Bolivia: President Halves His Own Salary after Weeks of Protest and Unrest

May 26, 2026 | Bolivia is in crisis with violence, food and fuel shortages, and protests on the streets growing over President Rodrigo Paz.

Elected after decades of left-wing rule, Paz now faces accusations of governing for elites and failing to address rising economic hardship and inequality. His government, meanwhile, blames drug traffickers for fuelling unrest and destabilising the country - claims that experts say lack evidence.

In this episode of the breakdown, Channel 4 News speaks with Enrique Castanon Ballivian, a lecturer at University College London specialising in Latin America, to examine what started the escalating unrest in the country and how it could end.


LIRE AUSSI :

Bolivie : des affrontements à La Paz malgré les concessions du président »

Kuba: Insel unter Schock | ARTE Reportage

May 18, 2026 | Mit der Verhaftung von Venezuelas Präsidenten Maduro durch die USA verlor Kuba einen treuen Verbündeten und mit ihm auch die Lieferungen von venezolanischem Öl, das gut die Hälfte seines Bedarfs deckte – ein schwerer Schock für die von Krisen gebeutelte Insel.

Im letzten Quartal 2025 lieferte Caracas an Havanna noch täglich zwischen 30.000 und 35.000 Barrel Öl, 50% des Bedarfs. Ohne Maduro und mit dem verschärften Embargo der USA unter Donald Trump herrscht auf Kuba nun eine Energieknappheit, die die Wirtschaft ruiniert. Der Alltag der Kubaner wird täglich schwieriger, viele erinnern sich noch an die "Sonderperiode" der 1990er Jahre, gleich nach dem Zusammenbruch der UdSSR, damals kollabierte Kubas Wirtschaft.Das Fehlen des Verbündeten Venezuela und die US-Sanktionen verschärfen heute die Isolation des Landes und sie schüren eine wachsende Wut in der Bevölkerung. Unsere Reporter erkundeten, wie Exil-Kubaner in Florida schon eine politische Wende Kubas in Richtung USA vorbereiten. Und sie filmten auf Kuba, wie die Bevölkerung von der neuen Krise mit voller Wucht getroffen wird. Durchhalten, irgendwie, lautet die Devise…

Video verfügbar bis zum 19/04/2029


Ce documentaire peut être visionné en français ici.

Franco’s Spain in the 1950s: How the Dictatorship Gained Legitimacy | Full Documentary

May 22, 2026 | In the 1950s, Spain under Francisco Franco entered a new phase known as the “Leaden Age.” After years of international isolation following World War II in 1945, the regime began to regain legitimacy. Key agreements, such as the 1953 Pact of Madrid with the United States and the 1955 admission of Spain to the United Nations, marked a turning point in Franco’s foreign policy and international standing.

These developments brought economic opportunities and a sense of stability to the country. While Spain appeared to move forward, political opposition weakened and resistance largely disappeared. Behind this controlled progress, Franco’s dictatorship remained firmly in place. This period reveals how international recognition and economic change helped secure the long-term survival of one of Europe’s most enduring authoritarian regimes.

Trump Is Trapped

He can’t find a way out of the hole he has dug for himself! Michael Lambert explains.

The Bankers Who Funded Hitler — And Who Were Never Punished | WW2

Feb 20, 2026 | In the spring of 1943, an American banker travelled freely through Nazi Germany, held meetings with Reichsbank officials in Berlin, and boarded a German escort vessel back to Switzerland. Nazi U-boats had standing orders not to sink his ship. His name was Thomas McKittrick, and he was the president of the most powerful international bank in the world.

This is not a conspiracy theory. Every institution, every document, and every name in this video is a matter of verified historical record — sitting in the National Archives, in declassified Treasury memos, and in the minutes of the Nuremberg proceedings.

What you won't find in most history books is the full story of how Wall Street bankrolled the economic conditions that brought Hitler to power, how Standard Oil shared critical war technology with Nazi Germany while withholding it from the US military, how Chase National Bank kept its Paris branch open under Nazi occupation and reported growing profits to Manhattan, how the Bank for International Settlements laundered looted Nazi gold throughout the war, how Prescott Bush — grandfather of two US presidents — had his assets seized under the Trading with the Enemy Act, and how a Swedish banking dynasty quietly played both sides and walked away to build a $60 billion empire.

Most of these men were never prosecuted. Most were promoted. And the systems they built are still running today. This is what economic history actually looks like.

”We Need a Wealth Tax on Billionaires.” Here's Why | Aaron Bastani Meets Gabriel Zucman

May 24, 2026 | Introducing a wealth tax on the very richest people in our society has never been more popular amongst the electorate, with recent polls showing 90% approval. This figure is basically unheard of when polling people on any form of policy proposal.

