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Havana, July 17 (Prensa Latina) Israel continues to murder Palestinians in Gaza, taking advantage of the silence of the mainstream media and the impunity granted by its benefactor, the United States government, denounced Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez today.

The island’s foreign minister mentioned on his social media account that, since the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army has killed 1,127 Palestinians, and since the beginning of the conflict, 73,250 people have been killed and 173,751 have been injured.

Rodríguez also condemned the destruction of hospitals, the hydraulic infrastructure, and the deepening of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

“It is time to stop the barbarity and genocide against the Palestinian people,” urged the head of Cuban diplomacy.

More than half of those fatalities are women and children, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement issued in early July to mark 1,000 days of the Israeli invasion.

Another factor that will increase the statistics is the number of people buried under the rubble of what were their homes, demolished by the indiscriminate bombing by air, sea and land of the Tel Aviv army.

The international community has condemned the Israeli invasion in multiple forums, but the government of Benjamin Netanyahu continues its massacre of the Palestinian people and prevents the entry of vital resources for the Gazan population.

Havana, July 17 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned today that a new and more dangerous version of McCarthyism is back in the United States, referring to the ministerial meeting convened by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

With a threatening transnational projection, far-right alliances are being promoted that are reminiscent of Hitlerian fascism or the sinister Operation Condor, to attack a supposed global “radical left,” the president warned on his social media accounts.

Are they looking for pretexts to justify new abuses and greater aggressions?, questioned the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba.

In his message, he pointed out that the imperialist right wing and its acolytes are dangerously radical, responsible for, among other crimes, the genocide in Gaza, extrajudicial killings, the hunting, torture, and murder of migrants, the bombing of a girls’ school in Iran, and the genocidal blockade of the Cuban people. “The list is endless,” he emphasized.

Díaz-Canel pointed out that the real danger to humanity is the philosophy of plunder that dictates the war actions of the transnational far right.

For his part, the Caribbean island’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez, declared that the United States Secretary of State, whose political career developed among notorious and recognized terrorists, has the audacity to lie unscrupulously with unfounded accusations about alleged Cuban financing and sponsorship of terrorism.

“One doesn’t have to dig too deep to discover this politician’s collusion with criminal organizations that have brought terror and death to the Cuban people. However, he is incapable of presenting any evidence for the fallacies he shamelessly spouts before government representatives at a McCarthyist conference convened for electoral purposes,” he added in his message on the social network X.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a speech on Thursday at the opening of the Ministerial Meeting on the “Resurgence of Political Terrorism” in which he constructed a supposed global terrorist threat using decontextualized facts, unverifiable figures, unproven accusations, and rhetoric that portrays the left as a violent enemy.

The meeting was attended by delegations from 66 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia, represented by foreign and interior ministers, security officials, diplomats and counterterrorism specialists.

Rubio outlined numerous lies about progressive movements worldwide. In the case of Cuba, he said that the Cuban ideological and intelligence network helped build the far left in the United States and remains inextricably linked to leftist movements both within and outside the West.

However, Reuters confirmed that the Secretary of State did not provide any public evidence of this contemporary network. The Cuban government, for its part, has officially denied harboring, supporting, or financing terrorist or extremist organizations, reported Cubadebate in its Media Observatory section.

Bogotá, July 17 (Prensa Latina) Former Colombian presidential candidate and opposition senator Iván Cepeda announced today his decision not to attend the inauguration of Abelardo De la Espriella and reported that he will carry out peaceful actions on August 7.

The legislator called a press conference in this capital with the objective, as he emphasized, of updating information about the position of civil disobedience assumed by the progressive ranks and about the illegitimacy of Abelardo de la Espriella to be the country’s leader.

He reaffirmed his right to take office as senator, to make use of the opposition statute and to declare civil disobedience to the next ruler and the decisions he makes once he takes office on August 7th.

“De la Espriella may be sworn in as president of the Republic, but that formal act alone will not give him political and ethical legitimacy,” he stated.

