According to a statement made by White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre, US President Joe Biden will host a bilateral meeting with Colombian President
Gustavo Petro on April 20 in Washington. Petro expressed his gratitude for the invitation on Twitter, saying that it is a crucial moment to strengthen the relationship and cooperation between both countries. Petro hopes to enhance not only the fight against drug trafficking but also the protection of the Amazon, on climate change, and on rural development.
Honduras seeks to ease debt burden through talks with China
Honduras aims to negotiate with China to ease the country's debt burden, Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina said as the two nations establish diplomatic ties after Honduras' break with Taiwan. In the past month, China has expanded its influence in Latin America by establishing diplomatic relations with Honduras, which previously had a decades-long relationship with Taiwan, which China regards as its territory. Honduras' finance ministry reports that the country spends more than half of its tax revenue on paying off its $15.6 billion debt load, while 73% of its population lives in poverty. President Xiomara Castro is anticipated to travel to China soon, according to the foreign minister.
Cuba's fuel shortages caused by supplier nations not meeting requirements, says President
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel stated that other nations did not meet the requirements of the fuel that was contracted to be supplied to Cuba, causing the ongoing gasoline shortages on the island. The situation is due to "a complex energy situation," and not to internal inefficiencies, he explained. Diaz-Canel spoke publicly for the first time in three weeks about the deteriorating fuel crisis, which has caused some people to wait in line for days to fill up their tanks. Cuba's political ally, Venezuela, has sent 40,000 barrels per day (bpd) of fuel to Cuba in January, increasing to 52,000 bpd in February and 76,000 bpd in March, according to documents from Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA and its shipping company.
Brazil and China demand more funding from developed countries to tackle climate change
Brazil and China issued a joint statement on Friday urging developed countries to accelerate investments and technological development in climate change mitigation. The statement, signed by Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Xi Jinping, expressed concern that the funding provided by developed countries is still insufficient to meet the 2009 COP15 climate action commitments of $100 billion per year.
US charges El Chapo's sons and Chinese businessmen with fentanyl trafficking
US Attorney General Merrick Garland reported on Friday that the leaders of the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel have been charged with operating a fentanyl trafficking scheme that is fuelled by Chinese chemical and pharmaceutical firms. Among those charged are three sons of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the former Sinaloa Cartel leader who is now imprisoned in the United States. According to federal prosecutors in Manhattan, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, one of his sons, was apprehended in Mexico and is waiting for extradition proceedings. Photo by Departamento Nacional de Planeación, Wikimedia commons.