Los congresistas cubano americanos Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar y Carlos A. Giménez encabezaron un acto conmemorativo por el 30.º aniversario del derribo de dos avionetas de la organización humanitaria Hermanos al Rescate en el que murieron cuatro civiles, incluidos ciudadanos estadounidenses.
Un caso criminal federal sigue siendo posible, ya que el asesinato no prescribe.
Al evento, en el que los legisladores reiteraron el llamado a que se procese judicialmente a Raúl Castro por su responsabilidad en el hecho, asistieron líderes del exilio cubano y familiares de las víctimas: Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos A. Costa, Mario M. de la Peña y Pablo Morales.
La congresista María Elvira Salazar calificó el derribo como uno de los crímenes más graves atribuidos al régimen cubano y lo vinculó con décadas de abusos contra la población.
Asimismo, señaló que representa a una comunidad marcada por el exilio, la separación familiar y las muertes en el Estrecho de Florida, y recordó que las víctimas solo intentaban ayudar a cubanos que huían de la isla en busca de libertad.
Salazar también afirmó que el futuro de Cuba dependerá de las decisiones que adopten las autoridades del régimen frente a las demandas de libertad.
Por su parte, el congresista Carlos A. Giménez señaló que durante años hubo condenas públicas sin consecuencias judiciales y subrayó que la diferencia actual radica en la posibilidad de acciones concretas.
Giménez afirmó que existen registros que apuntan a la responsabilidad directa de Castro en la orden de derribar las aeronaves civiles, que participaban en labores de búsqueda y rescate de balseros, e instó al presidente Trump y al Departamento de Justicia a avanzar en el caso.
El congresista cubanoamericano Mario Díaz-Balart sostuvo por su parte que la política estadounidense hacia Cuba y sus aliados ha cambiado significativamente. Según afirmó, el objetivo actual es negar alivio a regímenes autoritarios y aumentar la presión internacional.
“La diferencia es que cuando la administración del presidente Joe Biden tenía conversaciones, era para ayudar al régimen de La Habana, al régimen en Nicaragua y al régimen en Venezuela. Lo que ha cambiado es todo. Hoy hay una política explícita: no habrá oxígeno ni alivio para ese régimen ni un futuro para los tiranos. Tienen pocas opciones: o cambian su rumbo o enfrentarán consecuencias más severas”, afirmó.
A su juicio, el propósito real de los actuales contactos diplomáticos y presiones políticas es acelerar el fin del sistema autoritario en Cuba y favorecer una transición hacia la democracia.
La conmemoración se produce días después de que Díaz-Balart, Salazar, Giménez y la congresista Nicole Malliotakis enviaran una carta al presidente Donald J. Trump solicitando que su administración considere presentar cargos contra Castro por su implicación en el derribo.
El incidente ocurrió el 24 de febrero de 1996, cuando aviones militares cubanos derribaron las avionetas de Hermanos al Rescate en espacio aéreo internacional, según investigaciones estadounidenses. Desde entonces, organizaciones del exilio y defensores de derechos humanos han denunciado el hecho como un crimen que permanece impune.
Los organizadores señalaron que el acto busca mantener viva la memoria de las víctimas y reforzar los esfuerzos para exigir justicia tres décadas después del suceso.
O Ministério da Saúde prorrogou até 22 de fevereiro o prazo para inscrições no novo edital do projeto Mais Médicos Especialistas, que vai contratar 1.206 profissionais em 16 especialidades prioritárias para o Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). A ação, que vai ampliar o atendimento no SUS – especialmente em regiões remotas e vulneráveis –, integra o programa Agora Tem Especialistas, que reúne esforços do governo federal para ampliar o acesso da população à assistência especializada.
Os médicos especialistas interessados em participar do projeto devem acessar a plataforma UNA-SUS e escolher ao menos um município e um estabelecimento de saúde, podendo indicar até dois locais de atuação, inclusive em estados diferentes, respeitando a ordem de preferência. O valor fixo da bolsa é de R$ 10 mil, podendo acrescer uma parte variável entre R$ 5 mil e R$ 10 mil, de acordo com o grau de vulnerabilidade do município de atuação.
