International

Chile’s first lady elect to give role feminist makeover

AFP

Irina Karamanos, the partner of Chile’s president elect Gabriel Boric, announced on Tuesday she would take on the official role of first lady but vowed to make it more feminist.

Boric was elected president a month ago and on March 11 will assume office as his country’s youngest ever leader at just 35.

Social science graduate and political activist Karamanos, 32, has been in a relationship with Boric since 2019.

Karamanos said on Tuesday that after several weeks of reflection she has decided to “take on the role traditionally called first lady with a commitment to reform it.”

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The function of first lady is not an officially defined one but traditionally involves looking after several social organizations.

Karamanos said reforming the role would involve “adapting it to the times.”

“Also, as a feminist I think this position — and it seems contradictory to take it on as a feminist — in reality is mostly a challenge that we can exploit to talk about different themes and display a new way of exercising power,” she added.

Karamanos said transgender people and child migration would be two topics on her agenda.

She is currently in charge of the Feminist Front in the Social Convergence party led by Boric.

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International

Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains

Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.

The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.

“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”

Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.

International

Venezuelan media faces fresh restrictions after reporting on opposition leader’s Nobel win

The National Union of Press Workers of Venezuela (SNTP) warned on Tuesday about “new and serious acts of censorship” affecting several radio networks in the country. According to the organization, these measures have led to “threats and temporary suspensions of journalists” who have covered topics of public interest, including the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to opposition leader María Corina Machado.

In a statement posted on its X account, the SNTP also reported a ban on mentioning the attack against two Venezuelan activists in exile in Colombia, which took place Monday in Bogotá.

The union further confirmed that several journalists had faced reprisals after reporting on Machado’s Nobel recognition, describing the actions as a “clear violation of freedom of expression and the public’s right to be informed.”

International

Pope Leo XIV to skip COP30 in Brazil but plans future visit, Lula confirms

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced that Pope Leo XIV will not attend the COP30 climate summit in Belém, but will visit Brazil “at the right moment,” following their meeting on Monday at the Vatican.

“I invited him to come to COP30, considering the historic importance of hosting a Climate Conference for the first time in the heart of the Amazon. Due to the Jubilee, the Pope told us he will not be able to attend,” Lula wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Although the pontiff will not be present at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, he assured that the Vatican will be represented and confirmed his intention to visit Brazil in the near future.

“We were very happy to hear that His Holiness intends to visit Brazil when the time is right. He will be warmly welcomed with the affection, hospitality, and faith of the Brazilian people,” the president said.

Lula also congratulated the Pope on his first exhortation, Dilexi Te, which focuses on poverty, and emphasized that “faith cannot be separated from love for the poor.”

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“I told him we need to build a broad movement of indignation against inequality, and I see this document as a reference that should be read and practiced by everyone,” Lula added.