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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, January 10th 2025 - 18:24 UTC

Stories for 2016

  • Monday, May 30th 2016 - 09:25 UTC

    Lula regrets having elected Dilma as his successor, according to taped conversation

    In the leaked tape Sarney recalls: “he (Lula) told me that his only regret is having elected Dilma. The only mistake he made – and the worst of all”.

    Ex Brazilian president Lula da Silva regrets having handpicked suspended president Dilma Rousseff as his political heiress, according to a taped conversation leaked to the media. In the audio between former president Jose Sarney and Sergio Machado, a former head of Transpetro, a state-run natural gas company, who is believed to have entered a plea bargain with the prosecution, the two men comment on Lula's confession.

  • Monday, May 30th 2016 - 09:16 UTC

    US top official expected in Uruguay and Brazil

    In Montevideo, Acting Assistant Secretary Aponte will meet with senior Uruguayan government officials and political, economic, and media representatives

    Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Mari Carmen Aponte will travel to Montevideo, Uruguay, May 31-June 2 to lead the United States delegation at the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Americas Regional Meeting.

  • Monday, May 30th 2016 - 07:48 UTC

    At the 100th anniversary of Verdun, Hollande and Merkel appeal to unity

    Hollande and Merkel said just as France and Germany had put aside their shared history to become close allies, EU must now pull together to deal current challenges. (Pic EPA)

    French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed on Sunday for Europe to unite to face its current challenges as they marked the 100th anniversary of Verdun, the longest battle of World War I. The 300 days of fighting in northeast France were one of the bloodiest battles of the war, claiming more than 300,000 lives before France emerged victorious.

  • Monday, May 30th 2016 - 07:36 UTC

    Venezuela's public sector will only work Mondays and Tuesdays for another two weeks

    President Maduro's administration blames the power shortage on a drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon

    Venezuela's government on Saturday extended by two weeks a decree reducing the public sector workweek to Mondays and Tuesdays in a bid to tackle the oil-rich country's electricity crisis. The enforced leave was first announced in late April, a drastic move for a government also grappling with an economic crisis that has Venezuelans queuing for hours to buy scarce supplies.

  • Monday, May 30th 2016 - 07:13 UTC

    Chilean rescue of Shackleton's crew from Elephant Island marked at British residence

    Defense Under-Secretary Marcos Robledo, Ambassador Fiona Clouder, and Foreign Affairs Secretary Heraldo Muñoz.

    A networking reception was held in the British residence on Wednesday 25 May to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the rescue by the Chilean pilot Luis Pardo, of the Armada de Chile, of Ernest Shackleton’s crew from Elephant Island.

  • Monday, May 30th 2016 - 07:03 UTC

    Australia enforces low sulfur fuel regulations: Carnival cruise fined

    The Pacific Jewel, breached new low sulfur fuel regulations in Sydney Harbor, following a fuel sample taken by the ship’s crew and provided to EPA officers

    Australia’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has fined Carnival PLC US$15,000 after one of its P&O Cruises ships, the Pacific Jewel, breached new low sulfur fuel regulations in Sydney Harbor. A fuel sample taken by the ship’s crew and provided to EPA officers while the ship was berthed at the White Bay Cruise Terminal on February 26, 2016 had a sulfur level of 0.293%, nearly three times the 0.1% sulfur limit.

  • Monday, May 30th 2016 - 06:49 UTC

    Petrobras faces “tens of billions of dollars” in claims in US court; trial opens in September

    “We are seeking multiple tens of billions of dollars,” says lead counsel Jeremy Lieberman of Pomerantz, New York law firm leading the charge against Petrobras.

    Petrobras will finally get its day in a U.S. court on Sept. 19 in a trial that pits 18 former executives and 13 investment banks, including J.P. Morgan Securities, against U.S. and U.K. investors. Claimants are seeking “tens of billions of dollars” in losses from the Brazilian oil and gas giant.

  • Sunday, May 29th 2016 - 14:28 UTC

    World health experts call for Rio Olympics to be postponed or moved given Zika spread fears

    “The Brazilian strain of Zika virus harms health in ways that science has not observed before,” the letter said.

    More than 100 health experts have called for the Rio Olympic Games to be postponed or moved because of fears that the event could speed up the spread of the Zika virus around the world, according to a public letter published online.

  • Sunday, May 29th 2016 - 14:18 UTC

    British tourists target holidays in Spain and Portugal instead of Egypt and Tunisia

    ABTA cited figures showing that bookings to Portugal were up 29%, while Spain was up 26% and Cyprus increased 18% compared to last year.

    More British tourists are set to spend their summer holidays in Spain and Portugal as demand for sunshine breaks in Tunisia and Egypt declines over fears of violence, travel agents said. Trade body the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) cited figures showing that bookings to Portugal were up 29%, while Spain was up 26% and Cyprus increased 18% compared to last year.

  • Sunday, May 29th 2016 - 13:06 UTC

    Superbug in US: Doctors fear it could herald a post-antibiotic era

    The recently discovered antibiotic-resistant gene, known as mcr-1, has also been found in China and Europe.

    A superbug resistant to all known medications has been found in the United States for the first time, raising new concern about the dwindling effectiveness of antibiotics, the top US public health official said this week. . The case involved a 49-year-old woman in Pennsylvania whose urinary tract infection tested positive for a strain of E. coli that is resistant to the antibiotic of last resort for such infections, known as colistin.