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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, October 22nd 2025 - 06:35 UTC

Latin America

  • Friday, September 30th 2016 - 11:05 UTC

    Colombia peace referendum has national support but regional vote shows battle lines

    The two pollsters, Datexco and Ipsos Napoleon-Franco, show a comfortable majority of Colombians saying they will ratify the peace deal.

    Two public opinion polls released on Wednesday indicate that the recently peace deal between the government with the FARC is likely to be ratified by Colombia’s electorate on Sunday. President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader “Timochenko” signed peace on Monday, but before this agreement can be fully ratified, Colombians will vote on the deal in a referendum first.

  • Friday, September 30th 2016 - 07:35 UTC

    UN human rights chief reaffirms ongoing collaboration with Colombia peace accord

    Zeid paid tribute to the Government of Colombia […] ”for having the foresight to invite, and then accept and retain, the presence of a UN human rights office”

    Speaking to the media just days after the signing of the historic peace agreement in Colombia and ahead of the 2 October national poll in which Colombians will have their say on the accord, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterated that his Office (OHCHR) will continue to follow the progress of the human rights aspects of the agreement.

  • Thursday, September 29th 2016 - 11:01 UTC

    Region of the Americas is declared free of measles by World Health Organization

    Measles is the fifth vaccine-preventable disease the Americas have eliminated following eradication of smallpox, poliomyelitis, and rubella and congenital rubella

    The Region of the Americas is the first in the world to have eliminated measles, a viral disease that can cause severe health problems, including pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and even death. This achievement culminates a 22-year effort involving mass vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella throughout the Americas.

  • Thursday, September 29th 2016 - 09:07 UTC

    Sunday deadline for Falklands' competition open to university students

    Why would I like to meet my neighbors from the Falkland Islands?”

    This Sunday, October 2nd, ends the deadline to participate in the regional competition sponsored by the Falkland Islands government and the UK embassies in Uruguay, Brazil and Chile addressing the issue, “Why would I like to meet my neighbors from the Falkland Islands?” The competition is open to university students from the three countries and the prize is a weeklong trip to the Falkland Islands with all expenses paid.

  • Wednesday, September 28th 2016 - 09:50 UTC

    Obama names first ambassador in Cuba in fifty years, but needs Senate confirmation

    DeLaurentis is already in Havana and previously worked in Bogota and at the United Nations. But his nomination, which requires Senate confirmation

    The United States has tapped Jeffrey DeLaurentis, United States' top diplomat in Havana, to become the first official ambassador to Cuba in five decades. “The appointment of an ambassador is a commonsense step forward toward a more normal and productive relationship between our two countries,” President Barack Obama said in a statement.

  • Wednesday, September 28th 2016 - 09:33 UTC

    Kerry and Maduro meet in Cartagena and agree to continue bilateral discussions

    “Kerry spoke of our concern about the economic and political challenges that have affected millions of Venezuelans”, said State Department Spokesman John Kirby.

    United States Secretary of State John Kerry met Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday, the first formal encounter between the two since Kerry became the top U.S. diplomat. The two sat down together after a ceremony in the Colombian city of Cartagena de Indias to mark the signing of a peace agreement to end a 52-year armed conflict.

  • Tuesday, September 27th 2016 - 07:41 UTC

    Following Colombia, “Malvinas, one of three issues pending solution in Latin America”

    Malvinas must be solved because colonial times are long over and they must return to Argentina and Latin America, said president Evo Morales

    Following the peace agreement signed in Colombia, only three main issues remain pending in the Americas, devolution of Guantanamo to Cuba, the Falklands/Malvinas dispute and a sea outlet for Bolivia, according to Bolivian president Evo Morales who hailed the deal rubricated on Monday in Cartagena before world leaders.

  • Tuesday, September 27th 2016 - 06:48 UTC

    Colombia peace accord challenges: Sunday's referendum and 7.000 combatants laying down their weapons

    Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC commander Rodrigo Londoño, Timochenko, formally ended the long and brutal war, then shook hands.

    As thousands of Colombians offered both hope and skepticism, the government of Colombia and FARC Marxist rebels who fought a bitter civil war for more than half a century signed a historic peace accord on Monday, closing the Western Hemisphere's longest armed conflict. The deal will have a first test next Sunday when the Colombian people will vote on a referendum.

  • Monday, September 26th 2016 - 11:06 UTC

    Land distribution, remains challenge for the post-peace accord in Colombia

    Under the accord, landless and displaced farmers will be entitled to credit and farmland through a land bank that aims to redistribute 7 million hectares of land

    Conflicts over land in Colombia are likely to increase following a peace deal to end half a century of war as once no-go areas in the Andean country open up for business and development projects, land rights experts said. The government and rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are due to sign a peace accord Monday to end Latin America's longest-running conflict, which has killed 200,000 people.

  • Monday, September 26th 2016 - 10:56 UTC

    US Treasury Secretary on advisory visit to Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico

    “Our message is very much one about the benefits of ongoing economic reforms, and disciplined economic policies in these economies,” the Treasury official said

    U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew will urge his counterparts in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico to press ahead with economic and fiscal reforms aimed at restoring or strengthening growth, a senior Treasury official said on Friday. Lew will be visiting the four largest Latin American economies this week beginning with Argentina on Monday, recognizing efforts by President Mauricio Macri to reintegrate Argentina into the global economy.