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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, September 22nd 2024 - 21:18 UTC

Latin America

  • Monday, September 21st 2015 - 08:07 UTC

    Francis meets Fidel Castro and warns Cubans of the dangers of ideology

    Spokesperson Father Lombardi said the meeting, which included Castro's wife and other family members, was “very relaxed, fraternal and friendly.”

    Pope Francis met Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Sunday hours after warning Cubans to beware the dangers of ideology and the lure of selfishness as the island enters a new era of closer ties with the United States. Latin America's first pope and Castro, the region's last surviving revolutionary icon of the 20th century, discussed religion and world affairs at the home of the 89-year-old retired president for about 40 minutes.

  • Monday, September 21st 2015 - 08:03 UTC

    Dissidents arrested in Havana as they tried to approach Pope Francis

    Photos showed some of the dissidents dragged away by security personnel at Havana's Revolution Square, where they reportedly tried to approach the pope

    Dissidents opposed to Cuba’s regime were arrested when they tried approaching Pope Francis in Havana on Sunday, an activist group reported. The Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba identified the dissidents as Patriotic Union of Cuba members Zaqueo Baéz, Boris Reni, Aymara Nieto Muñoz and Maria Josefa Acon Sardiña, who is also a member of the Ladies in White, a peaceful protest group founded by female relatives of Cuban political prisoners.

  • Monday, September 21st 2015 - 07:53 UTC

    Che's daughter refuses to attend Pope Francis mass at Revolution Square

    “I did not go to the mass because it would be hypocritical of me. What was I to do standing there for hours? No, no” said Aleida Guevara

    The Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara’s daughter, Aleida Guevara refused to go to a mass Pope Francis conducted on Sunday during his historic Cuban trip, saying it would be “hypocritical” of her to be present.

  • Monday, September 21st 2015 - 07:38 UTC

    Cristina Fernandez attends Havana mass and meets with Pope Francis

    This time, the seventh was mostly a protocol meeting, but Cristina Fernandez takes every opportunity possible to join the Argentine born Pope

    Argentine president Cristina Fernández took part in Pope Francis' Sunday's mass from Havana's Plaza de la Revolucion, as she watched the pontiff in the company of her Cuban counterpart Raul Castro. Sitting next to the Cuban president, CFK followed Francis' services as he called for society to “protect the most fragile,” in a service witnessed by more than 100,000 worshippers at the Havana landmark.

  • Saturday, September 19th 2015 - 08:36 UTC

    Pope Francis arrives in Cuba, but dissidents are skeptical about any changes

    Rights groups and dissidents opposed to the regime have called on the pope to urge Raul Castro to put an end to crackdowns and curbs on civil liberties.

    Pope Francis praised Cubans' “spirit” in the face of adversity in a message broadcast ahead of his trip to the impoverished island. “It does me a lot of good and helps me to think of your faith in the Lord, of the spirit with which you confront the difficulties of each day,” the pope said in a message played on state television.

  • Saturday, September 19th 2015 - 08:26 UTC

    US ease restrictions on US companies seeking to make business in Cuba

    “A stronger, more open US-Cuba relationship has the potential to create economic opportunities for both Americans and Cubans alike” said Jacob Lew

    The United States on Friday issued regulations easing restrictions on US companies seeking to do business in Cuba and opening up travel in the latest action to weaken the trade embargo amid warming relations with the Castro brothers regime.

  • Friday, September 18th 2015 - 08:07 UTC

    Cabañas becomes first Cuban ambassador in the US in over half a century

    Cabañas was head of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington starting in late 2012 and last July, he became the charge d'affaires at the embassy.

    The former Chargé d'affaires at the Cuban Embassy in the United States, Jose Cabañas, on Thursday presented his diplomatic credentials as ambassador to U.S. President Barack Obama in a new step toward the normalization of bilateral relations.

  • Thursday, September 17th 2015 - 20:32 UTC

    Top Bolivian officials allegedly involved in drug trafficking, according to DEA claim

    Bolivian officials were secretly indicted on drug trafficking charges as part of a DEA operation run out of the office in Paraguay, reported The Huffington Post

    Secret United States indictments obtained by the media have implicated top Bolivian officials in drug trafficking, reigniting the highly charged debate over whether Bolivia is a victim of US political persecution or whether it is becoming a corrupt narco-state.

  • Thursday, September 17th 2015 - 09:40 UTC

    Repsol and BG group discover natural gas reserves in southern Bolivia

    Caipipendi, Repsol's main natural gas-production project in Bolivia, yields around 18 million cubic meters (634.4 million cubic feet) per day

    President Evo Morales confirmed the discovery of new natural gas reserves at two adjacent fields in southern Bolivia that are managed by a consortium led by Spanish oil major Repsol. The Margarita and Huacaya fields are located in the Caipipendi block, in which Repsol and Britain's BG Group each has a 37.5% stake and Anglo-Argentine oil company Pan American Energy holds a 25% interest.

  • Thursday, September 17th 2015 - 07:56 UTC

    Major offshore earthquake hits Chile; felt in Argentina, Peru and Brazil

    The magnitude-8.3 quake hit off northern Chile causing buildings to sway in the capital of Santiago and prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning

    A major earthquake just offshore rattled Chileans, killing at least five people and shaking the earth so strongly the tremor was felt in Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and even Brazil. Authorities worked into the early hours on Thursday assessing damage in several coastal towns that saw flooding from small tsunami waves set off by the quake.