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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, March 17th 2026 - 12:22 UTC

International

  • Monday, March 9th 2026 - 01:58 UTC

    Global arms trade rose in 2021-25 as European demand surged

    Ukraine was the world’s largest arms importer in 2021-25, accounting for 9.7% of the total

    The global volume of transfers of major arms between states rose 9.2% in 2021-25 compared with 2016-20, the biggest increase since 2011-15, according to data released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The shift was driven above all by a sharp rise in European imports, which increased by 210% over the period and made Europe the world’s largest arms-importing region.

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  • Monday, March 9th 2026 - 00:30 UTC

    Iran names Mojtaba Khamenei supreme leader as war widens to oil and water infrastructure

    In Tehran, overnight strikes hit fuel depots in Shahran and other facilities, sending flames and thick black smoke over the capital

    Iran on Sunday named Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader, cementing hardline continuity as the war with Israel and the United States deepens and cross-border strikes increasingly hit fuel depots, energy routes and desalination facilities across the region. The Assembly of Experts, the 88-member clerical body tasked with choosing the successor, said he had been appointed by a “decisive vote,” giving him ultimate authority over all matters of state.

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  • Sunday, March 8th 2026 - 16:28 UTC

    Falklands Legislative Assembly marks International Women’s Day with inclusive message

    “Today is not about singling out the few; rather it is vitally important to be inclusive to all,” Gould and Roberts said in the short public message issued by the Office of the Legislative Assembly.

    The Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly marked International Women’s Day on March 8 with a message centered on broad recognition of women across the community, in a statement signed by MLAs Dot Gould and Cheryl Roberts. In the text, the lawmakers thanked “mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, colleagues, and neighbours” for bringing “strength, care, and inspiration” to life in the Islands.

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  • Saturday, March 7th 2026 - 22:40 UTC

    Trump launches anti-cartel coalition, says Cuba regime “in its final days”

    Held at Trump National Doral Miami, the gathering brought together the leaders of 12 right-wing Latin American leaders

    U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday opened the first Shield of the Americas summit in Doral, Florida, bringing together a group of like-minded Latin American and Caribbean leaders to unveil a new regional security alliance focused on fighting drug cartels. In his remarks, he said Cuba was “very much at the end of the line,” claimed Havana wanted to negotiate with Washington, and said his administration had formally recognized the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela as diplomatic ties between the two countries were being restored.

  • Saturday, March 7th 2026 - 07:50 UTC

    Falklands’ conflict to be re-examined at University of Manchester conference

    Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King’s College London, has served as the official historian of the Falklands Campaign

    The University of Manchester is hosting a major conference about the Falklands conflict next April on Thursday 16 and Friday 17. 44 years have passed, but the conflict still resonates deeply in both the UK and Argentina.

  • Saturday, March 7th 2026 - 06:24 UTC

    Japan’s Justice orders dissolution of the ‘Moonies’ Unification Church

    The Unification Church and its late founder Sun Myung Moon had many assets in South America (Brazil, Uruguay) and was closely linked to extreme right and military dictatorships in the region

    A Japanese high court has upheld an order to dissolve the controversial Unification Church, popularly known as the “Moonies” local media report. Last year, a district court in Tokyo ordered the church to disband after Japan's education and culture ministry accused it of manipulating followers into making huge donations.

  • Saturday, March 7th 2026 - 01:30 UTC

    Trump deflects questions on reports of Russia sharing intelligence with Iran on U.S. Forces

    Sources cited by U.S. media said Russia may be helping Iran locate American warships, radar systems and communications infrastructure

    President Donald Trump declined Friday to comment on media reports indicating that Russia has been supplying Iran with intelligence on the positions and movements of U.S. troops, ships and aircraft in the Middle East.

  • Friday, March 6th 2026 - 15:41 UTC

    Oil posts its biggest weekly jump since 2020 as the Iran war disrupts Hormuz

    The market is no longer reacting only to the fighting, but to the concrete risk to supply

    Oil became this week’s clearest barometer of the Middle East crisis, with Brent hovering near US$90 a barrel and WTI around US$87.5, putting both contracts on track for their biggest weekly advance since 2020. The same factor sits behind the surge: the de facto blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil normally passes.

  • Friday, March 6th 2026 - 15:31 UTC

    Trump says Cuba will “fall pretty soon,” but says Iran comes first

    Trump said Cuba “is gonna fall pretty soon” and added that Cubans “want to make a deal so badly”

    US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Cuba is going to “fall pretty soon,” while making clear that his immediate priority remains the campaign against Iran, in remarks that widened the White House’s confrontational language toward both the Middle East and Latin America. Trump made the comments in a phone conversation with CNN anchor Dana Bash.

  • Thursday, March 5th 2026 - 17:44 UTC

    Formula 1-standard circuit proposed for Uruguay’s Punta del Este

    Maldonado mayor Damián Tort said the department draws investment because it offers “confidence, stability and clear rules,” framing the initiative as a potential driver of jobs and global visibility

    Local authorities in Uruguay’s Maldonado department are reviewing a proposal by Brazil’s Stehling Racing Team to develop a racetrack built to Formula 1 standards in the Punta del Este–Laguna del Sauce corridor, a plan still at an early stage and without any confirmation that it would translate into hosting a world championship round.