International
Lula, back in Brasilia, gets down to politics
| By AFP |
President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met the leaders of both houses of Congress Wednesday, calling for “dialogue” in a divided Brazil as he sought support for his agenda after his inauguration on January 1.
The veteran leftist, who narrowly defeated far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in last month’s elections, is scrambling to secure support for his social spending plans ahead of his swearing-in, but is far short of a majority in Congress.
Making his return to the capital, Brasilia, the former president (2003-2010) kicked things off by meeting the speaker of the lower house, Arthur Lira, previously a Bolsonaro ally.
“The country needs dialogue and normality,” Lula posted on Twitter afterwards, along with a video of he and Lira shaking hands.
He also met Senate president Rodrigo Pacheco.
Brazil was left torn by the October 30 runoff election, which brought a curtain down on four polarizing years under Bolsonaro — who lost by the slimmest margin in the country’s modern history.
Lula, 77, faces the task of healing the nation’s wounds — but also more pragmatic concerns for Latin America’s biggest economy.
That includes finding money for campaign promises such as a minimum-wage increase and continuing a beefed-up welfare program of 600 reais ($115) a month that was introduced by Bolsonaro but not funded in his 2023 budget.
Lula is racing to find the needed funding, with options such as passing a constitutional amendment allowing the government to break its spending cap next year.
That would likely require support from Lira, who is from a loose coalition of parties known as the “Centrao,” a group known for striking alliances with whoever is in power — in exchange for government pork.
Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin, who is heading Lula’s transition team, said Tuesday the incoming administration was still evaluating other options, as well.
Lula also had meetings Wednesday with Supreme Court Chief Justice Rosa Weber and Superior Electoral Tribunal head Alexandre de Moraes.
Anticipation is meanwhile running high for his first cabinet appointments, especially from markets anxious over the key post of finance minister.
Alckmin named a four-member economic transition team Tuesday, with two market-friendly economists and two close to Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT).
International
Petro accuses top guerrilla leader of bribing officers to evade military strikes
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, said Saturday that the country’s most wanted guerrilla leader is bribing members of the security forces to obtain advance information and evade military operations.
According to the government, Iván Mordisco, a dissident leader of the now-defunct FARC, is currently on the run in the जंगल following an الجيش bombardment last week that killed six of his closest collaborators in the department of Vaupés.
Authorities believe the guerrilla commander had been at the site shortly before the operation. “He buys off the commanders who are supposed to capture him; that’s how he escapes the bombings, but leaves his own people to die. He is warned before every strike,” Petro wrote on social media platform X.
The six individuals killed in the strike were part of Mordisco’s security ring, according to Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Local media reported that one of those killed was a woman known as “alias Lorena,” who was allegedly Mordisco’s partner and the mother of his child.
After failed attempts to negotiate peace, Petro’s administration has shifted to a more aggressive military strategy against the guerrilla leader. In recent months, three of Mordisco’s brothers have been captured and now face charges including homicide, kidnapping, and arms trafficking.
Central America
Costa Rica urges China to halt actions against Panama-flagged vessels
The government of Costa Rica on Saturday called on China to halt retaliatory actions against vessels flying the Panamaflag, amid escalating tensions over control of two strategic ports linked to the Panama Canal.
In a statement shared on social media, Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry warned that the situation “puts global trade at risk” and expressed its “deep concern and strongest condemnation” over what it described as “arbitrary and unjustified delays and inspections in Chinese ports.”
The Costa Rican government urged “full respect for international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” while reaffirming its “unconditional support and solidarity” with Panama.
San José’s position aligns with growing international criticism from countries including Honduras, Peru, Paraguay, Israeland Ukraine.
Paraguayan authorities described the detentions as “unacceptable” and pointed to what they called “undue pressure” on the Panamanian government.
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.
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.
Petro accuses top guerrilla leader of bribing officers to evade military strikes
Costa Rica urges China to halt actions against Panama-flagged vessels
Mexico leads global cases of enforced disappearances, UN report finds
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