International

Pope Francis: Gossip is a worse plague than COVID-19

Yesterday, Pope Francis spoke to those who seek to divide the Catholic Church. He said that gossip was a worse plague than COVID-19. With this, the Pope remarked on his complaints about gossip in ecclesiastical communities. He also referred to bureaucracy in the Vatican.

“Please, brothers and sisters, let us try not to gossip,” he said. “Gossip is a worse plague than COVID. Worse. Let us make a big effort: no gossiping!,” the Pope added.

The Pope’s statements were given while he was speaking about a passage in the Gospel. It refers to the need to correct others in private when they misbehave. The Church has relied heavily on this method of correction. Thus, when priests or bishops fail, they are corrected without cases being aired.

Survivors of sexual abuse question this way of acting. They claim that this has aggravated abuse in the church, that predatory priests and those who cover up for them have escaped punishment.

International

U.S. lowers travel advisory for much of Venezuela but keeps high-risk zones under warning

The U.S. Department of State announced on Thursday that it has lowered its travel advisory for much of Venezuela to Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”), reflecting what it described as improved security conditions in parts of the country.

However, the agency will maintain the highest Level 4 warning (“Do Not Travel”) for several regions, including the states of Táchira, Amazonas, Apure, Aragua and Guárico, as well as rural areas of Bolívar, citing ongoing risks such as crime, kidnapping and terrorism.

The updated advisory marks a shift from December, when the United States raised the alert for Venezuela to Level 4 nationwide, warning of severe security threats.

Despite the partial downgrade, U.S. authorities continue to urge caution, emphasizing that conditions remain volatile in certain areas and that travelers should carefully assess risks before planning any trips to the country.

International

EU lawmakers move to ban AI tools that generate non-consensual nude images

Members of the European Parliament are pushing to ban across the bloc artificial intelligence services that allow users to digitally “undress” people without their consent.

The proposal, adopted on Wednesday at committee level, aims to prohibit applications that generate non-consensual explicit images. Irish lawmaker Michael McNamara, one of the sponsors, said the measure seeks to stop tools that “have caused significant harm for the benefit of a few.”

Dutch MEP Kim van Sparrentak welcomed the move, calling it “a major victory, especially for women and children in Europe.”

The amendment, part of broader EU legislation on artificial intelligence, was approved by the Parliament’s civil liberties and internal market committees. It specifically targets systems that use AI to create or manipulate sexually explicit or intimate images resembling identifiable individuals without their consent.

The proposal will be put to a full vote in the European Parliament on March 26. If adopted, lawmakers and European Union member states will need to agree on a final version before it can take effect.

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Separately, representatives of the 27 EU countries recently backed a Franco-Spanish amendment seeking to ban AI services used to generate non-consensual sexual images or child sexual abuse material.

The initiative follows controversy surrounding a feature introduced in Grok, developed by xAI, which allowed users to create simulated nude images from real photos. The tool sparked widespread criticism and prompted an EU investigation.

In response, xAI restricted image generation features in mid-January to paying subscribers and stated it blocks the creation of sexualized images in jurisdictions where such content is illegal.

International

Meningitis outbreak in England rises to 27 cases with two deaths reported

The number of cases linked to a meningococcal meningitis outbreak that has caused two deaths in England has risen from 20 to 27, health authorities confirmed.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, of the 27 cases reported in southeast England, 15 have been confirmed while 12 remain under investigation.

“Preventive antibiotic treatment continues to be administered to students at the University of Kent, as well as to anyone who attended the Club Chemistry in Canterbury between March 5 and 7,” the agency said in a statement.

A large-scale vaccination campaign against meningococcal B began on Wednesday at the University of Kent campus, which has approximately 18,000 students. The UKHSA noted that the campaign could be expanded if necessary.

The two fatalities include an 18-year-old secondary school student and a 21-year-old University of Kent student.

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Meningitis is a potentially life-threatening infection that affects the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and it is more common among young children and adolescents.