Argentina moves first in Mercosur as lower house backs EU trade deal
Friday, February 13,2026,04:09
Argentina became the first Mercosur country to secure an initial legislative green light for the trade agreement with the European Union, after the Chamber of Deputies approved the text late on Thursday. The bloc also includes Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, which have launched their own domestic ratification processes. .. read more..
Paraguay posts $162m trade deficit in January as exports decline
Friday, February 13,2026,00:01
Paraguay recorded a US$ 162.2 million trade deficit in January after reporting US$ 1.2864 billion in exports and US$ 1.4486 billion in imports, according to the Central Bank of Paraguay’s (BCP) monthly foreign trade report. .. read more..
Chile announces humanitarian aid for Cuba as Boric condemns U.S. embargo
Thursday, February 12,2026,21:54
President Gabriel Boric’s government said on Thursday it will send humanitarian aid to Cuba, as the island faces a deepening economic and energy crisis. .. read more..
6.1-magnitude quake hits Chile’s Coquimbo region; authorities rule out tsunam...
Thursday, February 12,2026,21:34
A magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck northern Chile on Thursday morning, with the epicentre in the Coquimbo region. Chile’s National Seismological Center (CSN) said the event occurred at 10:34:30 local time, locating it 13 km west of Punitaqui at preliminary coordinates of latitude -30.781 and longitude -71.613, with an estimated depth of 54 km. .. read more..
US, China clash over Peru’s Chancay megaport after court bars regulator overs...
Thursday, February 12,2026,21:04
The United States has issued a warning that Peru risks eroding its sovereignty after a court ruling limited state oversight of a Chinese-controlled megaport, prompting a sharp rebuke from Beijing and intensifying geopolitical tensions over a strategic hub on South America’s Pacific coast. The dispute centres on the Port of Chancay, a US$1.3 billion deep water facility located about 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Lima and majority owned by China’s state-run shipping giant Cosco Shipping... .. read more..
Trump privately weighs quitting USMCA trade pact he negotiated, risking US$2 ...
Thursday, February 12,2026,16:06
US President Donald Trump is privately musing about exiting the North American trade pact, people familiar with the matter said, injecting further uncertainty about the deal’s future into pivotal renegotiations involving the US, Canada and Mexico. The president has asked aides why he shouldn’t withdraw from the agreement, which he signed during his first term, though he has stopped short of flatly signalling that he will do so, according to the people who spoke on condition of anonymity to... .. read more..
China’s BYD and Geely bid for Nissan-Mercedes Mexico plant to dodge Trump tar...
Thursday, February 12,2026,14:30
Two of China’s leading carmakers, BYD and Geely, are among the finalists vying to purchase a Nissan–Mercedes-Benz plant in Mexico, according to a person familiar with the matter, as China seeks a manufacturing foothold in a country where US tariffs are fuelling factory closures and lay-offs. The finalists emerged from nine companies expressing interest in acquiring the factory, including at least two other major Chinese manufacturers: Chery and Great Wall Motor, according to two sources... .. read more..
China bought ‘legitimate’ Venezuelan oil from US after Maduro seizure, energy...
Thursday, February 12,2026,14:23
China has bought some Venezuelan oil that was bought earlier by the US, according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright. “China has already bought some of the crude that’s been sold by the US government,” Wright told the media in Caracas, without giving details. “Legitimate Chinese business deals under legitimate business conditions” would be fine, he said, when asked about possible joint ventures in the country. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said he wasn’t familiar with Wright’s... .. read more..
Argentina’s Senate approves Milei’s labour reform amid protests and clashes
Thursday, February 12,2026,12:50
Argentina’s Senate gave initial approval to President Javier Milei’s labor reform bill after a marathon session that ran for more than 14 hours and unfolded amid street protests outside Congress. The draft cleared the upper chamber by 42 votes to 30 and will now move to the Lower House (Chamber of Deputies) for final consideration. .. read more..
US signals easing of energy restrictions after energy secretary’s Caracas visit
Thursday, February 12,2026,04:10
Venezuela’s acting President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodríguez met on Wednesday at Miraflores Palace with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright to discuss what the Venezuelan government described as “an energy agenda that benefits both nations,” as bilateral contacts continue to reopen. .. read more..
