International

Peru’s president swears in new cabinet, his fourth in six months

AFP

Peru’s leftist President Pedro Castillo on Tuesday appointed a new cabinet, the fourth since he came to power six months ago, including replacing a prime minister who lasted just three days in office.

“Yes, I swear,” Anibal Torres, a lawyer taking over the role of prime minister, declared as he was sworn in by Castillo in a brief ceremony at the government palace in Lima.

Torres, 79, has been the head of the Justice Ministry since the current government took power in July.

Castillo’s six months in office have been characterized by setbacks and internal struggles within the government, as well as attacks from the radical right, which launched a failed attempt to impeach him.

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A week ago, Castillo appointed his third cabinet after the surprise resignation of Prime Minister Mirtha Vasquez due to disagreements over promotions in the police force.

In his place, the president appointed lawyer and parliamentarian Hector Valer Pinto, who was left in the hot seat after Lima media reported that his wife and university-educated daughter had denounced him in 2016 for alleged domestic violence.

Three days later, Castillo announced that he was going to “reshuffle” the cabinet again, marking the departure of the questioned Valer.

He was widely criticised for appointing Valer and for taking so long to put together a new cabinet after removing him from office.

“Castillo seems lost in a labyrinth and the question is where he is going to get out of it. That’s why Peruvians are living in great anxiety, because they don’t know what’s going to happen,” political analyst and former ambassador Hugo Otero told AFP.

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But for political analyst Eduardo Ballon, Castillo’s woes are simply “the continuation of a long-standing crisis” in the political system, as he told the daily La Republica.

Since 2017, Peru has experienced recurring bouts of instability after political leaders began pushing “vacancy” motions in Congress to abruptly get rid of presidents.

This led the country to have three presidents in five days in November 2020.

Torres now has 30 days to get a vote of confidence from Congress for the new cabinet.

If the right-wing opposition-controlled parliament denies him, Torres must resign and Castillo must form a fifth cabinet.

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International

Brazil offers to mediate Colombia-Ecuador tensions, calls for restraint

The government of Brazil has offered to mediate in the ongoing tensions between Colombia and Ecuador, while calling on both nations to exercise restraint.

In a statement released Wednesday, Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the parties involved to act with moderation and seek a peaceful resolution to the dispute.

“Brazil encourages all sides to act with moderation in order to find a peaceful solution to the controversy. It stands ready to support dialogue efforts aimed at preserving peace and security in the region,” the statement said.

Brazil also expressed “serious concern” over reports of deaths in the border area between Colombia and Ecuador, noting that the circumstances surrounding the incidents have not yet been clarified.

The diplomatic move comes amid rising tensions between the neighboring countries, increasing regional concern over stability and security along their shared border.

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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.