Politics

• Sunday, May 3rd 2026 - 09:59 UTC

  Trump threatens to take Cuba 'almost immediately' after tightening sanctions on the regime

  

  US President Donald Trump said on Friday that his country would take Cuba “almost immediately,” in remarks made during a private event at the Forum Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, hours after signing an executive order substantially expanding economic sanctions against the Havana regime. The president's words, though framed in colloquial tone, considerably escalate bilateral tensions and open a new chapter in US policy toward Miguel Díaz-Canel's government.

• Sunday, May 3rd 2026 - 09:40 UTC

  Falklands with the highest per capita ownership of the iconic Land Rover

  

  End of the month, 30th April, was Land Rover Day, and the Falkland Islands are known as the Land of the Rover, with the highest per capita ownership of the iconic vehicle, which is so closely linked to the rural development of the Islands.

• Sunday, May 3rd 2026 - 09:15 UTC

  Falklands, public consultation on Nature Reserves closes 5 May

  

  The Falkland Islands Environment Department would like to remind members of the public that the consultation on its proposal to designate and expand National Nature Reserves will close on Tuesday 5 May 2026.

• Friday, May 1st 2026 - 17:12 UTC

  RAF chief calls Falklands defence 'non-negotiable' as Rubio plays down Pentagon memo

  

  The head of Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF), Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, said on Friday that the United Kingdom remains “on high alert and ready” to defend the Falklands “at a moment's notice,” in remarks published by The Times that reaffirm London's military stance on the archipelago following the leak of an internal Pentagon memorandum that considered reviewing US historic support for British sovereignty over the islands. Smyth stressed that the RAF's role in defending the territory was “non-negotiable,” a formulation that reflects the hardening of British military rhetoric in the latest phase of the diplomatic crisis.

• Friday, May 1st 2026 - 14:54 UTC

  Bolivia's agro-environmental court judge shot dead amid wave of drug-related violence

  

  Víctor Hugo Claure, dean of Bolivia's Agro-Environmental Court, was shot dead late Thursday in the eastern city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in what authorities describe as an attack carried out by hitmen and which falls within a sequence of violent events linked to the growing influence of drug trafficking in the country's main city. The killing has prompted unanimous condemnation from the judicial system and from opposition politicians, and poses a direct challenge to the administration of President Rodrigo Paz, in office since November.

• Friday, May 1st 2026 - 12:12 UTC

  Pentagon seals artificial intelligence agreements with seven tech giants

  

  The United States Department of War announced the signing of agreements with seven leading technology companies to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) tools into classified operational environments. The contracts, which include SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services, seek to consolidate Washington's military technological leadership.

• Friday, May 1st 2026 - 11:13 UTC

  Caracas and Washington launch direct flights after seven years and sign two oil deals

  

  The United States and Venezuela inaugurated on Thursday the first direct air connection between the two countries since 2019 and signed two new energy agreements, in a day the White House described as a substantive advance in the “economic revitalization” phase of the three-stage plan designed by President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reorganize the bilateral relationship following the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro by US troops on January 3.

• Friday, May 1st 2026 - 07:44 UTC

  Brent touches $126 amid US military plan for 'short and powerful' strikes on Iran

  

  Brent crude touched $126.41 a barrel on Thursday, its highest level since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, after Axios reported that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) was preparing a military plan contemplating a wave of “short and powerful” strikes on Iranian infrastructure to force Tehran back to the negotiating table. The price subsequently moderated to close near $114, a decline partly attributed to the expiration of the June futures contract, but the European benchmark has gained more than 60% since the start of the war against Iran on February 28.

• Friday, May 1st 2026 - 06:40 UTC

  After 25 years of negotiation, the Mercosur-EU agreement takes effect this Friday

  

  The association agreement between Mercosur and the European Union (EU) enters provisionally into force on Friday May 1, after more than a quarter-century of negotiations, in what constitutes one of the world's most ambitious trade deals and the largest reciprocal opening ever finalised by the South American bloc. The final signing took place on January 17 in Asunción and, although final ratification by the European Court of Justice and subsequent approval by the European Parliament remain pending, provisional entry into force allows the immediate start of tariff reductions covering 95% of Mercosur products and 91% of EU products.

• Thursday, April 30th 2026 - 13:25 UTC

  Brazil's fiscal deficit climbs to 9.41% of GDP amid economic slowdown and election year

  

  Brazil's nominal public sector deficit reached 9.41% of gross domestic product in the twelve months to March 2026, nearly one percentage point higher than the previous period, according to data published on Thursday by the Central Bank. The combined shortfall of all public administrations — central government, states, and municipalities — stood at 1.21 trillion reais, equivalent to around $244 billion, in one of the highest readings in recent years for Latin America's largest economy.