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.

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“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.

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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

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.