https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif http://en.mercopress.com/ The Swedish government this week announced a deal to purchase four new frigates for its navy from France’s Naval Group. Sweden neutral throughout the Cold War, applied for NATO membership in May 2022 alongside Finland, following on Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine.

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 22:40:00 GMT The Venezuelan government on Thursday authorized the holding, on Saturday 23 May, of an evacuation drill requested by the US Embassy in Caracas, which will include the controlled overflight of two aircraft over the Venezuelan capital and landing operations at the premises of the diplomatic compound. The activity, announced in an official statement by the Ministry of People's Power for Foreign Affairs, was framed by the administration of acting President Delcy Rodríguez as part of "the regular protocols of diplomatic security and protection."

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 03:20:00 GMT The United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization will hold the Caribbean Regional Seminar in Managua from 25 to 27 May within the framework of the fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2021-2030).

]]> Fri, 22 May 2026 00:03:00 GMT MercoPress this week received a letter from reader Michael (“Ted”) Jones, a farmer at Head of the Bay —a settlement located in the immediate vicinity of the site where British forces landed on 21 May 1982—, in response to the Landing Day ceremonies led on Thursday by the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly. Both Jones and his wife Shelia were at Green Beach Port San Carlos during the war between the United Kingdom and Argentina over sovereignty of the archipelago. We publish his message below.

]]> Thu, 21 May 2026 23:36:00 GMT The Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly on Thursday issued an official statement commemorating Landing Day, the date that recalls the arrival of British forces at San Carlos Bay on 21 May 1982, during the war between the United Kingdom and Argentina over sovereignty of the archipelago. The institutional declaration pays tribute to “the courage and sacrifice of those who came to restore our freedom and right to self-determination” and emphasizes that “the service of all who supported the liberation of our Islands will never be forgotten.”

]]> Thu, 21 May 2026 20:07:00 GMT The US Department of State on Wednesday revoked the visa of former Argentine official Pablo Ferrara Raisberg, former Foreign Ministry representative on the Federal Fisheries Council, over his alleged involvement in an illegal Patagonian toothfish episode that prompted his resignation in 2024. The measure is part of a new policy by the government of Donald Trump under which Washington has restricted the issuance of visas to 24 individuals linked to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in exclusive zones, and also includes Mexican national José Ali Amado.

]]> Thu, 21 May 2026 11:53:00 GMT Rockhopper Exploration (AIM:RKH), has highlighted progress at the Sea Lion oil development in the North Falkland Basin, operated by Navitas Petroleum. The first two phases will use the Aoka Mizu FPSO with capacity of 55,000 barrels per day, while a new memorandum of understanding for a second FPSO could lift total capacity by a further 125,000 barrels per day, significantly expanding the project’s production potential if implemented.

]]> Thu, 21 May 2026 06:59:00 GMT The Prime Minister has urged Glasgow City Council to reconsider its decision to refuse the Royal Regiment of Scotland the freedom of the city as it marks its 20th anniversary. A motion to grant the civic honor to the unit was defeated in a vote last week after opposition from SNP and Green councilors.

]]> Thu, 21 May 2026 04:36:00 GMT The Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Joseph Garcia, represented the Government of Gibraltar at an online meeting of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association to prepare for this year’s Joint Ministerial Council in November.

]]> Thu, 21 May 2026 02:54:00 GMT Javier Milei's government on Wednesday announced the signing of a letter of intent with the United States for joint patrolling of the South Atlantic over the next five years, in a military cooperation agreement that ratifies Buenos Aires's strategic alignment with the Donald Trump administration and that has triggered alarms over Argentine sovereignty in its maritime spaces. The agreement, signed by the US Southern Command and Argentine Navy authorities, involves the supply of US technology to modernize the South American country's naval equipment and, at the same time, authorizes the participation of US forces in patrolling the Argentine southern sea.

]]> Wed, 20 May 2026 23:59:00 GMT