Politics

• Friday, March 27th 2026 - 19:50 UTC

  Uruguay considers with “interest” British offer of three Royal Navy offshore patrol vessels

  

  Uruguay's government is considering with “interest” a British offer to acquire three Royal Navy offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), according to El Observador, citing sources at the executive offices. The proposal involves first-generation River-class vessels — HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey, and HMS Severn — operational since 2003 and scheduled for decommissioning in 2028 as part of the British fleet renewal under NATO's defense spending commitments.

• Thursday, March 26th 2026 - 18:47 UTC

  Judge refuses to dismiss Maduro case but questions blocking of funds for his defense

  

  Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected on Thursday the defense's motion to dismiss the charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in a second hearing at the Southern District Court of New York that ran unusually long due to the debate over funding their legal representation.

• Thursday, March 26th 2026 - 18:37 UTC

  Uruguay: Economy Minister reveals daily U.S. pressure to break commercial ties with China

  

  Uruguay's Economy Minister Gabriel Oddone disclosed to business leaders that the United States is exerting “unimaginable” and “unsustainable” pressure on the country to “break” its trade relationship with China, according to the weekly newspaper Búsqueda, citing several attendees at a private meeting with the Confederation of Business Chambers (CCE) held on Tuesday, March 24.

• Thursday, March 26th 2026 - 11:34 UTC

  Royal Navy leads NATO maritime force from German flagship; HMS Dragon in Cyprus

  

  Royal Navy personnel will command one of Nato's maritime immediate response forces from the German flagship as HMS Dragon is no longer available to lead the force, BFBS Forces News understands.

• Thursday, March 26th 2026 - 10:59 UTC

  Maduro faces New York court in key hearing over legal defense

  

  Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appear on Thursday, March 26, before the Southern District Court of New York in a second hearing in the criminal case they face in the United States following their capture in January during a U.S. military operation.

• Thursday, March 26th 2026 - 10:22 UTC

  Colombia Hercules crash aftermath: political clash over causes intensifies days after tragedy

  

  The Hercules C-130 crash in Putumayo, which killed 70 people on March 23, has escalated into an open political confrontation between President Gustavo Petro, the military leadership, and the opposition over the causes of the disaster and the state of the country's defense capabilities, against the backdrop of presidential elections scheduled for May 31.

• Thursday, March 26th 2026 - 01:57 UTC

  Rodríguez promises “legal certainty” to investors while Machado competes for attention from Texas

  

  Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, participated via videoconference on Wednesday at the FII Priority investment forum in Miami, where she assured American, Saudi, and Latin American investors that her government is advancing reforms to guarantee “legal certainty” for investments in the country.

• Wednesday, March 25th 2026 - 20:22 UTC

  Iran rejects Trump's 15-point proposal and asserts sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz

  

  Iran rejected on Wednesday the 15-point proposal put forward by the Trump administration to end the war, calling its terms “excessive and detached from reality,” while international mediators scramble to arrange a direct meeting between representatives of both countries that could be, they warn, the last chance to prevent a broader escalation.

• Wednesday, March 25th 2026 - 19:52 UTC

  Uruguay's economy grew 1.8% in 2025, falling short of official forecasts

  

  Uruguay's economy grew 1.8% in 2025, according to national accounts data published by the Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU). The result fell nearly a full percentage point below the 2.6% forecast included in the government's budget law and was also lower than the 2.5% estimated by the International Monetary Fund.

• Wednesday, March 25th 2026 - 11:15 UTC

  Ex President Boric draws mixed reactions after being spotted riding Santiago de Chile's Metro

  

  Less than two weeks after leaving office, former Chilean President Gabriel Boric drew renewed public attention after being spotted riding the Santiago Metro as an ordinary passenger.