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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 4th 2026 - 23:21 UTC

Stories for 2026

  • Sunday, April 19th 2026 - 10:16 UTC

    Second trial over Maradona's death begins after first was annulled over judicial scandal

    Maradona died on November 25, 2020, aged 60, at a house in a gated community in Tigre, Buenos Aires province, where he was under home care following brain surgery for a subdural hematoma

    A new public trial has been underway since Tuesday to determine whether Diego Maradona died due to the neglect and abandonment of the health professionals who were supposed to care for him. Seven defendants — four doctors, two nurses and a psychologist — face charges of homicide with eventual intent at the courts of San Isidro, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, with possible sentences of 8 to 25 years in prison.

  • Sunday, April 19th 2026 - 10:06 UTC

    Mandelson scandal threatens Starmer: fired top official may contradict his account before Parliament

    “It is totally unacceptable that when the prime minister has to push forward a nomination, he is not told the candidate has been vetoed. It is unforgivable,” Starmer said

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will voluntarily appear before the House of Commons on Monday in an attempt to save his government amid the revelation that Peter Mandelson, the controversial former Labour minister he appointed ambassador to the United States in 2024, had been vetoed by the UK Security Vetting agency (UKSV) before his appointment — a veto that was overridden and of which Starmer says he was never informed.

  • Saturday, April 18th 2026 - 10:58 UTC

    Iran closes Hormuz again after less than 24 hours as two ships report being fired upon

    The reversal came as maritime tracking sites showed several ships attempting to take advantage of the opening

    Iran's reopening of the Strait of Hormuz lasted less than 24 hours. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared on Saturday that it had reimposed “strict control” over the maritime corridor, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas transits. At least two vessels reported being hit by gunfire while attempting to cross the strait, according to three maritime security sources cited by Reuters. It has not been confirmed whether the shots caused damage.

  • Saturday, April 18th 2026 - 02:53 UTC

    Uruguayan court rejects injunction against offshore seismic prospection, allowing exploration to continue

    The court dismissed the case on procedural grounds without fully examining the environmental merits

    A Montevideo civil court dismissed an injunction filed by social organizations and fishing industry unions against seismic prospection activities for hydrocarbon exploration in Uruguay's exclusive economic zone, allowing operations by the company Viridien (CGG Services) to continue on an offshore block assigned to oil major Chevron.

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 21:55 UTC

    Milei government appeals to Supreme Court to avoid applying university funding law

    The university conflict has been one of Milei's most politically costly fronts in 2024 and 2025, with massive student and union marches

    Argentina's government filed an extraordinary federal appeal with the Supreme Court on Thursday to avoid complying with the University Funding Law (27.795), which requires it to update faculty salaries and scholarship programs at national universities. The Executive argued that complying with the law would consume 90.3% of available primary spending credits and cause “a significant paralysis of the functioning of all three branches of government.”

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 21:49 UTC

    Lula and Sanchez seal progressive alliance in Barcelona and call for front against global far right

    Sánchez responded that Spain and Brazil share “the same vision of the world, anchored in the defense of democracy, international cooperation, respect for international law and human rights, and peace”

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday cemented a political alliance in Barcelona between the European and Latin American left against the advance of the far right on both continents. At the first bilateral Spain-Brazil summit, held at the Pedralbes Palace with military honors and the participation of roughly ten ministers from each side, both leaders displayed total alignment and signed a series of cooperation agreements.

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 21:42 UTC

    Iran declares Hormuz “fully open” until ceasefire ends; Trump insists on keeping Iranian port blockade

    Despite the relief, normalizing traffic will take weeks. According to maritime intelligence firm Windward, at least 823 vessels remain trapped in the Persian Gulf

    Iran announced on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz will remain “fully open” to merchant shipping until the ceasefire with the United States expires next Wednesday. The decision, linked to the start of the 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon announced by Trump on Thursday, triggered an immediate drop in oil prices of nearly 10% and strong relief across global markets.

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 21:17 UTC

    At least 12 schools in Paraguay receive shooting threats; authorities probe possible viral “challenge”

    The phenomenon extends beyond Paraguay. In Argentina, threats with nearly identical messages — “Tomorrow, shooting. Don't come” — appeared in at least a dozen schools across Buenos Aires

    At least 12 schools in Paraguay received shooting threats between Thursday and Friday, with messages written on bathroom walls reading “tomorrow there will be a shooting,” said Sonia Escauriza, director of Child and Adolescent Protection at the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC). The figure rose to 13 in the following hours, according to the same official in statements to radio station Universo 970 AM.

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 20:10 UTC

    As YouTube Commits to Further Price Hikes, What’s Next for Consumers?

    Photo: Pixabay

    YouTube is the latest name in the major streaming market to deliver customers an increase in prices across a range of subscription tiers. As recently announced, the changes have raised costs for Music Premium, Individual Premium, and Premium Light. While the exact percentage increases vary depending on territory and currency, this adjustment still applies worldwide, in the latest in a long line of recent streaming price hikes.

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 11:06 UTC

    Chile launches deportation flights under Kast with 40 migrants expelled to Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia

    The operation is not unprecedented in Chile. Under the government of Gabriel Boric (2022-2026), more than 20 deportation flights were carried out and roughly 4,500 people were expelled

    The government of Chilean President José Antonio Kast carried out its first deportation flight of irregular migrants on Thursday, expelling 40 people on a Chilean Air Force (FACh) Boeing 737 that made stops in Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia. The 19 Colombians, the last group to disembark, arrived in Bogotá shortly after 8:00 p.m. local time. The 17 Bolivians and four Ecuadorians were dropped off previously in La Paz and Guayaquil, respectively. Each deportee traveled accompanied by an officer from Chile's Investigative Police (PDI).