Politics

Milei Plans Bill to Toughen Sanctions on Falklands Oil Firms: September 15, 2026

BUENOS AIRES — Argentine President Javier Milei is preparing legislation this week to toughen sanctions against companies operating in the Falkland Islands, a move analysts say raises uncertainty over whether Buenos Aires may escalate commercial pressure on the disputed territory, Reuters reported.

The proposed bill would build on sanctions proceedings Argentina says it has opened against at least 60 companies and individuals linked to offshore oil exploration around the islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas. Congressional aide Marcelo Seghini said penalties could extend to affiliates and other activities affecting Argentina’s natural resources, and that fishing may also be targeted.

The push accelerated after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Washington could reconsider its traditionally neutral stance on the dispute. Oil majors SLB, Baker Hughes, and Halliburton have said they would not participate in activities on the islands. Developers of the Sea Lion project say they hold valid Falkland Islands licenses and do not expect Milei’s actions to derail work.

Analysts warn broader sanctions could chill investment in Argentina itself, including Vaca Muerta shale. Opposition lawmakers accuse Milei of political opportunism ahead of a likely 2027 reelection bid; his libertarian coalition lacks majorities in Congress.

Sources: Reuters

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Thousands March in Culiacán Against Cartel Faction Violence: September 15, 2026

CULIACÁN — Thousands of people took to the streets of Culiacán to demand an end to the violence that has wracked Mexico’s Sinaloa state since two factions of the Sinaloa cartel began a bloody war two years ago, the BBC reported.

Residents dressed in white held posters of missing loved ones and signs reading “We don’t want fear, we want peace” at Sunday’s protest, timed to the second anniversary of fighting that erupted after the U.S. arrest of drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. His followers, known as La Mayiza, accuse Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons — Los Chapitos — of betrayal, and the factions have staged ambushes, shootings, and burning roadblocks.

Businessman Sergio Esquer told AFP that more than 5,000 businesses have closed since the feud began. The Catholic Church and civil society helped organize the march, which began with a Mass in which the bishop of Culiacán urged the warring groups to stop. Relatives of a one-year-old boy killed by a stray bullet last week were among the participants.

Sinaloa’s political crisis has deepened as well. U.S. prosecutors in April accused Governor Rubén Rocha of conspiring with Los Chapitos; Rocha denied wrongdoing and has twice stepped aside amid investigations and public pressure from President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Sources: BBC

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Fed Expected to Raise Rates Wednesday, Defying Trump: September 15, 2026

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve is widely expected to lift its short-term interest rate Wednesday for the first time in three years to fight stubbornly high inflation, a move that would put the central bank at odds with President Donald Trump’s support for a cut, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

A quarter-point increase from a rate currently about 3.6% is not guaranteed because Fed Chair Kevin Warsh has avoided the forward guidance his predecessors used. Still, most analysts expect a hike after Warsh’s Jackson Hole speech two weeks ago arguing the Fed had not yet put inflation in check. Futures markets priced roughly a 90% chance of a move after Friday’s inflation report showed core prices picking up in August.

The decision is due at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, followed by Warsh’s news conference. Trump has demanded cuts and said Sunday the United States “should be paying the lowest interest rate in the world.” White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Trump “100% respects the independence of Kevin Warsh,” while also suggesting the Fed should stay out of the way of midterm elections seven weeks away.

Oil near $100 a barrel from Middle East conflict and AI-related investment have kept inflation above the Fed’s 2% target. Economists say a hike would be Warsh’s first major credibility test since taking the chair in May; traders already price further increases in December and March.

Sources: Associated Press via WTOP, Reuters

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China Opens Xiangshan Defence Forum Amid Regional Tensions: September 14, 2026

BEIJING — China’s military leadership is expected to outline its global security aims this week as Defence Minister Dong Jun opens the three-day Xiangshan Forum amid tensions over Taiwan, the South China Sea, and doubts about U.S. commitments in Asia, Reuters reported Monday.

Hundreds of officers, diplomats, and scholars from dozens of countries are expected at the tightly scripted Beijing gathering, often cast as a Chinese counterpart to Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue. Dong’s speech is expected to push multipolar cooperation and may include coded criticism of the United States and its allies.

Analysts say overt U.S. criticism could be tempered ahead of President Xi Jinping’s planned Washington meeting with President Donald Trump later this month. Japan may face sharper rhetoric given current Beijing–Tokyo tensions, Singapore-based scholar James Char said.

Vietnam is sending Defence Minister Phan Van Giang; Malaysia’s vice defence minister will attend. The U.S. delegation is expected to be led by the Pentagon’s principal director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia. Taiwan does not attend the forum.

Sources: Reuters

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Oman Postpones Hormuz Talks After Iranian Cargo Ship Strike: September 14, 2026

DUBAI — Oman postponed a planned Monday meeting between Iran and other Persian Gulf powers on managing Strait of Hormuz shipping after an Iranian cargo vessel was struck near Qeshm Island, killing one person and wounding four, France 24 reported, citing AP and Iranian state media.

Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said late Sunday the regional meeting was delayed “in the interests of consensus.” An Iranian foreign ministry official said Tehran and Muscat postponed talks at the request of some regional countries and would set a new date.

