Stories for March 18th 2026

Wednesday, March 18th 2026 - 23:39 UTC
Delcy Rodríguez removes Vladimir Padrino as Venezuela’s defense minister

Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez on Wednesday removed Vladimir Padrino López as defense minister and appointed General Gustavo González López in his place, ending one of the longest and most politically sensitive tenures within the country’s ruling military hierarchy. Venezuelan media reported the move citing Rodríguez’s official message on X, in which she thanked Padrino for his “loyalty to the homeland” and said he would take on “new responsibilities.”
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Wednesday, March 18th 2026 - 23:10 UTC
Brazil promulgates Mercosur-EU deal, completing domestic ratification of trade pact

Brazil’s Congress on Tuesday promulgated the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union, completing the final domestic step required for the treaty to take effect on the Brazilian side. The ceremony was led by Senate and Congress President Davi Alcolumbre, who framed the pact as a sign in favor of trade, stability and integration at a time of wars and commercial tensions.
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Wednesday, March 18th 2026 - 23:04 UTC
Falklands celebrate success of Shearers and Wool-handlers Team at world Golden Shears competition in New Zealand

Congratulations have been pouring on the Falkland Islands Team at the recent 2026 World Shearing and Wool-handling Championships, Golden Shears, at Masterton, New Zealand, following the outstanding results obtained at the competition by Adam, Evan, Talia, Pilar and Richard.
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Wednesday, March 18th 2026 - 22:56 UTC
Argentina unemployment rises to 7.5% at end-2025, Indec says

Argentina’s unemployment rate stood at 7.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025, up from 6.4% in the same period of 2024 and from 6.6% in the previous quarter, according to data released on Wednesday by the national statistics agency, Indec. The employment rate was 45.0%, while the activity rate reached 48.6% across the 31 urban areas covered by the Permanent Household Survey.
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Wednesday, March 18th 2026 - 22:44 UTC
Brazil’s central bank starts easing cycle, cuts Selic rate to 14.75%

Brazil’s central bank on Wednesday cut the Selic benchmark rate from 15% to 14.75% a year, marking the first reduction since May 2024 and the formal start of an easing cycle that policymakers had already flagged. In its statement, the Monetary Policy Committee, or Copom, said the move was consistent with its strategy to bring inflation back to target and noted that the external environment had become “more uncertain” because of the intensification of geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East.
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Wednesday, March 18th 2026 - 22:21 UTC
Attack on world’s largest gas field raises tensions and jolts markets

The war involving Iran, Israel and the United States escalated sharply on Wednesday with a strike on South Pars, the Iranian side of the world’s largest natural gas field, which it shares with Qatar. Reuters reported that the hit on the site marked a new phase in the conflict by targeting major Iranian energy infrastructure for the first time in this war, and was followed by Iranian threats and attacks against energy targets across the Gulf.
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Wednesday, March 18th 2026 - 21:00 UTC
Venezuelan National Assembly speaker meets US Senate envoys

Venezuelan National Assembly speaker Jorge Rodríguez said on Wednesday that he met in Caracas with representatives of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and with U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Laura Dogu, in the latest sign of the bilateral opening that began after January’s political shift. Rodríguez said the agenda forms part of a dialogue “always based on mutual respect and cooperation between nations.”
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Wednesday, March 18th 2026 - 11:12 UTC
Government targets faster state processes with new economic reform package

Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi and Economy Minister Gabriel Oddone said the government will send a competitiveness and innovation bill to Congress on May 31, focused on foreign trade, competition policy, innovation and administrative simplification. The initiative was launched alongside a call for unions, business chambers and academia to submit proposals by April 24.
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Wednesday, March 18th 2026 - 01:07 UTC
Magnitude 6 quake strikes eastern Cuba as island remained under nationwide blackout

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Cuba early on Tuesday while the island was still dealing with a nationwide blackout caused hours earlier by the collapse of the power grid. The quake was recorded by the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre at a depth of about 15 km, while reports from Cuba’s seismological service placed the epicenter 37 km southeast of Imías, in Guantánamo province, and said it was felt across several eastern provinces.
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Wednesday, March 18th 2026 - 00:12 UTC
Malaysia in the March 2026 International Window: Match Preview and Result Forecast

Hopping into Hanoi come March 31, Malaysia eyes first place in the race for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Coming off a perfect run through 2025, the team led by Peter Cklamovski now meets its toughest hurdle yet - Vietnam, steady and unyielding. Will the Harimau Malaya hold firm without dropping a match, even when tension spikes? An inside look at how tactics might tilt the balance follows.