This week's guest, Gabriel Zucman, is a French economist who is a key inspiration for the UK's leading wealth tax advocate and friend of the show, Gary Stevenson.

Bolivie : des affrontements à La Paz malgré les concessions du président

LE FIGARO : Les manifestants rejettent la politique économique du gouvernement, réclament des hausses de salaires et accusent les autorités d’avoir distribué une essence de mauvaise qualité qui aurait endommagé des milliers de véhicules.

Des affrontements ont opposé lundi manifestants et policiers à La Paz lors d’une marche de milliers de personnes exigeant la démission du président Rodrigo Paz, qui a annoncé réduire son salaire pour tenter d’apaiser la contestation sociale.

Le président de centre-droit fait face depuis début mai au plus important mouvement de contestation de son mandat, entamé en novembre, alors que le pays traverse sa plus grave crise économique depuis quatre décennies. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 25 mai 2026

LESEN SIE AUCH :

Proteste in Bolivien: Präsident Paz will eigenes Gehalt um 50 Prozent kürzen: Seit Wochen kommt es in Bolivien zu Protesten. Nun will Präsident Rodrigo Paz sein Gehalt und das seiner Minister deutlich kürzen. »

Out of Gas, Cubans Cook With Charcoal and Wood to Survive

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The U.S. oil blockade has left millions without cooking gas. In Santiago de Cuba, the cradle of the Cuban revolution, apartment tower residents resort to charcoal and firewood.

On a recent night, Yusimi Castellano crouched over her squat iron stove, arranging charcoal and gently placing the Styrofoam and the plastic she used as kindling over it. She used a cigarette lighter to start a small fire.

Noxious smoke billowed through her 18th floor apartment, eventually sweeping out toward the former military barracks where the Cuban Revolution is said to have begun and the verdant mountains that wrap around Santiago de Cuba, the country’s second-largest city.

Slowly, the charcoal began to glow. She put a grill made of old coat hangers on top and boiled some spaghetti for her family’s dinner.

“I shouldn’t be cooking with charcoal,” said Ms. Castellano, 58, who has asthma and lately has been short of breath and coughing constantly. “But if I don’t cook, I die.”

Ms. Castellano’s crude cooking methods have become the norm across the complex of five 18-story buildings, each with 120 apartments, where she lives and that were once meant to showcase the revolution’s promise when they opened four decades ago.

Today, some people can’t even afford charcoal, and resort to chopping firewood to cook in their homes. » | Ed Augustin and Lisette Poole González | Photographs by Lisette Poole González | Ed Augustin and Lisette Poole traveled to the southeastern city of Santiago de Cuba to document the energy crisis engulfing the island. | Monday, May 25, 2026

This is a BLOODY DISGRACE! What the ORANGE MAN in the White House is doing to those poor people is nothing short of CRIMINAL! All in the name of IDEOLOGICAL WARFARE!

Trump can ponce around in luxury in Mar-a-Lago, and pilfer BILLIONS OF DOLLARS from the state’s coffers to line his own pockets, fill his banks accounts, and puff up his investment portfolios, yet he is happy to put his head on his pillow at night—when he is not writing on Truth Social—and rest, knowing that he is causing these poor people such distress and hardship. What manner of man can Trump be? And what sort of people can Americans be, allowing their leader to persecute innocent people like this, in their name?

The sooner the world turns its back on this regime, the better! This is nothing short of the behaviour of devils. Long live compassion! Long live Cuba! — © Mark Alexander

Why the Vatican Wants Tougher AI Rules | DW News

May 25, 2026 | The head of the Catholic Church is taking on artificial intelligence. Pope Leo XIV is calling for tougher AI regulation, warning against autonomous weapons, concentrated corporate power, and a future where humans lose control. But can the Vatican really shape the AI revolution?

Hitler über Berlin - Der Aufstieg des Nationalsozialismus von der Weimarer Republik bis 1939 (1/5)

Sep 17, 2021 | Der Film zeigt Berlin und den Aufstieg des Nationalsozialismus von der Weimarer Republik bis in das Jahr 1939. Zitate aus der Zeit dokumentieren die Ereignisse, wie die Berliner diese Jahre erlebt haben. Das zum Teil stark beschädigte schwarz-weiß und farbige Originalmaterial wurde in einem Durchlauf mithilfe von künstlicher Intelligenz restauriert.

Zusammenschnitt der Irmgard von zur Mühlen Dokumentarfilme "Weltbühne Berlin" (1988), "Berlin unter dem Hakenkreuz" (1987), "Bomben auf Berlin" (1983) sowie CHRONOS-MEDIA Film- und Tonarchiv.

