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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, June 11th 2025 - 01:43 UTC

Latin America

  • Saturday, September 9th 2023 - 09:42 UTC

    Kidnapped Ecuadorian councilman found dead

    Vera had been elected councilman of Durán for the 2023-2027 period

    Councilman Bolívar Vera, 42, of the municipality of Durán was kidnapped and murdered in a new episode of Ecuador's political violence saga one month ahead of the presidential runoff. Vera's body was found Friday on a road in the rural sector of Salitre with his hands tied in the province of Guayas, it was also reported. He had been reported missing on Thursday, Sept. 7.

  • Friday, September 8th 2023 - 10:56 UTC

    Maduro to visit China “and other friendly countries”

    Maduro rarely travels abroad out of security concerns

    Venezuela's National Assembly gave the green light for President Nicolás Maduro to leave the country on an international tour of “friendly” nations, it was reported in Caracas.

  • Friday, September 8th 2023 - 10:40 UTC

    Argentine President assures Chile a natural gas supply through 2024

    Fernández will be in Santiago attending the ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Pinochet's coup

    Argentine President Alberto Fernández Thursday said his country would guarantee the supply of natural gas to neighboring Chile until Dec. 31, 2024, it was reported in Buenos Aires. With Bolivia's production declining, South America is looking to Vaca Muerta as a possible source, it was also explained. Between January and July, Argentina sold Chile US$ 556 million worth of natural gas, an 86.8% growth from the same period last year.

  • Friday, September 8th 2023 - 10:22 UTC

    Violence against reporters on the rise in Ecuador

    Villavicencio's work had led to former President Correa's conviction for corruption

    Death threats against the media doubled in Ecuador from last year's figures, three press associations denounced in Quito Thursday during a press conference. At least 15 journalists have received life-threatening messages amid growing violence nationwide.

  • Friday, September 8th 2023 - 10:01 UTC

    Investments That Pay Off: Latin America’s Response to Recent Global Shocks

    “This time it wasn't us,” Guillermo Ortiz, then governor of Mexico’s central bank, said at the 2008 start of the global financial crisis.

    By Rodrigo Valdes, IMF Director of the Western Hemisphere Department

    The region, which successfully navigated economic turmoil, now must boost inclusive growth, reduce debt, and capitalize on new opportunities. Praise for policies implemented by the LA5 Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and also Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Paraguay and Costa Rica.

  • Thursday, September 7th 2023 - 10:39 UTC

    ECLAC's outlook for the region is grim, but better than in April

    Salazar-Xirinachs spoke of a disease of low growth

    The latest report from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) released Tuesday in Santiago foresees low regional growth for at least the next two years. For 2023, the organization projects a 1.7% increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) while in 2024 it would fall to 1.5%, while the world's GDP is expected to grow by 3% in 2023 and 2024, down from 3.5% in 2022.

  • Thursday, September 7th 2023 - 10:22 UTC

    Abortion legal nationwide, Mexico's Supreme Court rules

    Those currently prosecuted or convicted of abortion practices must now be acquitted, Justice Ana Margarita Ríos Farjat argued

    Mexico's Supreme Court Wednesday ruled in favor of suppressing the articles of the Federal Criminal Code criminalizing the termination of pregnancy, thus turning abortion legal nationwide, it was reported.

  • Thursday, September 7th 2023 - 10:05 UTC

    Mexico's next president will be a woman

    The granddaughter of Jewish families from Bulgaria and Lithuania, Sheinbaum calls herself “a daughter of '68”

    Former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum has been appointed to run for president on behalf of the ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena) Party in 2024. Sheinbaun was elected through a controversial process of surveys which ended up showing she had about 40% of the voting intention. Sheinbaum's main rival in the primaries, former Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, questioned the validity of the mechanism.

  • Tuesday, September 5th 2023 - 10:30 UTC

    Populist Bolivia running out of natural gas reserves; northern Argentina supply also threatened

    “We have hit rock bottom,” president Arce said in a speech in the city of Oruro, leaving regions without gas export funds to face social welfare outlays

    Bolivian president Luis Arce, announced on September 1st. that the country’s natural gas reserves have been depleted, and exports to Argentina and Brazil will be interrupted, leaving a massive hole in the economy of the country.

  • Tuesday, September 5th 2023 - 10:23 UTC

    Panama Canal congestion: “skipping the queue immensely costly”; east South America suffering

    “You can skip the queue but it’s immensely costly,” said Oystein Kalleklev, Avance Gas’s CEO. ”When you add the regular fee you’re getting close to US$ 3m to get your ships through.”

    Vessels in queue for transit across the Panama Canal stood at 128 ships on September first, some 42% above the 90 average, but 21% below the figure a month ago. While container ships, which have fixed schedules, tend to have reserved slots, the voyage plans for the tramp trades continue to be hit hard by the ongoing congestion brought about by drought and subsequent draft and transit restrictions put in place by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP).