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El gobierno británico comienza a endurecer su política de asilo e inmigración

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El primer ministro Keir Starmer y la secretaria de Interior Shabana Mahmood (der.) visitan la mezquita de Peacehaven el 23 de octubre de 2025 en Peacehaven, Reino Unido. Peter Nicholls/Pool vía REUTERS

El gobierno laborista británico presenta este lunes una reforma para endurecer su política de asilo e inmigración y frenar la llegada de personas en pequeñas embarcaciones desde las costas francesas, en un momento en que la extrema derecha encabeza los sondeos.

La ministra de Interior, Shabana Mahmood, expondrá esta tarde en el Parlamento las medidas para luchar contra la inmigración irregular.

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Entre las ya conocidas se incluyen la reducción de la protección a los refugiados, quienes serán “obligados a regresar a su país tan pronto como se considere seguro”, y la supresión del acceso automático a las ayudas sociales para los solicitantes de asilo.

Desde el 1 de enero, 39.292 personas han llegado a Reino Unido en pequeñas embarcaciones, una cifra que supera la de 2024 (36.816).

Las solicitudes de asilo aumentaron un 18% en 2024, mientras que en el conjunto de la Unión Europea (UE) disminuyeron un 13% en el mismo período, según cifras del gobierno.

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La ministra británica del Interior,
La ministra británica del Interior, Shabana Mahmood, comparece el domingo con Laura Kuenssberg en la BBC de Londres, Gran Bretaña, el 16 de noviembre de 2025 en esta imagen distribuida. Jeff Overs/BBC/Handout via REUTERS

Desde 2021 se han registrado más de 400.000 solicitudes, frente a 150.000 en el período 2011-2015, siempre según cifras oficiales.

Desde hace varios meses, el partido de extrema derecha Reform UK, liderado por Nigel Farage y que ha convertido la inmigración en su principal tema de campaña, encabeza las encuestas de intención de voto.

Entre las medidas ya anunciadas, los refugiados deberán “regresar a su país de origen tan pronto como se considere seguro” y su situación será revisada cada 30 meses.

Los demandantes de asilo tendrán que esperar veinte años, frente a los cinco actuales, para solicitar un permiso de residencia permanente, una medida inspirada en el modelo danés.

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En cuanto a las ayudas sociales (vivienda, subsidios económicos), ya no serán automáticas.

Un grupo de migrantes tratan
Un grupo de migrantes tratan de llegar a Gran Bretaña desde Gravelines, Francia, el 6 de noviembre del 2025. (AP foto/Jean-Francois Badias)

El gobierno quiere suprimirlas “para aquellos que tienen derecho a trabajar y pueden mantenerse por sí mismos”.

En la actualidad, las autoridades pagan una asignación semanal y proporciona alojamiento a los demandantes de asilo.

El costo de los hoteles para alojar a los solicitantes de asilo ha sido muy criticado, especialmente por la extrema derecha.

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El gobierno quiere modificar la aplicación en Reino Unido de la Convención Europea de Derechos Humanos para facilitar las expulsiones.

De este modo, sólo podrán permanecer en el país las personas que ya tengan familiares directos en el Reino Unido (hijos, padres).

Los demandantes de asilo tendrán
Los demandantes de asilo tendrán que esperar veinte años, frente a los cinco actuales, para solicitar un permiso de residencia permanente.

La ministra de Interior defendió el domingo en la BBC y Sky News estas primeras medidas.

Antes de presentarlas en el Parlamento, el gobierno británico anunció este lunes que podría restringir la concesión de visados a tres países africanos, a los que acusa de no colaborar en la repatriación de sus ciudadanos en situación irregular.

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El Ministerio del Interior señaló en un comunicado a Angola, Namibia y la República Democrática del Congo, indicando que considera “inaceptable” su escasa cooperación en materia de expulsiones.

Los tres países africanos “tienen un mes” para mejorar la situación, advirtió el lunes el secretario de Estado de Asilo y Seguridad Fronteriza, Alex Norris, en el canal Sky News.

