Politics

• Monday, January 26th 2026 - 01:11 UTC

  Venezuela releases “at least 80” political prisoners as families wait outside jails

  

  Venezuela freed “at least 80” political prisoners on Sunday across multiple detention facilities, according to a preliminary count by rights group Foro Penal, in a slow-moving release process that has left relatives camping outside prisons while awaiting official confirmation.

• Saturday, January 24th 2026 - 23:01 UTC

  Milei takes over Ushuaia port as Tierra del Fuego warns of “overreach” and geopolitical motives

  

  Argentina’s government under President Javier Milei has intervened in the port of Ushuaia—the country’s southernmost port and a major gateway to Antarctica—taking control of operations for one year in a move that has reignited tensions with the Tierra del Fuego provincial administration and opened a wider dispute over federal authority.

• Saturday, January 24th 2026 - 14:13 UTC

  Brazil courted by U.S., EU over critical minerals amid geopolitical competition

  

  Brazil has positioned itself as a strategic player in the global competition for critical minerals such as graphite, nickel, and niobium, which are essential for clean energy technologies, batteries, and defense systems. Both the United States and the European Union have stepped up diplomatic and commercial engagement with Brasília to secure supply deals and cooperation in value chains considered vital for the energy transition and industrial security.

• Saturday, January 24th 2026 - 02:32 UTC

  Lula says Trump wants to “create a new UN” as he attacks proposed Gaza Peace Council

  

  Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Friday that global politics is entering a critical phase in which “multilateralism is being thrown out by unilateralism,” and argued that US President Donald Trump is effectively proposing “to create a new UN in which he alone is the owner,” referring to Washington’s plan to set up a Peace Council tied to the administration of Gaza.

• 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 - 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.

• Thursday, January 22nd 2026 - 23:02 UTC

  Argentina envoy asks French lawmakers to cover “Falklands” label on map during hearing

  

  Argentina’s ambassador to France, Ian Sielecki, halted the start of a hearing at France’s National Assembly and refused to speak while a map behind him displayed the Falklands/Malvinas as UK territory. Proceedings resumed only after a staff member covered the islands with a sticky note.

• Thursday, January 22nd 2026 - 21:51 UTC

  US appoints career diplomat Laura Dogu as new mission chief for Venezuela amid thaw signals

  

  The United States has named veteran Foreign Service officer Laura Dogu as its new mission chief for Venezuela, a step that aligns with broader signs of a tentative diplomatic reset — including discussions about reopening embassies and plans for Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodríguez to travel to Washington, though no dates or agenda have been disclosed.