Politics

• Wednesday, April 18th 2018 - 07:37 UTC

  Who is Miguel Díaz-Canel who is expected to lead Cuba after 60 years of the Castro dynasty

  

  Cuba is set to undergo a historic shift this week, elevating a relatively unknown Communist Party official to replace retiring President Raúl Castro. But who is Miguel Díaz-Canel? And what does his ascension to the top of Cuba's government mean for a country that has been run by the Castro brothers for nearly 60 years?

• Wednesday, April 18th 2018 - 07:29 UTC

  FARC dissidents challenge Ecuador with a new abduction: a couple of civilians

  

  A group of Colombian rebels active on the Ecuadorian border has sent a “proof of life” video of a kidnapped couple, the Ecuadorian government said, the second kidnapping by the group this month.

• Wednesday, April 18th 2018 - 07:13 UTC

  Landlocked Paraguay votes on Sunday: ruling party candidate expected to win

  

  With Latin America’s three most populous countries voting for president this year, it’s easy to overlook the election in landlocked Paraguay (population 7 million) that takes place on April 22.

• Tuesday, April 17th 2018 - 08:55 UTC

  Theresa May pledges £212m in support of Commonwealth girls education

  

  Theresa May is to call for “concrete measures” to ensure girls in Commonwealth countries spend at least 12 years in education. The prime minister will pledge £212m, which Downing Street said would allow almost one million more girls to go to school.

• Tuesday, April 17th 2018 - 08:48 UTC

  Head of Commonwealth succession to be decided next Friday: UK supports Prince Charles

  

  A decision on whether the Prince of Wales should succeed his mother as head of the Commonwealth is expected later this week, Downing Street says. Britain backs Queen Elizabeth's son and heir, Prince Charles, to succeed her as head of the Commonwealth, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said, The Guardian reported.

• Tuesday, April 17th 2018 - 08:31 UTC

  Homeless activists occupy seaside apartment at the heart of Lula da Silva's imprisonment

  

  A group of homelessness activists briefly occupied on Monday the seaside apartment at the heart of the corruption case that saw ex-president Lula da Silva imprisoned earlier this month. About 30 members of the Homeless Workers' Movement and other leftist activists got into the triplex apartment in Guaruja, near Sao Paulo, hanging placards from the balcony in support of Lula.

• Tuesday, April 17th 2018 - 08:26 UTC

  Death of Brazilian black woman activist and councillor remains unsolved

  

  Shadowy criminal gangs operating in Rio de Janeiro are the chief suspects in last month's murder of Marielle Franco, a prominent black rights activist and city councilor, a government minister said on Monday.

• Tuesday, April 17th 2018 - 08:14 UTC

  Argentina's inflation hard to beat: “inflation has to fall a lot in May”

  

  Argentina’s central bank would raise interest rates if inflation does not fall “a lot” beginning in May to a level consistent with its 2018 target for a 15% rise in consumer prices, central bank Governor Federico Sturzenegger said on Monday.

• Tuesday, April 17th 2018 - 08:01 UTC

  UK/Russia relations “worse than during the Cold War” because of Russiaphobia

  

  Diplomatic tensions between the UK and Russia deepened amid claims that Moscow was blocking investigators from reaching the site of a chemical weapons attack in Syria. The UK said it was “essential” the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was granted “unfettered access” to Douma.

• Tuesday, April 17th 2018 - 07:54 UTC

  Pound in strong sustained run against the US dollar

  

  The pound has continued its recent strong run against the dollar pushing firmly above US$ 1.43. It is the seventh session in a row that the pound has made gains against the US currency. The strong run means that, among the G10 group of rich nations, the UK has the best-performing currency this year.