Os profissionais selecionados receberão bolsa-formação mensal, paga diretamente pelo Ministério da Saúde, além de ajuda de custo destinada às despesas com as imersões presenciais nas instituições formadoras. O repasse está condicionado à participação efetiva nas atividades previstas no edital, com carga horária semanal de 20 horas – das quais 16 serão dedicadas a atividades assistenciais –, e não estabelece vínculo empregatício.
O edital abrange as seguintes especialidades: anestesiologia; cirurgia geral; cirurgia do aparelho digestivo; cirurgia oncológica; coloproctologia; ginecologia e obstetrícia; cardiologia; endoscopia digestiva; gastroenterologia; oncologia clínica; radioterapia; radiologia; mastologia; otorrinolaringologia; e patologia.
Atendimento de média e alta complexidade no SUS
A atuação dos médicos especialistas ocorrerá em serviços hospitalares e ambulatoriais do SUS, em diferentes regiões do Brasil. A estratégia aposta no fortalecimento das Ofertas de Cuidado Integral (OCI) e na realização de procedimentos clínicos e cirúrgicos de média e alta complexidade no SUS. Os profissionais selecionados atuarão em atividades assistenciais vinculadas a itinerários formativos com teoria e prática integradas, com duração de até 12 meses.
La presidenta del Senado ruso, Valentina Matviyenko, calificó de “genocidio” el bloqueo energético de Estados Unidos contra Cuba, en una reunión con el ministro de Exteriores de la isla, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.
“Hoy, un bloqueo tan severo contra Cuba, el bloqueo energético que están implementando actualmente, yo incluso lo calificaría simplemente de genocidio contra el pueblo cubano”, exclamó Matviyenko, citada por TASS.
La exgobernadora de la ciudad de San Petersburgo llamó a la comunidad internacional a “condenar, apoyar y ayudar enérgicamente a Cuba”.
En esta línea, Matviyenko expresó su solidaridad “con el valiente y heroico pueblo de Cuba, que defiende firmemente su derecho a su propia vía de desarrollo y su soberanía”.
“Seguimos con preocupación los acontecimientos en torno a Cuba”, añadió.
La jefa de la cámara alta del Parlamento ruso agradeció la visita de Rodríguez Parrilla, a quien le pidió transmitir sus saludos al presidente de la república caribeña, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, al general Raúl Castro y al presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, Esteban Lazo Hernández.
El ministro de Exteriores cubano, por su parte, también transmitió saludos de sus colegas de Cuba.
“Puedes tener la seguridad de que el pueblo de Cuba te reconoce como una gran y solidaria amiga de nuestro país”, afirmó, dirigiéndose a Matviyenko.
Ministro de Exteriores se reúne con funcionarios rusos
Rodríguez se reunió ayer, primero con su homólogo ruso, Serguéi Lavrov, y posteriormente con el presidente ruso, Vladímir Putin.
La parte rusa llama al diálogo entre Estados Unidos y Cuba y, tras las reuniones de ayer, el Kremlin confirmó que ambos lados hablaron sobre las ayudas concretas que puede prestar Moscú a La Habana.
Moscú adelantó recientemente que está en contacto con las autoridades cubanas y que se prevé el suministro de petróleo al régimen castrista, algo que no ocurre desde el envío de 100 mil toneladas de crudo en febrero de 2025.
São Paulo, Brazil — Peru’s congress on Tuesday impeached the country’s interim president, José Jerí, for allegedly holding secret meetings with Chinese businessmen.
Jerí came into power in October after congress impeached Dina Boluarte for “permanent moral incapacity”.
This latest impeachment underscores Peru’s deep political instability since 2016, during which time Peru has cycled through eight presidents due to resignations, impeachments, and scandals.
Tuesday’s congressional session resulted in 75 congressmen in favor of impeachment, 24 against, and three abstentions, in a process legally known as a “motion of censure.”
In addition to impeachment, congressmen also scheduled general elections for April 12 to elect a new president. Meanwhile, the Andean country will be presided over by a leader elected by Congress on Wednesday.
