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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 26th 2026 - 07:27 UTC

Stories for May 2026

  • Wednesday, May 6th 2026 - 16:10 UTC

    WHO confirms Andes strain in MV Hondius outbreak and traces 23 passengers who disembarked at Saint Helena

    The MV Hondius is expected to take between three and four days to reach the Canary Islands from its current position off Cape Verde

    The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Wednesday that the variant responsible for the hantavirus outbreak aboard polar cruise ship MV Hondius is the Andes virus, the only documented strain capable of human-to-human transmission, raised the total number of linked cases to eight, and launched the international tracing of 23 passengers who left the ship two weeks ago during a stop at the island of Saint Helena. The confirmation of the strain represents a significant epidemiological development and substantially widens the scope of the health investigation.

  • Wednesday, May 6th 2026 - 12:14 UTC

    Uruguay's president meets Brazilian executives in São Paulo to open 'new phase' of commercial ties

    The meetings, held throughout Tuesday, gathered executives from the mining, logistics, banking, food, tourism, pulp, soybean, pharmaceutical, metallurgical and supermarket sectors

    Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi made a day trip to São Paulo on Tuesday to meet Brazilian business leaders interested in investing in Uruguay, in an agenda Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin described as an opportunity to “move to a new phase in the levels of commercial development and Brazilian investments” in the South American country. The official delegation included Lubetkin himself, Economy and Finance Minister Gabriel Oddone, Uruguay's ambassador to Brazil Rodolfo Nin Novoa, and the executive director of investment promotion agency Uruguay XXI, Mariana Ferreira.

  • Wednesday, May 6th 2026 - 01:45 UTC

    Just one day after its launch, Trump halts Hormuz reopening operation and turns to negotiations with Iran

    The announcement came hours after Rubio told reporters at the White House that Operation Epic Fury had concluded after achieving its objectives

    US President Donald Trump on Tuesday night announced the suspension of “Project Freedom,” the military operation launched barely 24 hours earlier to escort stranded vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, citing significant progress toward a peace agreement with Iran. The announcement, posted on his Truth Social platform, contradicted the messaging sustained throughout the day by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Joint Chiefs chairman General Dan Caine, all of whom had framed the operation as a non-negotiable humanitarian rescue mission for stranded sailors.

  • Wednesday, May 6th 2026 - 00:45 UTC

    The Hidden Risks Behind Free Content Platforms in the Digital Age

    Photo: Unsplash

    The way people from all around the world access content changed thanks to free digital platforms. Millions of users rely on free services for entertainment, software, and information. That's even more emphasized in regions where paid alternatives are unaffordable. However, the increased accessibility raises serious discussions around the risks of free platforms.

  • Wednesday, May 6th 2026 - 00:13 UTC

    Crypto Casinos in 2026: Safety, Speed and Player Trust

    Crypto casinos are no longer a fringe corner of online gambling. In 2026, the sector is becoming a test of whether fast payments, blockchain transparency and consumer protection can operate in the same market without pulling against each other. The attraction is clear: players want Bitcoin or USDT deposits, faster withdrawals and games whose results can be checked rather than simply trusted.

  • Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 22:18 UTC

    Falklands monitor MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak and clarify the route did not include the islands

    The Falkland Islands Government announced that the KEMH “will review its policies for receiving unwell passengers off cruise ships, on a case-by-case basis”

    The Falkland Islands Government issued an official statement on Tuesday confirming that it is closely monitoring the hantavirus outbreak aboard the polar cruise ship MV Hondius — a vessel that frequently operates in the archipelago's waters — and took the opportunity to correct information reported by some international media outlets suggesting that the ship had stopped at the islands on its current voyage from Ushuaia. The Falkland Islands Maritime Authority clarified that this information is incorrect and that the Hondius's most recent visit to the archipelago was in mid-February, weeks before the journey that triggered the current health crisis.

  • Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 21:58 UTC

    Spain agrees to receive hantavirus-hit cruise ship in Canary Islands following WHO request

    The reception protocol will be developed by the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

    The Spanish government on Tuesday night authorised the docking in the Canary Islands of the polar cruise ship MV Hondius, on which a hantavirus outbreak has already left three people dead, after Cape Verdean authorities denied it entry to their ports and following a formal request from the World Health Organization (WHO) that invoked Spain's “moral and legal obligation” to assist the 147 passengers and crew on board, including 14 Spanish citizens.

  • Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 18:28 UTC

    Bullrich vows that Argentina's government will capture former guerrilla Apablaza for extradition to Chile

    Apablaza, a former member of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front, is identified by Chilean justice as the mastermind of the assassination of Senator Jaime Guzmán, architect of the 1980 Constitution

    Argentine senator and former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said in Santiago on Tuesday that Javier Milei's government maintains “the firm determination” to locate Chilean former guerrilla Galvarino Sergio Apablaza, on the run since April 1 in Argentine territory, in order to extradite him to Chile. “If he is in Argentina, we are going to find him. That is the commitment of the Argentine president, it is the commitment of the government,” Bullrich told local media during her visit to the Andean country, where she will meet with Chilean President José Antonio Kast.

  • Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 18:10 UTC

    Falkland House in London hosts an exhibition of ceramic work by Graham Bound

    Graham Bound, who was born and raised in the Falkland Islands, is widely known as a journalist and writer. Among his achievements, he founded the weekly newspaper Penguin News and he has authored several books focusing on the 1982 war and the present-day Falklands, from the perspective of the Islanders.

  • Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 03:23 UTC

    Cape Verde denies docking to hantavirus-hit cruise ship as WHO confirms seven cases

    Aboard the Dutch-flagged Hondius are 147 passengers and crew members of 23 nationalities, including 17 Americans and at least 4 Canadians

    Cape Verde's health authorities on Monday denied permission to dock at the port of Praia to polar cruise ship MV Hondius, on board which the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed seven cases of hantavirus — two of them laboratory-verified — and three deaths linked to the voyage. The decision leaves the nearly 150 people remaining on board in prolonged isolation in Atlantic waters, while medical evacuations are coordinated for patients in the most serious condition and authorities evaluate the possibility of continuing the journey toward the Canary Islands, on Spanish territory.