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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, July 1st 2026 - 04:13 UTC

Stories for June 11th 2026

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 23:12 UTC

    Venezuela hands Shell a license for the cross-border Loran gas field shared with Trinidad

    Rodríguez described the award as a “historic step,” recalling that the field had remained “without development” for 23 years

    Venezuela on Thursday granted the British company Shell a license for a first phase of exploration and exploitation of the Loran gas field, which has seven reservoirs, six of them transboundary with Trinidad and Tobago. The signing was led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez at Miraflores Palace, the seat of the Venezuelan government.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 23:03 UTC

    Amnesty International condemns police violence at World Cup opening protests in Mexico City

    Mexico City's government deployed more than 10,000 officers around the stadium and hotel corridors

    Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday condemned the violence by security forces during the large protests in southern Mexico City surrounding the opening of the 2026 World Cup, in which police used fire extinguishers to disperse demonstrators. The organization demanded respect for and protection of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and protest.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 22:46 UTC

    Cuba accuses Rubio of tightening the US economic and energy blockade after Cupet sanction

    Rubio accused the Cuban government of using energy “as a weapon” and of diverting resources to enrich itself, a claim that, according to news agencies, he did not back with evidence.

    Cuba's government on Thursday accused US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of “further reinforcing” the economic and energy siege against the island, after Washington sanctioned the state company Unión Cuba-Petróleo (Cupet), which handles crude extraction, refining and production. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez charged that Rubio resorts to “usual vulgar lies” to justify the measure.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 22:34 UTC

    Colombia's government confirms El Niño will be among the most intense since 1950

    In Colombia, El Niño tends to be associated with a decline in rainfall, which raises the risk of drought and energy rationing in a country that relies heavily on hydroelectric generation

    Colombia's Environment Ministry confirmed on Thursday that the El Niño phenomenon arrived about three months earlier than expected and that, if projections hold, it will be one of the “most intense recorded since 1950,” according to data from the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam). The agency said the conditions associated with the phenomenon —which warms ocean waters above normal— are already present in the equatorial Pacific.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 09:04 UTC

    Fujimori edges ahead of Sánchez in Peru as expat ballots flip a razor-thin count

    Fujimori reappeared at the door of her home to ask Sánchez to keep his commitment to respect the final result

    Conservative Keiko Fujimori reclaimed first place on Wednesday night in Peru's presidential runoff, in a count being decided vote by vote that took a decisive turn with the arrival of ballots from Peruvians abroad. With 98.2% of the tally sheets processed by the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), Fujimori reached 50.002% against 49.999% for leftist Roberto Sánchez, a difference of fewer than a thousand votes. If the trend holds, the Fuerza Popular leader could become the country's first woman elected president at the polls.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 08:32 UTC

    Brazil's lower-house committee approves lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 16

    The initiative resurfaces in an election year, with general elections in October. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opposes the measure, while the right is championing it

    The Constitution, Justice and Citizenship Committee (CCJ) of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies approved on Wednesday, by 44 votes to 18, the constitutional amendment proposal seeking to reduce the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16. The approval, however, is only the first step in a long process before the measure could become law.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 08:13 UTC

    Argentina's Adorni declares $513,000 in Bitcoin to explain his wealth amid an enrichment case

    According to the reconstruction presented by the Cabinet Office, the cryptocurrency investments were made between 2013 and 2018 through eight virtual wallets

    Argentina's Cabinet Chief, Manuel Adorni, filed a series of rectified sworn declarations on Wednesday night before the Anti-Corruption Office and the Revenue and Customs Control Agency (ARCA) that substantially modify his assets and those of his wife, Bettina Angeletti. The main new element is the inclusion of about $513,000 attributed to Bitcoin investments, in a filing that comes as he faces a judicial investigation for alleged illicit enrichment.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 08:12 UTC

    US and Iran trade fire for a second night as Tehran says it has closed Hormuz

    Iran's General Staff declared Hormuz “closed” to all traffic and warned it would fire on any vessel, while the United States maintained that transit continues

    The United States and Iran traded fire for a second consecutive night, in what amounts to a more dangerous phase of the war in the Persian Gulf and raises the prospect of a return to open hostilities. As US forces again struck Iranian targets, the Revolutionary Guard said it had hit bases with a US presence in the region, and Iran's General Staff announced the “absolute” closure of the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump threatened new strikes on Thursday if Tehran does not accept his conditions for peace.

  • Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 06:35 UTC

    Mexico City hosts the opening ceremony of the first 48-team World Cup on Thursday

    For Shakira, it will be her fourth World Cup appearance, after “Hips Don't Lie” in 2006, “Waka Waka” in 2010 —the official song of that South African edition— and “La La La” in 2014

    Mexico City will be the stage on Thursday for the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Cup, the first contested by 48 teams and the first hosted by three countries: Mexico, the United States and Canada. The event will take place at the Estadio Ciudad de México, the former Azteca, before the opening match between host Mexico and South Africa. The ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. central Mexico time, about 90 minutes before the start of the match, set for 1:00 p.m. (2:30 and 4:00 p.m. in Montevideo and Buenos Aires; 1:30 and 3:00 p.m. in the eastern United States; 7:30 and 9:00 p.m. in Madrid).