International

María Hinojosa to Latinos: “We have to eat that fear”

Emmy-winning journalist and author Maria Hinojosa, of Mexican descent, talks about being the first Latina to work in all the newsrooms she’s ever worked, in her new book “Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America.”

The long-time host of the National Public Radio Latinos in the US, tells the story of her life, as an immigrant, storyteller, advocate for Latinos, as well as the challenges she had to overcome to succeed as a journalist.

Hinojosa details her struggle with anxiety, being a mother, her career and becoming a media entrepreneur. She also opens up about the historical events that shaped her life and the stories she has covered as a reporter. Such as the Salvadoran refugees who became her friends at school, who were exiled from their country because of the U.S. intervention in Central America. For decades, she covered news about immigration and the U.S. policies behind the way they treat its most vulnerable residents.

There are few people who can afford to be “first”, the ones who break down barriers that will indirectly help more people. Journalist Maria Hinojosa is one of those people. But she would not have made it without putting aside her fear of “eating it”, as she puts it.

“I talk about it a lot, because I was the first Latina to work in all my newsrooms. The first on NPR, on CNN, on CBS. The first to create my own nonprofit journalistic company,” she says. “When you’re the first one, when you’re a Latina, you’re obviously scared… but one of the most beautiful things I’ve been able to understand is why I was able to eat that fear.

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Hinojosa refers to the company The Futuro Media Group, which she launched in 2010. A positive consequence of having lost her fear, thanks in large part to her life partner, her husband Germán Pérez, a Dominican painter.

Once I Was You, tells the author’s stark truth, from being raped in her youth in Mexico, to her struggle as a woman in a career exclusively for men, to the love-hate relationship that many have with the country that has welcomed them as migrants: The United States.

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.