In a post on X, Peru’s congress shared the names of the candidates: Segundo Héctor Acuña Peralta, María del Carmen Alva Prieto, Edgard Cornelio Reymundo Mercado and José María Balcázar Zelada.
On February 17, 2026, Peru’s Congress voted to impeach interim President José Jerí. Image credit: Congreso de Peru via X.
In its reasoning to dismiss the president, Congress accused Jerí of holding secret meetings with Chinese executive Zhihua Yang, who received state concessions for energy sector projects.
The meeting resulted in a subsequent investigation of influence peddling by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which collected security camera footage from the Lima Metropolitan Prefecture, the San Borja District Prefecture, and a property located in the San Borja district.
In a video posted on social media by the country’s official presidential account in January of this year, Jerí confirmed the meetings but denied that they had any “irregular content.”
“Furthermore, it should be noted that neither on that day, nor on any other, did he ask me for any kind of favor or support, nor did he ask me to intercede for him or for third parties. And, moreover, I am completely unaware of his friendships or his past activities. If he had asked me for something irregular, I would have automatically broken all ties with him (Zhihua Yang),” Jerí said.
According to state news agency Andina, Jerí left the government palace, known as Casa de Pizarro, the previous night. He became the third president of Peru to be removed from office consecutively.
With only four months in office, Jerí assumed the Peruvian presidency in October 2025, after the impeachment of former president Dina Boluarte, who was unanimously removed amidst a wave of violence in the country.
Boluarte, in turn, assumed office in 2022, after former president Pedro Castillo was removed from office and imprisoned for an attempted coup d’état.
Featured image: José Jerí was impeached by Peru’s congress on February 17.
The Nuestra América Convoy to Cuba (NACC), a humanitarian aid mission to the island made up of an alliance of progressive groups, has reportedly significantly expanded and announced that it intends to reach Havana by March 21.
According to the NACC’s most recent press release shared with Latin America Reports, “An international coalition of movements, trade unionists, parliamentarians, humanitarian organizations, and public figures … [will participate in] a coordinated global mobilization delivering humanitarian aid by air, land and sea converging in Havana’s Malecón on 21 March 2026”.
The convoy had initially been a seabound mission but has reportedly “grown into a coordinated Convoy by air, land, and sea” because of an inundation “of requests to support this critical mission”. The appeal to join the flotilla is a universal one, as the NACC is calling “on communities everywhere to collect aid and converge in Havana on 21 March”.
American sanctions have severely restricted the oil supplies to the island. As a result, airlines have suspended Cuba-bound flights because of fuel shortages and the annual cigar festival, a key source of tourism and foreign currency, was indefinitely postponed due to the sanctions-induced energy crisis.
The convoy’s principal aim is, however, the alleviation of the humanitarian crisis caused by the intensification of American sanctions against the island. In the words of the NACC, “hospitals are without power, ambulances without petrol and the sick without medicine”.
The United Nations has warned of a potential humanitarian collapse in Cuba.
James Schneider, former public relations advisor to British Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn and the current communications director for Progressive International — an international, left-wing, activist organization which is helping coordinate the flotilla — told Latin America Reports that the mission is “vital”.
“UN experts are warning that intensive care units and emergency rooms are compromised. Trump openly boasts about creating a humanitarian crisis”, he said.
“Huge numbers of people around the world clearly feel the injustice of the world’s most solidaristic nation being punished in this way by the US. That’s why we’ve been overwhelmed with support since we announced this mission last week.”
“So we’ve decided to expand from a single flotilla to a global convoy, bringing aid by air, land and sea. We are excited to be joined in Havana on 21 March by people and aid from all over the world.”
The organization’s latest press release features endorsements of the mission by Corbyn, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, co-chairs of the Democratic Socialists of America Megan Romer and Ashik Siddique, and Ada Colau, the former mayor of Barcelona.
Cuba has indeed gained international prominence for its missions of solidarity; Cuban armed forces helped combat the South African apartheid regime, over 24,000 Cuban doctors work in 56 countries worldwide and the nation developed its own Covid-19 vaccine, which was then exported.
