Politics

• Monday, January 19th 2026 - 12:46 UTC

  Falklands: website of the Islands’ Dictionary of Biographies 2025 success

  

  2025 saw an increase in the number of ‘hits’ on the website of the Dictionary of Falklands Biography, DBF. The total number of hits was 27,025, a substantial increase on the previous year’s figure of 22,257.

• Monday, January 19th 2026 - 11:01 UTC

  Orsi on Lula’s absence at EU-Mercosur signing: “Any absence does not leave a good impression”

  

  Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi expressed disapproval over the absence of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during the signing of the landmark free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Mercosur bloc, held in Asunción on January 17.

• Monday, January 19th 2026 - 10:57 UTC

  EU-Mercosur trade deal could turn South America into a critical minerals powerhouse

  

  The free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Mercosur bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) could help turn South America into a major player in the global market for critical minerals and rare earths, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said in an interview with EFE from Asunción.

• Monday, January 19th 2026 - 10:36 UTC

  IMF keeps Argentina’s growth outlook at 4% for 2026 and 2027 amid fragile global balance

  

  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reaffirmed its projections for Argentina’s economy, forecasting growth of 4% in both 2026 and 2027, unchanged from its previous estimates published in October. The figures appear in the latest update of the World Economic Outlook (WEO), presented on Monday in Brussels.

• Sunday, January 18th 2026 - 23:20 UTC

  With Milei present and Lula absent, Mercosur and EU sign landmark deal in Asunción

  

  The European Union and South America’s Mercosur bloc signed their long-negotiated association and free trade agreement on Saturday in Paraguay, with Argentina’s President Javier Milei attending the ceremony and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva absent, represented instead by his foreign minister.

• Saturday, January 17th 2026 - 10:55 UTC

  Mercosur and EU sign historic trade agreement in Asunción after 26 years of negotiations

  

  On January 17, 2026, the Mercosur bloc and the European Union (EU) will formalize a comprehensive association and free trade agreement in Asunción, Paraguay, marking the culmination of nearly 26 years of negotiations, according to international and regional news outlets.

• Saturday, January 17th 2026 - 08:02 UTC

  Delcy Rodríguez meets CIA director in Caracas

  

  Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez met on Thursday in Caracas with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, holding talks focused on security and cooperation, US intelligence sources confirmed to EFE.

• Saturday, January 17th 2026 - 03:33 UTC

  Historic Endurance model unveiled in Stanley

  

  A scale model of the Endurance, the legendary polar ship of Ernest Shackleton, was officially unveiled on Thursday at the Jetty Visitor Centre in Stanley, becoming a new long-term public exhibit, according to the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust (FMHT).

• Friday, January 16th 2026 - 19:17 UTC

  Venezuela announces Armed Forces “review and adjustment” after US attack

  

  Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced Friday a “review and adjustment” of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) following the January 3 US attacks, in which 47 Venezuelan soldiers were killed and President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured, EFE reported.

• Friday, January 16th 2026 - 19:07 UTC

  Lula and von der Leyen say Mercosur-EU deal advances multilateralism

  

  Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed on Friday that the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union (EU), due to be signed Saturday in Asunción, will benefit global trade, democracy and multilateralism, EFE reported.