Para respaldar la posible medida contra estos países africanos, el Ministerio de Interior sostiene que “miles de migrantes en situación irregular originarios de estas tres naciones se encuentran actualmente en Reino Unido”.

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La secretaria del Interior británica,
La secretaria del Interior británica, Shabana Mahmood, aparece el domingo con Laura Kuenssberg en la sede de la BBC en Londres, Reino Unido, el 16 de noviembre de 2025, en esta imagen distribuida por REUTERS. Jeff Overs/BBC/Distribuida.

El gobierno dijo que considerará medidas similares contra otros países, en particular aquellos que presentan “tasas elevadas de solicitudes de asilo” de personas que han entrado irregularmente en Reino Unido.

Nigel Farage, líder de Reform UK, celebró los anuncios del gobierno laborista, diciendo que la ministra de Interior “parece una simpatizante” de su partido.

En cambio, la diputada laborista Stella Creasy criticó las reformas calificándolas de “crueles” y “económicamente mal calculadas”, en un artículo en The Guardian.

(con información de AP)

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Apagones, inflación y transporte limitado: la vida incierta de los cubanos sin combustible por el cerco impuesto por Estados Unidos

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Apagones prolongados, transporte limitado, empleos amenazados y precios en alza: la crisis energética golpea la vida cotidiana de los cubanos y alimenta la incertidumbre sobre lo que depara el futuro.

El estado de las reservas de combustible del país sigue siendo la gran incógnita. Por el momento, las medidas de emergencia anunciadas por el gobierno estarán vigentes hasta los primeros días de marzo.

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Transporte limitado

En la isla de 9,6 millones de habitantes, el gobierno suspendió la venta de diésel y restringió drásticamente la de gasolina como parte de las medidas de emergencia frente a la crisis actual.

Los propietarios de vehículos ahora tienen acceso a 20 litros de gasolina a través de una aplicación móvil que organiza la distribución que puede tardar meses.

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Mientras el transporte público se ha reducido sustancialmente, se ha duplicado el precio del pasaje de los pocos taxis privados que aún circulan por las calles de La Habana y el de los triciclos eléctricos que sirven de transporte colectivo.

«Los tiempos están complicados», explica a la AFP Yixander Díaz, un albañil de 27 años que vive en un municipio periférico de La Habana y se desplaza cada día en bicicleta hasta el centro de la ciudad para trabajar, con herramientas y materiales en su bicicleta.

Hasta hace poco, este padre de dos niños trabajaba como taxista, pero ante la escasez de petróleo debió «parquear la moto, parquear el carro» y regresar a su antiguo oficio de albañil para «seguir sobreviviendo».

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Empleos amenazados

Como parte de las medidas, que también incluyen una semana laboral de cuatro días, el gobierno informó que mantendrá durante un mes el 100% del salario para los empleados públicos.

Personas esperan transporte público en La Habana (Cuba). Foto EFE

Asimismo, la desaceleración de la actividad económica ya afecta a las empresas privadas, a los trabajadores autónomos y los informales.

Alexander Callejas, de 49 años, trabaja por su cuenta como parqueador en un restaurante privado de La Habana Vieja, donde la cifra de clientes que llegan en sus coches se ha reducido. «En cualquier momento me quedo sin trabajo y no sé cómo voy a alimentar a mi familia», asegura.

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Según una investigación de la consultora privada Auge, el 96,4% de las pequeñas y medianas empresas privadas del país (unas 8.904) enfrentan un impacto que va de «severo a catastrófico» ante la escasez de combustible.

– Apagones –

La producción local de crudo, de unos 40.000 barriles diarios, apenas permite alimentar las ocho centrales termoeléctricas del país. La falta de diésel paraliza una batería de generadores eléctricos que completan la producción.

