International

Pope Francis appoints 21 new cardinals

Pope Francis appointed 21 new cardinals on Sunday, significantly increasing the number of members in the College of Cardinals and solidifying his influence on the group of prelates that will one day choose his successor.

Among those selected by the first Latin American pope in history were leaders from several important dioceses and archdioceses in South America. These include Archbishop Vicente Bokalic Iglic of Santiago del Estero, Argentina; Archbishop Jaime Spengler of Porto Alegre, Brazil; Archbishop Fernando Natalio Chomali Garib of Santiago, Chile; Archbishop Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera of Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Archbishop Carlos Gustavo Castillo Mattasoglio of Lima, Peru.

He also named the oldest cardinal to date: Monsignor Angelo Acerbi, a 99-year-old retired Vatican diplomat who was once held hostage for six weeks in Colombia by leftist guerrillas, and the youngest, the 44-year-old head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Melbourne, Australia, Bishop Mykola Bychok, appointed as a nod to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The new cardinals will receive their red hats at a ceremony known as a consistory on December 8, a major holiday that officially marks the start of Christmas celebrations in Rome. This will be Francis’ tenth consistory and the largest infusion of voting-age cardinals into the college in his 11 years as pope.

Even before Sunday’s announcement, Francis had already appointed the majority of the voting-age cardinals who will one day participate in a conclave to elect his successor. According to Vatican statistics, prior to Sunday, 92 of the cardinals under 80 years old—therefore eligible to vote in a conclave—had been chosen by Francis, compared to 24 named by Pope Benedict XVI and six by St. John Paul II.

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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.