International

Partner of Chile’s president-elect draws feminist ire over first lady role

AFP

Irina Karamanos, an avowed feminist and partner of Chile’s leftist president-elect Gabriel Boric, has drawn fire from women’s groups for her decision to accept the “anachronistic” role of first lady.

Feminist groups derided Karamanos for accepting a post they say is not awarded on merit but obtained through a woman’s private relationship with the president.

Boric, who was elected Chile’s youngest-ever president aged 35 in December, is due to assume office on March 11.

Karamanos, a social scientist and activist of 32, said Tuesday she would accept the first lady job, but exercise it with a modern, feminist twist.

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The pair have been in a relationship since 2019.

Like in many other countries, the role of first lady in Chile is not officially defined, but traditionally involves overseeing the work of social organizations.

It does not come with a salary, and is exercised from the presidency’s socio-cultural division, which has an office in the presidential palace.

Boric himself had spoken in favor of abolishing the position, saying on the campaign: “There can be no posts in the State that have to do or are related to a relationship with the president or with anyone.”

– ‘Different times’ –

But then Karamanos said Tuesday that reforming the role would involve “adapting it to the times.”

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She added: “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 issues, and display a new way of exercising power.”

Her announcement divided the feminist movement.

While some applauded her commitment to reform, others agreed with her own statement that accepting the role contradicted her commitment to advancing women’s rights.

Karamanos is head of the Feminist Front of the Social Convergence party which is part of the leftist Broad Front to which Boric also belongs.

“We have different ways of looking at feminism,” Daniela Osorio, spokeswoman for the activist group Coordinadora Feminista 8M, told AFP.

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“Our analysis has nothing to do with Irina herself… For us, the right thing to do would have been to abolish the position.”

Added Priscila Gonzales of the Chilean Network Against Violence Against Women: “I do not doubt in her abilities, what I question is the continuation of a profoundly chauvinist position in which women are relegated to a secondary role.”

But Erika Montecinos, founder of the Rompiendo el Silencio (Breaking the Silence) lesbian rights group, said the focus should be on Karamanos’s promise to change the position.

“That is what’s important. To transform spaces — and give them a feminist vision.”

Questions have also been asked about the couple’s unmarried status.

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“How do you ask for an audience with the president’s concubine?” former lawmaker and one-time presidential candidate Tomas Jocelyn-Holt asked on Twitter, inviting a flurry of criticism.

Boric has come out in support of his partner.

“Her intention to modernize and make the office transparent reflects the work we have collectively been doing: we have to make the changes responsibly and from within,” he said.

International

Mexico leads global cases of enforced disappearances, UN report finds

Mexico accounts for the highest number of urgent actions related to enforced disappearances worldwide, according to the latest report by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.

The report, released by I(dh)eas, indicates that Mexico has accumulated 819 cases between 2012 and February 2026, representing 38% of the global total.

In the past five months alone, 40 new urgent requests have been recorded — more than one-third of all such actions worldwide during that period.

The report warns that this trend reflects a structural problem, as the urgent action mechanism — originally intended as an exceptional measure — has become routine in Mexico.

Although the Mexican state formally complies with response deadlines, the Committee identified significant shortcomings in the implementation of these measures. These include the lack of comprehensive search plans, delays in key investigative procedures such as video surveillance and phone data analysis, and insufficient inquiries into possible links involving state agents.

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The report also highlights inadequate protection for relatives and individuals involved in search efforts, including cases of reprisals.

Among the most serious incidents documented is the disappearance of a father who had denounced alleged involvement of authorities in his son’s case in the state of Guanajuato.

The accumulation of cases could lead to the application of Article 34 of the Convention, which would allow for the launch of an international investigation into systematic enforced disappearances.

Geographically, the state of Chiapas accounts for 30% of the new urgent actions, many of them linked to collective disappearances of migrants.

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International

Le pape Léon XIV appelle à relancer le dialogue pour une paix au Moyen-Orient

Le pape Léon XIV s’est entretenu par téléphone ce vendredi avec le président d’Israël, Isaac Herzog, soulignant la « nécessité de rouvrir » les canaux de dialogue afin de parvenir à une « paix juste » au Moyen-Orient.

Selon un communiqué du Vatican, les deux dirigeants ont insisté sur l’importance de relancer tous les mécanismes diplomatiques pour mettre fin au conflit en cours et œuvrer en faveur d’une paix durable dans la région.

Le communiqué précise également que les discussions ont porté sur la protection des populations civiles et sur le respect du droit international et humanitaire.

Cet échange intervient dans le contexte de la Semaine sainte, cinq jours après un incident à Jérusalem, où la police israélienne avait empêché le cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa de célébrer la messe du Dimanche des Rameaux au Saint-Sépulcre.

Le lendemain, le secrétaire d’État du Vatican, Pietro Parolin, avait convoqué l’ambassadeur israélien auprès du Saint-Siège, Yaron Sideman, pour exprimer le mécontentement du Vatican face à cet incident qualifié de « regrettable ».

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Cette situation avait suscité une vive réaction internationale, poussant le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu à intervenir pour assurer que le cardinal pourrait accéder au lieu saint.

De son côté, Herzog a confirmé l’échange sur son compte X, indiquant que les discussions ont également porté sur des sujets régionaux, notamment la guerre en Iran et la situation au Liban.

Le pape, d’origine américaine, participe actuellement à sa première Semaine sainte depuis son élection et doit présider ce soir le chemin de croix au Vatican.

International

Devotees in Philippines mark Holy Week with extreme rituals despite rising costs

Despite rising fuel prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East, thousands of devotees in Philippines took part this year in one of the country’s most intense Holy Week traditions.

In the city of San Fernando, located in Pampanga province, dozens of bare-chested penitents with covered faces walked barefoot along dusty streets, whipping their backs with bamboo lashes as part of a ritual that can draw up to 12,000 local and foreign visitors.

Journalists from Agence France-Presse reported seeing participants piercing their skin with glass shards attached to small wooden paddles to ensure bleeding during the ceremony — an act believed to atone for sins and seek divine intervention.

“I do this to pray for the healing of my seven-month-old baby, who is suffering from pneumonia,” said a devotee identified as John David at the start of the procession.

The 49-year-old participant explained that the practice runs in his family. “My grandfather started this, then my father, and now it’s my turn. I have witnessed healing miracles over the years through this act of faith,” he said.

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Many attendees traveled for hours to witness the climax of the ritual, in which some penitents allow nails, measuring about seven centimeters, to be driven into their hands before being raised on crosses in a reenactment of crucifixion.