MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 10th 2026 - 10:36 UTC

Stories for 2026

  • Tuesday, March 17th 2026 - 23:16 UTC

    $LIBRA case forensic report points to payments from Novelli to Milei since 2021, La Nación says

    The newspaper also traced how Novelli and his circle allegedly sought to capitalize on their proximity to Milei

    A forensic report added to the judicial case around the $LIBRA scandal contains references to payments that businessman Mauricio Novelli allegedly made to Javier Milei from 2021, when he was still a congressman, for classes and promotional work tied to N&W Profesional Traders, according to La Nación. The report also points to indications of money transfers or cash deliveries even after Milei became president.

  • Tuesday, March 17th 2026 - 23:01 UTC

    Games of Chance Through the Ages: Why the Thrill of the Game Never Fades

    Few forms of entertainment have managed to hold public fascination for as long as casinos. From elegant gaming halls filled with card tables and roulette wheels to modern digital platforms accessible around the world, casinos continue to attract people seeking excitement, strategy and the unpredictable nature of chance. The concept may have evolved over time, but the core appeal remains the same: the anticipation that builds with every card dealt or wheel spun.

  • Tuesday, March 17th 2026 - 22:45 UTC

    Petro accuses Ecuador of bombing Colombian territory, deepening rift with Noboa

    Noboa responded quickly. Ecuador’s president called Petro’s statements “false” and said Ecuador was “acting in our territory, not in yours.”

    The crisis between Colombia and Ecuador escalated sharply on Tuesday after Colombian President Gustavo Petro said his country was being bombed from Ecuadorian territory, while his counterpart Daniel Noboa rejected the allegation and insisted military operations were taking place only on Ecuador’s side of the border.

  • Tuesday, March 17th 2026 - 22:31 UTC

    US counterterrorism chief resigns over Iran war

    Kent’s departure cuts at one of the White House’s core arguments for the strikes

    Joe Kent, director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, resigned on Tuesday with immediate effect, saying he could not support Washington’s war against Iran in what became the first high-level public break inside Donald Trump’s national security apparatus since the offensive began. Kent said Tehran had posed no “imminent threat” to the United States.

  • Tuesday, March 17th 2026 - 22:15 UTC

    Trump sharpens criticism of NATO after allies refuse to join Hormuz mission

    The refusals further exposed Washington’s diplomatic isolation in a war now entering its third week and already pushing oil above US$100 a barrel

    U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his criticism of NATO and other allies on Tuesday after most of them rejected his request to send ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway for Gulf energy exports. Speaking alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Trump called the refusal “a very foolish mistake” while also insisting Washington could proceed alone: “We don’t need help, actually.”

  • Tuesday, March 17th 2026 - 11:44 UTC

    Rafael Correa in Uruguay: controversy over visit by convicted Ecuadorean ex-president

    In April 2020, Ecuador’s National Court of Justice found him guilty in the Sobornos 2012-2016 case and sentenced him to eight years in prison for aggravated bribery

    Former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa is in Uruguay, according to Uruguayan government sources cited by Montevideo daily El País. His presence prompted criticism from the opposition, while the government said that, for now, no formal meetings with executive branch authorities were planned.

  • Tuesday, March 17th 2026 - 10:28 UTC

    Argentina opposition seeks prosecutor’s removal in $LIBRA case and warns of possible cover-up

    One of the most sensitive findings in the technical report is the reconstruction of contacts between Novelli and the presidential circle on Feb. 14, 2025

    Political pressure on the judicial investigation into the $LIBRA case intensified on Monday after opposition lawmakers said they would file a complaint against federal prosecutor Eduardo Taiano before the Discipline Tribunal of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and seek his removal from the case. The move followed new reports published by Argentine media on the forensic review of Mauricio Novelli’s phone, one of the central pieces of evidence in the investigation.

  • Tuesday, March 17th 2026 - 10:00 UTC

    Saudi Arabia diverts more crude to the Red Sea to bypass Hormuz, but alternative capacity remains limited

    The bottleneck is not only the pipeline itself, but also the port and shipping logistics

    Saudi Arabia is stepping up the use of its pipeline network to the Red Sea to keep crude exports moving while the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily disrupted by the war with Iran. The key route is the Abqaiq-Yanbu system, also known as the East-West Pipeline or Petroline, which links Gulf oil fields with the Yanbu terminal on the Red Sea. That infrastructure has become the kingdom’s main escape route around Hormuz, the chokepoint that normally carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supply.

  • Tuesday, March 17th 2026 - 03:19 UTC

    Trump says it would be “a great honor” to “take Cuba” as Washington presses Havana in talks

    The energy crisis has worsened since Cuba went three months without fuel imports, according to Díaz-Canel’s remarks

    U.S. President Donald Trump sharply escalated his rhetoric toward Cuba on Monday, saying it would be “a great honor” for him to “take Cuba in some form” and that he can “do anything” he wants with the island. The comments came as Cuba was enduring a nationwide blackout and while bilateral contacts acknowledged by both governments since last week continued in the background.

  • Tuesday, March 17th 2026 - 03:00 UTC

    Noboa imposes curfew in four provinces of Ecuador deploys 75,000 personnel in new anti-crime offensive

    The new phase of Noboa’s plan also rests on emergency powers

    Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa has launched a new security offensive with a nightly curfew in four violence-hit provinces and the deployment of 75,000 soldiers and police officers. The restriction runs from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. in Guayas, El Oro, Los Ríos and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, began on Sunday night and is expected to remain in force for two weeks. In the first hours of the operation, authorities reported 253 arrests for violating the measure.