Iran’s IRNA quoted the Qeshm governor blaming a “terrorist enemy” for the Sunday strike. Asked whether the United States hit the vessel, President Donald Trump said, “I don’t want to say.” Commercial traffic through Hormuz remains low amid the U.S.–Iran war.

Saudi Arabia has submitted amendments to an Iran–Oman shipping arrangement, citing concern about lasting implications for other Gulf Cooperation Council states, a Gulf official told AP. Bahrain said it would not attend the meeting, citing a lack of diplomatic ties with Tehran.

Sources: France 24 (AP)

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Brazil Court Unseals Probe Into Bolsonaro Biopic Funding: September 14, 2026

RIO DE JANEIRO — A Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Sunday unsealed an investigation into a film about former President Jair Bolsonaro, pointing to suspicions that its financing had ties to a criminal network, the Associated Press reported.

Justice Flavio Dino said the hypothesis of a sophisticated scheme diverting public funds via congressional budget amendments and Sao Paulo city government had strengthened. The case may further complicate Senator Flavio Bolsonaro’s challenge to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in October’s election.

Sen. Bolsonaro is under investigation for corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion related to millions of dollars from a disgraced banker used to finance the biopic “Dark Horse.” Federal police last week targeted Bolsonaro ally and former cabinet member Mario Frias, who sent about 2 million reais ($400,000) to a nonprofit linked to the film.

Dino said there were strong indications Frias played a central role in an alleged network that may also have links to the First Command of the Capital (PCC). Frias denied wrongdoing and said he never allocated congressional funds to the production.

Sources: Associated Press

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Lula Regains Narrow Edge Over Flavio Bolsonaro in Brazil Poll: September 14, 2026

SAO PAULO — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva regained a slim lead over right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in a simulated runoff for next month’s election, a BTG Pactual/Nexus poll showed Monday, though the race remained statistically tied, Reuters reported.

In a runoff scenario, Lula would receive 47% support compared with 46% for Bolsonaro. A September 8 survey had Bolsonaro ahead 46% to 45% — his first numerical lead over Lula since March — helping Brazilian assets rally as the former president’s eldest son is viewed as more market-friendly.

In a first-round scenario, Lula led with 42%, followed by Bolsonaro at 37%, Augusto Cury at 6%, Ronaldo Caiado at 5%, and Renan Santos at 2%. If no candidate wins more than 50% of valid votes on October 4, the top two advance to an October 25 runoff.

Nexus surveyed 2,003 people from September 11 to 13, with a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

Sources: Reuters via The Straits Times

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Trump Downplays Report China Entities Aided Iran Before Jordan Attack: September 14, 2026

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday brushed aside a Wall Street Journal report that Iran acquired satellite images of a base in Jordan from Chinese entities before a July attack that killed three U.S. troops there, Reuters reported.

Asked whether he would raise the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a planned September 24 meeting, Trump equated Chinese and American surveillance. “They basically do what we do,” he told reporters. “When they say China spies on us, I say you’re right and we spy on them too.”

The Journal report, which Reuters could not independently verify, said U.S. officials declined to identify the Chinese entities and did not allege direct involvement by Beijing. China on Monday said it “firmly oppose[s] unfounded suspicions and accusations made without evidence,” foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.

Trump reiterated that he has a good relationship with Xi and said China had “behaved reasonably well.” At least 18 U.S. service members have been killed since the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran began at the end of February.

Sources: Reuters

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Carney Pitches Canada to Global Investors Amid U.S. Trade War: September 14, 2026

TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is welcoming dozens of global investors to Toronto this week to pitch more than 160 mining, energy, technology, and infrastructure projects he says are key to weathering a trade war with the United States, Reuters reported Monday.

Confirmed attendees include BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone President Jon Gray, Temasek CEO Dilhan Pillay, and APG Groep CEO Annette Mosman, a source familiar with the event said. Carney has pledged to attract C$1 trillion ($721 billion) in investment over five years by cutting red tape.

“The world’s largest investors, managing over C$120 trillion dollars of assets, will come to ‘peer into our shop window’ because the world is looking at Canada differently,” Carney said at a welcome reception Sunday. A government source said major deals could take 12 to 18 months to materialize.

The summit aims to match about 100 investors with Canadian CEOs and officials. The prospectus seen by Reuters lists data centers, a photonic quantum computer project, the Crawford Nickel Project, and financing for a proposed Calgary–Edmonton high-speed transportation pod.

Sources: Reuters

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Kremlin Welcomes Trump Call for Ukraine to Halt Diesel Strikes: September 14, 2026

MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Monday welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Ukraine to halt strikes on Russia’s diesel-producing facilities, while saying upheaval in global energy markets stemmed mainly from conflict in the Gulf, Reuters reported.

Trump on Sunday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to stop targeting Russian diesel infrastructure, saying the attacks were causing a fuel shortage that is “hurting the world.” A wave of long-distance Ukrainian drone attacks on refineries in recent months has cut Russian fuel output and triggered gasoline shortages across Russia.

“Any call on the Kyiv regime to stop attacks on civilian economic infrastructure can only be welcomed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Ukraine says striking Russian refineries raises the cost to Moscow of continuing its invasion.

Peskov said global energy markets were worsening mainly because of “instability and new rounds of escalation in the Persian Gulf region,” and that a Russian diesel export ban should help the domestic market ahead of parliamentary elections set for September 18–20.

Sources: Reuters

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