Venezuela reopens airspace as flight links restart after months of disruption
Thursday, February 12,2026,04:00
Venezuela said it has reopened its commercial airspace after restrictions that had disrupted international routes since late 2025, a shift that airlines are beginning to translate into a phased return of flights to and from Caracas. .. read more..
US military laser tech and cartel drones stir airspace confusion in Texas
Thursday, February 12,2026,02:31
For a few hours on Wednesday, the sleepy airport of El Paso, Texas, became a sudden flashpoint for confusion. Late Tuesday night, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a terse notice to pilots that airspace in the area would close - for an unprecedented 10 days - due to “special security reasons”. And then almost as suddenly, the FAA lifted the restrictions on Wednesday morning. Conflicting accounts of what prompted the action in the first place quickly emerged. Trump administration... .. read more..
Petro removes police general Urrego after alleging plot to sabotage Trump mee...
Thursday, February 12,2026,00:00
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered the removal from active duty of Brigadier General Edwin Masleider Urrego Pedraza, who had been serving as police commander in Cali, after accusing him of involvement in an alleged attempt to sabotage Petro’s recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. .. read more..
China vows to ‘do what it can’ as US blockade leaves Cuba with just weeks of oil
Wednesday, February 11,2026,22:37
China will support Cuba “in the best way possible” as the island grapples with an energy crisis following tougher measures imposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday. Speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China “will do what it can” to assist Havana and again condemned what he described as “inhumane actions that deprive the Cuban people of their right to survival and... .. read more..
Argentina Senate set to vote labor reform after last-minute deal on key changes
Wednesday, February 11,2026,05:16
Argentina’s ruling coalition and centrist opposition blocs in the Senate reached a deal to vote on a labor reform bill on Wednesday, starting at 11 a.m., during an extraordinary session, according to the final draft circulated in the upper house and local reporting. The revisions steered by Senate ruling bloc leader Patricia Bullrich are key to advancing the labor reform and include dropping the corporate income tax cut—preserving revenues for provinces and the federal government—concessions to unions and business chambers on mandatory contributions, maintaining the allocation to union-run health funds, and moderating the original severance fund proposal. .. read more..
Colombia’s president says he escaped assassination attempt while in helicopter
Wednesday, February 11,2026,05:13
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Tuesday he had escaped an assassination attempt hours earlier, after months of warnings about an alleged plot by drug traffickers to target him. On Monday night, Petro’s helicopter was unable to land at his destination on the Caribbean coast because of fears that unspecified people “were going to shoot” at it, he said. “We headed out to open sea for four hours and I arrived somewhere we weren’t supposed to go, escaping from being killed,” Petro said in a... .. read more..
Milei calls Trump “an example of courage and leadership” in video sent to Lat...
Wednesday, February 11,2026,04:28
Argentine President Javier Milei called Donald Trump “an example of courage and leadership” in a video message sent to the Hispanic Prosperity Gala hosted by Latino Wall Street at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, after receiving an Economic Freedom award, local outlets reported. .. read more..
Ecuador military accused of restricting press access; HRW condemn
Wednesday, February 11,2026,02:37
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday warned of an “attack on freedom of expression and information” after the disclosure of alleged parameters issued by Ecuador’s armed forces to restrict coverage by media outlets deemed critical, EFE reported. .. read more..
Treasury chief says US seeks ‘fair’ China competition, eyes Latin America rea...
Tuesday, February 10,2026,22:05
The United States is seeking a fair and enduring competition with China, along with strengthening its economic and political relationships with Latin America, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday. He termed this the strategy of reducing vulnerabilities without cutting ties with Beijing. Speaking at an investor conference in Sao Paulo, hosted by the Brazilian bank BTG Pactual, Bessent said that Washington did not want to sever economic ties with China. Still, it was trying to... .. read more..
Argentina: January inflation hits 2.9% and 12-month rate reaches 32.4%, INDEC...
Tuesday, February 10,2026,21:14
Argentina’s inflation came in at 2.9% in January, taking the 12-month rate to 32.4%, according to the national statistics agency INDEC. The reading marked an acceleration of 0.1 percentage points from December. .. read more..
