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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, March 26th 2026 - 05:36 UTC

Stories for March 13th 2026

  • Friday, March 13th 2026 - 16:26 UTC

    Cuba confirms talks with the United States amid its deepest energy crisis in years

    The confirmation marks a shift from Havana’s previous public stance

    Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on Friday that his government has recently held talks with U.S. officials, the first public acknowledgment of such bilateral contacts in more than a decade, as the island faces a severe fuel and electricity crisis. He said the exchanges were aimed at seeking solutions to bilateral differences and exploring areas of cooperation based on equality, sovereignty and mutual respect.

  • Friday, March 13th 2026 - 16:03 UTC

    Uruguayan fugitive Sebastián Marset captured in Bolivia and placed in U.S. custody

    Marset was also listed among the DEA’s most wanted fugitives and was regarded as one of the agency’s five highest-priority drug trafficking targets

    Suspected Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset was captured on Friday in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, in an operation that ends one of the Southern Cone’s longest and most visible manhunts. Paraguayan authorities confirmed the arrest and said Marset had been secured after a raid carried out by Bolivian forces.

  • Friday, March 13th 2026 - 11:24 UTC

    Iran exploits its asymmetric edge in Hormuz, narrowing the U.S. Navy’s room to act

    Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Thursday that the U.S. military is “not ready” to escort tankers through Hormuz because its assets remain focused on striking Iranian offensive capabilities

    Iran is shifting a key part of the war to the sea, where its conventional naval power is far weaker than that of the United States but where it still retains enough tools to disrupt global energy traffic. In the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor that carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil, attacks on merchant shipping, the threat of mines and the use of fast boats and coastal missiles have raised the cost and complexity of any escort operation.

  • Friday, March 13th 2026 - 04:34 UTC

    U.S. temporarily allows sales of Russian oil already loaded on tankers to ease energy pressure

    The conflict in the Middle East had entered a broader regional phase and that pressure on energy infrastructure had again pushed oil above $100 a barrel.

    The United States has temporarily authorized the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products already loaded on tankers, in a limited easing of sanctions adopted as global energy prices rise because of the Middle East war. The measure was announced by the Treasury Department and will remain in force until April 11.

  • Friday, March 13th 2026 - 03:12 UTC

    Petro sends ministers to Caracas after meeting with Delcy Rodríguez is called off

    The failed meeting carried particular political significance because it would have been Rodríguez’s first international engagement as Venezuela’s acting president

    Colombia and Venezuela shifted their planned bilateral contact to the ministerial level on Friday after a presidential meeting announced for the border was abruptly canceled under the formula of “force majeure.” Instead of the face-to-face encounter scheduled between Gustavo Petro and Delcy Rodríguez at the Atanasio Girardot bridge, Bogotá sent a delegation to Caracas led by Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio and including the ministers of defense, trade, and mines and energy.

  • Friday, March 13th 2026 - 02:57 UTC

    Thousands of Venezuelans in Santiago de Chile rally behind María Corina Machado

    Chile hosts one of the largest Venezuelan communities in the region, and Machado’s presence came amid a politically sensitive debate over migration, security and legal status

    Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado drew thousands of supporters to central Santiago on Thursday in the largest public demonstration she has led since leaving Venezuela in late 2025. The gathering, held between Paseo Bulnes and Parque Almagro, exceeded initial expectations and became one of the most visible displays of the Venezuelan diaspora in Chile in recent years. According to estimates by Carabineros cited by Chilean and Spanish media, turnout ranged between 16,000 and 17,000 people.

  • Friday, March 13th 2026 - 02:49 UTC

    Falklands: Loligo squid returns, “sufficient biomass abundance” for fishing season

    The pre-survey conducted by the M/V Monteferro between February 3 and 18 estimated Loligo squid biomass at around 41,725 tonnes.

    Fisheries surveys in the Falkland Islands indicate that there is “sufficient biomass abundance” of Loligo squid to sustain a commercial fishing season.

  • Friday, March 13th 2026 - 02:41 UTC

    Falklands mark anniversary of March 2013 referendum

    The night erupted in celebrations as the overwhelming result of the referendum was announced

    The Falkland Islands this week mark thirteen years since the referendum in which residents overwhelmingly voted to remain a British Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom.

  • Friday, March 13th 2026 - 02:24 UTC

    Falklands: Mount Pleasant Complex to hold public open day

    View of some of the aircraft currently based at the Mount Pleasant Complex (MPC).(Pic BFSAI)

    The Mount Pleasant Complex (MPC), which includes the Falkland Islands’ international airport and the headquarters of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI), will open its doors to the public on Sunday, March 22, allowing residents to visit its facilities and equipment.

  • Friday, March 13th 2026 - 01:08 UTC

    NASA sets April 1 for Artemis II, first crewed Moon mission in over 50 years

    The announcement follows several weeks of technical delays

    NASA said on Thursday that Artemis II had passed its flight readiness review and received the go-ahead to proceed toward a launch attempt on April 1, in what would be the first crewed mission around the Moon since the Apollo era. The agency said the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are set to roll out to pad 39B on March 19 once remaining closeout work is finished.