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Entre el 1 de enero y el 15 de febrero, la disponibilidad de electricidad disminuyó un 20% respecto a 2025, año en el que Cuba solo satisfizo la mitad de sus necesidades de electricidad, según cifras oficiales recopiladas y analizadas por la AFP.

Sin embargo, esta baja se ve mitigada por un aumento significativo de la producción de energía solar desde principios de 2026, en comparación con 2025 (+42,3%), de acuerdo con la misma fuente.

«Aquí quitan la luz todos los días», declara a la AFP Eduardo, que prefiere no dar su apellido. Resignado, este hombre espera en el umbral de su casa en La Habana que llegue la electricidad para «ver si» puede «cocinar».

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Precios disparados

El aumento del precio de los combustibles y la escasez de transporte han impulsado el encarecimiento de productos como el aceite comestible y diversos bienes agrícolas en el comercio privado. Cuba importa el 80% de los alimentos que consume.

Luis Amauri Morales, vendedor ambulante de frutas y verduras, reconoce que los productos agrícolas son cada día más caros. «Puede llegar la escasez», si persisten la crisis del combustible y el aumento de su precio, vaticina este hombre de 52 años. Un litro de petróleo se cotiza ya a cinco dólares en el mercado negro.

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Yordan González, de 20 años, empleado de un pequeño comercio de Centro Habana que vende frutas y verduras importadas, ya siente el impacto de la escasez.

«Empezamos a trabajar a las nueve de la mañana y a las doce del día tenemos que cerrar ya porque no hay mercancía» y «no hay petróleo» para traer más, refiere.

En el puerto comercial de El Mariel, el mayor de la zona occidental de Cuba, los contenedores se acumulan por falta de diésel para distribuir las mercancías, según una fuente del sector.

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Con Rigoberto Díaz. Agencia AFP

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From grief to gold medals, Trump’s SOTU guest list tells a bigger story

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President Donald Trump will deliver his fourth State of the Union address of his presidential tenure Tuesday night, which will include guests stretching from conservative speaker Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika, to the parents of the National Guard member fatally shot on the streets of Washington, D.C., in November 2025. 

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Trump will take the dais at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Tuesday, when he is expected to deliver a data-heavy speech focused on the economy and his administration’s wins lowering cost-of-living woes. 

He will be joined by special guests who will help illustrate how his policies have delivered real savings to everyday Americans, those who have been the victims of crimes and tragedy and those embodying American triumph. 

Among top names invited to the address are Erika Kirk, who is now leading conservative group Turning Point USA after her husband, the group’s co-founder and executive director, was assassinated in September 2025 while touring college campuses. Trump’s speech will include mentions of the U.S.’ «tremendous revival of faith, Christianity, and belief in God in our country» since Kirk’s death, The Daily Wire reported. 

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Brady Tkachuk, Jack Hughes, Matthew Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes attend a celebration of the USA Men’s Hockey Team’s Olympic Gold Feb. 23, 2026, in Miami.  (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for E11EVEN Miami)

The U.S. men’s hockey team also is traveling to the speech after winning the gold in the Olympics after defeating Canada 2–1. The team traveled on a blue-and-white Air Force jet from Miami to the nation’s capital Tuesday.

Everyday Americans also will play a large role in Trump’s speech, with the president inviting women such as Catherine Rayner of Norfolk, Virginia. Rayner and her husband have been navigating fertility complications and in vitro fertilization for five years. 

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LIBERAL PUNDITS CALL TEAM USA HOCKEY PLAYERS ‘MORONS,’ SCOLD GOLD MEDALISTS OVER TRUMP CALL

Rayner became the first patient of TrumpRx.gov — a government-run portal designed to steer consumers toward lower-cost prescription drugs offered by manufacturers — earlier in February when it rolled out, and saw pharmaceutical bills drop from about $4,000 to $500, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

Trump points while delivering 2025 State of the Union speech

President Donald Trump will deliver his fourth State of the Union address of his presidential tenure Tuesday night.  (Win McNamee/Pool via Reuters)

The president also invited Pennsylvania mom Megan Hemhouser, who homeschools her two children and also works as a waitress in the evenings. Her husband is a heavy machinery operator, with the family showcasing how the president’s «no tax on tips» and «no tax on overtime» policies have benefited everyday families. The Hemhousers have benefited from a $5,000 increase in take-home pay under Trump’s tax plans included in the one «big beautiful bill.» 

