The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has appointed Lord David Evans of Sealand as the UK Trade Envoy to Brazil. With this latest appointment all Mercosur countries now have Trade Envoys, since Fabian Hamilton MP, figures before Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Likewise with Lord Roger Liddle for the Andean countries including Chile.
Mark Carney was officially sworn in Friday as Canada's new Prime Minister before Governor General Mary Simon, the personal representative of King Charles. He insisted his country would not become Washington's 51st State, as suggested by US President Donald Trump. Canada “will never, ever, in any way, shape or form, be part of the United States,” he stressed.
Cuba has experienced its fourth nationwide blackout in six months, leaving nearly 10 million people without electricity following a failure at a key substation in Havana, which caused a chain reaction that led to the shutdown of multiple power generation units, resulting in a total collapse of the National Electric System (SEN). The new crisis is said to be the consequence of persistent underfunding, outdated infrastructure, and fuel shortages.
The Supreme Federal Court (STF) of Brazil unanimously upheld the suspension of the Rumble social network, citing its lack of a legal representative in the country. Minister Alexandre de Moraes highlighted Rumble's use for spreading hate speech and attacks on democracy. Separately, the Attorney General's Office (PGR) opposed former President Jair Bolsonaro's appeal to remove ministers Flávio Dino and Cristiano Zanin from his coup plot trial, stating there were no legal grounds for their dismissal. Bolsonaro's trial, involving seven others, is set for March 25.
Bolivian President Luis Arce Catacora admitted Friday that his country imported 90% of the fuel it consumed at a cost of around US$ 3 billion annually, a significant adjustment from US$ 1.5 billion in 2019. Given the rise in smuggling and the scarcity of hard foreign currency, the crisis seems to have entered some loop. Reducing public sector vehicle use and prioritizing fuel for essential services may not be enough to meet national fuel demand. What country is going to put up with this? he wondered.