International
Lula confesses that he was “frared” by Maduro’s threat about “a bloodbath” if he loses
The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, confessed on Monday that he was “scared” when his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, said that if he loses Sunday’s elections in his country, there will be “a bloodbath.”
“I was scared by that statement,” Lula said in an interview with foreign correspondents, in which he revealed that he spoke twice with Maduro to warn him that “if he wants to contribute to solving Venezuela’s growth problem and the return of those who left, he has to respect the democratic process.”
Lula added that, in democracy, “he who loses takes a bath of votes, not a bloodbath,” and that “Maduro has to learn that when one wins he stays, and when he loses he leaves and prepares for other elections.”
According to the Brazilian president, next Sunday’s elections will be “the only opportunity” for Venezuela to “return to normal” and for the country to reintegrate into the regional and international community.
“That’s what I want for Venezuela and for all of South America,” he added.
He also reported that, in addition to the two observers that Brazil’s electoral justice will send, his former Foreign Foreign Affairs adviser, Celso Amorim, who will be present at Sunday’s elections, will also travel to Venezuela.
Lula has advocated at all times for elections within the consensus of the Barbados Agreements, with full participation of the opposition and with results recognized by all.
He has also defended a wide presence of international observers and expressed his “concern” about the veto of the opponent María Corina Machado, then replaced as a candidate by former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia, whom the polls place as a favorite for Sunday’s elections.
International
WHO worker killed as Israeli forces fire on Gaza medical convoy
An employee of the World Health Organization (WHO) was killed on Monday in Gaza Strip after Israeli forces opened fire on a medical convoy transporting patients for evacuation, according to witnesses and official accounts.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the vehicle approached troops in a “threatening manner,” alleging that the driver accelerated toward soldiers despite warning shots. “The troops fired warning shots. The vehicle continued advancing, and additional fire was directed at it,” the military said in a statement.
The army also claimed the vehicle lacked clear markings and was therefore treated as a potential threat.
However, survivors disputed that account. Raed Aslan, a passenger in the convoy, told reporters in Khan Younis that the vehicles were clearly marked with WHO insignia. “The vehicle was clearly identified as belonging to the WHO,” he said, adding that an Israeli tank blocked the road and fired at the driver despite the route being empty.
The convoy was transporting patients to the Rafah crossing, the only exit point available for medical evacuations abroad, as Israel does not permit transfers to Jerusalem or the West Bank.
The incident adds to a series of controversial cases involving Israeli military actions against humanitarian convoys. In April 2024, seven workers from World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah. The military initially cited a “misidentification,” despite the vehicles being clearly marked.
Similarly, in March 2025, 15 paramedics, rescuers, and a UN worker were killed near Rafah. Israeli authorities first claimed emergency lights were off, but video evidence later contradicted that assertion.
A subsequent investigation by organizations including Forensic Architecture found that Israeli forces fired hundreds of rounds at the convoy, and that the vehicles were later destroyed and buried along with the bodies before being recovered days later.
The latest incident is likely to intensify scrutiny over the conduct of military operations in Gaza, particularly regarding the safety of humanitarian personnel and medical evacuations.
International
NASA’s Orion sets record as farthest crewed mission from Earth
NASA’s Orion spacecraft set a new milestone on Monday, becoming the crewed space mission to travel the farthest distance from Earth, surpassing the record set by Apollo 13, which reached 400,171 kilometers from the planet.
The Orion capsule, part of the Artemis II mission, achieved the record at 12:57 p.m. Eastern Time as it continued its journey toward the gravitational sphere of influence of the Moon.
The milestone came less than an hour before the crew was scheduled to begin observation activities during its planned lunar flyby.
“From here, in the ‘Integrity Cabin,’ as we surpass the greatest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth, we do so honoring the extraordinary efforts and achievements of those who came before us in human space exploration,” said Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The mission, which launched last Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, is designed to orbit the Moon and return to Earth within ten days. According to the schedule, the spacecraft is expected to begin its lunar flyby at 2:45 p.m. ET, concluding around 9:20 p.m.
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.
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