Stories for July 2026

Monday, July 20th 2026 - 20:12 UTC
Petro calls for 'general and indefinite strike' if successor repeals his reforms

Colombia's outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, called on Monday for a “general and indefinite strike” should the government of his successor, Abelardo de la Espriella, repeal his administration's labor reform or reverse the land reform. De la Espriella, elected in the June 21 runoff, will take office on August 7.
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Monday, July 20th 2026 - 20:03 UTC
Ortega says Nicaragua will hold no more elections

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said on Sunday that the country will no longer hold elections as a mechanism for the opposition to reach power. “There will be no more elections here for them to try to seize the government, to seize power,” he declared during the event marking the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista uprising that overthrew Anastasio Somoza Debayle in 1979, held in Managua.
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Monday, July 20th 2026 - 19:51 UTC
Rubio says talks on Venezuela's democratic transition will begin in early August

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that talks to begin a democratic transition in Venezuela will start in early August. Rubio, who leads Washington's relationship with Caracas, said a group representing the National Assembly elected in 2015 —the last one the United States recognizes as legitimate— met with the interim government and agreed to establish a forum for reconciliation talks and to begin the transition process.
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Monday, July 20th 2026 - 19:17 UTC
Argentina players spark brawl and snub trophy ceremony after World Cup final defeat

The 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina ended on Sunday with Spain champions by 1-0 after extra time, but the sporting outcome was overshadowed by a brawl between players from both sides moments after the final whistle at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and by the decision of Argentina's players to turn their backs on the trophy ceremony.
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Monday, July 20th 2026 - 19:01 UTC
Scientists begin first study of whisky matured in Antarctica

A team of scientists has begun the first analysis of a whisky matured in Antarctica, aiming to determine what three years at temperatures as low as -35°C did to the spirit's maturation, chemistry and taste.
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Monday, July 20th 2026 - 00:47 UTC
Spain crowned world champions with 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina in the final

Spain were crowned world champions for the second time in their history by beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time in the final played on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The winning goal came in the 106th minute, after a cross from Pedro Porro that Nico Williams headed on and that, according to the match report, Ferran Torres finished to settle a game clearly dominated by the Spanish side.
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Monday, July 20th 2026 - 00:06 UTC
Brazil's online betting tax take offers a fiscal lesson for the region

Brazil's federal government collected close to R$10 billion in tax from licensed betting operators during 2025, the first full year of its regulated market, turning a once informal corner of the internet into a recognised line on the national accounts. For finance ministries across Mercosur watching their fiscal margins narrow, the figure is difficult to ignore.
Sunday, July 19th 2026 - 23:05 UTC
Trump takes center stage at the World Cup final, presenting Spain's trophy and holding it beforehand

US President Donald Trump was one of the central figures off the pitch at the 2026 World Cup final, co-hosting alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino the trophy presentation to Spain, champions after beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Trump, who watched the match from the VIP box with his wife, Melania, also held the original trophy before kickoff, in images that circulated widely on social media.
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Sunday, July 19th 2026 - 23:00 UTC
ICE kills a Colombian and a Mexican in operations where they weren't the target, officials say

Two Latin American migrants were shot dead by agents of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within a week, in operations in which, as federal authorities and lawmakers acknowledged, neither was the intended target. The deaths revived protests and calls for accountability over President Donald Trump's immigration policy.
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Sunday, July 19th 2026 - 17:43 UTC
Lula asks Trump to explain 25% tariffs on Brazil, speaks of a “war of truth”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva publicly called on his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to explain the reasons behind the 25% tariffs he imposed on most Brazilian products, a measure Brasília attributes to political rather than commercial motives. The levies, announced on July 15 by the Office of the US Trade Representative, will take effect on July 22.
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