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• Born?
• Austro-Hungary.
• Went to school?
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• Kids born in?
• The Third Reich
• And your grandchildren?
• USSR.
• Where did you die?
• Ukraine.
• Man, you traveled a lot!
• Nonsense, I never left Mukachevo.

Latin America mourns the death of the Tupamaro guerrilla who became a world symbol of political coherence and honesty. Former Uruguayan President José “Pepe” Mujica passed away this Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at the age of 89 at his farm in Rincón del Cerro, Montevideo, after battling a terminal phase of esophageal cancer. He was accompanied by his wife, Lucía Topolansky

Although Jose Mujica withdrew from electoral politics, he remained active in the grassroots work of the Popular Participation Movement, continuing to serve as a prominent figure for the Latin American left until the end of his life. This iconic leader governed Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. In his youth, during the 1960s and 1970s, Mujica was part of the National Liberation Movement–Tupamaros, a guerrilla group remembered for its daring operations in urban resistance against the dictatorship.

He spent approximately 13 years in prison. Mujica was captured multiple times and imprisoned from the early 1970s until 1985, during Uruguay’s civic-military dictatorship. He endured harsh conditions, spending most of his incarceration in solitary confinement. Once released, he became involved in party politics. As president, Mujica became a global reference point for his extremely austere lifestyle and his commitment to fighting poverty and promoting social equality.

“Pepe Mujica was a Tupamaro, a leftist, and anti-imperialist. He was the Uruguayan president who legalized abortion, marijuana, and gay marriage. His political impact on human civilization was so positive, and he remains an icon of freedom and dignity for Latin America.”

Early Steps Toward an Unwavering Social Commitment

Born in Montevideo in 1935, Mujica spent much of his youth working in the countryside. In the 1960s, he became interested in agricultural and social issues, which led him to active political engagement. This occurred as Uruguay’s economy began to stagnate, hitting the middle and lower classes the hardest.

In 1962, Mujica left the National Party and joined the Tupamaros, an urban guerrilla movement with a Marxist orientation inspired by the Cuban Revolution. There, he met Lucia Topolansky, who would become a legislator, vice president and his lifelong partner. Mujica participated in guerrilla actions and was imprisoned multiple times, the last being in 1972 at the beginning of the dictatorship. He spent most of his confinement in solitary isolation until his release in 1985, when democracy was restored in Uruguay. That experience deeply shaped his later focus on dialogue and social peace.

After his release, Mujica entered electoral politics. Alongside other former guerrillas, he co-founded the Popular Participation Movement, which became a faction within the Broad Front, a left-wing coalition founded in the 1970s. Mujica was elected to the legislature in 1995 and became a senator in 1999. In these roles, he contributed to the legalization of informal labor and improvements in social security for urban workers and farmers. From 2005 to 2008, he served as minister of agriculture during the administration of Tabare Vazquez. His impeccable reputation and enduring popularity propelled him to the presidency in 2010.

Mujica’s Latin American Dimension

During his presidency from 2010 to 2015, Mujica implemented social inclusion and welfare policies. A key example of his progressive outlook was the passage of the Equal Marriage Act in 2013.

His “Together Plan” focused on improving housing conditions for the poorest families, while the “Equity Plan” continued financial support for households with children in vulnerable situations.

Although Mujica was unable to carry out a major educational reform, the Uruguayan economy continued to grow, and poverty declined steadily during his administration.

He diversified Uruguay’s productive matrix without abandoning agricultural investment, strengthening the country’s position as a food exporter. One of his most groundbreaking initiatives was the 2013 legalization of the production, sale, and consumption of cannabis—a global first.

Internationally, Mujica sought diplomatic balance and promoted dialogue as a means of resolving geopolitical conflicts. Under his leadership, Uruguay solidified its role in regional organizations such as the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).

A Politician Who Shone Through Simplicity

After completing his presidential term, Mujica remained active in both international and national politics, while his image became amplified by his charisma and wisdom. At various forums and institutional settings, he continued to passionately advocate against imperialism and for the self-determination of peoples.

Known for his austere lifestyle and concern for environmental issues, Mujica frequently urged world leaders and citizens alike to adopt a more humane and less consumerist mindset—one that aimed for sustainable development for future generations.

“We have invented a mountain of superfluous needs. Shopping for new, discarding the old… That’s a waste of our lives! When I buy something, or you, we’re not paying with money. We’re paying with the time from our lives we had to spend to earn that money,” he said.

