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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, August 31st 2025 - 08:30 UTC

Stories for 2025

  • Tuesday, August 19th 2025 - 09:16 UTC

    Fishing conflict in Uruguay: armed assemblies and threats amid industry crisis

    The dispute began over the union’s demand to hire an additional crew member on coastal vessels, a measure rejected by companies due to higher costs

    After nearly 80 days of strikes that paralyzed the fishing season and caused losses of up to US$50 million, Uruguay’s fishing union (Suntma) decided to call off its protest — but in an atmosphere of extreme tension. In recent assemblies, armed workers confronted each other and issued direct threats. “If you want bullets, you’ll get bullets,” one participant warned union leaders, according to El País.

  • Tuesday, August 19th 2025 - 00:40 UTC

    Strategic Engagement or Habitual Use? Rethinking Digital Entertainment Patterns

    Routine digital entertainment comes from habitual patterns of activity that create strong neural pathways

    Digital entertainment has evolved from mindful leisure choices to entrenched components of the daily cycle. Fewer people can now distinguish so readily between strategic entertainment decisions and habitual behavioral routines that fill idle time intervals throughout the day. The outcome relates to all from surfing social media to gaming sessions, and it creates a new category of half-aware digital consumption.

  • Tuesday, August 19th 2025 - 00:19 UTC

    Brazil Sets Historic Bitcoin Reserve Hearing as South America Leads Crypto Revolution

    The timing appears strategic as global sovereign Bitcoin adoption gains momentum

    Brazil's Chamber of Deputies will hold its first public hearing on creating a national Bitcoin reserve on August 20, 2025. The country appears ready to join a small group of nations exploring cryptocurrency as part of their financial strategy. Bill 4501/2024 would let Brazil spend up to 5% of treasury funds on Bitcoin, which equals about $15 billion given the central bank's $300 billion in reserves.

  • Monday, August 18th 2025 - 22:08 UTC

    After meeting Zelensky, Trump sees three-way summit with Putin possible

    This time around, Zelensky at least wore a dark suit, albeit no tie

    US President Donald Trump met Monday with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders following his encounter with Russia's Vladimir Putin to keep working towards a solution to the ongoing crisis.

  • Monday, August 18th 2025 - 21:38 UTC

    Lula and Noboa discuss trade beyond ideological discrepancies

    Noboa is on a tour that will also include Uruguay and Argentina

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday welcomed his Ecuadorean colleague Daniel Noboa at the Planalto Palace for a meeting during which both leaders set aside their ideological discrepancies and focused on strengthening trade and cooperation, particularly after Washington's tariffs.

  • Monday, August 18th 2025 - 09:31 UTC

    Al Gore says Washington has “schizophrenic” approach to climate change

    It's crazy to allow polluters to write the rules,” Gore argued

    During his recent trip to Brazil, former US Vice President Al Gore said that his country's stance on the climate crisis was “schizophrenic,” changing from one view to another, depending on who ruled. In his first term in office, between 2017 and 2021, Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement, whose main objective is to limit global warming to 1.5°C. But then came Joseph Biden, and the country returned to the agreement, only to pull out yet again with Trump's second term.

  • Monday, August 18th 2025 - 08:51 UTC

    Brazil donating 20 Urutus armored vehicles to Paraguay

    The EE-11 Urutu was Brazil's main armored personnel carrier (VBTP) for decades

    Brazil is donating 20 EE-11 Urutu armored vehicles to the Paraguayan Army to help modernize its military and strengthen regional defense cooperation. The donation will increase Paraguay's fleet of Urutu vehicles from 12 to 32.

  • Monday, August 18th 2025 - 08:48 UTC

    Paraguay: Peña appoints official under investigation for fraud

    The fraud investigation against Flores Benítez is still ongoing, according to the prosecution

    In a controversial move, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña appointed Bella Rosa Flores Benítez as the new Deputy Minister of Family Farming. The new official faces fraud, falsifying public documents, and criminal association charges from Prosecutor José Godoy after she was accused of selling a 165-hectare property in 2021 that was not hers.

  • Monday, August 18th 2025 - 08:43 UTC

    Canadian Ambassador and Haitian Police Chief discuss cooperation

    If read between the lines, the meeting represented Ottawa's recognition of Paraison

    Haitian National Police (PNH) Acting Director-General Vladimir Paraison and Canada's Ambassador to Port-au-Prince André François Giroux discussed cooperation regarding security issues, particularly training, logistics, and institutional development.

  • Monday, August 18th 2025 - 08:30 UTC

    Bad weather expected in southern Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina

    Residents were advised to take precautions

    Weather forecasters in southern Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina foresee stormy conditions early this week due to an extratropical cyclone expected to bring severe havoc to the region.