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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, November 24th 2024 - 02:56 UTC

Stories for December 2016

  • Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 13:03 UTC

    Temer talks to Trump and they agree to promote trade and investments

    “Temer and Trump agreed to launch, immediately after the swearing in of the new American president, an agenda for Brazil-U.S. growth,” the statement said.

    Brazil's President Michel Temer called U.S. President-elect Donald Trump agreeing to work together to improve business relations between the two largest economies in the Americas, a statement from Temer's office said. Brazil is keen to explore business opportunities that could open up if Trump follows through on campaign promises to rewrite a trade deal with Mexico.

  • Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 12:14 UTC

    Anti-Trump Harvard professor warns 20 Republican electors could vote otherwise

    Harvard professor Larry Lessig offers pro bono counseling to Republican electors who would like to vote their concience

    Harvard University constitutional law professor Larry Lessig has said that 20 Republican members of the Electoral College are considering voting against Donald Trump, which would put anti-Trump activists more than halfway changing the overall outcome.

  • Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 11:51 UTC

    India on the path to become #4 country based on military budget, ahead of UK and France

    India ranks among the top countries in the world in terms of defense budget, above Britain and France

    According to a Jane’s Defence Weekly report published Tuesday, India is on the path to surpassing Britain in terms of spending within three years to move into fourth place on the national military budget ranking lists. The new figures see India leaving Russia and Saudi Arabia behind, to move into fourth place in the global charts. The UK currently ranks sixth, one notch behind France. The United States and China remain at the top.

  • Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 11:46 UTC

    Sweden's military back to Cold War era mode in view of Russia's expansion

    Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist switches to Cold War mode alert

    Sweden's Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), an authority operating under the Defense Ministry and tasked with civil protection, public safety, emergency management and civil defense, has instructed local governments to reactivate the “Total Defense Strategy” civil defense procedures from the Cold War and be prepared for an armed conflict because “the security situation in our region has deteriorated.”

  • Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 10:49 UTC

    European summit overwhelmend with challenges and a more uncertain future

    The 28 leaders will start with a review of where they stand on dealing with the crisis which blew up last year when over a million people, reached Europe

    Leaders of the European Union meet on Thursday in Brussels for a summit fraught with disputes on how to handle the many crises they face, bar on possibly the biggest rift of all, how to handle Brexit. After a day of talks on migrants, Turkey, Russia, defense in the era of Donald Trump and the Euro zone economy in the age of austerity, leaders will see British Prime Minister Theresa May out and then agree over dinner how to get rid of her for good.

  • Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 10:41 UTC

    No end to ministerial pin bowling in Temer's cabinet

    Lawyer José Yunes, a friend of Temer for 50 years denied bribe allegations in a letter to Temer but said he could not stay on as his special advisor

    One of Brazilian President Michel Temer's closest aides resigned on Wednesday following allegations he had received graft money from engineering conglomerate Odebrecht in a widening corruption scandal that is besieging the government.

  • Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 09:58 UTC

    Putin, most powerful world person for the fourth time running; Trump on second spot

    It is the fourth consecutive year that Putin is at the top of the list. He is followed by Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin again leads Forbes' list of the world's most powerful people, followed by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the No. 2 spot. The annual ranking of 74 individuals was released Wednesday. It considers personal influence, financial resources, whether the person can affect a country's GDP or a company's value, and their power in multiple spheres as factors in determining the list.

  • Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 08:28 UTC

    Colombia's FARC expels five commanders who rejected demobilization; fears they will turn to criminal gangs

    “We call on all combatants who have been tricked into this futureless path to distance themselves from this mistaken decision taken by their commanders”

    Colombia's FARC rebels have expelled five commanders for refusing to demobilize and join a peace process with the government aimed at ending more than five decades of war, guerrilla leadership said. The five commanders, all from units in the country's southeast jungle, include one former participant in four-year-long peace talks in Cuba.

  • Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 08:20 UTC

    Heat wave in Santiago breaks century old record, 37.3 Celsius

    Chile's meteorological service called the event extreme, while the health ministry advised residents to wear light clothing, drink water and avoid outdoor activities.

    A heat wave brought blistering temperatures to the streets of Chile's capital, Santiago, on Wednesday and broke a century-old record as thermometers reached 37.3 Celsius. Chile's meteorological service called the event extreme, while the health ministry advised residents to wear light clothing, drink water and avoid outdoor activities.

  • Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 07:12 UTC

    Bachelet furious with Economy minister who accepted an inflatable sex doll as a Xmas gift

    The gift doll had a card taped across its mouth that read “to stimulate the economy”, and Cespedes is working to do just that in the face of a sharp slowdown

    A Twitter storm blew up Wednesday in Chile over a business association's Christmas gift to the economy minister: an inflatable sex doll “to stimulate the economy.” The X-rated doll was a gift from the Association of Manufacturing and Services Exporters (Asexma) to Economy Minister Luis Felipe Cespedes at its annual dinner Tuesday night.