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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, June 14th 2026 - 16:27 UTC

Latin America

  • Saturday, March 28th 2026 - 10:21 UTC

    Brazil unveils first supersonic fighter jet manufactured on its soil, a milestone for Latin America

    President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva led the ceremony and christened the aircraft by spraying a champagne bottle over the fuselage

    Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer unveiled on Wednesday the first F-39E Gripen fighter jet manufactured in Brazil, a milestone the country's presidency called “unprecedented in Latin America.” It is the first of 15 supersonic combat aircraft Embraer will produce at its facility in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo state, under a total contract for 36 jets ordered from Swedish firm Saab.

  • Saturday, March 28th 2026 - 01:30 UTC

    Trump demands Iran reopen Strait of Hormuz, slams NATO and warns: “Cuba is next”

    Trump extended on Thursday the deadline for Tehran to accept his terms to April 6, “at the request of the Iranian government,” as he announced on social media

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the military operation against Iran is “two weeks ahead” of schedule, demanded the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and sharply criticized European NATO allies for refusing to join the campaign. “When these times come, you learn who your real friends are,” he told an audience of a thousand investors at the FII Priority forum in Miami.

  • Thursday, March 26th 2026 - 10:22 UTC

    Colombia Hercules crash aftermath: political clash over causes intensifies days after tragedy

    Petro has insisted that the aircraft, donated by the United States in 2020, was “junk” and that its age was a determining factor in the accident

    The Hercules C-130 crash in Putumayo, which killed 70 people on March 23, has escalated into an open political confrontation between President Gustavo Petro, the military leadership, and the opposition over the causes of the disaster and the state of the country's defense capabilities, against the backdrop of presidential elections scheduled for May 31.

  • Wednesday, March 25th 2026 - 00:18 UTC

    Peru confirms large-scale geothermal system in southern Andes, near Chilean border

    The study was conducted using the magnetotelluric method, a technology that produces a subsurface image by measuring natural electromagnetic fields

    Peru's Geophysical Institute (IGP) confirmed on Tuesday the existence of a large-scale active geothermal system in the country's southern Andes, near the Paucarani-Casiri volcano, approximately 75 kilometers northeast of the city of Tacna and close to the Chilean border, according to EFE.

  • Tuesday, March 24th 2026 - 21:36 UTC

    USS Nimitz to operate in Uruguayan waters on final deployment before decommissioning

    The Latin American voyage will conclude when the Nimitz reaches the US Atlantic coast to begin the decommissioning process.

    The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68), flagship of the United States Navy for more than five decades, will arrive in Uruguayan waters in the coming weeks as part of the “Southern Seas 2026” deployment, the US Fourth Fleet announced.

  • Tuesday, March 24th 2026 - 03:27 UTC

    Colombian military plane crashes after takeoff with more than 120 people on board

    Putumayo Governor Jhon Gabriel Molina specified that the passengers included 112 military personnel and two police officers, and gave a provisional toll of at least eight dead and 83 injured

    A Colombian Air Force C-130 Hercules crashed on Monday shortly after taking off from La Tagua airstrip in Puerto Leguízamo, Putumayo, in southern Colombia, with at least 125 people on board. The aircraft was heading to Puerto Asís, also in Putumayo, carrying troops on a routine rotation.

  • Friday, March 20th 2026 - 16:26 UTC

    Two US federal prosecutors investigating Colombian President Gustavo Petro over alleged narco ties

    The probes, led by Manhattan and Brooklyn offices, are in early stages and it remains unclear whether charges will follow

    Colombian President Gustavo Petro is the subject of a criminal investigation by at least two US federal prosecutors over alleged links to international drug trafficking, The New York Times reported Thursday, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.

  • Thursday, March 19th 2026 - 02:12 UTC

    Russian diesel shipment bound for Cuba challenges US blockade

    Although limited in scale, the cargo —estimated at around 200,000 barrels of diesel— could cover roughly 10 days of national consumption

    A Hong Kong-flagged tanker that could be carrying fuel to Cuba has resumed navigation in the Atlantic after remaining halted for several weeks, in a move that could offer limited relief to the island’s deepening energy crisis. According to ship-tracking available on Vessel Finder, the Sea Horse loaded fuel in a ship-to-ship operation earlier this year and then resumed course with Cuba as a possible destination. The Financial Times reported that the vessel was part of two Russian energy shipments headed to the island and could arrive within days.

  • Wednesday, March 18th 2026 - 01:07 UTC

    Magnitude 6 quake strikes eastern Cuba as island remained under nationwide blackout

    The tremor hit as Cuba was still trying to restore electricity after the “complete disconnection” of its National Electric System reported on Monday

    A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Cuba early on Tuesday while the island was still dealing with a nationwide blackout caused hours earlier by the collapse of the power grid. The quake was recorded by the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre at a depth of about 15 km, while reports from Cuba’s seismological service placed the epicenter 37 km southeast of Imías, in Guantánamo province, and said it was felt across several eastern provinces.

  • Tuesday, March 17th 2026 - 23:31 UTC

    Argentina officially withdraws from the WHO: How will this affect the country?

    In practical terms, the decision does not sever Argentina from the region’s main mechanisms for purchasing vaccines, medicines and medical supplies. Argentina will remain in the PAHO

    Argentina formally completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization on March 17, a move announced by Javier Milei’s government a year ago and now confirmed by Secretary for International Economic Relations Pablo Quirno. In his statement, Quirno said the country would continue promoting health cooperation through bilateral and regional channels while fully safeguarding its sovereignty over public health policy.