Brazil’s Lula, Sanchez of Spain headline meetings of progressive leaders

By Daily Excelsior – BARCELONA (Spain), Apr 17: Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is starting a two-day visit to Spain on Friday where he and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez will meet with other leaders, mostly of mid-to-small-sized countries, who are concerned with the fate of the democratic order and the rise of the populist far right. Lula and Sanchez are both outspoken in their criticism of US President Donald Trump, who has threatened both with punitive tariffs. They are considered standard-bearers of progressive or liberal politics on their respective continents, where reactionary parties and far-right populism have…