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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, July 21st 2025 - 15:59 UTC

Latin America

  • Wednesday, March 5th 2025 - 09:57 UTC

    Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia endorse Surinamese candidate for OAS top spot

    The Surinamese Albert Ramdin has served as Assistant OAS Secretary-General

    Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia have endorsed Suriname's Foreign Minister, Albert Ramdin, as their candidate for Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS). Ramdin, who previously served as Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, is seen as uniquely qualified to address contemporary challenges and bring a fresh perspective. The vote to replace the outgoing Secretary General, Luis Almagro of Uruguay, is scheduled for March 10, with Paraguayan Foreign Minister Ruben Ramirez Lezcano also in the running. Almagro's term ends on May 25 after a decade in the role.

  • Wednesday, March 5th 2025 - 09:28 UTC

    State of Emergency extended in 7 Ecuadorean provinces

    Citing “grave internal commotion,” Noboa issued Executive Decree 552, extending the measure

    Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa extended this week the state of emergency for 30 more days in seven provinces and two municipalities, including the capital, Quito, to curb insecurity and maintain public order, social peace, and peaceful coexistence.

  • Tuesday, March 4th 2025 - 20:45 UTC

    Preliminary deal reached for sale of Hong Kong company's stake in Panama Canal operations

    CK Hutchison has been operating the Port of Balboa for more than two decades

    Given US President Donald Trump's pressure, CK Hutchison Holdings, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, agreed to sell control of a unit operating ports near the Panama Canal, it was announced Tuesday. The sale includes an 80% stake in the Hutchison Ports group and a 90% interest in Panama Ports Company, which operates the ports of Balboa and Cristobal. The consortium acquiring these stakes includes BlackRock Inc., Global Infrastructure Partners, and Terminal Investment Ltd.

  • Friday, February 28th 2025 - 10:50 UTC

    The Economist praises Uruguay's democratic standards

    Although topping the region, Uruguay fell one notch from last year's rankings

    According to The Economist's global Democracy Index published Thursday, Uruguay is the only country in the region with a full democracy, ranking 15th globally with a score of 8.67 out of 10.

  • Friday, February 28th 2025 - 08:32 UTC

    Machado says Chavista regime threatens her neighbors

    “We are facing a criminal system; this is not a political crisis,” Machado underlined

    Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado denounced on Thursday that “unidentified men” attempted to force their way into her home in Caracas' Los Palos Grandes area and insisted these people representing Bolivarian ruler Nicolás Maduro's “furious tyranny” threatened to arrest her neighbors and a watchman.

  • Thursday, February 27th 2025 - 20:37 UTC

    Bolivia launches industrialized iron complex

    The steel from El Mutún could boost Iranian and Russian developments in the country

    Bolivian President Luis Arce inaugurated the El Mutún complex, the South American country's first industrialized iron facility, which can boost other infrastructure developments, particularly those sponsored by Russia and Iran.

  • Wednesday, February 26th 2025 - 10:11 UTC

    US backs modernization of Guatemalan Pacific port to counterbalance China's expansion

    The Guatemalan alternative also offers the nearby Quetzal Duty-Free Zone just four kilometers from the port

    Guatemala and the United States have announced a US$ 125 million initiative to expand Puerto Quetzal, the largest Pacific port in the Central American country, in a move to counterbalance China's presence in the region through its current prevalence in the Panama Canal in addition to the projected Nicaragua interoceanic crossing already under construction.

  • Tuesday, February 25th 2025 - 10:13 UTC

    Peru and Bolivia sign key bilateral agreements

    We are neighboring countries united by several elements, Sosa said during the ceremony in Lima

    Foreign Ministers Elmer Schialer of Peru and Celinda Sosa of Bolivia signed a series of agreements in Lima on Monday to strengthen ties between the two countries with a focus on cooperation and integration to promote the bilateral agenda. The understandings include a Temporary Border Module at the San Lorenzo (Peru)-Extrema (Bolivia) border crossing and the financing and Biennial Operating Plan 2025-2026 for the Binational Autonomous Authority of Lake Titicaca.

  • Thursday, February 20th 2025 - 18:03 UTC

    Bolivian official warns against disinformation regarding lithium contracts

    “There is disinformation with political intentions, without any doubt,” Alcón argued

    Bolivia's Vice Minister of Communication Gabriela Alcón said this week that spreading misinformation about lithium contracts would result in delays to the mineral's industrialization in her country. She also underlined the importance of transparent communication about the documents currently being negotiated, which are beneficial for the state and involve a small portion of the nation's salt flats. Contracts with Russia's Uranium One Group and China's CBC from Hong Kong are expected to yield significant amounts of lithium carbonate, with investments totaling over US$ 2 billion.

  • Thursday, February 20th 2025 - 09:33 UTC

    Nicaragua introduces constitutional reform granting Ortega additional powers

    Ortega and his wife have ruled Nicaragua for years through fudgy elections

    Nicaragua's Sandinista Government introduced a constitutional reform on Wednesday, granting the ruling couple of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo additional powers. For starters, Vice-President Murillo has been designated as “co-president” and extends presidential terms from five to six years, as Ortega becomes Supreme Chief of the Army, the National Police, and the Ministry of the Interior.