He denounced that the far-right leader had already begun to seriously threaten sovereignty by handing over control of national security to the United States government.

Cepeda also referred to the persecution of political opponents in Washington and cited the case of social media content creator Beto Coral, who was deported yesterday after having lived for more than a decade in the northern country.

He pointed out that the activist’s arrest was ordered personally for political reasons by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“I have no doubt that this arbitrary decision corresponds to an action and a request from Mr. De la Espriella, who, on the other hand, has shown total subservience to the violation of human rights against our migrant compatriots, as is the case of his silence regarding the murder of the young Joan Sebastian Durán by an agent of the United States Immigration Service,” he stated.

He also stated that the delegation visiting Washington these days on behalf of De la Espriella has pledged to the United States government to be its strongest ally in the region to support the so-called security policy promoted by that nation.

The congressman then warned about the human rights violations against the civilian population that would result from the eventual installation in Colombia of operational bases with a military presence of US troops for actions in rural areas.

He added that, given all these circumstances, he reaffirms his conviction that the only possible path of opposition today is civil disobedience, understood as a peaceful, non-violent, conscious public action aimed at defending constitutional principles and fundamental rights of Colombians.

“We will defend the political constitution, national sovereignty, the rights of the Colombian people, social achievements, and democracy through parliamentary debate, political control, judicial action, peaceful civil mobilization, and also, of course, actions of civil disobedience,” he emphasized.

Brasilia, July 17 (Prensa Latina) Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated today that he will respond to the new tariffs imposed by the United States with a “war of narratives” and the truth, reiterating that Brazil is not seeking conflict.

During a visit to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics (INTO) in Rio de Janeiro, the president reiterated that Brazil is a country committed to peace and assured that he has already communicated this position to US President Donald Trump on three occasions.

“I’ve already told President Trump three times that Brazil has no interest in waging war; we here are for peace. Now, the war I want to wage against him is the war of narratives, the war of truth,” he asserted.

Lula added that he wants to show the world who is telling the truth in this tariff confrontation between Brazil and the United States.

He insisted that the American leader “will have to learn to wage war with another weapon, which is the weapon of words,” emphasizing that Brazil’s response will be based on dialogue and arguments.

According to the president, he will not allow Brazilian society to be deceived about the causes of the trade dispute. “We are going to demonstrate that no one wins against Brazil by lying. Either they are more truthful than we are, or they will not deceive Brazilian society.”

At another point in his speech, the head of state defended national sovereignty and stressed that the South American giant will not accept disrespect from other nations.

At the conclusion of his visit to the Into, the president returned to the microphone to address the trade dispute and stated that he would wait for a direct statement from Trump before commenting on the matter.

“I haven’t spoken about the tariff because Trump hasn’t spoken about it yet. His inner circle has spoken, and my team has already responded. When Trump speaks, I will speak. From one president to another,” he stated.

The statements came two days after the Office of the United States Trade Representative confirmed an additional 25 percent tariff on some Brazilian exports, a measure that will take effect on July 22.

Lula’s government believes the restrictions have a political motive and is keeping the door open to dialogue, while it analyzes support measures for the affected export sectors and evaluates the application of the mechanisms provided for in the Reciprocity Law.

The day before, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira stated that Washington’s decision to impose this additional tariff on the South American giant was due to Brazil’s refusal to accept the unreasonable demands presented during the course of negotiations.

The minister maintained that one of the United States’ main demands was a “total, unrestricted, and exclusive” opening of entire sectors of the Brazilian economy, without offering any concessions in return for the Latin American country’s products. “In other words, they were demanding capitulation,” he emphasized.

The removal of Ukraine’s popular defense minister despite recent military successes has sparked rare protests in Kyiv and an unprecedented public split in the military over the conduct of the war against Russia.

Mykhaylo Fedorov – who has proved a dynamic and innovative minister in his six months on the job – said late Wednesday he had been removed from the post, amid disagreements with the armed forces chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the protests Thursday and said he was “confident that [Fedorov] will remain on my team, and we will discuss a little later what that will look like.”