However, the nation has also come under significant criticism over its human rights record; its medical missions have been accused of facilitating labor exploitation and human rights and organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have decried the nation over its alleged restriction of freedoms, state control over the media and the “arbitrary detention” of dissidents.
Featured Image: The Havana Malecón, where the humanitarian aid convoy plans to meet on March 21st
From what I’ve read about new Tottenham manager Igor Tudor, he is a guy who goes in at clubs and, in the short term, gets a turn out of his team.
Spurs really need that to happen now, because they desperately need a win or two to get out of reach of relegation.
So, this game is big for them for that reason, and also because they can put another dent in Arsenal‘s title hopes too.
Spurs and their fans have not had a lot to shout about this season, but if they can get something here then this could be a defining moment in their campaign, and affect Arsenal as well. They would love that.
It was an incredible wobble by Mikel Arteta’s team against Wolves, drawing 2-2 after being 2-0 up, and I certainly didn’t see it coming.
Maybe it is getting to be ‘squeaky bum time’ for them, but it didn’t affect them when they went away to Leeds a couple of weeks ago and won convincingly.
You can imagine how Spurs will be champing at the bit, and I am expecting them to make a fast start and have a real go at them – but Arsenal have to deal with that, and find a way of bouncing back.
I think the Gunners can do that, and their quality will make the difference in the end. I worry about Spurs in forward areas and it will be interesting to see how Tudor lines them up in defence too.
Ultimately, if Arsenal turn up and play how we know they can, then they will win – and I am expecting them to make a real statement.
Sutton’s prediction: 0-3
Steve’s prediction: Two bottlers here! I’d like Arsenal to win the league, but I don’t think they will. Man City are just used to doing it from here – they just get their heads down in the run-in, and they know what to do. 2-3
El jefe del Comando Sur, el general Francis L. Donovan, llegó el miércoles a Caracas para reunirse con las autoridades interinas de Venezuela en un encuentro centrado en seguridad regional.
La mayoría de los integrantes de la Junta de Gobierno del Banco de México (Banxico) coincidieron en que el impacto por los ajustes fiscales implementados a inicios de año tendrá efectos de una sola vez en la inflación; sin embargo, no hubo un consenso de cuándo podrían volver a recortar la tasa de interés.
“El ritmo y alcance de los ajustes dependerá del panorama inflacionario y de la evolución del balance de riesgos. Un balance de riesgos más equilibrado será un factor, entre otros, conducente a una normalización de la postura monetaria, reflejada en niveles de tasas más convencionales y acordes con las condiciones macroeconómicas”, indicó.
Recorte a la tasa de interés divide a Banxico
Un integrante más precisó que, por esa ocasión, una pausa en el ciclo de recortes era congruente con incorporar al pronóstico los ajustes en precios relativos asociados al posible impacto de aranceles y la evolución de algunos rubros de servicios.
Sin embargo, “consideró adecuado comunicar que existe espacio para continuar con los recortes, procurando la convergencia eficiente a la meta y un ajuste ordenado de la economía”, ya que reaccionar ante ajustes transitorios sería incongruente con una conducción eficiente, al generar mayor amplitud en variables macroeconómicas.
“Reflexionó que es adecuado continuar ajustando la postura monetaria ante choques de una sola vez, en un entorno en el que los determinantes apuntan a menores presiones inflacionarias”.
Un integrante más de la Junta de Gobierno subrayó que, por evidencia histórica, se espera que las medidas impositivas y arancelarias introducidas en enero de 2026 no contaminen la formación de precios, aunque se debe permanecer vigilante a las siguientes lecturas de inflación para corroborar que así sea.
“Para la siguiente reunión de política monetaria, se tendrá una mejor valoración del impacto de las medidas impositivas y arancelarias sobre los precios. Se espera que durante este año diversos factores macroeconómicos, como la holgura en la economía y la apreciación cambiaria registrada desde 2025, favorezcan un entorno de menores presiones inflacionarias”, dijo.
¿Qué se necesita para mantener pausa en tasa de interés?
