Donald Trump has resumed rallies in Kansas and Iowa after initially canceling them. This turnabout comes amid questions over his health and the state of the midterms.
The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 5,000, government data showed on Friday, as authorities had yet to find a way to control the country’s deadliest Ebola epidemic on record. There are no approved treatments or vaccines to combat the rare Bundibugyo species, which is behind the outbreak in the Central African country. It has infected more than 10,000 people since it was declared in May. Delayed detection, conflict and strained health serv
On October 29, 2026, the Colombian government introduced the "Financial Rescue" bill to the Chamber of Representatives. The legislation aims to cut public spending by 2.2% and restructure the tax burden on various demographic groups. Vice President José Manuel Restrepo stated that these measures are intended to prevent an economic crisis and the loss of 360,000 jobs. While the bill reduces the corporate tax rate, it simultaneously introduces new consumption levies and revisits income declaration and payment conditions.
The most significant change for individuals involves the overhaul of income taxation. The threshold for applying a non-zero tax rate drops from 1,090 to 720 UVT (Unidad de Valor Tributario, the valuation unit used in Colombia to adjust tax parameters). A new marginal rate of 9% applies to the portion of the tax base that exceeds the 720 UVT threshold but remains below 1,090 UVT. This expands the circle of taxpayers, though the tax is collected only on that specific segment of income, not the total sum. The top rate of 39% continues to apply to bases exceeding 8,670 UVT. Simultaneously, the space for reducing the taxable base narrows: the annual limit for exempted income and deductions decreases from 1,340 to 1,180 UVT, with a new cap set at 40% of adjusted gross income. The deduction of 72 UVT per dependent is eliminated entirely.
Beginning January 1, 2027, the uniform social security contribution rate for employees will be replaced by a progressive scale. Workers earning up to two minimum monthly salaries (SMLMV) will pay 4%, while those earning more than 20 minimum salaries will pay 8%. Self-employed individuals will face a progressive scale ranging from 12.5% to 15.5%. Exemptions on para-contributions (payments to the SENA professional training system and the ICBF social security fund) are limited to incomes of up to two minimum salaries; employers for higher earners will bear additional costs.
Mexico's Ministry of the Interior has established an independent commission of nine experts to audit the National Registry of Missing Persons after the government admitted that two-thirds of its 130,000 records contain critical errors. In March, officials acknowledged that some data was incomplete, while others listed individuals who were actually alive.
The errors drew criticism from activists and families of the disappeared, who viewed the inaccuracies as an attempt to obscure the scale of the crisis. Minister Rosa Isela Rodriguez stated that the new group, composed of Mexican and international academics, will conduct a scientific analysis of the registry's data and inter-agency analytics.
Rodrigo Canales, an associate professor at Boston University and a member of the commission, described the effort as an "exam" for state institutions. He noted that two decades of high criminal violence and kidnapping have resulted in a fragmented accounting system across different Mexican states.
Login