Families of political prisoners protest outside Venezuela’s National Assembly...
Tuesday, February 10,2026,20:59
Families of political prisoners and activists gathered on Tuesday outside Venezuela’s National Assembly in central Caracas, calling for the release of detainees who remain behind bars and challenging the scope of a government-backed amnesty bill. .. read more..
Brazil coffee exports fall 31% in January, Cecafé says
Tuesday, February 10,2026,20:57
Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, exported 2.78 million 60-kg bags in January, down 30.8% from the same month in 2025, according to the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé), EFE reported on Tuesday. .. read more..
Cuba warns airlines it’s almost out of fuel as US blockade deepens energy crisis
Tuesday, February 10,2026,05:20
Cuban aviation officials have warned airlines that there is not enough fuel for planes to refuel on the island, the latest step in its moves to ration energy as the Trump administration cuts the Caribbean nation off from its fuel resources. The government of Cuba published the notices to airlines and pilots on Sunday night, warning that jet fuel would not be available at nine airports across the island, including Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, starting on Tuesday and continuing... .. read more..
Cuba warns airlines it’s almost out of fuel as US blockade tightens chokehold
Tuesday, February 10,2026,05:20
Cuban aviation officials have warned airlines that there is not enough fuel for planes to refuel on the island, the latest step in its moves to ration energy as the Trump administration cuts the Caribbean nation off from its fuel resources. The government of Cuba published the notices to airlines and pilots on Sunday night, warning that jet fuel would not be available at nine airports across the island, including Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, starting on Tuesday and continuing... .. read more..
UK appoints Cost of Living Champion to help poorest families and their energy...
Tuesday, February 10,2026,05:01
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has directly appointed Lord Richard Walker as the Government’s Cost of Living Champion. Lord Richard Walker will work across Government while enhancing partnerships with businesses, regulators, and a broad range of organizations to consider how the whole of Government can go further to deliver on its priority of easing the cost of living for families. .. read more..
Argentina faces ARS 10 trillion maturities as Treasury sets Feb. 11 debt auct...
Tuesday, February 10,2026,04:25
Argentina’s Economy Ministry published the instrument menu for the Feb. 11 debt auction, closely watched by markets given the size of maturities: nearly ARS 10 trillion (around USD 7 million), about ARS 9 trillion of which is held by private investors. .. read more..
US boards sanctioned oil tanker in Indian Ocean after pursuit from Caribbean,...
Monday, February 9,2026,23:49
US military forces boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea as part of an oil quarantine meant to squeeze Venezuela, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday. Venezuela had faced US sanctions on its oil and relied on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains. Following the US raid to apprehend then-President Nicolas Maduro in early January, several tankers fled the Venezuelan coast, including... .. read more..
‘Tracked and hunted’: US forces board oil tanker in Indian Ocean after pursuit
Monday, February 9,2026,23:49
US military forces boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea as part of an oil quarantine meant to squeeze Venezuela, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday. Venezuela had faced US sanctions on its oil and relied on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains. Following the US raid to apprehend then-president Nicolas Maduro in early January, several tankers fled the Venezuelan coast, including... .. read more..
‘Tracked and hunted’: US forces board tanker in Indian Ocean after pursuit
Monday, February 9,2026,23:49
US military forces boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea as part of an oil quarantine meant to squeeze Venezuela, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday. Venezuela had faced US sanctions on its oil and relied on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains. Following the US raid to capture then-president Nicolas Maduro in early January, several tankers fled the Venezuelan coast, including... .. read more..
China becomes Brazil’s biggest vehicle exporter in January, surpassing Argentina
Monday, February 9,2026,22:00
China surpassed Argentina in January to become Brazil’s largest exporter of vehicles, solidifying Chinese brands’ dominance in the region’s biggest car market and undercutting a long-standing Argentine trade advantage within Mercosur. According to industry figures reported by Autoweb on Monday, Chinese vehicles sent to Brazil reached 16,800 units in January, versus 13,400 from Argentina. It underscores the erosion of Argentina’s decades-long grip on Brazil’s import market, after China first led... .. read more..