Por el contrario, otro miembro enfatizó que pausar una ocasión no es suficiente, sino que debe ser prolongada hasta obtener evidencia de avances adicionales en la convergencia a la meta de inflación de 3.0 por ciento. Por ello, instó a que se tenga paciencia al menos durante la primera mitad de 2026 y, si para ese momento no hay una tendencia a la baja del indicador, esperar aún más.
Del mismo modo, otro integrante aseveró que los canales de transmisión de la política monetaria no han respondido con la misma magnitud o velocidad que bajo el ciclo alcista, debido al choque de incertidumbre, a la debilidad del dólar y a las preocupaciones fiscales en el nivel global.
Por ello, señaló que hacia delante debe mantenerse una vigilancia estrecha sobre la evolución del ajuste en precios relativos, los determinantes de la inflación y la transmisión de la política monetaria, tomando en cuenta los rezagos con los que opera. Añadió que ello permitirá valorar ajustes adicionales a la tasa de referencia.
Lucas Pinheiro just won Brazil’s first Winter Olympics medal, an alpine giant slalom gold that jolted South America’s sporting map. His story blends Norway’s ski culture with Brazilian identity, and it lands as Brazil watches Carnival and a new kind of national pride.
At the Finish Line, Samba Where Snow Usually Wins
The finish area is where winter sports often acts like it’s just about the time.
There’s a gate, a clock, and a narrow strip of churned snow that looks almost polished until you notice the ruts. Then Lucas Pinheiro shows up and lightens the mood in the most Brazilian way he can in alpine boots—by dancing samba.
It is a small moment, quick and slightly surreal, and it carries the weight of the bigger one. Pinheiro has just won the giant slalom gold at the Milan Cortina d’Ampezzo 2026 Winter Olympics, becoming the first South American athlete to win a medal at the Winter Games. A Brazilian flag in a sport that, for most of Latin America, has long felt like someone else’s furniture.
For decades, winter sports in this region has been talked about as something for the future—someday, maybe, if. Pinheiro changed that. Now it’s about gold, the podium, and proof.
He finished first ahead of two Swiss stars, Marco Odermatt, the defending champion, and Loïc Meillard. On Saturday, his win made headlines across Brazil, a country in Carnival mode. Even President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva showed excitement, according to reports. The contrast is striking—heat and music at home, ice and gates abroad, and one athlete connecting both worlds without asking for permission.
Pinheiro was once known by his father’s last name, Braathen. Now he goes by his Brazilian mother’s surname, Pinheiro. With that choice, he’s made sports history. Names can be just paperwork, or they can be a statement. Here, it’s both.
His background is stitched together across hemispheres. He was born in Oslo on April 19, 2000. His father, Bjørn Braathen, mentored him in skiing. His mother is Alessandra Pinheiro de Castro. His childhood split between Norway’s capital, where he lived with his father, and the cities of São Paulo and Campinas, where he spent vacations with his maternal family.
That split matters because it shows how identity is built like houses in Latin America—slowly, with additions, effort, and constant negotiation. It’s not a simple origin story. It’s a lived one.
(L-R) Silver medalist Marco Odermatt of Switzerland, gold medalist Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil, and bronze medalist Loïc Meillard of Switzerland. EFE/EPA/Michael Buholzer
Pinheiro does not pretend he came out of the cradle loving snow.
In a 2024 ESPN interview, he admitted that as a kid, he didn’t like skiing at all. He preferred football. His club is São Paulo, and his hero was Ronaldinho Gaúcho. In Norway, skiing is like football in Brazil—a kind of civic religion—but he didn’t want any part of it.
He didn’t like the cold, wearing many layers, or the leg pain. These might seem like small complaints, but they show the reality of a kid pushed into a tradition that wasn’t really his—or at least not fully.
“I used to like the beach, the heat, the sea. I have no idea how I turned into an alpine skier,” he said in that interview, according to the notes. The line lands because it is not polished. It is disbelief spoken out loud.
His father insisted anyway, and Pinheiro’s first ski experience came at nine. Not long after, he was invited into Norway’s development team, an early signal that talent was there even if the desire came later.
According to the Olympics website, he specializes in the two technical disciplines of alpine skiing, slalom and giant slalom, defined by closer gates and tighter turns. That description is clinical, but the sport itself is intimate. You are alone on the course. You cannot outsource the risk. Every decision is yours, and it is made at speed.
