Stories for February 9th 2026

Monday, February 9th 2026 - 20:53 UTC
Colombia: Ruling-party candidate to file criminal complaint against ex-President Pastrana over Epstein files

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.
Monday, February 9th 2026 - 20:33 UTC
Starmer insists he will stay on despite resignations linked to Mandelson fallout

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday he was not “willing” to resign, pushing back against mounting pressure inside the Labour Party after the political fallout from former Washington ambassador Peter Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein. Starmer insisted he would stay in office as Downing Street stressed he remained focused on delivering his domestic programme.
Monday, February 9th 2026 - 12:41 UTC
Venezuela re-arrests opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa hours after release

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.
Monday, February 9th 2026 - 12:27 UTC
Starmer loses key aide as McSweeney quits over Mandelson scandal

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been left politically more exposed after the resignation of his Downing Street chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, a central architect of Starmer’s rise inside Labour and a key operator at the heart of government.
Monday, February 9th 2026 - 08:38 UTC
Flávio Bolsonaro steps onto global far-right stage as Brazil presidential hopeful

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.
Monday, February 9th 2026 - 08:20 UTC
Cuba tells airlines it will run out of jet fuel as of Monday, deepening energy crisis

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.
Monday, February 9th 2026 - 07:43 UTC
Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl: a tribute to Puerto Rico and a defense of America beyond the US

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.
Monday, February 9th 2026 - 04:24 UTC
Paraguay courts AI data centers and green hydrogen with discounted power rates

Paraguay’s government has rolled out a pair of decrees offering preferential electricity pricing to energy-hungry industries—ranging from AI-linked data centers and cloud computing to green hydrogen and other “Power-to-X” projects—betting that the country’s hydroelectric surplus can be converted into investment and higher-value production. The move, however, has triggered pushback from energy experts and a fast-moving labor dispute inside the state utility ANDE.
Monday, February 9th 2026 - 04:09 UTC
Argentina regulates ‘Inocencia Fiscal’ to bring ‘mattress dollars’ into the banking system

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.”
Monday, February 9th 2026 - 04:05 UTC
Venezuela frees Juan Pablo Guanipa and members of María Corina Machado’s inner circle

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.