Mujica returned to his Senate seat from 2015 to 2018. Later, he continued to influence public discourse as an active commentator on political and economic developments. In April, he announced his intention to step away from the public spotlight due to being diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

Nevertheless, to the extent that his health allowed, Mujica remained politically active as a committed grassroots member of Uruguayan left. He participated in several campaign rallies during the election that brought Broad Front candidate Yamandu Orsi to the presidency.

“To live in accordance with how one thinks, that’s what I call having dignity. That’s how I try to live. And I don’t say that others should do it, but I do believe that if politicians lived like the majority, they would be respected,” said Mujica, a man who donated most of his presidential salary, drove an old Volkswagen Beetle, and lived in a modest farmhouse—choices that made his words resonate far beyond Uruguay.

Foreign Ministry sources said there was no reference to trade in talks between U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 9.

They said there was also no reference to trade in talks after the launch of Operation Sindoor between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyan Jaishankar on May 8 and 10 and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on May 10.

On Saturday, India and Pakistan agreed to halt all firing and military actions on land, air and sea in talks between the director generals of military operations.

A statement from the Indian foreign secretary confirmed that the decision was taken after a phone call from the Pakistani side and instructions were given to give effect to the agreement.

In talks the previous day, in a second discussion between the military chiefs, issues related to the continuity of the commitment of both sides not to fire or initiate any aggressive or hostile action against each other were discussed.

According to diplomatic sources in New Delhi, it was also agreed that both sides would consider immediate measures to ensure troop reductions at borders and forward areas.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed his rejection of all proposals for the forced displacement of Palestinians during a high-level meeting with Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Hussein Ibrahim Taha on the sidelines of Victory Day celebrations in Moscow.

A Call for Immediate Action on Gaza Abbas briefed the OIC on efforts to halt Israel’s military campaign, describing it as genocidal aggression targeting Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Jerusalem. He emphasized the urgent priority of securing:

The full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza

• Unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid
• The return of displaced Palestinians
• The commencement of Gaza’s reconstruction
• Palestinian Sovereignty and Regional Stability
• President Abbas expressed gratitude to the OIC for its unwavering support of Palestinian self-determination, reiterating the right of Palestinians to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Secretary General Hussein Ibrahim Taha reaffirmed the OIC’s commitment to Palestinian rights, condemning Israel’s ongoing offensive and stressing that the creation of an independent Palestinian state is vital for regional and global stability.

Venezuela and Russia signed a 10-year agreement establishing stronger bilateral ties and closer cooperation on energy matters. Mexico City, Mexico, May 9, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement on May 7 during President Nicolás Maduro’s official visit to Moscow.

The 10-year Strategic Cooperation Agreement strengthens bilateral ties, covering key areas such as security, defense, trade, and technology, and a Glonass navigation station in Venezuela. The deal includes expanded initiatives on energy matters as part of both countries’ efforts to navigate US-led unilateral coercive measures, with a commitment to joint initiatives within multilateral energy organizations such as OPEC.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Maduro also pledged closer cooperation between their countries at the United Nations in opposition to sanctions. The latest agreement, described by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as a “substantial” and “very important” framework, builds on over 350 existing agreements since 2019, and aims to boost economic resilience and counter Western sanctions through closer diplomatic and financial collaboration.

Maduro was in the Russian capital to participate in official commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. “Our presence here confirms that the path of humanity must be peace, understanding, respect for equality and is also an expression of the infinite historical admiration for the Russian people,” said Maduro during his appearance alongside Putin at the Grand Kremlin Palace.

Among the attendees for the 80th anniversary commemorations were Chinese President Xi Jinping and Burkinabé President Ibrahim Traoré. From Latin America, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also travelled to Moscow for the historic event. Maduro and Díaz-Canel together laid a wreath at the monument of Latin American independence hero Simón Bolívar in the Russian capital.

Maduro held a bilateral meeting with Burkina Faso’s Traoré on the sidelines of the official celebrations. The Venezuelan president also met with Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov and Kazakhstan’s Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Commemorations included a massive military parade on Red Square in the presence of dozens of world leaders on Friday, which Maduro described as “impressive and imposing.”

“We give credit to members of the Resistance who bravely fought Nazism as well as the troops of the allied armies of the United States, Great Britain and other countries. We remember and honor the feat of Chinese soldiers in the fight against Japanese militarism,” said Putin at the start of the military parade.

At a gala held a day earlier at the Grand Kremlin Palace, Maduro was seated next to Chinese President Xi. The two leaders later held high-level bilateral talks where Maduro celebrated the agreement establishing an “all-weather strategic partnership” between Beijing and Caracas.

Vice President Delcy Rodríguez recently visited China as part of the country’s push for strengthened economic and political ties with China. The Asian giant is Venezuela’s main destination for crude exports.