International

Rio ends indoor mask requirement

AFP

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes announced Monday the city would no longer require face masks indoors or outdoors, as hard-hit Brazil continues to bounce back from Covid-19.

“In line with the decisions of the scientific committee (on the pandemic), we will publish a decree tomorrow ending the mask requirement in indoor as well as outdoor spaces,” Paes wrote on Twitter.

“When we reach 70 percent (of the population) vaccinated with a booster dose, we will also remove our vaccine passport requirement,” he added.

The move makes Rio the first state capital in Brazil to lift its indoor mask requirement. Masks had already been optional outdoors since October in the city.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Brazil has been battered by the pandemic, with a Covid-19 death toll of more than 650,000 — second only to the United States in absolute numbers.

But with more than 72 percent of Brazil’s 213 million people now fully vaccinated, infections and deaths have fallen substantially.

The rolling average of daily Covid-19 deaths, which was more than 3,000 a day in April 2021 at the height of the crisis in Brazil, has fallen to 430.

In Rio, 83.8 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, and 42.3 percent have had an additional booster.

The iconic beach city of 6.8 million people postponed its famed carnival parade competition, originally scheduled for last week, until April over fears the Omicron variant would cause a new surge of Covid-19.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Even though carnival street parties were officially banned last week, many revelers flocked to private parties, and the city’s beaches were packed.

Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, still has a mask requirement, but will consider lifting it for outdoors areas this week.

Brasilia, the capital, lifted its outdoor mask requirement Monday.

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.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

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.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

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.