International

President Nicolás Maduro arrives in China on official visit

Photo: @PresidencialVen

September 8 |

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived Friday at Bo’an International Airport in the Chinese city of Shenzhen to begin an official visit that will last until September 14.

Upon his arrival in the Asian country, the South American president affirmed that this will be a historic visit for the strengthening of cooperation ties and the construction of a new world geopolitics.

The visit of Nicolás Maduro takes place at the invitation of the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, announced the spokeswoman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Hua Chunying, without providing details on the agenda of President Nicolás Maduro.

The last visit of the Venezuelan head of state to China took place in September 2018, when he also met with Xi Jinping with the aim of increasing bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

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The announcement of President Maduro’s visit to the Asian country comes after the visit to Beijing of Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who met on Thursday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to review bilateral issues and boost economic and trade agreements between the two nations.

During the meeting they agreed to “continue consolidating diplomatic relations at the highest level between both sister nations”, informed a press release from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Within the framework of the visit of the Venezuelan high official to the Asian country, which began on Tuesday, a memorandum was signed between the Center for Satellite Oceanography of China, the Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities and the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC) for the specialized study of the environment.

During her stay in China, Delcy Rodríguez met with the president of the New Development Bank of the Brics group, Dilma Rousseff, to explore options for economic cooperation.

The visit of the Venezuelan Vice-President to China is a sign of the importance that the Government of the South American country attaches to its relations with the Asian giant. The agreements signed during the visit are aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries in economic, scientific and technological matters.

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International

Mexico leads global cases of enforced disappearances, UN report finds

Mexico accounts for the highest number of urgent actions related to enforced disappearances worldwide, according to the latest report by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.

The report, released by I(dh)eas, indicates that Mexico has accumulated 819 cases between 2012 and February 2026, representing 38% of the global total.

In the past five months alone, 40 new urgent requests have been recorded — more than one-third of all such actions worldwide during that period.

The report warns that this trend reflects a structural problem, as the urgent action mechanism — originally intended as an exceptional measure — has become routine in Mexico.

Although the Mexican state formally complies with response deadlines, the Committee identified significant shortcomings in the implementation of these measures. These include the lack of comprehensive search plans, delays in key investigative procedures such as video surveillance and phone data analysis, and insufficient inquiries into possible links involving state agents.

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The report also highlights inadequate protection for relatives and individuals involved in search efforts, including cases of reprisals.

Among the most serious incidents documented is the disappearance of a father who had denounced alleged involvement of authorities in his son’s case in the state of Guanajuato.

The accumulation of cases could lead to the application of Article 34 of the Convention, which would allow for the launch of an international investigation into systematic enforced disappearances.

Geographically, the state of Chiapas accounts for 30% of the new urgent actions, many of them linked to collective disappearances of migrants.

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International

Le pape Léon XIV appelle à relancer le dialogue pour une paix au Moyen-Orient

Le pape Léon XIV s’est entretenu par téléphone ce vendredi avec le président d’Israël, Isaac Herzog, soulignant la « nécessité de rouvrir » les canaux de dialogue afin de parvenir à une « paix juste » au Moyen-Orient.

Selon un communiqué du Vatican, les deux dirigeants ont insisté sur l’importance de relancer tous les mécanismes diplomatiques pour mettre fin au conflit en cours et œuvrer en faveur d’une paix durable dans la région.

Le communiqué précise également que les discussions ont porté sur la protection des populations civiles et sur le respect du droit international et humanitaire.

Cet échange intervient dans le contexte de la Semaine sainte, cinq jours après un incident à Jérusalem, où la police israélienne avait empêché le cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa de célébrer la messe du Dimanche des Rameaux au Saint-Sépulcre.

Le lendemain, le secrétaire d’État du Vatican, Pietro Parolin, avait convoqué l’ambassadeur israélien auprès du Saint-Siège, Yaron Sideman, pour exprimer le mécontentement du Vatican face à cet incident qualifié de « regrettable ».

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Cette situation avait suscité une vive réaction internationale, poussant le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu à intervenir pour assurer que le cardinal pourrait accéder au lieu saint.

De son côté, Herzog a confirmé l’échange sur son compte X, indiquant que les discussions ont également porté sur des sujets régionaux, notamment la guerre en Iran et la situation au Liban.

Le pape, d’origine américaine, participe actuellement à sa première Semaine sainte depuis son élection et doit présider ce soir le chemin de croix au Vatican.

International

Devotees in Philippines mark Holy Week with extreme rituals despite rising costs

Despite rising fuel prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East, thousands of devotees in Philippines took part this year in one of the country’s most intense Holy Week traditions.

In the city of San Fernando, located in Pampanga province, dozens of bare-chested penitents with covered faces walked barefoot along dusty streets, whipping their backs with bamboo lashes as part of a ritual that can draw up to 12,000 local and foreign visitors.

Journalists from Agence France-Presse reported seeing participants piercing their skin with glass shards attached to small wooden paddles to ensure bleeding during the ceremony — an act believed to atone for sins and seek divine intervention.

“I do this to pray for the healing of my seven-month-old baby, who is suffering from pneumonia,” said a devotee identified as John David at the start of the procession.

The 49-year-old participant explained that the practice runs in his family. “My grandfather started this, then my father, and now it’s my turn. I have witnessed healing miracles over the years through this act of faith,” he said.

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Many attendees traveled for hours to witness the climax of the ritual, in which some penitents allow nails, measuring about seven centimeters, to be driven into their hands before being raised on crosses in a reenactment of crucifixion.