Stories for February 2026

Friday, February 13th 2026 - 04:09 UTC
Argentina moves first in Mercosur as lower house backs EU trade deal

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.
Friday, February 13th 2026 - 00:01 UTC
Paraguay posts $162m trade deficit in January as exports decline

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.
Thursday, February 12th 2026 - 23:45 UTC
Trump moves to scrap EPA climate finding and unwind federal vehicle emissions rules

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration has withdrawn the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 “endangerment finding,” a determination that has long provided the legal foundation for regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. The White House and the EPA framed the move as a major shift in federal climate policy and a broad deregulatory push affecting the auto sector.
Thursday, February 12th 2026 - 22:20 UTC
UK cabinet chief removed after Epstein-linked backlash

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday agreed that Sir Chris Wormald would step down as Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service, the most senior administrative role in the British state, as political pressure intensified over the Epstein controversy and the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson.
Thursday, February 12th 2026 - 21:54 UTC
Chile announces humanitarian aid for Cuba as Boric condemns U.S. embargo

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.
Thursday, February 12th 2026 - 21:34 UTC
6.1-magnitude quake hits Chile’s Coquimbo region; authorities rule out tsunami risk

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.
Thursday, February 12th 2026 - 12:50 UTC
Argentina’s Senate approves Milei’s labour reform amid protests and clashes

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.
Thursday, February 12th 2026 - 09:09 UTC
Hundreds of tractors roll into Madrid as farmers protest CAP cuts and EU-Mercosur accord

Thousands of farmers and ranchers, alongside hundreds of tractors, rallied in central Madrid on Wednesday to protest expected cuts in the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and to denounce the European Union’s trade agreement with Mercosur, according to organisers and authorities.
Thursday, February 12th 2026 - 04:10 UTC
US signals easing of energy restrictions after energy secretary’s Caracas visit

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.
Thursday, February 12th 2026 - 04:00 UTC
Venezuela reopens airspace as flight links restart after months of disruption

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.