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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 26th 2026 - 07:16 UTC

Stories for May 2026

  • Saturday, May 16th 2026 - 03:12 UTC

    Trump closes China visit without substantial agreements but with Xi's offer on Strait of Hormuz

    Xi described the visit as “historic” and “emblematic” and said the two leaders had set a new course based on a “constructive relationship of strategic stability between China and the US”

    US President Donald Trump on Friday concluded his state visit to China of less than 48 hours without substantial announcements on the main points of the bilateral agenda, although he described the encounter as “very successful” and “unforgettable” and said he had reached “fantastic” trade deals whose details were not disclosed. The final day of the trip, held at Zhongnanhai, the residence of the Chinese Communist Party leadership, produced as its most visible outcome an offer by Chinese President Xi Jinping to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, closed by Iran since the start of the war in late February.

  • Friday, May 15th 2026 - 13:27 UTC

    Chilean former president defends “people-centered” multilateralism in Montevideo against authoritarian projects

    Bachelet linked the regional democratic erosion to the “profound disconnect between institutions and people”

    Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, currently a candidate for the United Nations Secretary General, defended on Thursday in Montevideo the need for “a more representative, inclusive, and people-centered multilateralism” in the face of advancing “authoritarian projects” in the international order, during the keynote of the seminar “Geopolitics, Multilateralism, and Risks to Gender-Parity Democracy in the New International Order.” The event, organized by IDEA Internacional, is taking place at Uruguay's Legislative Palace as part of the Latin American Women in Politics Meeting, which brings together regional political leaders until Friday.

  • Friday, May 15th 2026 - 05:08 UTC

    Washington considers prosecuting Raúl Castro over 1996 shootdown of civilian planes

    The incident that would underpin the indictment took place on 24 February 1996

    The US government is weighing a federal indictment against former Cuban president Raúl Castro over the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft operated by the humanitarian organization Brothers to the Rescue, the CBS network and the Reuters news agency reported on Thursday, citing official sources. The potential charges, which still require grand jury approval, emerge on a day marked by escalating tensions between Washington and Havana and by a confidential visit to the Cuban capital by CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

  • Friday, May 15th 2026 - 03:43 UTC

    Falklands, artists film on local talent and works

    Watch our new short film exploring arts and culture in the Falkland Islands. Released alongside the latest exhibition by celebrated Ceramicist and Islander Graham Bound, the film features local artists sharing their work and speaking about how the Falklands insp them.

  • Friday, May 15th 2026 - 03:05 UTC

    Uruguay: Orsi's disapproval climbs to 48% as approval falls to 27% in his first year in office

    The net balance between disapproval and approval widened from -7 points in February to -21 points by the end of April, a gap more than double the one recorded at the start of the year

    Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi's administration recorded a significant deterioration in public approval as the government marked its first year in office, according to the latest survey by the polling firm Equipos released on Thursday on the Subrayado newscast. The president's disapproval rose to 48%, up from 40% in February, while approval fell from 33% to 27% over the same period. Intermediate assessments held roughly steady at around 23%, and 2% of respondents declined to answer.

  • Friday, May 15th 2026 - 02:58 UTC

    Cuba accepts USD 100 million in US humanitarian aid amid energy collapse

    The US energy blockade has aggravated the structural crisis the island has been dragging since the capture of Nicolás Maduro and the resulting interruption of the Venezuelan supply

    The Cuban government on Thursday accepted the United States' offer of USD 100 million in humanitarian aid for food, fuel, and medicines, in a significant political shift after weeks of public rejection and hours after authorities on the island acknowledged the complete exhaustion of their fuel reserves. The aid will be channeled through the Catholic Church, according to the official statement issued by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who only the day before had described the US offer as “inconsequential and paradoxical.”

  • Thursday, May 14th 2026 - 16:52 UTC

    UK ‘Zero Net’ Miliband’s policy questioned as a threat to British security, ‘China dominates all the green technology’

    Ed Miliband has been accused of handing Beijing a “kill switch” over the UK economy after claiming that green energy will end reliance on Vladimir Putin’s Russia 

    The UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband has been accused of handing Beijing a “kill switch” over the British economy, after claiming that green energy will end the UK's reliance on Vladimir Putin’s Russia for its fuel needs.

  • Thursday, May 14th 2026 - 09:27 UTC

    Venezuela announces formal restructuring of its external debt after nearly a decade in default

    The restructuring advances within the framework of the gradual easing of sanctions promoted by Washington following the 3 January military operation

    The Venezuelan government on Wednesday announced the formal launch of an “integral and orderly” restructuring of the country's public external debt and that of the state oil company PDVSA, in the most concrete step by acting President Delcy Rodríguez's administration toward financial normalization after nearly a decade in default. The communiqué, issued by the Sectoral Vice Presidency for the Economy, sets as its central objective “to put the economy at the service of the Venezuelan people and free the country from the burden of accumulated debt.”

  • Thursday, May 14th 2026 - 09:21 UTC

    Orsi prepares for Washington visit after months of overtures to the Trump administration

    “I am the president of Uruguay and I do not conduct foreign policy representing a political force. I do it thinking about what suits Uruguay,” the president argued

    Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi will travel to Washington “in the coming months” to meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump, in a meeting that national authorities describe as agreed and awaiting only the coordination of calendars, according to Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin's confirmation on Wednesday before the Senate International Affairs Committee. The summit would crown a series of overtures by the Broad Front government toward the Republican administration, initiated in the early weeks of Orsi's term, which began in March, and which have generated controversy within the ruling coalition itself.

  • Wednesday, May 13th 2026 - 23:41 UTC

    Falklands representative meets Starmer at State Opening of UK Parliament

    The Falkland Islands Representative to the UK & Europe, Richard Hyslop, with the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, after the State Opening of Parliament

    The Falkland Islands Government Representative to the United Kingdom and Europe, Richard Hyslop, attended the formal opening of the British parliamentary year on Wednesday, 13 May, and held talks with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Minister for the UK Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty, at the reception held after the ceremony. The meeting reaffirms the political alignment between London and Stanley at a moment of international diplomatic tension over the sovereignty of the archipelago.