International
López Obrador says that “all” Celac’s countries support Mexico in crisis with Ecuador
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said on Wednesday that “all” the countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), which held a summit on Tuesday, support Mexico for the assault on the Mexican Embassy in Quito.
“Well, everyone, everyone, helping, supporting Mexico, supporting Mexico,” the president said during his morning press conference.
The Mexican ruler made this evaluation after the meeting of the leaders of the region, convened on Tuesday by the president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, in which Mexico asked them to join its complaint against Ecuador in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after the assault on the Mexican Embassy in Quito on April 5.
At the summit, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced the closure of his Embassy and consulates in Ecuador in support of Mexico, while the president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, said that he will join the Mexican Government’s complaint.
Likewise, this Wednesday, López Obrador reported that after the meeting, the Honduran president notified him that she will also sympathize with Mexico and they will temporarily withdraw her diplomats from Ecuador.
“At the end he notified me that they will also show solidarity and are going to call their diplomatic representatives, that is, that this is nothing more the case of Venezuela,” he said.
Questioned by the absence at the summit of the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, the Mexican ruler evaded a direct response and asked to exhibit the video of the meeting again.
“Let’s see it, because they talk about everything there and it helps us a lot,” he replied.
The controversy began after the raid of the Police at the Embassy of Mexico on April 5 to take away former Vice President Jorge Glas (2013-2017), sheltered there in the face of a corruption process.
And it has grown because a court in Ecuador declared last Friday the detention of Glas inside the diplomatic headquarters as illegal and arbitrary, although he was imprisoned while waiting to serve the sentence for the Bribery case and for illicit association in the Odebrecht case.
The situation has led the Mexican Government to file a complaint with the ICJ and ask the United Nations (UN) to suspend Ecuador from the agency.
Meanwhile, Noboa has assured that he does not regret ordering the assault on the Embassy and even pointed out that he will invite López Obrador to eat a ceviche and “probably” some tacos to fix the crisis, to which the Mexican responded that the conflict “is not a frivolity.”
International
Spanish Government Targets ‘Big Tech Impunity’ in AI Image Scandal
The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, announced Tuesday that his government will ask prosecutors to investigate X, Meta and TikTok over the alleged creation and distribution of sexually explicit images involving minors generated through artificial intelligence.
In a post on X, Sánchez said the government would formally request that the Public Prosecutor’s Office examine potential crimes that these platforms may have committed by allowing or facilitating the use of AI tools to generate such content.
“These platforms are harming the mental health, dignity and rights of our children,” Sánchez wrote, adding that “the impunity of the giants must end.”
In recent weeks, the Spanish leader has publicly clashed with tech figures such as Elon Musk and Pavel Durov after announcing on February 3 his intention to ban social media access for minors under the age of 16.
Sánchez also signaled plans to amend legislation so that platform executives could be held legally responsible for certain violations committed on their websites.
According to figures released Tuesday by the government, one in five young people in Spain — particularly girls and teenage minors — say they have experienced the circulation of AI-generated fake nude images of themselves while underage.
International
Father Faces Murder Charges in Georgia School Shooting Case
Colin Gray, 55, appeared in court Monday facing charges of murder and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the September 4, 2024, shooting at Apalachee High School, carried out by his son, Colt.
Two 14-year-old students and two teachers were killed, and nine others were injured in the shooting in Winder, Georgia. Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time and is now 16, has been charged as an adult and is awaiting a trial date.
During opening statements, prosecutors alleged that Gray gave his son the AR-15-style rifle used in the attack as a Christmas gift in 2023, despite prior warnings that the teenager had threatened to carry out a school shooting.
According to the FBI, local authorities interviewed Colt and his father in May 2023 after receiving anonymous reports about online threats made by the teen.
“This case is about this defendant and his actions—allowing a minor in his custody to have access to a firearm and ammunition after being warned that the minor intended to harm others,” said Brad Smith, the Barrow County prosecutor.
Defense attorney Brian Hobbs told jurors that Colin Gray was unaware of his son’s intentions and had sought help for the teenager’s declining mental health.
School shootings remain a recurring issue in the United States, where firearms outnumber people and regulations governing the purchase of even high-powered, military-style rifles are relatively permissive.
Central America
Guatemala’s Attorney General Consuelo Porras Loses Bid for Constitutional Court Seat
Guatemala’s attorney general, Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by the United States over corruption allegations, lost a key vote on Monday in which a public university selected two of the 10 magistrates for the country’s highest constitutional court. However, she could still seek a seat through another nominating body.
The election of five full magistrates and five alternates to the Corte de Constitucionalidad (CC) is taking place gradually over more than two months and is considered crucial in the ongoing struggle for control of Guatemala’s judiciary, which critics say has long been influenced by a political and economic elite accused of corruption.
According to results announced at a press conference, the governing council of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) rejected Porras, who had applied as either a full or alternate magistrate, and instead chose two candidates aligned with the university rector. The vote was held at a hotel in Antigua, about 35 kilometers from the capital.
Despite the setback, Porras — whose term as attorney general ends on May 16 — could still be nominated to the Constitutional Court by the Corte Suprema de Justicia, which appoints two magistrates. The remaining six are selected by the president, the bar association and Congress.
“It’s always a possibility,” the 72-year-old lawyer said days earlier when asked by reporters whether she would seek nomination through another institution if she lost the USAC vote.
Porras has been sanctioned by Washington and the European Union for allegedly attempting two years ago to block the inauguration of President Bernardo Arévalo and for pursuing legal actions against anti-corruption prosecutors, judges, journalists and social leaders since taking office in 2018.
The USAC vote was controversial because most members of the university’s governing council are serving beyond the expiration of their terms. Students, academics and social activists staged protests against Porras’ candidacy.
Spanish Government Targets ‘Big Tech Impunity’ in AI Image Scandal
Father Faces Murder Charges in Georgia School Shooting Case
Guatemala’s Attorney General Consuelo Porras Loses Bid for Constitutional Court Seat
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