Politics

• Friday, February 13th 2026 - 12:56 UTC

  Financial Times: Venezuelans turn more optimistic after Maduro’s capture

  

  A face-to-face poll reported by the Financial Times points to a sharp swing in public mood in Venezuela following the US military intervention and the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro. The paper said Venezuelans are “much more optimistic about the future”, while the same findings also show heightened concern over security.

• 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.

• 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  U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration has withdrawn the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 “endangerment finding,” a determination that has long provided the legal foundation for regulating greenhouse gases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 - 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.

• Thursday, February 12th 2026 - 00:00 UTC

  Petro removes police general Urrego after alleging plot to sabotage Trump meeting

  

  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.