MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Stories for April 17th 2026
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Friday, April 17th 2026 - 21:55 UTC
Milei government appeals to Supreme Court to avoid applying university funding law
Argentina's government filed an extraordinary federal appeal with the Supreme Court on Thursday to avoid complying with the University Funding Law (27.795), which requires it to update faculty salaries and scholarship programs at national universities. The Executive argued that complying with the law would consume 90.3% of available primary spending credits and cause “a significant paralysis of the functioning of all three branches of government.”
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Friday, April 17th 2026 - 21:49 UTC
Lula and Sanchez seal progressive alliance in Barcelona and call for front against global far right
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday cemented a political alliance in Barcelona between the European and Latin American left against the advance of the far right on both continents. At the first bilateral Spain-Brazil summit, held at the Pedralbes Palace with military honors and the participation of roughly ten ministers from each side, both leaders displayed total alignment and signed a series of cooperation agreements.
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Friday, April 17th 2026 - 21:42 UTC
Iran declares Hormuz “fully open” until ceasefire ends; Trump insists on keeping Iranian port blockade
Iran announced on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz will remain “fully open” to merchant shipping until the ceasefire with the United States expires next Wednesday. The decision, linked to the start of the 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon announced by Trump on Thursday, triggered an immediate drop in oil prices of nearly 10% and strong relief across global markets.
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Friday, April 17th 2026 - 21:17 UTC
At least 12 schools in Paraguay receive shooting threats; authorities probe possible viral “challenge”
At least 12 schools in Paraguay received shooting threats between Thursday and Friday, with messages written on bathroom walls reading “tomorrow there will be a shooting,” said Sonia Escauriza, director of Child and Adolescent Protection at the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC). The figure rose to 13 in the following hours, according to the same official in statements to radio station Universo 970 AM.
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Friday, April 17th 2026 - 11:06 UTC
Chile launches deportation flights under Kast with 40 migrants expelled to Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia
The government of Chilean President José Antonio Kast carried out its first deportation flight of irregular migrants on Thursday, expelling 40 people on a Chilean Air Force (FACh) Boeing 737 that made stops in Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia. The 19 Colombians, the last group to disembark, arrived in Bogotá shortly after 8:00 p.m. local time. The 17 Bolivians and four Ecuadorians were dropped off previously in La Paz and Guayaquil, respectively. Each deportee traveled accompanied by an officer from Chile's Investigative Police (PDI).
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Friday, April 17th 2026 - 00:03 UTC
Trump says US “very close” to Iran deal and announces Israel-Lebanon ceasefire
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Washington is “very close” to reaching a deal with Iran and announced that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, in a day that combined diplomatic overtures with explicit threats to resume hostilities if Tehran does not accept American terms.
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