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GROWING NUMBER OF DEMOCRATS SKIPPING TRUMP’S 2026 STATE OF THE UNION

National Guard Continue Patrolling Washington, DC After Shooting

Members of the National Guard patrols along Constitution Ave. on December 01, 2025 in Washington, DC. Two West Virginia National Guard troops were shot blocks from the White House on November 26, resulting in the death of Sarah Beckstrom on Thursday, November 27, following what authorities called a targeted attack. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

Trump also invited the parents of Sarah Beckstrom, the 20-year-old National Guard member who was killed in Washington, D.C., ahead of Thanksgiving 2025. 

Dalilah Coleman, 7, will also attend the speech, CBS News reported. Coleman was left seriously injured by a California car crash involving an illegal immigrant truck driver in 2024. 

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SPEECHWRITERS FROM REAGAN TO BIDEN AGREE: TRUMP’S SOTU IS A CRITICAL TEST FOR HIS SECOND TERM

Trump and Melania at New Year's event

President Donald Trump revealed that first lady Melania Trump is no fan of his public dancing on stage.  (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

First lady Melania Trump invited guests who the White House said reflect on her «Be Best, Fostering the Future» push, including Sierra Burns, a participant in her Foster Youth to Independence Program, and Everest Nevraumont, a 10-year-old student at an AI-focused private school, Alpha School, an AI advocate and a TedX speaker. 

The pair will join the first lady in her box for the 2026 State of the Union, spotlighting her focus on expanding opportunity through education and technology, according to the White House’s website. 

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Trump additionally invited the U.S. women’s hockey team to the speech after their gold win over Canada, but they declined due to the timing of the speech. 

Trump’s speech is expected to focus on economic wins under his leadership, while celebrating the nation’s landmark 250th anniversary of independence. 

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital ahead of the speech, «President Trump’s State of the Union Address will celebrate 250 glorious years of our nation’s independence and excellence, highlighting incredible stories of American heroes throughout the speech.»

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Iran’s shadowy chemical weapons program draws scrutiny as reports allege use against protesters

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A new report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) raises concerns about Iran’s opaque chemical weapons program, which argues policymakers have paid little attention to compared with Iran’s more scrutinized nuclear weapons program. 

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The FDD report outlines how the Iranian regime may have resorted to the unconventional use of chemical weapons while it faced an unprecedented uprising beginning in December 2025, a wave of unrest Tehran has not seen since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Any use of chemical weapons by Iran would be in defiance of their obligations under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.

«The United States, its allies and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) should investigate credible claims that Iran’s regime used chemical weapons against its own people,» Andrea Stricker, deputy director of FDD’s nonproliferation program and author of the report, told Fox News Digital.

An Iranian military truck carries surface-to-air missiles past a portrait of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a parade on April 18, 2018, in Tehran. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

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Iran’s illicit chemical weapons program is under renewed scrutiny as the Trump administration appears closer to taking military action against Iran and its nuclear weapons program.

While the U.S. has been engaged in indirect talks with Iranian officials mediated by Oman in Geneva, the U.S. has increased its military presence in the Persian Gulf, sending the USS Gerald R. Ford to join dozens of other warships to the region.

On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted on X that «Iran will resume talks with the U.S. in Geneva with a determination to achieve a fair and equitable deal—in the shortest possible time.»

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The foreign minister claimed that Iran will not pursue nuclear weapons under any circumstances but emphasized that Iran will not forgo its right to harness peaceful nuclear technology.

