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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, July 4th 2025 - 09:15 UTC

Stories for May 2025

  • Friday, May 23rd 2025 - 19:08 UTC

    Boric outlines proposed solution to Mapuche conflict

    Boric suggested adopting the recommendations of a Commission created in 2023

    Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font announced Thursday in a broadcast message a comprehensive plan to address the Mapuche conflict, based on recommendations from the Commission for Peace and Understanding. The key measures include:

  • Friday, May 23rd 2025 - 10:52 UTC

    US Gov't bans Harvard from enrolling foreign students

    “It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students,” Noem argued

    The US Government of President Donald Trump has revoked Harvard University's authorization to enroll international students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), affecting nearly 6,800 international individuals (27% of the 2024-25 student body) who must now transfer or lose legal status in the US, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced.

  • Friday, May 23rd 2025 - 10:44 UTC

    Peña suggests Paraguay can host unofficial talks between Taiwan and Japan or the US

    “It is hard being a decent, reliable partner,” Peña underlined

    During an interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña offered his country as a bridge for countries seeking to commerce with Taiwan. Peña recalled that his country was the sole South American nation with direct ties to Taipei.

  • Friday, May 23rd 2025 - 10:43 UTC

    New fuel shortage hits Bolivia due to logistical delays

    Things worsened after some tanker trucks staged a strike to demand higher freight rates

    Bolivia is grappling with a severe fuel crisis, marked by long vehicle lines at petrol stations in major cities like La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz, caused by a partial strike by tanker transporters demanding higher freight rates and logistical delays at the Chilean port of Arica.

  • Friday, May 23rd 2025 - 10:34 UTC

    UK to try chemical castration for sex offenders to tackle prison overcrowding

    Mahmood feared that British prisons might collapse

    The United Kingdom will adopt on a trial basis a new program to chemically castrate sex offenders in 20 prisons across two regions to reduce recurrence rates by up to 60%, as part of broader sentencing reforms while addressing overcrowding at detention facilities, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced Thursday.

  • Friday, May 23rd 2025 - 10:27 UTC

    Telefónica sells Movistar Uruguay to Millicom

    The move was a part of Telefónica's large-scale departure from Latin America

    The Spanish company Telefónica, through its subsidiary Telefónica Hispanoamérica, sold its Movistar Uruguay business to Millicom, a Luxembourg-based company operating under the Tigo brand, as part of its strategy to reduce its presence in Latin America. The transaction, announced to the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), is now subject to regulatory approvals. It is also a part of Telefónica's asset divestment plan, following sales in Argentina, Colombia, and Peru in 2024, totaling over US$2 billion.

  • Friday, May 23rd 2025 - 10:09 UTC

    Punta Tombo penguin massacre: Conviction upheld on appeal

    The defense's proposal of land ownership handover was turned down

    A Court of Appeals is the city of Trelew in thee Argentine province of Chubut upheld this week the conviction of Ricardo La Regina, a cattle rancher found guilty of environmental damage and animal cruelty for using heavy machinery to open a road in a protected area, causing the death of 240 Magellanic penguins and destroying their nests in the Punta Tombo reserve.

  • Thursday, May 22nd 2025 - 19:52 UTC

    Falkland Islands reaffirm right to self-determination amid Chagos sovereignty talks

    “The Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly welcomes the recognition of our unique relationship with the UK,” said MLA Mark Pollard.

    The Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly issued a public statement on Thursday acknowledging the UK Government’s recent decision to move forward with a sovereignty transfer of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. The Assembly welcomed reassurances that the Falklands’ status remains unaffected.

  • Thursday, May 22nd 2025 - 19:00 UTC

    US sanctions against De Moraes not to be ruled out

    “There is a strong possibility that it will happen,” Rubio told the US Congress

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted he was considering the possibility of sanctioning Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes under the Global Magnitsky Act for alleged human rights violations. The magistrate is targeting former President Jair Bolsonaro for the alleged Jan. 8, 2023, coup attempt, together with many of his aides and followers.

  • Thursday, May 22nd 2025 - 18:45 UTC

    Argentine national among alleged conspirators arrested in Venezuela

    “We are deployed all over Venezuela,” Cabello warned

    Nationals of Argentina, Bulgaria, and Spain have been arrested in Venezuela. They were accused of plotting to “sabotage, by violent means,” the country ahead of the May 25 regional and legislative elections. According to Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, the group was intercepted at sea with 200 kilos of gunpowder, allegedly part of a conspiracy linked to fugitive former commissioner Iván Simonovis and opposition leader María Corina Machado.