International
Lula visits Shanghai on first stop of China trip
April 13 |
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was visiting the financial hub of Shanghai, China, on Thursday, on a trip to strengthen ties with the South American giant’s largest trading partner and rally political support for his efforts to mediate the conflict in Ukraine.
Lula arrived in China on Wednesday night and is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing on Friday before concluding his visit on Saturday.
The Brazilian government said the two sides were expected to sign at least 20 bilateral agreements during Lula’s trip, a reflection of improving relations after a bumpy period under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula would also attend in Shanghai the official ceremony in which his close advisor and former Brazilian President Dilma Roussef will be sworn in as head of the New Development Bank, a Chinese-backed institution.
The organization is presented as an alternative to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, controlled mainly by the United States and its Western allies. The bank focuses on the group of developing countries known as BRICS, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The institution, established more than seven years ago, has approved 99 loan projects worth more than $34 billion, mainly for infrastructure projects, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Much of that credit has gone to Brazil for projects such as a subway system in the country’s financial capital, Sao Paulo.
During his meeting with Xi, Lula is expected to discuss trade, investment, reindustrialization, energy transition, climate change and peace agreements, according to the Brazilian government.
China is Brazil’s largest export market, buying tens of billions of dollars worth of soybeans, beef, iron ore, poultry, pulp, sugar cane, cotton and oil every year.
Brazil is the largest recipient of Chinese investment in Latin America, according to Chinese state media, although Lula has taken a position against Chinese organizations buying Brazilian companies.
One of the agreements Lula will sign in China will be for the production of the sixth satellite built in a bi-national program, a device that will monitor biomes such as the Amazon rainforest.
Beijing recently lifted restrictions on Brazilian beef, imposed in February after the discovery of an unusual case of mad cow disease.
Politically, the visit by leftist Lula symbolizes Brazil’s return to international relations after succeeding Bolsonaro in January.
The often brusque conservative populist leader and members of his family provoked tensions with Chinese authorities on several occasions by talking about the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic or telecommunications firm Huawei. Bolsonaro admired conservative nationalists and showed little interest in international affairs or traveling abroad.
Lula, who will visit a Huawei research center in Shanghai on Thursday, traveled to Argentina and Uruguay in January and the United States in February, a sign of the importance he places on international affairs, experts say. He toured the world during his first presidency, especially in his second term, when he passed through dozens of countries, and has been to China on two previous occasions.
A key piece of Lula’s strategy abroad is his proposal that Brazil and other developing countries, including China, mediate to achieve peace in Ukraine. However, his proposal that Ukraine give up Crimea to facilitate peace has upset Kiev and its staunchest supporters.
China has also tried to play a role in ending the conflict, albeit in a very close way to Moscow. It has refused to condemn the invasion, criticized economic sanctions on Russia and accused the United States and NATO of provoking the conflict.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
International
Cuba battles out-of-control dengue and chikungunya epidemic as death toll rises to 44
Cuba is facing a severe dengue and chikungunya epidemic that has already claimed at least 44 lives, including 29 minors, according to the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap). The outbreak—now considered out of control—has expanded across the entire country amid a critical shortage of resources to confront the emergency.
Authorities report more than 42,000 chikungunya infections and at least 26,000 dengue cases, though they acknowledge significant underreporting as many patients avoid seeking care in health centers where medicines, supplies, and medical personnel are scarce. The first cluster was detected in July in the city of Matanzas, but the government did not officially use the term “epidemic” until November 12.
Chikungunya—virtually unknown on the island until this year—causes high fever, rashes, fatigue, and severe joint pain that can last for months, leaving thousands temporarily incapacitated. Dengue, endemic to the region, triggers fever, muscle pain, vomiting, and, in severe cases, internal bleeding. Cuba currently has no vaccines available for either virus.
Minsap reports that of the 44 deaths recorded so far, 28 were caused by chikungunya and 16 by dengue.
The health crisis unfolds amid deep economic deterioration, marked by the absence of fumigation campaigns, uncollected garbage, and shortages of medical supplies—conditions that have fueled the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary vector for both diseases. “The healthcare system is overwhelmed,” non-official medical sources acknowledge.
Beyond the health impact, the epidemic is heavily disrupting economic and family life. The intense joint pain caused by chikungunya has led to widespread work absences, while hospital overcrowding has forced relatives to leave their jobs to care for the sick. In November, authorities launched a clinical trial using the Cuban drug Jusvinza to reduce joint pain, though results have not yet been released.
International
Ecuador on track for record violence as homicides hit highest level in Latin America again
Violence in Ecuador is expected to reach historic levels by the end of 2025, with the country set to record the highest homicide rate in Latin America for the third consecutive year, according to a report released Thursday by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). The organization warns that criminal activity is not only persisting but could worsen in 2026.
Official figures show 7,553 homicides recorded through October, surpassing the 7,063 registered throughout all of 2024. ACLED estimates that 71% of the population was exposed to violent incidents this year, despite President Daniel Noboa’s declaration of an “internal armed conflict” in an attempt to confront powerful criminal groups.
According to the report, several factors are driving the deterioration of security: a territorial war between Los Chonerosand Los Lobos, the two most influential criminal organizations in the country; the fragmentation of other groups after the fall of their leaders; and Ecuador’s expanding role as a strategic hub for regional drug trafficking.
Since 2021, violence has forced the internal displacement of around 132,000 people, while more than 400,000 Ecuadorians — equivalent to 2% of the population — have left the country. Between January and November alone, violent deaths rose 42%, fueled by prison massacres and clashes between rival gangs.
The report warns that conditions may deteriorate further. Ecuador has been added to ACLED’s 2026 Conflict Watchlist, which highlights regions at risk of escalating violence. The expansion of Colombian armed groups such as FARC dissidents and the ELN, state weakness, and a potential rerouting of drug trafficking corridors from the Caribbean to the Pacific intensify the threat.
“The president is facing a wave of violence that shows no signs of easing,” the report concludes.
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
Cuba battles out-of-control dengue and chikungunya epidemic as death toll rises to 44
Ecuador on track for record violence as homicides hit highest level in Latin America again
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