ISRAELI OFFICIALS REPORTEDLY WARN IRAN’S BALLISTIC MISSILES COULD TRIGGER SOLO MILITARY ACTION AGAINST TEHRAN

Exterior view of the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, OPCW, in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, May 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

The headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, Netherlands, May 5, 2017. (Peter Dejong/The Associated Press)

«A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority,» he added.

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Despite the optimism and push for continued talks, there remain fears that Iran will not make any meaningful concessions on their nuclear program, which could lead to U.S. military strikes on the nation.

A broader regime change campaign to topple the Islamic republic’s government, led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is also not off the table, according to some reports.

«If Washington launches strikes against Iran, it should give serious consideration to targeting the regime’s chemical weapons research and production facilities. Such action would help halt further development and potential use of these weapons while sending a clear message that the regime cannot commit atrocities with impunity,» Stricker said.

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The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which Iran is party to, upholds the norms against state-held chemical weapons, specifically, banning states’ development, stockpiling, production and use of chemical weapons, even for retaliatory reasons, as well as their receipt from or transfer to anyone.

US ASSETS IN MIDDLE EAST POSITIONED FOR ‘HIGHLY KINETIC’ WAR, EX-PENTAGON OFFICIAL WARNS

Israel’s deputy ambassador to the Netherlands, Yaron Wax, said in July 2025 before a special meeting of the OPCW that «over the past two decades Iran has been developing a chemical weapons program based on weaponized pharmaceutical agents.»

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These agents, Wax said, impact the central nervous system and can be fatal even in small doses. 

The ambassador said at the Shahid Meisami Research Complex, destroyed by Israel in June 2025, Iran’s Shahid Meisami Group (SMG) was working on fentanyl opioid-derived tactical munitions for military use. Israel believes the pharmaceutical-based agents were transferred to Syria’s longtime and now deposed dictator, Bashar al-Assad, and Iraqi Shia militias as well.

Iran began developing its chemical weapons program in 1983 during its war with Iraq in response to chemical attacks from the regime of Saddam Hussein, according to the U.S. Intelligence Community.

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As recently as 2024, the U.S. has repeatedly found Iran in noncompliance with its obligations under the CWC.

In a post on X in November 2024, the Iranian mission to the United Nations pushed back on the charges against it. «A victim of Western-donated chemical weapons employed by the Saddam regime, Iran stands as a responsible member of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Over the past several decades, not a single instance of Iranian violation has been recorded. The current unfounded reports are merely an outgrowth of psychological warfare propagated by the Zionist regime in the wake of its recent defeat on the Lebanese front.»

Burning cars line a street in Tehran as thick smoke rises during unrest.

Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency’s value in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2026. (Stringer/West Asia News Agency via Reuters)

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Stricker says the U.S. and international community have failed to hold Iran accountable for its illegal chemical weapons program, and meaningful action must be taken to prevent Iran from transporting banned substances to Iran’s nefarious proxy actors in the Middle East.

The report notes that the U.S. and OPCW should launch a pressure campaign against Iran, calling out the regime and publicizing any violations. The Trump administration, the report recommends, should demand a formal ultimatum to demonstrate compliance with the convention and accept monitoring and verification mechanisms.

FDD also suggests Israel should ratify the CWC and work within the OPCW, which would give Israel more credibility in combating Iranian violations.

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Smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13, 2025. Israel attacked Iran's capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran.

Smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025, during an attack by Israel. (Getty Images)

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The report says that, as a last resort, the U.S. should consider launching strikes targeting regime chemical weapons facilities, or support Israeli efforts, if actionable intelligence indicates movement on Iran’s chemical weapons efforts or a renewed push by the regime to use such illegal weapons to crack down on anti-government protests.

«The only solution to Iran’s persistent WMD threat is for the United States and Israel to undermine the regime’s grip on power. Until then, the two nations will periodically be forced to play whack-a-mole with Tehran’s capabilities whenever they endanger regional peace,» Stricker said.

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