Overnight, the atmosphere at the Vatican has shifted and the future has become more uncertain. The news of Pope Leo XIV’s cancerous tumor has caused devastation, just 17 months after his election in May 2025, at a time when, at 71 and in good physical condition, he was thought likely to remain pope for many years. “We thought we had a pope for 20 years and now it’s no longer clear; this changes everything in the Curia, all the dynamics,” a prelate admits.

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© FABIO FRUSTACI (EFE)

Venezuela categorically rejected Uruguay’s Foreign Ministry position not to resume bilateral diplomatic relations, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister, Félix Plasencia González, wrote via social media.

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Plasencia González wrote that “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects the antiquated and arrogant views that disrespect the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples and that have nothing to do with the transformation process Venezuela is carrying out through political dialogue for democratic coexistence.”

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The response followed remarks by Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin to Brazilian outlet Folha de S.Paulo, in which he justified the refusal to normalize diplomatic ties by saying that “nothing has changed” in the country after electoral processes his government questions.

Lubetkin conditioned the restoration of relations on the holding of new elections and their evaluation by independent courts, he said. He added that “fifteen minutes after” ratifying a democratic winner, his country would resume bilateral relations.

Ante las declaraciones del canciller de la República Oriental del Uruguay, la República Bolivariana de Venezuela rechaza las visiones vetustas y arrogantes que irrespetan la soberanía y la autodeterminación de los pueblos y que nada tienen que ver con el proceso de transformación…

— Félix Plasencia González (@plasenciafelixr) October 12, 2026

Plasencia González said such declarations and positions constituted inadmissible interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs. Venezuela’s future, he made clear, will be defined by its people, in strict adherence to its Constitution and legal order.

This is the driest year on record in Tegucigalpa. Eighty percent of Honduran territory is on red alert, and the capital has had a potable water rationing system every 12 days for a month. The lack of rain is making maize and bean crops in Guatemala — the main food source in a country with the region’s highest rate of chronic child malnutrition — even more vulnerable. The Panama Canal has begun restricting vessel traffic because of water stress in the basin, and the parched Amazon rivers are isolating dozens of riverside communities in Brazil and hampering fishermen’s work.

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© Ivan Valencia (AP)

The EU welcomes Cambodia’s decision to join the Multi-party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) for WTO members, contributing to efforts to uphold a rules-based multilateral trading system. 

With Cambodia’s participation, the MPIA now covers 62 World Trade Organization (WTO) members and 60.4% of world trade.  

The MPIA brings together participants from all continents and at different levels of development, united by a shared commitment to upholding the rules-based trading system. 

The MPIA preserves the right to appeal in trade disputes among participating WTO members, at a time when the WTO’s Appellate Body remains non-functioning. It helps ensure that disputes can continue to be resolved in an orderly and binding manner, avoiding appeals 'into the void'. 

“I welcome Cambodia to the MPIA. The arrangement plays an important role in upholding the rules-based trading system. Each new participant helps reinforce the predictability, stability and credibility of global trade rules. I encourage other WTO members to join the MPIA,” said EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič. 

Background 

The MPIA was established in 2020 and has proven its effectiveness in many WTO disputes.  

Under the MPIA, appeals are heard by arbitrators randomly selected from a pool of 10 standing appeal arbitrators set up by the participating WTO members. These arbitrators are persons of recognised authority, with demonstrated expertise in law, international trade and WTO agreements.  

The MPIA is open to all WTO members as a practical tool for appeal arbitration, pending the restoration of a reformed and fully functioning WTO dispute settlement system. 

As of 1 June 2025, the MPIA has an updated pool of appeal arbitrators to ensure that appeals continue to be heard by independent arbitrators of the highest calibre. 

At the WTO Ministerial Conference that took place earlier this year, MPIA ministers stressed the importance of the MPIA for the security and predictability of the multilateral trading system.  

The current MPIA participants are Australia, Barbados, Benin, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the European Union (and its Member States), Guatemala, Hong Kong (China), Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Macao (China), Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Uruguay and Vietnam.

More information

MC14: Supporting the rules-based multilateral trading system: the role of the MPIA