The removal of Fedorov has set off a political storm in Kyiv and shaken Ukraine’s Western allies. One senior European official in Kyiv told CNN the decision to remove Fedorov was “a bit of a shocker” and suggested it could have wide-ranging repercussions for Ukraine’s relations with key allies, who see Fedorov as committed to efforts to tackle corruption both in the military and the wider government.

Fedorov, previously Ukraine’s minister for digital transformation, was popular among troops for improving pay and frontline rotations. If he is replaced, his successor would be Ukraine’s fifth defense minister since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Fedorov, 35, has been credited with an innovative approach to technology and recruitment but clashed with others in Ukraine’s defense establishment.

He championed Ukrainian start-up companies in developing a wide range of drones that have helped blunt Russian advances on the battlefield and inflict widespread damage on refineries and pipelines hundreds of miles inside Russia.

He was also responsible for developing mid-range drones that have helped isolate Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.

But he met with resistance among some in Ukraine’s military hierarchy and on Thursday launched an outspoken attack on Syrskyi in the most public split within Ukraine’s defense team since the war began.

“Decisions are made based on loyalty, not data,” Fedorov said at a news conference on Thursday. “There is sabotage of changes. There are constant lies, including about me.”

Hundreds of people, mostly young, gathered in Kyiv Thursday to protest Fedorov’s departure. Several people CNN spoke with said it made no sense, with one noting that he was “the person who introduced the technology that allowed drones to do most of the fighting instead of people.”

It was a rare wartime protest in Kyiv; the last being a year ago when thousands rallied to demand the independence of the anti-corruption bureau.

Zelensky announced on Thursday evening he had appointed Yevhenii Khmara, the acting chief of Ukraine’s Security Service, as acting defense minister and called on Ukrainian lawmakers to support Khmara’s nomination for the job.

Fedorov’s removal came as Russian missiles struck Kyiv early Thursday, with loud explosions heard in the Ukrainian capital.

“I would very much like to see unity” between the army and Defense Ministry, Zelensky said Thursday – but they had only communicated through him.

“And the problem lies not only with the parties, but with me as well…I respect the parties; I know their strengths, I know their weaknesses.”

It’s unclear what role Zelensky sees for Fedorov, who analysts say had clashed with Ukraine’s military chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, over priorities.

The former defense minister made a blistering attack on Syrskyi in his news conference on Thursday. “You can’t solve mobilization issue unless you there are real changes in the military. What are we offering? Lies, chaos…” he said.

The idea that “Syrskyi can hold the frontline is a fake,” he added. “Instead of coming up with how to win over Russia he came up with how to split the country.”

Complaining about opposition to change among some commanders, Fedorov said: “Strong military leaders were sidelined. There is constant resistance we need to overcome.”

One of the senior commanders he named, Mykhailo Drapatiy, said that “over the past six months, the military has gained a partner in the Ministry of Defense – one that not only met our needs but also demanded new approaches, faster decision-making, and support for those willing to take responsibility for those decisions.”

“There is now a willingness to listen to commanders, make decisions more quickly, and support changes that emerge from the units themselves,” Drapatiy added.

Responding to Fedorov’s remarks, Syrskyi thanked him for his work in a message posted on Telegram and added: “I wish him to remain part of Ukraine’s team in the future as well.”

In an earlier statement, Fedorov had set out his achievements, asserting that during his tenure, “we procured more drones in four months than in the entire previous year,” and launched a support program for modern drone-assault units.

Ukraine’s advanced drone campaign has had a major impact on the conflict in recent months. Kyiv has sometimes launched hundreds of drones in a single night, targeting oil refineries, naval vessels and increasingly the Moscow region.

This week, Russia was forced to suspend traffic through the gateway to the Black Sea from occupied Ukrainian territory after dozens of ships were targeted by Ukrainian drones.