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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, April 2nd 2025 - 05:57 UTC

Latin America

  • Monday, February 17th 2025 - 09:30 UTC

    Ecuadorean Anti-Drug Lieutenant Colonel slain

    Cedeño was in charge of military operations against drug trafficking and mafias hitting the city of Durán

    Ecuadorean Lieutenant Colonel Porfirio Cedeño was murdered by hitmen near a Guayaquil prison. The commanding officer of the Armed Forces' anti-drug trafficking Special Operations Group took at least 20 shots, according to local media.

  • Saturday, February 15th 2025 - 10:23 UTC

    Potential Argentine travelers advised not to pick Cancún as destination

    Border controls at the Mexican air terminal are getting particularly tough, two couples from Córdoba who were deported explained

    Right after US President Donald Trump upped his country's standards regarding border controls, two Argentine couples came forward this week to explain that they had been deported from Mexico after trying to spend some leisure time on the country's Caribbean beach. They also underlined they were subject to grossly harsh treatment despite having their travel papers in order.

  • Friday, February 14th 2025 - 11:54 UTC

    Uruguay’s outgoing President blocks invitations to Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba for Orsi’s inauguration

    The Frente Amplio argues that Uruguay should invite all countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations, regardless of the nature of their governments.

    Uruguay’s outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou has refused to sign invitations for representatives from Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba to attend the inauguration of President-elect Yamandú Orsi on March 1. This decision, which follows Lacalle Pou’s longstanding stance against what he calls “dictatorial governments,” highlights a political divide between Uruguay’s current administration and the incoming leftist government.

  • Friday, February 14th 2025 - 10:13 UTC

    Uruguay tops Transparency International regional rankings

    Criminal organizations exploit the region's weak institutions, the 2024 report found. Photo: Sebastián Astorga

    With a score of 76 points, Uruguay topped Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for the Americas - 2024 issue - released earlier this week. Amid widespread regional declines, Uruguay outperformed Canada and Barbados thanks to robust democratic institutions, high transparency, strong citizen participation, and effective environmental governance. This achievement came during President Luis Lacalle Pou's last month in office. Starting March 1, he will be succeeded by Yamandú Orsi, of the opposition Broad Front (Frente Amplio - FA).

  • 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.