International

Cuban Vice-President Valdés Mesa receives Belarusian Foreign Minister

Photo: Cubadebate

July 19 |

The Vice President of the Republic of Cuba, Salvador Valdés Mesa, received on Tuesday the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Seguéi Aleinik, who is on an official visit to the Caribbean country.

During the meeting, the Cuban vice president highlighted the high level reached by bilateral relations, strengthened by the visit of President Miguel Diaz-Canel to Belarus in 2019.

The Belarusian foreign minister noted that he senses an expansion of economic and trade cooperation, especially at a time when both nations are under pressure and sanctions from the West. For this reason, he stressed the need to promote the development of this collaboration in order to make the two economies stronger.

Aleinik also praised the progress of Belarusian industrial projects, such as the possible agreement between the MTZ tractor company and Cuban authorities for the assembly of this type of equipment in Cuba.

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The foreign minister took the opportunity to convey a greeting from President Alexander Lukashenko to his Cuban counterpart. “We have a multilevel cooperation, including at the international political level, with exchanges between foreign ministries, where there is an absolute understanding,” he added.

On the first day of his visit to Cuba, last Monday, July 17, Aleinik met with the president of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Esteban Lazo Hernandez, the deputy prime minister and minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Ricardo Cabrisas, and the acting foreign minister, Josefina Vidal.

According to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, in these contacts “special attention was paid to the supply of various Belarusian equipment and spare parts, demanded foodstuffs and other Belarusian products to Cuba. In this context, preparations for the signing of the Protocol to the Agreement on Reciprocal Deliveries” were discussed (…).

It also transpired that “the full range of Belarusian-Cuban relations and ways to intensify them, in particular through the mechanism of the bilateral commission on trade and economic cooperation” were discussed.

The official also noted that the two countries discussed very promising mutual projects in the areas of science, biotechnology and pharmacology.

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International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.