Medals came early. He won gold at the Alpine Skiing World Cup opener in Sölden, Austria, in 2020 and 2021, when he was just twenty. The next season, he became slalom champion on the international circuit. These facts matter—they show he wasn’t just a novelty wearing a different flag. He was already elite.
What changed was where the elite would belong.
Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro. EFE/EPA/Anna Szilagyi
A Career Pivot That Turned into a National Symbol
In 2023, Pinheiro made the biggest change of his young career. He announced his retirement after several disputes with the Norwegian federation. It was a drastic move and seemed final.
Then it did not stay final. Before a year had passed, he returned, this time representing Brazil. His debut under Brazil’s colors came in 2024. In October that year, he raced in Sölden again, his first event as a Brazilian, and weeks later, he earned his first World Cup podium for Brazil, finishing second in the giant slalom at Beaver Creek in the United States.
Since then, the milestones have kept coming. He is currently second overall in the World Cup standings. In November, he delivered Brazil’s first win in the regular World Cup alpine competition by taking the Levi slalom in Finland, according to the notes.
And now this Olympic gold. It doesn’t erase his past story—it changes how we see it. Same athlete, same skill, but a new meaning when he stands on the podium.
The real question is what this means for Brazil and the wider region. For Brazil, it broadens the national sports imagination beyond the usual boundaries. For South America, it challenges the quiet assumption that winter sports are naturally out of reach, showing instead that barriers come from infrastructure, money, geography, and tradition. Pinheiro’s story makes this easier to understand because he’s literally bi-national—winter training and summer memories in one person.
It also complicates the way Latin American pride is sometimes packaged. This is not a story about a poor kid improvising equipment. The notes do not say that. This is not a story about an underdog plucked from nowhere. It is a story about an elite athlete moving between systems, carrying identity deliberately, and turning a personal choice into a continental first.
At the finish line, he made the point in his own words. “It doesn’t matter what your race, culture, beliefs, or circumstances are, whatever they may be. If you chase your dreams, you can achieve them,” he said in the mixed zone, according to the notes, celebrating with samba.
His love for Brazil is described as clear and personal. His partner is Brazilian actress Isadora Cruz, and the notes say they studied the Brazilian anthem together at the start of the Milan Cortina Games.
None of this changes the fact that most South Americans won’t have easy access to alpine slopes or the systems that produce champions in Europe. But it does change the story people tell themselves about what’s possible. Symbols don’t fix policy, but they do create pressure. They inspire hope. They shift focus.
Brazil is celebrating Carnival while a Brazilian wins gold on the snow. The contrast is almost funny, but it’s not. It’s something else, a door that once felt heavy now seems lighter because someone pushed it open with their shoulder, and it finally moved.
Scotland defender John Souttar has signed a new contract with Rangers, keeping him at the Ibrox club until May 2027.
The 29-year-old’s previous deal was due to expire at the end of this season, but he has committed to at least one more season, with Rangers also holding an option to extend by an additional year.
Having come through the Dundee United academy, Souttar then spent more than six years at Hearts before making the switch to Glasgow in the summer of 2022.
He won the Scottish League Cup in the 2023-24 season and has played a key role this season as Danny Rohl’s side attempt to win the Scottish Premiership title.
Rangers trail league-leaders Hearts by two points, having beaten the Tynecastle outfit 4-2 last Sunday.
“It is an exciting time to be here and an exciting time to be involved at the club so I am delighted,” Souttar said after putting pen to paper.
“I understand the position I am in, how much of a privilege it is to play here, the demands here and I am personally really happy and excited to know my future is here.”
Rohl – whose team are 12 matches unbeaten in domestic competition – described Souttar as one of the central figures in his squad.
“We are delighted John has agreed this new contract with the club,” the German head coach said.
“Keeping our best players and our leaders is very important to having success going forward, while having a Scottish presence in the squad is also going to be key.
“This is great news for everyone at the club with so much to look forward to between now and the end of the season, and hopefully for John, a World Cup to come at the end of it.”
