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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, April 30th 2026 - 15:40 UTC

Stories for April 2026

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 21:49 UTC

    Lula and Sanchez seal progressive alliance in Barcelona and call for front against global far right

    Sánchez responded that Spain and Brazil share “the same vision of the world, anchored in the defense of democracy, international cooperation, respect for international law and human rights, and peace”

    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.

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 21:42 UTC

    Iran declares Hormuz “fully open” until ceasefire ends; Trump insists on keeping Iranian port blockade

    Despite the relief, normalizing traffic will take weeks. According to maritime intelligence firm Windward, at least 823 vessels remain trapped in the Persian Gulf

    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.

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 21:17 UTC

    At least 12 schools in Paraguay receive shooting threats; authorities probe possible viral “challenge”

    The phenomenon extends beyond Paraguay. In Argentina, threats with nearly identical messages — “Tomorrow, shooting. Don't come” — appeared in at least a dozen schools across Buenos Aires

    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.

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 20:10 UTC

    As YouTube Commits to Further Price Hikes, What’s Next for Consumers?

    Photo: Pixabay

    YouTube is the latest name in the major streaming market to deliver customers an increase in prices across a range of subscription tiers. As recently announced, the changes have raised costs for Music Premium, Individual Premium, and Premium Light. While the exact percentage increases vary depending on territory and currency, this adjustment still applies worldwide, in the latest in a long line of recent streaming price hikes.

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 11:06 UTC

    Chile launches deportation flights under Kast with 40 migrants expelled to Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia

    The operation is not unprecedented in Chile. Under the government of Gabriel Boric (2022-2026), more than 20 deportation flights were carried out and roughly 4,500 people were expelled

    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).

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 00:03 UTC

    Trump says US “very close” to Iran deal and announces Israel-Lebanon ceasefire

    “It looks very likely that we will reach a deal with Iran, and it will be a good deal, no nuclear weapons,” Trump said

    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.

  • Thursday, April 16th 2026 - 23:55 UTC

    Venezuela dismantles Nestor Kirchner Room at Miraflores and repurposes it to receive US officials

    The room had been inaugurated on December 1, 2011, during an official visit by Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to Venezuela

    Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez ordered the dismantling of the “Néstor Kirchner Room” at Miraflores Palace, a space that for nearly fifteen years served as a symbol of the political alliance between Chavismo and Kirchnerism. The measure involved removing portraits, paintings, quotations and objects linked to the former Argentine president, and converting the room into a meeting space with a neutral aesthetic that, according to Venezuelan outlet Monitoreamos, is now used to receive US officials.

  • Thursday, April 16th 2026 - 23:08 UTC

    “We are oppressed in Brazil”: thousands of conservative Brazilians seek new life in Paraguay

    Paraguay broke a record in 2025 by granting 40,600 residency permits to foreigners. More than half — 23,500 — went to Brazilians, far outpacing the 4,300 Argentines in second place

    Hundreds of Brazilians camped overnight on beach chairs, plastic benches and tarps outside an immigration center in Ciudad del Este, on the border with Brazil, to secure a spot in a Paraguayan government drive to fast-track residency applications. Some organized an improvised barbecue on a barrel while they waited. Others had traveled more than 1,500 kilometers by bus. All shared a common thread: the desire to leave Brazil for reasons they describe as political, economic and ideological, according to a report by BBC News Brasil.

  • Thursday, April 16th 2026 - 22:46 UTC

    Uruguay says RAF Falklands flight was medevac; Tierra del Fuego alleges airspace breach

    Sources close to the Islands' administration who spoke with MercoPress had already indicated that many of these flights are medical evacuations of Islanders

    Uruguay's Ministry of Defense confirmed on Wednesday that the flight of a Royal Air Force (RAF) Airbus A400M Atlas between the Falkland Islands and Montevideo was a medical evacuation of two patients, authorized under decree 419/021, which permits the landing of foreign state aircraft for humanitarian reasons or force majeure. Uruguayan Air Force press spokesperson Marisol Diana provided the explanation to Informativo Uruguay.

  • Thursday, April 16th 2026 - 00:55 UTC

    Logistics corridor to Falklands via Uruguay: former Kirchnerist diplomat denounces untracked flight

    According to a source close to the Islands' administration who spoke with MercoPress, many of these flights are medical evacuations of Falkland Islanders

    A Royal Air Force (RAF) Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft operated on April 12 between Mount Pleasant base in the Falkland Islands and Carrasco airport in Montevideo, switching off its transponder during the return leg to the islands, rendering it invisible to civilian tracking systems, according to the specialized outlet Escenario Mundial, which identified the aircraft as registration ZM413 operating flights RRR4000 (outbound) and RRR4001 (return).