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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, August 8th 2026 - 03:15 UTC

Stories for July 2026

  • Saturday, July 25th 2026 - 09:14 UTC

    New US tariff scheme expands Argentine zero-duty lines to 2,212

    Argentina was also placed in the lowest band of the new regime, with an additional 10% tariff, the same rate that previously applied

    The new US tariff scheme that took effect on Friday raised to 2,212 the number of Argentine tariff lines that can enter the US market at a 0% rate. To the 1,675 lines already covered by the Reciprocal Trade and Investment Agreement (ARTI), signed on February 5 in Washington, another 537 were added following a review by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR).

  • Saturday, July 25th 2026 - 09:10 UTC

    Uruguay: nearly half of those polled say the government is falling short of expectations

    The same poll put Orsi's approval at 24% and disapproval at 56%, his worst reading since taking office

    For 49% of Uruguayans surveyed, Yamandú Orsi's government is performing below the expectations they held at the start of the administration, according to the latest poll by the consultancy Factum, covering the third two-month period of 2026. The study, with fieldwork conducted between June 2 and 20 and released by VTV Noticias, shows a sustained deterioration in perceptions of the government since the beginning of the term.

  • Saturday, July 25th 2026 - 09:06 UTC

    Trump jokes about a third term at correspondents' dinner, three months after the attack

    The evening was a repeat of the April 25 event, which was interrupted when a man tried to force his way through a security checkpoint and fired near the ballroom

    US President Donald Trump joked about the possibility of seeking a third term during his speech at the annual White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner, held on Friday in Washington. Toward the end of his roughly hour-long remarks, he put on a hat reading “Trump 2028.” The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution bars a president from serving more than two terms.

  • Friday, July 24th 2026 - 07:05 UTC

    Uruguay faces a 12.5% US tariff as its foreign ministry weighs the implications

    Sources at the Foreign Ministry confirmed the decision and said its implications are being analyzed, while noting that the outcome “was within expectations”

    Uruguay was placed in the highest band of the new US tariff scheme, with an additional 12.5% levy on its exports to the United States, for not having an explicit ban on the import of goods produced with forced labor. The measure, which took effect on Friday, raises the rate that had applied to the country since February, of 10%.

  • Friday, July 24th 2026 - 07:00 UTC

    Six candidates to lead the UN debate in the General Assembly with no clear front-runner

    The common thread across the interventions was the need to restore the credibility of an organization facing financial strains and largely absent from negotiations over the world's major conflicts

    The six contenders to succeed António Guterres at the head of the United Nations set out their proposals on Thursday in a debate held in the General Assembly Hall, a week before the formal start of the selection process. For nearly two hours they answered questions from diplomats, UN staff, and civil society representatives, in a publicly broadcast session.

  • Friday, July 24th 2026 - 06:48 UTC

    Family of murdered journalist urges Paraguay to comply with Inter-American Court ruling

    The family also said it had proposed holding the official act of acknowledgment of responsibility at the site of the killing, a proposal that was not accepted

    The widow and children of Paraguayan journalist Santiago Leguizamón, murdered in 1991, have called on the state to fully comply with the ruling in which the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found Paraguay responsible for failing to properly investigate the crime. The demand was voiced on Monday at a ceremony beside the monument honoring the broadcaster in Pedro Juan Caballero, on the border with Brazil, convened by the family, the Paraguayan Journalists' Union, and the Human Rights Coordinating Body, with backing from the International Federation of Journalists.

  • Thursday, July 23rd 2026 - 22:37 UTC

    World Bank estimates $19.6 billion in earthquake damage in Venezuela

    The disaster struck a country with a poverty rate above 76% and an economy that contracted sharply over the past decade, in a period marked by US sanctions

    The twin earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela on June 24 caused an estimated $19.6 billion in direct physical damage, according to a preliminary assessment published on Thursday by the World Bank. The figure is equivalent to about 18% of the country's gross domestic product, based on International Monetary Fund data.

  • Thursday, July 23rd 2026 - 22:33 UTC

    US rebuilds its tariff wall with forced-labor levies on 60 economies

    The levies are applied under Section 301 of the 1974 trade law, which allows a response to unfair trade practices following an investigation

    The United States imposed tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on 60 trading partners, which together account for about 99% of its imports, over what the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) described as their failure to adopt and effectively enforce bans on the import of goods produced with forced labor. The measures, announced on Thursday, took effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, at the same moment the 10% universal tariff in place since February expired.

  • Thursday, July 23rd 2026 - 07:34 UTC

    New York judge sets June 2027 for the start of Maduro and Cilia Flores's trial

    Maduro, 63, is charged with conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism, cocaine importation, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices

    Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein set June 1, 2027, as the preliminary start date for the trial of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the narcoterrorism case they face in the United States. The decision came on Wednesday during the case's third hearing before the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, which lasted only a few minutes.

  • Thursday, July 23rd 2026 - 07:34 UTC

    Wes Streeting appointed UK Defence Secretary; ‘disappointment’ with removal of Dan Jarvis, responsible for DIP

    “With John Healey now looking after the money, Wes Streeting can focus on the vital Defence Reforms necessary to deliver.”

    Former Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has been appointed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham as the new UK Defense Secretary, replacing Dan Jarvis who has taken the job when John Healey resigned last June.