International

Argentina names new economy minister after surprise resignation

AFP

Argentina appointed economist Silvina Batakis as its new economy minister Sunday after Martin Guzman, the architect of a debt restructuring deal with the IMF, unexpectedly resigned.

President Alberto Fernandez appointed the 53-year-old Batakis, “a renowned economist” who was economy minister for Buenos Aires province from 2011 to 2015, the president’s spokesperson announced on Twitter.

The center-left leader had held consultations all day Sunday to find a replacement for Guzman, who was tasked with renegotiating a $44 billion debt with the International Monetary Fund that Argentina insisted it could not afford to repay.

The original debt of $57 billion — the last tranche of which Fernandez declined after succeeding his liberal predecessor Mauricio Macri, who had solicited the loan — was the largest ever issued by the IMF.

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Guzman was praised for having stopped Argentina, Latin America’s third-largest economy, from defaulting with the deal finalized in March.

But he was regularly challenged by the Peronist Justicialist Party, the major force in the Frente de Todos (Everyone’s Front) ruling coalition, embodied by the still-influential Cristina Kirchner, the country’s vice president and president from 2007 to 2015.

Batakis’ appointment appears to be a signal of growing power of Kirchner’s faction in the center-left coalition.

She was economy minister for Buenos Aires province, with a 15 million-strong population, under then-governor Daniel Scioli.

Scioli was vice president under president Nestor Kirchner, and close to his wife, Cristina Kirchner.

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In addition to commitments to the IMF deal, which included provisions to contain inflation and reduce the budget deficit from three percent in 2021 to parity by 2025, Batakis will have to contend with chronic inflation.

Agricultural powerhouse Argentina has been in economic crisis for years, with inflation of more than 60 percent in the last 12 months.

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.