Food Prices Could Rise 50% in UK

Here’s the low down.

Sandra Navidi warnt vor Trumps Machtanspruch

Sandra Navidi spricht die Wahrheit.
Die Amerikaner müssen das dümmste Volk der Welt sein, um einen solchen Präsidenten zweimal zu wählen. Trump ruiniert die amerikanische Wirtschaft und das Gleiche tut er auch mit der Weltwirtschaft. Und trotzdem dulden die Amerikaner diesen Quatsch! — © Mark Alexander

Trump Is Setting His Sights on Restricting Legal Immigration

THE NEW YORJ TIMES: After a year focused on immigrants here illegally, the Trump administration is now making it harder for legal migrants to stay in the country. It is a risky pivot.

The Trump administration has pulled back its aggressive operations in cities like Chicago and Minneapolis after bad polling indicated the crackdown on illegal immigration was unpopular.

In its wake, however, a new approach is emerging on legal immigration, one that makes it harder for those abroad to enter the United States, and for those already here on a temporary basis to stay. In recent months, Trump administration officials have discussed the legal immigration system as rife with fraud and abuse, and in need of wholesale reform.

The increasingly tough tack on legal immigration was underscored Friday when the Department of Homeland Security announced a policy requiring most immigrants seeking green cards to leave the United States while they wait long periods of time for their applications to be processed.

Green cards are granted to legal permanent residents who have been vetted by the government and are one step away from becoming citizens. The policy caused immigration attorneys to scramble to understand the scope of a process that had long avoided being targeted. » | Hamed Aleaziz | Reporting from Washington | Saturday, May 23, 2026

Defiant After Bad Week, Trump Pushes Ahead on Politically Unpopular Ideas

This screenshot of President Trump has been taken from this NYT article. | President Trump at the White House on Friday. | Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump continues to act like he’s politically all-powerful, even in the face of indications that he is not.

By pretty much any estimation, President Trump has had a very bad week.

New poll numbers show his approval rating has hit a second-term low. He is weighing whether to restart a bombing campaign in an unpopular war against Iran. Gas prices are high and inching higher heading into Memorial Day weekend. And his grip over Republican lawmakers is beginning to slip after he proposed a pair of deeply unpopular spending items, prompting an unusual revolt from the Senate.

When faced with such a backlash ahead of midterm elections, many politicians would pivot, redirecting their focus to issues they are on stronger footing with.

But Mr. Trump has decided to double down, presenting himself as politically all-powerful even in the face of indications that he is not.

Over the years, Mr. Trump has often appeared to have an air of invincibility. He survived assassination attempts and won re-election despite being under multiple criminal indictments. He has successfully exacted retribution on many a perceived enemy. Now, with less than three years left in office, he seems comfortable burning whatever political capital he has in order to leave his legacy, even if it drags his party down in the process. » | Luke Broadwater | Luke Broadwater covers the White House. He reported from Washington. | Saturday, May 23, 2026

EU and Mexico Seal Trade Deal to Reduce Reliance on US | DW News

May 23, 2026 | Facing pressure from Donald Trump’s tariffs, the European Union and Mexico are turning to each other. A newly finalized trade pact aims to cut barriers and boost investment—but also signals a broader effort to reduce reliance on the United States. The deal reflects shifting global alliances, though Mexico must tread carefully as it renegotiates its crucial trade relationship with Washington.

Rob Groves: Would Burnham’s Labour Finally Kill Off Brexit?

May 23, 2026

Brexit could only have appealed to Brexiteers on an emotional level. It couldn’t possibly have appealed to them on an intellectual level. How can I say this? Because Brexit defied common sense and because it defied all sensible laws of economics.

Voters were manipulated and hoodwinked into voting for Brexit by the few that were going to make a killing from it. Those arch-Brexiteers who led the people to drink from the poisoned chalice couldn’t have cared a damn for the well-being of the electorate because there were simply no real, concrete benefits attached to exiting the European Union.

As a result of Brexit, the British economy has suffered greatly: it has suffered a serious contraction. And people have suffered, too: they are much, much poorer than they ever needed to be. They have also lost all their rights as European citizens. That means FA to the superrich, of course, because they can afford to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds to buy back those lost privileges. But that is a luxury the average voter cannot afford.

Actually, Brexit brought with it a serious loss of rights and privileges. Here are just a few of them: Brits have lost the right to move to any EU nation to work, live, and retire; they have lost the right to move around Europe freely, and to stay for as long as they wanted; they have lost their right to free healthcare, even when on holiday, and in any EU nation; they have lost their right to vote in any EU election when living in an EU nation; and they have lost robust consumer protections as well. And all this just to fulfil and cater to the wet dreams of benighted europhobes and xenophobes! — © Mark Alexander

Why the Breath Is Leaving Trump's Regime | Steve Schmidt

May 22, 2026 | Trump's political collapse is accelerating, his approval is cratering, and the most despicable Congress in American history will fall in November. This Memorial Day weekend, Steve Schmidt declares the beginning of a summer that will bring the end of MAGA.

