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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, April 11th 2025 - 10:26 UTC

Latin America

  • Thursday, February 13th 2025 - 13:20 UTC

    Cuba going through one of its worst electricity-generation crises

    The island is heavily dependent on imported oil, which has been arriving in smaller quantities due to economic hardships

    Cuba has been reported to be facing severe power outages after the unexpected breakdown of the Felton 1 Thermoelectric Power Plant, worsening the situation in Havana and other parts of the island. The State-run National Electric Union (UNE) said numerous generation plants were out of service due to fuel shortages, local authorities blaming the US economic blockade for their hardships, when in reality infrastructure failures and poor maintenance to already obsolete equipment were other contributing factors. A total of 57 generation plants in the country, in addition to two floating units, were affected by the lack of fuel.

  • Wednesday, February 12th 2025 - 09:48 UTC

    Bolivia's lithium company says deal with Chinese partners is risk-free

    The Chinese company has three years to start collecting top-quality lithium or leave Bolivia with no compensation after investing over US$ 1 billion

    Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) Legal Manager Pablo Nina warned Tuesday that the Chinese company Hong Kong CBC has three years to extract a mineral with 99.5% purity and 80% recovery in the raw material processing or face the dismantling of its two battery-grade lithium carbonate production plants in the Uyuni salt flat and leave the country.

  • Tuesday, February 11th 2025 - 10:11 UTC

    PAHO warns of outbrreak of dengue DENV-3 serotype

    In the first weeks of 2025, 23 countries and territories in the region reported a total of 238,659 cases

    The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Monday issued an epidemiological alert given the growing circulation of a different of dengue in the region. Cases of the DENV-3 serotype have been repported to be on the rise in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru.

  • Tuesday, February 11th 2025 - 09:17 UTC

    Petro off on Arabian trip despite internal turmoil

    Petro's entourage includes various members of cabinet whose resignations will presumably not be accepted

    Despite the political turmoil in his country, where he requested the resignation of every cabinet member, Colombian President Gustavo Petro left for the Arabic Peninsula to attend a series of international engagements, including the World Government Summit 2025 in the United Arab Emirates.

  • Monday, February 10th 2025 - 10:40 UTC

    Ecuador: Opposition candidate celebrates “victory” after qualifying for runoff

    Despite leading the race, Noboa made no comments after voting (Pic EFE)

    Ecuadorean opposition candidate Luisa Gonzalez, a protégé of former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017), celebrated victory Sunday. She and the incumbent Daniel Noboa were on the brink of being confirmed as having qualified for April 13's runoff after neither clinched a decisive 50% majority.

  • Monday, February 10th 2025 - 09:40 UTC

    Colombia: Petro undertakes major cabinet reshuffle

    Petro is making major adjustments as his government faces strong turbulences

    Colombian President Gustavo Petro Sunday asked every member of his cabinet to submit their resignation, as he intends major adjustments to fully comply with the National Development Plan. “I have requested protocol resignation to ministers, ministers, and directors of administrative departments,” Petro posted on X.

  • Saturday, February 8th 2025 - 09:42 UTC

    Runoff seems inevitable after Sunday's elections in Ecuador

    All pollsters foresee Noboa and González qualifying for the second round

    A runoff scheduled for April 13 seems inevitable in Ecuador after this coming Sunday's elections. Pollsters do not seem to agree on the exact figures but all of them foresee that incumbent President Daniel Noboa and his leftwing challenger Luisa González would finish among the two top contenders with neither clinching a decisive majority of at least 50%.

  • Friday, February 7th 2025 - 09:25 UTC

    Panama drops the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, but also rejects free transit of US vessels through the Canal

    President Mulino announced on Thursday that Panama will withdraw from the Belt and Road Initiative, a trillion dollars funded global project

    Panama’s President, José Raúl Mulino, announced on Thursday that the country will withdraw from the Belt and Road Initiative, the ambitious Chinese project to fund infrastructure to improve connectivity and economic cooperation with other nations. At the same time US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified the claim that Panama “had decided to remove fees for US government vessels transiting the Panama Canal”

  • Friday, February 7th 2025 - 09:18 UTC

    Bolivian meat producers declare emergency after export ban

    Bolivian authorities are prioritizing the domestic meat demand

    The Bolivian government's ban on beef exports represents daily losses of approximately US$ 500,000 for the country's cattle farmers, warned Thursday the National Chamber of Exporters of Bolivia (Caneb). The suspension was announced by Productive Development Minister Néstor Huanca, citing the need to regulate supply and reduce the price of meat in the domestic market.

  • Thursday, February 6th 2025 - 10:04 UTC

    No free ride for US ships through Panama Canal

    The Government of Panama did agree to give transit priority to US ships

    The Panama Canal Authority Wednesday denied an earlier announcement by the U.S. State Department that ships flying its flag would pass through the iconic interoceanic waterway toll-free.