Redcuban1959

Havana, Jul 3 (Prensa Latina) The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez, today thanked the Chinese Foreign Ministry for its pronouncements against the blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba and its reinclusion in the unilateral list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The top representative of Cuban diplomacy pointed out in X that the U.S. government should listen to the calls of the international community to put an end to its anti-Cuban policy.

The day before, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged the United States to lift sanctions against Cuba and remove the Caribbean country from the designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

At a press conference, Mao rejected the memorandum to tighten U.S. policy toward Cuba, was signed last Monday by President Donald Trump.

China firmly supports Cuba on the path of development that suits its national conditions and opposes Washington's unilateral sanctions under the pretext of so-called freedom and democracy, he added.

Brasilia, Jul 2 (Prensa Latina) President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva today raised a sign in defense of the imposition of taxes on the super-rich during a ceremony for Brazil's Independence Day in the state of Bahia (northeast).

The image, shared by the President on his social networks, generated strong repercussions in the country's political and economic circles.

The message comes at a time of high tension between the Federal Government and the National Congress, due to the legislative setback to a decree of the Executive that readjusted the so-called Tax on Financial Operations (IOF).

The Federal Attorney General's Office filed an appeal before the Supreme Court to reverse the parliamentary decision, which the Executive considers detrimental to the fiscal balance.

In declarations to TV Bahia, Lula clarified that his proposal is not an indiscriminate tax increase, but a progressive reform that mainly reaches those who earn the most.

"We are not proposing tax increases. We are making a tax adjustment for the richest, so that money does not have to be cut from education and health", he said.

Lula also charged against what he called “the lobbying industry”, referring to sectors such as betting companies, fintechs (technology companies) and other groups that exert pressure on Congress to block tax reforms. “The interests of a few prevailed in the House and Senate, which seems absurd to me,” the president lamented.

Lula's proposal is part of his priority plan for 2025: to exempt from Income Tax (IR) those who earn up to five thousand reais (a little less than one thousand dollars) per month.

To compensate for the loss of tax revenues, the Executive proposes the creation of a new tax on large fortunes, which would affect those who earn more than 50 thousand reais (nine thousand 200 dollars) per month, with a minimum rate of 10 percent.

The Government insists that this is a measure of fiscal justice, which seeks to correct a tax structure which, historically, taxes the poor more than the rich.

It is "a reform in the name of social justice. It is not fair that the people pay more proportionally than millionaires", said a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance.

Resistance in the Chamber of Deputies, however, is considerable. Part of the liberal bench and sectors of the so-called Centrão (center) consider that the measure could scare away investments and punish economic success. The ruling party, on the other hand, insists that the effort must be collective and in solidarity.

With this political gesture, Lula seeks to reinforce his narrative of a popular and redistributive government, in the face of a Congress dominated by economic interests.

The U.S. has provided Ukraine with more than US$66 billion worth of weapons and military assistance since 2022. On Tuesday, the White House and Pentagon confirmed that the administration of President Donald Trump has halted part of military aid to Ukraine following a review of U.S. own stockpiles.

“This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.

The move came amid concerns about U.S. military stockpiles falling too low. Last month U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo ordering a review of the U.S. stockpile of munitions, in the aftermath of three years of aid to Ukraine, recent strikes on Yemen’s Houthi group and Iran. The review determined that stocks were too low on some weapons previously pledged.

Elbridge Colby, the Defense Department undersecretary for policy, said the Pentagon will continue “to provide the president with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end.”

“At the same time, the department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. forces’ readiness for Administration defense priorities,” Colby said.

After meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky during the NATO summit at The Hague last week, Trump told reporters that Ukraine is eager to get the Patriot air defense missiles from the U.S.

“They do want to have the anti-missile missiles, OK, as they call them, the Patriots,” Trump said then. “And we’re going to see if we can make some available. We need them, too. We’re supplying them to Israel, and they’re very effective, 100 percent effective. Hard to believe how effective. They do want that more than any other thing,” he said.