Trump STINKS of CORRUPTION! How much longer are Americans going to tolerate this S***? Enough is enough! Don’t just lie down and play dead: Do something about it! This man is STEALING innocent, hard-working Americans’ tax dollars, their hard-earned money. — © Mark Alexander

UK Pitched Single Market for Goods with EU in Pursuit of Deeper Trade Ties

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Top British official presented idea in Brussels but sources say it was rebuffed

This screenshot has been taken from this Guardian article. | UK government sources denied the EU had definitively rejected a single market for goods. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA
The UK government pitched the creation of a single market for goods with the EU as the cornerstone of an ambitious attempt to reintegrate British trade back into Europe, the Guardian can reveal.

During recent visits to Brussels, the Cabinet Office’s top official on EU relations, Michael Ellam, presented the idea to deepen the UK’s economic relationship with the bloc.

But in a sign of the challenge Keir Starmer’s government faces in securing growth through a closer relationship with Europe, sources told the Guardian that EU officials rejected the idea – and instead suggested a customs union or economic alignment through the European Economic Area.

Those ideas are impossible under Starmer’s red lines. He said in 2024 the UK would not rejoin the EU, the single market or customs union in his lifetime. The EEA – a single market of 30 mostly EU countries – would also mean accepting free movement of people, another Labour red line.

UK government sources however, denied that the EU had definitively rejected a single market for goods and said it was among a range of options being discussed before a summit tentatively pencilled in for 13 July. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels and Rowena Mason | Friday, May 22, 2026

Michael Lambert: Trump's $700 Billion Disaster | Why He Thinks He's Greater Than Alexander

May 22, 2026 | Donald Trump, the coiffured orange buffoon, has started a war that's cost the world $700 billion — and he genuinely believes history will remember him alongside Alexander the Great.

In this video I explain why the exact opposite is true. From his delusions of imperial grandeur — a Versailles ballroom, an Arc de Trump, his face on banknotes and passports — to a cabinet of sycophants and a Treasury Secretary who couldn't tell the truth about who pays tariffs, this is the story of a president who has lost his grip on reality.

And it gets worse. His war on Iran has thrown the Middle East into chaos, blocked the Strait of Hormuz, and the economic fallout is hitting Britain too — higher petrol prices, disrupted trade, all on top of the damage already done by Brexit.

Meanwhile, his biggest cheerleader in the UK is Nigel Farage — the same man who gave you Brexit and told you we'd have £350 million a week for the NHS. If you think Trump's America is a disaster, imagine Farage's Britain. …


I loved Michael Lambert’s colourful description of the failed president as the “coiffured orange buffoon” in the White House! It caused me to burst into laughter!

I totally agree with Michael’s synopsis. Both of the situation in America and of the situation in the world under Trump, and of the distinctly possible scenario of Britain under our very own home-grown buffoon, Nigel Farage.

His assessment of the situation is absolutely spot-on, but oh so depressing! All we can hope for, I suppose, is a miracle to help us avert total and utter disaster. — © Mark Alexander

Investitionen, Zölle, Rohstoffe: Mexiko und EU besiegeln neues Abkommen

BERLINER ZEITUNG: Mehr als 90 Prozent des Handels sollen künftig ohne Zölle abgewickelt werden. Gegen die Ratifizierung mobilisiert ein Bündnis aus Gewerkschaften und Umweltgruppen.

Die Europäische Union und Mexiko wollen am Freitag in Mexiko-Stadt ein modernisiertes Handels- und Partnerschaftsabkommen unterzeichnen. Der neue Vertrag soll nach Ratifikation das seit dem Jahr 2000 geltende Globalabkommen ersetzen. Das Dokument wird die Unterschriften von Mexikos Präsidentin Claudia Sheinbaum, EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen und Ratspräsident António Costa tragen.

Vorgezogenes Handelsabkommen noch 2026

Parallel wollen beide Seiten ein vorgezogenes reines Handelsabkommen unterzeichnen, das vor dem Gesamtpaket in Kraft treten soll. EU-Handelskommissar Maroš Šefčovič sagte beim Unternehmergipfel am Donnerstag laut der Tageszeitung El Universal, dieses Interimsabkommen solle noch 2026 wirksam werden. Nötig seien dafür noch die Ratifizierung durch den mexikanischen Senat und die EU-Seite. » | Peter Steiniger | Freitag, 22. Mai 2026