Stories for January 21st 2026

Wednesday, January 21st 2026 - 21:26 UTC
European Parliament puts EU-Mercosur trade deal on hold, seeks top court legal opinion

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday to freeze its approval track for the EU-Mercosur trade agreement and request a legal opinion from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on whether the deal is compatible with EU treaties. The motion passed by a razor-thin margin —334 in favour, 324 against, with 11 abstentions— injecting new uncertainty into a pact that the two blocs had only just signed in Asunción after a quarter-century of negotiations.
Wednesday, January 21st 2026 - 19:58 UTC
Falklands: Legislative Assembly sets out early priorities after December election

The Falkland Islands’ Legislative Assembly said it has begun its “early work” for the new term and will focus in coming weeks on finalising the 2026/27 budget, reviewing the capital programme and addressing stalled projects, according to an official statement issued on January 21.
Wednesday, January 21st 2026 - 19:22 UTC
White House confirms upcoming Washington visit by Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez

Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez is expected to travel to Washington “soon,” a White House official told EFE on Wednesday, without providing dates or an agenda. The planned trip comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump seeks to entrench a transition framework in Caracas following the US operation that captured and removed Nicolás Maduro in early January.
Wednesday, January 21st 2026 - 13:16 UTC
UK investment in Antarctica underlines role as a leading polar research nation

A major new British Antarctic Survey (BAS) facility at Rothera Research Station is being presented as evidence of the UK’s standing in polar research. The £100 million Discovery Building—together with a new services network at Rothera—has been formally opened by BAS Director Professor Dame Jane Francis, completing what BAS describes as the largest UK construction project ever carried out in Antarctica.
Wednesday, January 21st 2026 - 11:21 UTC
Why the Chagos Islands are strategically vital to US and UK military operations

The Chagos Archipelago is of major military significance as it hosts the strategically located Diego Garcia base.
Wednesday, January 21st 2026 - 11:17 UTC
US/UK controversy as Trump describes handing the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as a ‘great stupidity’

The UK Ministry of Defense has said, “it will never compromise on our national security,” after US president Donald Trump condemned London’s “great stupidity” for handing over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Under the agreement UK is allowed to keep control of the Diego Garcia military base while agreeing to hand the islands to Mauritius.
Wednesday, January 21st 2026 - 09:36 UTC
Falklands patrol: HMS Medway replaces HMS Forth that completed five years in South Atlantic

HMS Forth has been replaced by HMS Medway as the Royal Navy's permanent patrol vessel in the Falkland Islands and the wider South Atlantic. The handover sees one Batch 2 River-class sister ship replacing the other after HMS Forth's more than five years based at East Cove Military Port. HMS Forth is now heading back to the UK for the first time in more than five years.
Wednesday, January 21st 2026 - 09:11 UTC
Chile wildfires: death toll rises to 20 as authorities report widespread destruction and arrest a suspect

Wildfires burning across south-central Chile have pushed the confirmed death toll to 20, with authorities keeping red alerts, a state of catastrophe, and a night-time curfew in parts of the Biobío and Ñuble regions as crews continue to battle multiple active blazes.
Wednesday, January 21st 2026 - 08:06 UTC
Uruguay to send 40 firefighters to Chile as Biobío and Ñuble wildfires leave at least 20 dead

Uruguay will deploy a contingent of around 40 firefighters to Chile to help battle the wildfires ravaging the country’s south-central regions—particularly Biobío and Ñuble—where Chilean authorities have reported at least 20 deaths and thousands of people affected.
Wednesday, January 21st 2026 - 03:52 UTC
Trump signals possible role for Machado as U.S. tightens Venezuela oil crackdown

United States President Donald Trump said Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado could “maybe” be brought into the transition process “in some way,” marking a notable shift in tone as Washington balances political messaging with day-to-day coordination in Caracas following Nicolás Maduro’s capture on January 3, according to a Reuters report.