Some analysts suggest it is a signal that the Trump administration may further reduce aid to Ukraine. Hegseth skipped a meeting last month of an international group to coordinate military aid to Ukraine. It is the first time the U.S. defense secretary was not in attendance.

The United States has provided Ukraine with more than US$66 billion worth of weapons and military assistance since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022, according to an AP report.

The U.S. illegal sanctions have severely violated the Cuban people’s rights to life and development, Mao said. On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called on the United States to immediately lift its embargo and sanctions against Cuba and to remove the country from its list of “state sponsors of terrorism.”

Speaking at a press conference, Mao addressed President Donald Trump’s decision to sign a National Security Memorandum tightening U.S. foreign policy toward the Caribbean nation.

“For the past 60 years, the U.S. brutal blockade and illegal sanctions against Cuba have severely violated the Cuban people’s rights to life and development, broken basic norms of international relations, and brought profound disaster to the Cuban population,” the Chinese diplomat said.

“China firmly supports Cuba in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions and opposes the imposition of unilateral sanctions by the United States under the pretext of so-called ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy,’” she added.

“We urge the United States to immediately lift the blockade and sanctions against Cuba and remove it from the so-called list of state sponsors of terrorism. This is also the shared voice of the international community,” Mao concluded.

Her remarks followed a June 30, 2025, move by the U.S. government to issue a revised version of Presidential National Security Memorandum No. 5, signed on June 16, 2017, during Trump’s first term.

“Cuba categorically denounces and rejects both versions of the infamous document,” the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, noting that the memoranda “include a set of measures intended to further strengthen the economic siege and cause greater shortages for the Cuban people, in a vain attempt to take over the country and control its destiny.”

Brazil will take over the rotating presidency of the Southern Common Market. On Wednesday, Brazilian President Lula da Silva arrived in Argentina to participate in the summit of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), scheduled to take place in Buenos Aires on July 3 and 4.

Lula is not expected to hold a bilateral meeting with President Javier Milei, but he did express interest in visiting former President Cristina Fernandez, who is currently under house arrest. The meeting between Lula and Fernandez is expected to take place on Thursday, pending authorization from Argentine judicial authorities for the Workers’ Party leader to visit her residence.

The MERCOSUR summit began with a regular meeting of the Common Market Council (CMC), the political decision-making body of the South American bloc. The council is expected to approve a series of proposals on tariffs and trade.

This meeting includes the participation of Foreign Ministers Gerardo Werthein (Argentina), Mauro Vieira (Brazil), Mario Lubetkin (Uruguay), and Ruben Ramirez (Paraguay). Bolivian diplomat Huascar Ajata is attending on behalf of his country.

Also on Wednesday, meetings are expected among the finance ministers and central bank presidents of both full and associate member states.

The summit agenda continues Thursday with the plenary session of MERCOSUR presidents, during which Argentina will hand over the bloc’s rotating presidency to Brazil.

Meanwhile, Argentine President Milei — who has shown no interest in improving relations with Lula — is preparing to host the MERCOSUR heads of state at the San Martin Palace.

Argentina reportedly seeks to finalize bilateral agreements with participating countries while avoiding commitments within MERCOSUR itself. Milei has previously called the integration bloc an “ideological prison.”

At the last MERCOSUR summit in Montevideo, the far-right Argentine leader criticized progressive Latin American presidents such as Lula and Fernandez for opposing U.S.-backed plans in 2005 to join the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), a project aimed at consolidating U.S. trade dominance in the region.

“If a bloc doesn’t facilitate trade, then what’s the point?” Milei said at the time, referring to MERCOSUR.

In response, Lula expressed visible frustration and even declined to appear in the official group photo. The Brazilian leader reaffirmed his contrasting vision: for him, integration must be guided by social justice, environmental responsibility, and efforts to reduce inequality.