International

Brazil’s Lula puts US, China among his first official visits

Photo: EVARISTO SA / AFP

| By AFP |

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will make his first official trip to Argentina at the end of January, before visiting the United States, Portugal and China, an official said Tuesday.

Lula, as the 77-year-old leader is commonly known, will participate in the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), which takes place on January 23 and 24 in Buenos Aires.

The leftist leader, who was sworn in as president of the South American country for the third time on Sunday, will meet with US counterpart Joe Biden in Washington, on a still “undated” trip, according to a source in the president’s office.

The trip to China, Brazil’s largest trading partner, will be “after March,” the same source added.

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China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday confirmed an invitation to the Brazilian president, although it did not provide a date for his visit.

“China places high importance on the China-Brazil comprehensive strategic partnership, and welcomes President Lula’s visit to China at a time convenient for both parties,” spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a briefing.

Senior Chinese official Wang Qishan attended Lula’s inauguration ceremony in Brazil on Sunday.

The Brazilian presidency also confirmed that Lula will be in Portugal from April 22 to 25.

Lula, who led Latin America’s largest economy twice between 2003 and 2010, is giving the first signs of wanting to break Brazil’s international isolation after four years under far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

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In his inauguration speech in Congress, he announced a new role for Brazil in the world by resuming “South American integration” and the reconstruction of the “high and active dialogue with the United States, the European Community and China.”

The new foreign minister, Mauro Vieira, said Monday at the inauguration ceremony that Brazil will have “a huge reconstruction job” after the “unprecedented setback” of Bolsonaro’s reign.

Related Topics:Argentina Brazil China Lula us

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Hiroshima survivor who embraced Obama dies at 88

The emotional embrace between Barack Obama and Hiroshima survivor Mori—who was eight years old when the United States dropped the atomic bomb in 1945—resonated around the world.

According to Asahi Shimbun and other local media, Mori died on Saturday at a hospital in Hiroshima.

Mori, known for his research on the fate of American prisoners of war in Hiroshima, was thrown into a river by the force of the explosion on August 6, 1945, during the atomic bombing of the city.

In a past interview with AFP, ahead of his meeting with Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in 2016, Mori recalled the chaos and desperation that followed the blast.

He described how, after emerging from the water, he encountered injured civilians seeking help amid the devastation, an experience that stayed with him throughout his life.

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In 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to the victims of the first atomic bomb used in warfare. During the visit, Mori was visibly moved as he met the president, sharing a brief but powerful moment that symbolized remembrance and reconciliation.

The bombing of Hiroshima resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people, including those who succumbed to radiation exposure in the aftermath.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people and contributing to the end of World War II.

International

Colombia seeks ‘total suffocation’ of armed groups with regional support

Colombia is advancing a strategy aimed at the “total suffocation” of illegal armed groups, seeking to corner them in border regions with the support of Ecuador and Venezuela, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with AFP.

According to the minister, coordinated pressure from neighboring countries—backed by United States—aims to dismantle criminal networks that use cross-border routes to traffic Colombian cocaine toward North America and Europe.

For decades, armed groups involved in Colombia’s internal conflict have relied on border territories as strategic rear bases to evade military operations and maintain logistical support.

However, Sánchez said that dynamic is beginning to change.

“We expect a total suffocation between both nations so they have no spaces where they can live or feel safe […] to close off any room they might have,” he stated during the interview in Bogotá, less than five months before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term.

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Regional developments have reinforced this strategy. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation, Washington has increased its influence in Caracas, where interim leader Delcy Rodríguez has implemented a renewed anti-narcotics policy.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa—a key U.S. ally in the region—has launched a two-week security plan under strict curfews to combat criminal gangs, with U.S. support.

Sánchez argued that these combined efforts leave illegal organizations with fewer escape routes and operational spaces, effectively placing them in a “dead end.”

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.