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Bolsonaro changes energy minister amid fuel-price row

AFP

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro changed his energy minister Wednesday after repeatedly criticizing fuel-price hikes by state-run oil company Petrobras, blamed for driving inflation that is hurting his popularity five months from elections.

Bento Albuquerque, who had been Bolsonaro’s energy minister since the far-right president took office in 2019, will be replaced by economy ministry adviser Adolfo Sachsida, according to a note in the government gazette.

The energy ministry said Albuquerque had stepped down for “personal reasons” after a meeting with Bolsonaro, though speculation swirled in the Brazilian media that he had been sacked.

The shuffle comes after Bolsonaro said Thursday that Petrobras’s recent profits amounted to “rape,” and called on Albuquerque and the firm’s chief executive, Jose Mauro Coelho, to stop it from increasing fuel prices.

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Albuquerque and the energy ministry however had no direct role in price decisions by Petrobras, whose pricing policy is based on the international oil market.

Disregarding the president, Petrobras went on to hike diesel prices by an additional 8.9 percent Monday.

Bolsonaro has also repeatedly changed the chief executive at Petrobras, replacing Roberto Castello Branco in February 2021, then Joaquim Silva e Luna last April — in each case, after attacking the firm’s price increases.

The company only stoked Bolsonaro’s fury further when it reported a first-quarter net profit of $8.6 billion Thursday, up 38 times from the first quarter of 2021.

Fuel prices in Brazil have increased more than 33 percent in the past year, according to official figures, driving annual inflation of more than 12 percent that is hurting Brazilians’ wallets.

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Spiralling prices are a central issue as Bolsonaro seeks reelection in October, trailing leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010) in the polls.

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International

Joe Biden’s Prostate Cancer Has Spread to His Bones, Son Hunter Reveals

Former U.S. President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has worsened and spread to his bones and other parts of his body, his son Hunter Biden revealed in a recent interview with the BBC.

Biden disclosed in May 2025, just four months after leaving office as the oldest sitting U.S. president in history, that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had already spread to his bones.

The former president subsequently began treatment, including radiation and hormone therapy. In July, while announcing the publication of his memoirs, Biden said the treatment was going “really well.”

However, in an extensive interview broadcast Friday night on the BBC’s Newsnight, Hunter Biden said his father’s condition had progressed despite treatment.

“The cancer has spread and metastasized to his bones and other places,” Hunter Biden said.

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He added that the illness has been “very painful” and, in many ways, “very debilitating,” but said his father continues to remain active.

“He’s still out there. He’s still doing his thing,” Hunter Biden said, emphasizing that his father remains deeply committed to the United States.
The former president’s diagnosis has remained a subject of public attention since it was first announced, particularly because of his age and his decision to continue a public life after leaving the White House.

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International

US announces $1 billion security assistance package for Colombia under new government

The U.S. Department of State announced Friday that Washington plans to provide Colombia with $1 billion as part of a security assistance package aimed at supporting the new government of far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump said it intends to coordinate with Congress to announce the assistance package, which was unveiled on the occasion of De la Espriella’s inauguration. The United States attended the ceremony with a delegation led by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

The package is designed to strengthen Colombian security forces in their fight against terrorist organizations and transnational criminal groups through U.S. technology, increased operational capabilities and coordinated operations with American forces.

The assistance would also significantly expand coca crop eradication and cocaine interdiction operations, while strengthening efforts to track and disrupt the finances of criminal organizations.

Washington also offered to support Bogotá’s efforts to restore state control over territories dominated by armed groups, protect children from forced recruitment and curb irregular migration through greater coordination along the border.

The State Department described the measures as part of a new chapter in bilateral relations between the United States and Colombia. The broader framework also includes cooperation in areas such as energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, technology and civilian nuclear energy.

Relations between Washington and Bogotá had been strained during the administration of former President Gustavo Petro, particularly over migration and security policies.

De la Espriella’s arrival in office, accompanied by promises of a hard-line approach to armed groups and drug trafficking, is expected to mark a new stage in relations between Colombia and the United States.

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International

Abelardo de la Espriella sworn in as Colombia’s president for 2026-2030

Lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in Friday as Colombia’s president for the 2026-2030 term during an inauguration ceremony held at the USC Arena of the Santiago de Cali University in Valle del Cauca.

“I swear to God and promise the Colombian people to faithfully uphold the Constitution and the laws of Colombia,” De la Espriella, 48, said as he took the oath before Senate President Honorio Henríquez, who subsequently placed the presidential sash on him, formally marking the transfer of power from former President Gustavo Petro.

At the same time, members of the Colombian Army performed the traditional 21-gun salute from the José María Córdova Military Cadet School in Bogotá. After receiving the presidential sash, De la Espriella was applauded by those attending the ceremony and greeted by his family.

The new president later swore in Vice President José Manuel Restrepo. The ceremony also included the participation of 74-year-old farmer Luis Felipe Yagüé, whom De la Espriella invited as an honorary guest as a symbol of his support for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

De la Espriella arrived at the venue with his wife, Ana Lucía Pineda, and their four minor children. More than 1,000 national and international guests attended the ceremony, which began more than an hour later than scheduled.

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Among the international figures present were King Felipe VI of Spain and presidents Javier Milei of Argentina, Daniel Noboa of Ecuador, Santiago Peña of Paraguay, José Raúl Mulino of Panama, Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic, José Antonio Kast of Chile and Nasry Asfura of Honduras. FIFA President Gianni Infantino also attended.

Former Colombian presidents César Gaviria, Andrés Pastrana, Álvaro Uribe and Iván Duque were also present. Former President Ernesto Samper and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Juan Manuel Santos, however, were not invited to the ceremony.
After the inauguration ceremony concluded, De la Espriella traveled to the Pichincha Military Canton in Cali, where he was scheduled to deliver his first address as head of state to Colombia’s senior military commanders.

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