3 kidnapped miners found dead in Mexico, country’s mining chamber says
Monday, February 9,2026,21:07
Three of 10 mine workers kidnapped last month from a mine run by Canada’s Vizsla Silver Corp in Mexico’s northern state of Sinaloa have been found dead, the country’s mining chamber said on Monday. Ignacio Aurelio Salazar, Jose Angel Hernandez and Jose Manuel Castaneda were confirmed dead by local authorities, Mexican mining chamber Camimex said in a statement. Camimex called for an investigation to find who was responsible. “We ask that the absolute priority remains locating our coworkers... .. read more..
Mexico says 5 of 10 workers kidnapped from Canadian miner found dead
Monday, February 9,2026,21:07
Mexican authorities have recovered 10 bodies in the search for workers kidnapped last month from a mine run by Canada’s Vizsla Silver Corp in Mexico’s northern state of Sinaloa, the country’s attorney general’s office said on Monday. The attorney general’s office said in a statement that it found 10 bodies in the municipality of Concordia, of which five have so far been identified. Forensic teams are working to identify the remaining five bodies, it added. Relatives of those kidnapped told... .. read more..
Colombia: Ruling-party candidate to file criminal complaint against ex-Presid...
Monday, February 9,2026,20:53
Senator Iván Cepeda, the presidential candidate of Colombia’s ruling Pacto Histórico coalition, said he will file a criminal complaint against former President Andrés Pastrana (1998–2002) after Pastrana’s name appeared in newly declassified records linked to Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in the United States for her role in the trafficking scheme. .. read more..
Venezuela re-arrests opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa hours after release
Monday, February 9,2026,12:41
Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa was re-arrested only hours after leaving prison, in a move that sparked renewed accusations of political persecution and raised fresh questions about the scope of the government’s ongoing release process amid a pending amnesty bill. .. read more..
Flávio Bolsonaro steps onto global far-right stage as Brazil presidential hop...
Monday, February 9,2026,08:38
Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has used an international tour in the Middle East to publicly cast himself as a contender for Brazil’s 2026 presidency, seeking visibility among transnational conservative networks as Brazil’s right tries to settle on a standard-bearer. .. read more..
Cuba tells airlines it will run out of jet fuel as of Monday, deepening energ...
Monday, February 9,2026,08:20
Cuba has warned international airlines that it will run out of aviation fuel starting Monday, widening an energy emergency that has already disrupted transport, public services and economic activity — and now threatens to further squeeze tourism, one of the island’s main sources of hard currency. .. read more..
Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl: a tribute to Puerto Rico and a defense of Americ...
Monday, February 9,2026,07:43
Bad Bunny turned the Super Bowl LX halftime show into a hemispheric cultural statement: Puerto Rico at the center, Spanish as the primary language, and an idea of “America” that stretches beyond the United States. .. read more..
Argentina regulates ‘Inocencia Fiscal’ to bring ‘mattress dollars’ into the b...
Monday, February 9,2026,04:09
Argentina’s government has issued the implementing rules for its Inocencia Fiscal law, formally activating a voluntary Simplified Income Tax Regime (RSG) aimed at encouraging taxpayers to bring undeclared savings —popularly known as “mattress dollars”— into the formal economy, while shifting enforcement toward compliance “going forward.” .. read more..
Venezuela frees Juan Pablo Guanipa and members of María Corina Machado’s inne...
Monday, February 9,2026,04:05
Opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa and several close collaborators of anti-government figure María Corina Machado were released from detention in Venezuela on Sunday, in a new round of politically sensitive releases that rights groups say must be measured not only by numbers but also by whether detainees regain full civil and political rights. .. read more..
Venezuela frees several opposition members after lengthy politically motivate...
Sunday, February 8,2026,22:39
Venezuela’s government on Sunday released from prison several prominent opposition members, including one of the closest allies of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, after lengthy politically motivated detentions. Their releases come as the government of acting President Delcy Rodriguez faces mounting pressure to free hundreds of people whose detentions months or years ago have been linked to their political beliefs. They also follow a visit to Venezuela of representatives of the... .. read more..
Venezuela frees opposition members in post-Maduro prisoner releases
Sunday, February 8,2026,22:39
Venezuela’s government on Sunday released from prison several prominent opposition members, including one of the closest allies of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, after lengthy politically motivated detentions. Their releases come as the government of acting President Delcy Rodriguez faces mounting pressure to free hundreds of people whose detentions months or years ago have been linked to their political beliefs. They also follow a visit to Venezuela of representatives of the... .. read more..
