International

The Government of Peru proposes to qualify extortion, kidnapping and hitman as terrorism

The Government of Peru presented this Thursday a bill that qualifies as “urban terrorism” the crimes of extortion, kidnapping and hitman, in response to the wale of crime denounced by carriers and business unions.

The bill includes modifying several articles of the Criminal Code “in order to strengthen actions to combat citizen insecurity,” for which it proposes a tougher sentence, which includes life imprisonment if whoever commits this type of crime belongs to the Armed Forces or the National Police.

The Peruvian Executive announced that it was going to send this project to the Legislature a week ago, when the transport union made a strike in Lima to protest against the wave of extortion.

For its part, the business union affirmed that organized crime has formed a “parallel government” that is “winning the battle” against the State and destroying the country.

The legislative document, signed by President Dina Boluarte, will have to be debated and voted on in Parliament.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

‘Urban terrorism’

He defines urban terrorism as the conduct consisting of “acts that generate terror or anxiety in the population or in a sector of it” through the crimes of hitman, conspiracy, offering for hitman and extortion.

For this, article 315-C is incorporated into the Criminal Code, proposing that the penalty of imprisonment applied to said offense should not be less than 30 years.

It will be life imprisonment, when those who commit it belong to the Armed Forces or Police, “weapons, war material or explosives are used, this type of weapon owned by the Armed Forces or the Police is used and those who use minors or unimputable people to commit the crimes.”

It proposes to modify article 200 of the Criminal Code so that anyone who commits extortion receives a prison sentence of between 15 and 20 years.

“Anyone who, through violence or threat, forces a person or a public or private institution to grant the agent or a third party, an undue economic advantage or other advantage of any other nature, will be punished with a prison sentence of not less than fifteen years or more than twenty years,” the document specifies.

Members of the Armed Forces and the Police

As for the hitman, it establishes that “the one who kills another by order, commission, or agreement with the purpose of obtaining for himself or for another economic benefit or of any other nature will be repressed with a penalty of imprisonment of not less than 30 years and disqualification.”

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

In the same way, it will be life imprisonment if “a minor or another unimpeachable person is used,” he orders a criminal organization, weapons of war are used, when the victims are two or more people or two or more people intervene in the execution.

Finally, the legislative initiative includes a final complementary provision, which establishes that members of the Armed Forces and the Police who are denounced during states of emergency for acts carried out in fulfillment of their functions “will be investigated and, if applicable, prosecuted as provided for in article 173 of the Constitution.”

This implies that they will submit to the jurisprudential jurisdictions corresponding to the Police and the Military Justice.

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.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

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.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

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.