Stories for January 23rd 2026

Friday, January 23rd 2026 - 23:16 UTC
YPF and Pluspetrol swap upstream stakes to deepen Vaca Muerta push and feed Argentina LNG plan

Argentina’s state-run oil company YPF and local producer Pluspetrol have agreed to a portfolio swap aimed at reshaping their positions in the Vaca Muerta shale play and strengthening supply for YPF’s flagship liquefied natural gas (LNG) export initiative.
Friday, January 23rd 2026 - 23:04 UTC
EU and Ecuador wrap up talks on sustainable investment deal, EU’s first SIFA with Latin America

The European Union and Ecuador have concluded negotiations on a Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement (SIFA), in what Brussels is portraying as the bloc’s first such deal with a Latin American country, according to an EFE report on Friday.
Friday, January 23rd 2026 - 22:55 UTC
Bolivia’s vice president points to Urubó as possible hideout for fugitive Uruguayan trafficker Marset

Bolivia’s Vice President Edmundo Lara said fugitive Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset may be hiding in Urubó, an affluent residential area on the outskirts of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and urged security forces and Interpol to carry out “urgent” raids to verify the lead. In a video posted on social media, Lara questioned why major operations had not been conducted in the area “for a long time,” suggesting a gap in enforcement that could be shielding the suspect.
Friday, January 23rd 2026 - 19:29 UTC
Chavismo pushes oil-law reform to open Venezuela’s upstream to private firms

Venezuela’s National Assembly has approved, in a first reading, a reform to the country’s Hydrocarbons Law that would expand private participation in crude production and marketing—an important shift from the long-running “mixed-company” model in which the state held majority stakes. The bill still requires a second reading before it can become law, EFE reported.
Friday, January 23rd 2026 - 19:19 UTC
EU ‘ready’ to roll out Mercosur deal once South American ratifications start, von der Leyen says

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union is prepared to provisionally implement the EU–Mercosur trade agreement as soon as Mercosur countries begin completing their ratification procedures, seeking to reassure partners after a European Parliament vote injected fresh uncertainty into the bloc’s approval track.
Friday, January 23rd 2026 - 18:16 UTC
Online Casinos for Real Money: Real Money Casinos Reveals Which Platforms Pay Out Fastest

Independent review site documents which operators deliver on promises.
Friday, January 23rd 2026 - 18:08 UTC
Argentina’s tax and customs agency complaint targets national football federation over fake invoices

Argentina’s Revenue and Customs Control Agency (ARCA) has filed a fresh complaint against the Argentine Football Association (AFA), alleging undocumented outflows of money and the use of fake invoices, with a preliminary estimated tax damage of more than 375 million pesos (around USD 262,372.01), according to Argentine media reports.
Friday, January 23rd 2026 - 03:50 UTC
Venezuela frees opposition leader’s son-in-law as Caracas signals thaw with Washington

Venezuelan authorities on Thursday released Rafael Tudares, the son-in-law of opposition figure Edmundo González Urrutia, in one of the most politically charged prisoner releases since Nicolás Maduro’s ouster and the installation of an interim administration led by Delcy Rodríguez, according to agency reporting.