Venezuela’s Machado says ally kidnapped by ‘heavily armed men’ after prison r...
Sunday, February 8,2026,22:39
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Monday said one of her closest allies was kidnapped hours after being released from prison. The government had released several prominent opposition members from prison Sunday after lengthy politically motivated detentions. Machado said on social media that Juan Pablo Guanipa was taken around midnight in a residential neighbourhood of the capital, Caracas. “Heavily armed men, dressed in civilian clothes, arrived in four vehicles and violently... .. read more..
Romania, Argentina leaders invited to Trump’s Board of Peace meeting in US
Sunday, February 8,2026,19:29
The presidents of Argentina and Romania said on Sunday they have been invited to attend the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump’s controversial “Board of Peace” in Washington on February 19. Originally designed by Trump as a mechanism to oversee the Gaza truce and post-war reconstruction, the board’s mandate has since expanded, prompting concerns among critics that it could evolve into a rival to the United Nations. Writing on his Facebook page, Romania’s President Nicusor Dan said... .. read more..
Leaders invited to Trump’s Board of Peace meeting in US. Who’s going?
Sunday, February 8,2026,19:29
The presidents of Argentina and Romania said on Sunday they have been invited to attend the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump’s controversial “Board of Peace” in Washington on February 19. Originally designed by Trump as a mechanism to oversee the Gaza truce and post-war reconstruction, the board’s mandate has since expanded, prompting concerns among critics that it could evolve into a rival to the United Nations. Writing on his Facebook page, Romania’s President Nicusor Dan said... .. read more..
Argentina tightens illegal fishing enforcement, elevating satellite tracking ...
Saturday, February 7,2026,23:24
Argentina has tightened its enforcement framework against foreign vessels suspected of illegal fishing inside its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), giving greater evidentiary weight to satellite records and other remote sensors to open proceedings and impose fines, under a new regulation published in the Official Gazette. .. read more..
Haiti’s future uncertain amid US threats, bloody gang conflict
Saturday, February 7,2026,12:15
Haiti entered political limbo on Saturday as the mandate of the Caribbean nation’s transitional governing council, a body intended to curb a bloody gang conflict and bring about long-delayed elections, ended with no succession plan in place. The nine-member Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) was installed in April 2024 after Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned. It has been led by a rotating roster of council presidents. However, its term has been marked by a deterioration in security,... .. read more..
Fuel crunch halts Havana buses, squeezes hospitals and deepens Cuba’s power cuts
Saturday, February 7,2026,07:34
Cuba’s fuel shortage is rippling through daily life, with Havana’s urban bus network largely shut down, hospitals preparing to scale back non-urgent services, and longer planned blackouts announced in some areas—while social-media reports pointed to pots-and-pans protests in parts of the capital. .. read more..
US Expands Humanitarian Aid To Cuba, Warns 'Regime Must Not Interfere'
Saturday, February 7,2026,04:37
The State Department announced that the Trump administration is expanding humanitarian aid to Cuba by $6 million, building on an initial $3 million program delivered through the Catholic Church and Caritas. A new round of aid is being sent to the Caribbean island, famous for its vibrant culture, in response to a humanitarian crisis worsened by Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record, which hit Cuba in October. Regime Warned Against Aid Interference According to the State Department on Thursday, the additional assistance will use the same delivery mechanism, with pre-packaged commodities transported from Miami and distributed by local parish representatives. The d... .. read more..
Venezuelan opposition flags “serious omissions” in amnesty bill, demands full...
Saturday, February 7,2026,01:30
Venezuela’s main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), on Friday challenged what it called “serious omissions” in a proposed amnesty law promoted by acting President Delcy Rodríguez and approved in a first debate by the chavista-controlled National Assembly. .. read more..
Trump sets 25% “secondary” tariff to squeeze trade with Iran
Saturday, February 7,2026,00:53
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing an additional 25% tariff on imports from countries that buy Iranian goods or services, expanding Washington’s economic pressure campaign beyond direct sanctions on Tehran. .. read more..