Stories for February 8th 2024

Thursday, February 8th 2024 - 15:42 UTC
India releases detained pigeon after 8 months amid espionage allegations

In a bizarre turn of events reminiscent of a Hollywood (or Bollywood) plotline, India has released a pigeon that was detained by authorities for eight months on suspicion of espionage. The peculiar case unfolded when the bird was intercepted in May 2023 in the port of Bombay, drawing attention due to two rings tied to its legs containing messages in Chinese.
Thursday, February 8th 2024 - 10:59 UTC
Argentina: Libertarians not to insist on so-called Omnibus Law bill

After Tuesday's failure at the Lower House to move forward with the so-called Omnibus Law bill targetting government spending, Argentine President Javier Milei said Wednesday from Israel that La Libertad Avanza (LLA) would not insist on that initiative which has achieved its goal of exposing “the caste.”
Thursday, February 8th 2024 - 10:54 UTC
Montevideo Mayor Cosse holds talks with General Richardson

Montevideo Mayor Carolina Cosse met Wednesday with US Southern Command Chief General Laura Richardson. Cosse, who is running in the opposition Frente Amplio (Broad Front - FA) primaries for the upcoming presidential elections, said her encounter with the visiting military officer was “of an official nature.”
Thursday, February 8th 2024 - 10:49 UTC
Brazil's STF launches corruption probe against Transparency International

Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice António Dias Toffoli has launched a corruption probe against the Non-Government Organization (NGO) Transparency International after it sided with Deltan Dallagnol to create a foundation with the money from fines paid by companies that admitted to bribes to win contracts with the state-run oil company Petrobras.
Thursday, February 8th 2024 - 10:44 UTC
Chile: The cause of Piñera's death disclosed

Chilean Prosecutor Tatiana Esquivel said Wednesday that former two-time President Sebastián Piñera died of asphyxia by submersion, according to the post-mortem performed by Valdivia's Legal Medical team.
Thursday, February 8th 2024 - 10:39 UTC
Milei: “Nazism today is disguised as Hamas”

On the second day of his visit to Israel, Argentine President Javier Milei said Wednesday that “Nazism today is disguised as Hamas.” On making these remarks from the local Holocaust Museum, the South American leader insisted that the terrorist group needed to free the hostages taken during the Oct. 7 raids.
Thursday, February 8th 2024 - 10:28 UTC
Bolivian economy minister says Fitch's downgrading was biased

Economy Minister Marcelo Montenegro said the latest grading given to Bolivia by Fitch Ratings entailed a “biased vision” according to which the country's total public debt, internal and external, represented 71.7% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) when it actually amounted to 46%.
Thursday, February 8th 2024 - 05:17 UTC
HMS Protector removes waste from Brabant Island next to Antarctica Peninsula

Royal Navy sailors have helped preserve the natural beauty of Antarctica by removing three tons of waste from an island. Ice patrol HMS Protector returned to Brabant Island – on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula – for the first time since 2017 to continue work to remove abandoned equipment from an expedition in the 1980s.