Politics

• Wednesday, January 28th 2026 - 14:33 UTC

  Venezuela’s draft hydrocarbons reform faces extensive legislative scrutiny

  

  Venezuela’s proposed hydrocarbons law overhaul is under intense legislative scrutiny, with more than 80 amendments submitted by lawmakers, legal experts and energy sector associations ahead of a planned final vote, Reuters reported Tuesday.

• Wednesday, January 28th 2026 - 14:30 UTC

  U.S. prepares general licence to ease Venezuelan energy sanctions after Maduro capture

  

  The United States is preparing a general licence to ease sanctions on Venezuela’s energy sector, aiming to facilitate an estimated $2 billion oil supply deal between Caracas and Washington, U.S. government sources told Reuters on Tuesday. The move is part of a strategic shift in U.S. policy after the Jan. 3 capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces.

• Wednesday, January 28th 2026 - 09:49 UTC

  Lula and Chile’s president-elect Kast meet for the first time in Panama ahead of ‘Latin Davos’ forum

  

  Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Chile’s president-elect José Antonio Kast held their first bilateral meeting in Panama on Tuesday, shortly after arriving for the International Economic Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean — an event promoted by organizers and regional media as a “Latin Davos.”

• Wednesday, January 28th 2026 - 08:56 UTC

  Marco Rubio says U.S. may use force again in Venezuela if Delcy Rodríguez “does not cooperate”

  

  U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will tell the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday that Washington is prepared to “use force” again in Venezuela if it determines that acting president Delcy Rodríguez is not cooperating “to the level” expected by President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a draft of his prepared remarks cited by media.

• Tuesday, January 27th 2026 - 22:47 UTC

  Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly marks Holocaust Memorial Day

  

  The Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly marked Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January, joining people and governments worldwide in a statement centered on remembrance and renewed vigilance against hatred and discrimination.

• Tuesday, January 27th 2026 - 15:33 UTC

  EU and India seal historic trade deal after 18 years of talks

  

  New Delhi and Brussels announced on Tuesday that they had concluded the largest bilateral trade deal in their histories after almost two decades of negotiations. The pact links India’s 1.4 billion-person economy with the 27-nation European Union and, according to both sides, will create a free-trade zone for around 2 billion consumers and sharply lower tariffs and other barriers that have long hindered commerce between the two regions.

• Tuesday, January 27th 2026 - 10:59 UTC

  Why a U.S. military plane landed in Ushuaia: lawmakers, ports and geopolitics

  

  The landing in Ushuaia of a U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers has reignited political controversy in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province and sharpened attention on the country’s strategic footprint in the South Atlantic and Antarctica, amid deepening ties between President Javier Milei and U.S. President Donald Trump.

• Tuesday, January 27th 2026 - 10:38 UTC

  Falklands’ expert participates in program on food security and climate change

  

  Falkland Islands Government Department of Agriculture Agricultural Advisor and Chair of the Beef Suppliers Working Group, Olivia Woodiwiss, represented the Falkland Islands at the Green Overseas Program “Strengthening Food Systems Resilient to Climate Change” workshop in Tahiti, last December where she spoke on beef supply chain challenges, stakeholder coordination, and adapting agriculture to climate change alongside counterparts from 15 Overseas Countries and Territories.

• Tuesday, January 27th 2026 - 10:18 UTC

  Uruguay Central Bank accelerates easing, cuts key rate to 6.5% as dollar hits lows

  

  Uruguay’s Central Bank (BCU) cut its benchmark policy rate by 100 basis points to 6.5% and said monetary policy “enters an expansionary phase,” framing the move as a way to prevent inflation from drifting away from its 4.5% target and to respond to recent strains in the foreign-exchange market.

• Tuesday, January 27th 2026 - 09:55 UTC

  Delcy Rodriguez meets Repsol, Chevron and Shell as Venezuela pushes oil law overhaul to draw investment

  

  Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez met on Monday in Caracas with representatives of oil companies including Repsol, Chevron and Shell to discuss a hydrocarbons law reform now moving through the National Assembly, as her government seeks to attract private and foreign investment. The meeting took place at PDVSA facilities and forms part of a mandatory public consultation phase after the bill cleared its first legislative debate.