Buenos Aires
Reuters
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The Argentina Supreme Court effectively banned two former presidential president, President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner from his office, endorsing a six-year prison sentence, and painted the curtains on perhaps one of the country’s most glamorous and divisive political careers.

Kirchner, 72, a polarized opposition and leftist president from 2007 to 2015, was convicted by a court of judges in 2022 of a fraud scheme that led the road work project in Patagonia to close allies while he was president.

The ruling party had planned to run Kirchner in legislative elections in Buenos Aires, but was able to activate her coalition of divided Pernist opposition, which have been licking her wounds since being banished by current libertarian president Javier Mirey in 2023.

Three Supreme Court judges refused to appeal Kirchner, effectively leaving behind an appeal court decision that upheld the conviction. The lower court will decide whether to allow Kirchner’s home arrest due to his age.

“The complaint has been dismissed,” the Supreme Court said in its ruling. Kirchner denied the misconduct and claimed she was a victim of political persecution.

In Buenos Aires, her supporters blocked roads across town. Some played drums. Others carried the image and flag of Evita Peron, the wife of Juan Peron, the founder of a political movement known as a defender of the poor.

“The future victory,” Kirchner said of the Supreme Court judge after the award.

Kirchner’s shadow looms above the Peronist movement. This requires identifying a new generation of leaders.

“The fact that she can’t go to prison and become a candidate doesn’t rule out her political movement,” said political analyst Carlos Fara. “It’s obviously not the same though.”

Government sources said opposition could be weakened or strengthened. Peronism “can either cement yourself or break into a thousand copies,” the person told Reuters.

Prosecutors accused Kirchner of directing hundreds of millions of dollars to the massive construction Lázaro Báez. Within her government and her late husband, Nester Kirchner, the company linked to Baes has been awarded numerous government contracts for road construction projects in Patagonia, with almost half of which being abandoned, prosecutors said.

Baez and the other officials were sentenced to prison.

Peronism and Kirchner’s popularity have been suffering in recent years. She served as vice president under President Alberto Fernandez in 2019. The government of Alberto Fernandez oversaw a slide into the economic crisis by overlining the peso that led to a sharp spike in inflation.

However, she was able to maintain a hardcore support base, especially from working-class voters who relied on government subsidies under her and her husband’s government.

“She’s not covered in political situations for everyone,” said Carolina Barry, a Peronism expert at Nacional de Torres de Febrero University in Buenos Aires. “Her words resonate with many groups.”

Kirchner is sharply critical of Mailey’s austerity, accusing her of cutting pensions and reimbursing public education. “I love Christina Kirchner smacks her final claws with a Kirchner ffin inside,” Mairay said.

“Justice” wrote Mairi for X after Tuesday’s verdict.

Buenos Aires constitutional and criminal law expert Alejandro Cario said it is unclear that even if Kirchner was serving a sentence under house arrest, “over time he will lose the clear leadership she has had for years.”

Kirchner faces charges in several other criminal cases and is set to go to trial on charges that he led a massive bribery scheme in November.

She is not the first president of Argentina to face a criminal conviction, joining former President Carlos Menem, who was sentenced to more than four years for embezzlement of public funds during his presidency in the 1990s. As a senator, Congressional immunity protected him from prison.

CNN
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Syria issued a new conservative dress code on Tuesday. Women were asked to wear bilkini and full-bodied swimsuits on all public beaches. This is the latest cultural change since Muslim-led rebels overthrew dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime last December.

The Ministry of Tourism said the new guidelines were implemented in “public interest requirements.”

“Whether tourists or locals, visitors to public beaches and pools should wear appropriate swimsuits that take into account the taste of public and the sensibilities of various segments of society,” Tourism Minister Magen Al Sarahani said in a directive posted on Facebook.

“In public beaches and pools (barkini and swimsuits that cover more body) you need more modest swimsuits,” the command says, “When traveling between the beach and other places, you should wear a beach cover-up or loose robe (for women) over your swimsuit.”

Men need to wear shirts under new guidance. It states that “topless clothing is not permitted in public areas outside swimming areas, hotel lobbies and food service areas.”

“In public areas outside the beach or pool, it is desirable to wear loose clothing, cover the shoulders and knees, and avoid clear or excessively tight clothing,” the order said.

However, the ministry said resorts and hotels are “classified as international and premium (4 stars)” and that typical western swimsuits are permitted at private beaches and swimming pools.

It is unclear what impact will be those who do not follow the guidelines, but the department said “lifeguards and beach supervisors” will monitor people and ensure compliance.

The new regulations reflect the impact of Hayat Taharil al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist coalition that currently leads the transitional government in Syria. Previously known as the Alnus La Front, HTS has been designated as a terrorist group by the US and the UK.

Interim Syrian Ahmad Alshara, who signed the dress code directive, led the HTS in a lightning attack that led to the collapse of Assad, which had been in power for decades.

In March, Alshara signed the interim constitution, which mandates Islamist control during the five-year transition period. Alshara said in December that it could take three years to rewrite the Syrian constitution, and that elections could take place within five years.

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said in March that “a wide range of authority will raise serious concerns about the rule of law and the durability of human rights protections unless explicit safeguards are introduced.”

Tourism Minister Al Sarhani, who recently courted Qatar and Saudi Arabian investors for a “billion dollar” tourism project, has framed the rules as a respect for Syria’s cultural, social and religious diversity. ”

The announcement came amid a push to revive Syrian tourism industry after US sanctions were lifted in May 2025.

CNN
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Let’s take a look at the life of German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz.

date of birth: November 11, 1955

place of birth: Brillon, Germany

Birth name: Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz

father: Joachim Mertz, Judge

mother: Paula Sauvigny

marriage: Charlotte Gas (from 1981)

Children: three

education: He studied law at the University of Bonn and Marburg and graduated in 1985.

military service:1975–1976

religion: Catholic

Meltz has a hard-line attitude towards transition. He called for asylum seekers arriving from other European Union countries to be denied at the German land border.

Merz criticizes the benefits of free welfare. He promised to cut welfare spending and told the economist in a rare sit-in interview ahead of the election that he “want to avoid paying people who don’t want to work.”

In 2003, Merz argued that German tax rules should be simple enough to calculate on the back of a beer coaster.

Meltz is an amateur pilot.

1972 – Joining the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

1985-1986- A judge of the Saarbrücken District Court.

1986-1989- A lawyer for the German Chemical Industry Association.

1989 – He will be elected to the European Parliament.

1994 – You will win a seat in Congress.

2000 – He loses to Angela Merkel in the CDU Party leadership election.

2009- Meltz leaves the Bundesag and joins the private sector and works as a lawyer.

2021 – Return to his seat in front of him in Congress.

January 2022 – After two failed bids for CDU party leadership in 2018 and 2021, Merz was chosen to lead the party.

February 23, 2025 – The CDU and its sister parties win federal elections. Merz will likely be Germany’s next prime minister.

April 9, 2025 – He announces that he will form a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) on the left of the center.

May 6, 2025 – Merz has been recognized as German Prime Minister. He had dropped six votes earlier that day.