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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, July 4th 2025 - 09:11 UTC

Stories for May 2025

  • Thursday, May 29th 2025 - 00:34 UTC

    The Complex Gambling Laws of the South Atlantic

    Explore South Atlantic gambling regulations from Brazil to the islands. We give you an overview of this complex landscape. Photo: Agustín Díaz / Unsplash

    Trying to understand gambling rules in the South Atlantic? Good luck with that. This region has some of the most head-scratching and contradictory betting laws you'll find anywhere. From surprisingly strict island territories to unexpectedly relaxed mainland spots, the regulations change dramatically depending on where you drop your anchor.

  • Wednesday, May 28th 2025 - 21:08 UTC

    Uruguay keeps Monetary Policy Rate unchanged at 9.25%

    BCU President Guillermo Tolosa made the announcement in Montevideo

    The Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU) decided to maintain the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 9.25%, the Monetary Policy Committee (Copom) and BCU President Guillermo Tolosa announced. This unanimous decision seeks to strengthen the contractionary bias of monetary policy to continue the disinflation process and align inflation expectations with the target of 4.5% annually.

  • Wednesday, May 28th 2025 - 20:41 UTC

    Azul files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

    The move follows months of negotiations with creditors and investors

    Brazil's Azul Airlines, the country’s third-largest carrier, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a New York court on Tuesday to restructure R$ 31.35 billion (US$ 5.56 billion) in debt. The filing follows a 50.3% debt increase in Q1 2025, driven by currency volatility, high US interest rates, and supply-chain issues, including Pratt & Whitney engine recalls resulting in grounded aircraft. Additionally, partnerships with ACMI providers like EuroAtlantic faced legal challenges from Brazilian labor unions over foreign crew usage.

  • Wednesday, May 28th 2025 - 11:14 UTC

    Argentina: Milei’s intelligence plan raises concerns over domestic surveillance

    The draft of the State Intelligence Secretariat does not specify who qualifies as a “manipulative actor,” raising concerns about potential targeting of journalists, social activists, and critics

    Argentina's government under President Javier Milei is under fire after the leak of a controversial National Intelligence Plan (PIN) that could lead to internal espionage targeting critics of his administration.

  • Wednesday, May 28th 2025 - 10:59 UTC

    RFK, Jr., and Milei agree on creating an alternative to the WHO

    RFK Jr. insisted on the creation of an alternative international health system free of totalitarian impulses

    Argentina, under President Javier Milei, announced its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), becoming the first country in the region to do so, following the United States' exit under President Donald Trump.

  • Wednesday, May 28th 2025 - 10:56 UTC

    Peru joins railroad project to Chancay to boost Chinese trade

    Viana insisted that the railroad was an alternative to the Panama Canal

    Peru has joined Brazil and China's transcontinental railroad project to connect the Pacific coast with the Atlantic Ocean across South America, offering an alternative trade route to the Panama Canal. This railway aims to facilitate the transport of Brazilian goods, such as soybeans and minerals, to China’s Shanghai port via Peru’s Chancay port, reducing maritime trade distance by about 10,000 km and easing reliance on Brazil’s congested Santos port.

  • Wednesday, May 28th 2025 - 10:51 UTC

    Bird flu outbreak in Río Grande do Sul contained, says Brazilian minister

    “If this outbreak in Montenegro had escaped to other regions of the country, we would have had other cases of mortality,” Fávaro argued

    Brazil's Agriculture Minister, Carlos Fávaro, announced Tuesday during a public hearing at the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Agrarian Reform that the bird flu outbreak in Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul, has been successfully contained. The country's health system quickly implemented measures, including inspections of 540 nearby rural establishments and setting up sanitary barriers.

  • Wednesday, May 28th 2025 - 10:40 UTC

    Future of Maradona Case trial to be decided this week

    After Judge Makintach was removed from the case, the Court needs to decide on the future steps

    Deputies in the Buenos Aires Provincial Legislature unanimously agreed to request impeachment proceedings against Judge Julieta Makintach for her involvement in a documentary about the malpractice trial of Diego Maradona's medical team. The magistrate played a leading role in the film despite denying any wrongdoing.

  • Wednesday, May 28th 2025 - 10:33 UTC

    Brazil: Labor Ministry files suit against BYD for slave-like working conditions

    The case dates back to findings in December of 2024

    Brazil's Labor Ministry (MPT) has filed a public civil lawsuit against Chinese automaker Build Your Dreams (BYD) and two contractor companies, China JinJiang Construction Brazil and Tonghe Intelligent Equipment of Brazil (now Tecmonta), for slave labor and international human trafficking.

  • Tuesday, May 27th 2025 - 21:12 UTC

    Charles III first monarch to open Canadian Parliament in decades

    Canada can build new partnerships and an economy that benefits all its citizens, Carles said

    During his historic two-day visit to Ottawa, King Charles III became the first monarch since 1957 to inaugurate a Canadian parliamentary session. His address underscored Canada's sovereignty amid rising tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has proposed the country's annexation as the 51st state and imposed tariff threats. Asserting national independence, Charles declared, “The True North is indeed strong and free.”