't.

2nd US carrier group heads toward Middle East amid Iran tensions

Included in the military buildup are two aircraft carrier strike groups -- the USS Gerald Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln -- along with more than a dozen destroyers and cruisers, and squadrons of fighter jets.

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Once the Ford arrives from the Mediterranean, troop levels in the region are expected to reach 40,000 personnel.

It's possible the president would wait until the carrier is in a certain position before striking, although officials caution the military is capable of striking Iran without it.

Experts say the list of assets suggest there is a comprehensive initial target list for an effort that could be sustained, possibly for weeks.

"The U.S. is clearly preparing to take significant military action if the negotiations between it and Iran fail," said ABC contributor Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, told reporters any military action has to be big enough to take down the regime.

"When you go, I want to go big," he told reporters at the Munich Security Conference last week. "If you go -- and it's up to the president -- I mean, this is literally the best chance."

The risks, though, of a major U.S. attack are substantial. Iran has threatened a significant retaliatory response and plans to target U.S. naval assets specifically if attacked, Mulroy said.

A letter from the Iranians Thursday night to the United Nations Secretary General warned what would happen if the U.S. strikes Iran, saying "all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets."

Among the 35,000 U.S. troops in the region are 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq, 1,000 in Syria and 4,000 in Jordan.

Last summer, following the U.S. bombing of nuclear sites in Iran, Tehran retaliated by launching a barrage of missiles at al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which typically has 10,000 personnel on site.

Oil prices surge ahead of possible US attack on Iran

Officials have said they expect any future attack on U.S. assets to be substantially more devastating if the Iranian regime fears it's on the brink of collapse and believes it has nothing to lose.

"If successful, this conflict could expand beyond either country's preference," Mulroy said.

Another concern, particularly among some Israeli officials, is that Trump will seek out a deal -- even if it's a bad one -- for the sake of declaring victory.

The Israeli government was fiercely opposed to the 2015 U.S.-Iran nuclear deal under former President Barack Obama, and some Israelis are now worried Trump will offer concessions for the sake of declaring "peace through strength."

"That's the risk we've been running since day 1," a former Israeli official told ABC News.

Graham last week shrugged off the risks of not taking military action.

"Is it complicated? Yeah, but this is ridiculous to think that you've got to answer every question before you can take evil down," he said.

ABC's Selina Wang, Mariam Khan, Shannon Crawford and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's directing the Pentagon and other government agencies to identify and release files related to extraterrestrials and UFOs because of "tremendous interest."

Trump made the announcement in a social media post hours after he accused former President Barack Obama of disclosing "classified information" whenObama recently suggested in a podcast interviewthat aliens were real.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, "I don't know if they're real or not," and said of Obama, "I may get him out of trouble by declassifying."

In a post on his social media platform Thursday night, Trump said he was directing government agencies to release files related "to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters."

Obama, who made his comments in a podcast appearance over the weekend, later clarified that he had not seen evidence that aliens "have made contact with us," but said, "statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there's life out there."

Trump told reporters Thursday that when it came to the prospect of extraterrestrial visitors: "I don't have an opinion on it. I never talk about it. A lot of people do. A lot of people believe it."

Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump suggested this week that he was ready to speak about it, however, when she said on a podcast that the president had a speech prepared to deliver on aliens that he would give at the "right time."

That was news to the White House. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded with a laugh when she was asked about it Wednesday and told reporters, "A speech on aliens would be news to me."

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Public interest in unidentified flying objects and the possibility of the government hiding secrets of extraterrestrial life remerged in the public consciousness after a group of former Pentagon and government officials leaked Navy videos of unknown objects to The New York Times and Politico in 2017. The renewed scrutiny prompted Congress to hold the first hearings on UFOs in 50 years in May 2022, though officials said that the objects, which appeared to be green triangles floating above a Navy ship, were likely drones.

Since then the Pentagon has promised more transparency on the topic. In July 2022 it created the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, which was intended to be a central place to collect reports of all military UFO encounters, taking over from a department task force.

In 2023, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, the head of AARO at the time, told reporters he didn't have any evidence "of any program having ever existed as a to do any sort of reverse engineering of any sort of extraterrestrial (unidentified aerial phenomena)."

The information that has been made public shows that the vast majority of UFO reports made by the military go unsolved but the ones that are identified are largely benign in nature.

An 18-page unclassified reportsubmitted to Congress in June 2024 said service members had made 485 reports of unidentified phenomena in the past year but 118 cases were found to be "prosaic objects such as various types of balloons, birds, and unmanned aerial systems."

"It is important to underscore that, to date, AARO has discovered no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology," the report stressed.

Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin and Steve Peoples contributed to this report.

By Tarek Amara

TUNIS, Feb 19 (Reuters) - A Tunisian court on Thursday sentenced lawmaker Ahmed Saidani to eight months in ‌prison over social media posts mocking President Kais Saied, ‌a ruling that opponents say signals an intensifying crackdown on critics.

Once a supporter ​of Saied's policies against political opponents, Saidani has become a vocal critic, accusing the president of seeking to monopolise all decision-making while leaving others to bear the blame for problems.

The member of parliament ‌was jailed on charges ⁠of insulting others through communication networks, a judicial official said.

Saidani was arrested this month after he mocked ⁠the president in a Facebook post, describing him as the "supreme commander of sewage and rainwater drainage".

"This is a violation of the law ​and an ​attack on institutions. How can ​parliament hold the executive authority ‌to account if it carries out an unlawful arrest over critical views", Bilel Mechri, a colleague of Saidani, told Reuters.

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Saidani was elected as a lawmaker at the end of 2022 in a parliamentary election with very low voter turnout, following Saied's dissolution of ‌the previous parliament and dismissal of ​the government in 2021.

Saied has since ​ruled by decree, moves ​the opposition has described as a coup.

Most opposition leaders, ‌some journalists and critics of ​Saied have been ​imprisoned since he seized control of most powers.

Human rights groups say Saied has cemented his one‑man rule and turned Tunisia ​into an "open‑air prison" ‌in an effort to suppress his opponents.

Saied says he ​is enforcing the law and seeking to "cleanse" the country.

(Reporting by ​Tarek Amara;Editing by Alison Williams)