MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, January 24th 2026 - 00:16 UTC

Politics

  • Saturday, January 3rd 2026 - 09:12 UTC

    Chile's Supreme Court rules against dictatorship criminals

    Chile's Supreme Court set a precedent that international human rights obligations supersede domestic statutes of limitation or sentencing loopholes

    Chile's Supreme Court has struck down a legal mechanism known as “partial prescription” for crimes against humanity committed during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973–1990). The decision was made in compliance with a mandate from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR).

  • Saturday, January 3rd 2026 - 08:52 UTC

    Buenos Aires updates advisory against traveling to Venezuela

    Buenos Aires highlighted that Argentines traveling to Venezuela would be doing so at their own risk

    Argentina's Foreign Ministry on Friday updated a travel advisory warning against visiting Venezuela, given the growing number of “arbitrary detentions” under the Chavista regime of Nicolás Maduro.

  • Saturday, January 3rd 2026 - 08:48 UTC

    Argentina shifts exchange rate policy

    Argentines may now pay streaming services at the official exchange rate, but will still be charged 30% extra for travel expenses

    The Argentine exchange market entered a new era on Friday, following the partial removal of credit card surcharges on expenditures in foreign currency. Additionally, the parity with the local peso now hinges on an inflation-linked floating scheme.

  • Saturday, January 3rd 2026 - 08:44 UTC

    Bolivian President to rule electronically from abroad

    Paz is reportedly seeking to bypass the constitutional succession protocol while overseas

    Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira issued Supreme Decree 5515, allowing him to exercise full constitutional powers through digital means and electronic signatures while outside the country. The move comes amid escalating nationwide protests over the so-called Gasolinazo (end of fuel subsidies resulting in price hikes) and a notorious rift between the head of State and Vice President Edmand Lara.

  • Saturday, January 3rd 2026 - 08:24 UTC

    Europeans are all Peronists now, where are the leaders willing to make hard choices?

    Mario Dragui, ex Italian PM, warned Europe is at risk of becoming a museum: beautiful, historic, and irrelevant, with tourism its only competitive industry

    By Cristina Martinez (*) - European voters increasingly resemble their Argentinian counterparts, who, until recently, believed the unsustainable promises offered by Peronist politicians. To avoid the economic shock therapy that has befallen Argentina, Europe’s leaders must be willing to make hard choices, and electorates must be willing to reward them for it.

  • Friday, January 2nd 2026 - 10:59 UTC

    Milei grants controversial powers to intelligence agents

    The opposition fears intelligence services might become a political police force

    Argentine President Javier Milei has issued a sweeping Emergency Decree to restructure Argentina's intelligence service, sparking concerns among opposition sectors, particularly regarding the new powers granted to field operatives.

  • Friday, January 2nd 2026 - 10:55 UTC

    Venezuela releases 88 people detained in post-2024 elections riots

    Those released will enjoy limited freedom pending their trials, human rights organizations warned

    Venezuela's Bolivarian regime announced the release of 88 people who had been detained following the July 28, 2024, presidential elections, which Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won despite producing no corroborating evidence.

  • Friday, January 2nd 2026 - 10:34 UTC

    New York's first-ever Muslim Mayor sworn in

    Mamdani vowed to set a global example of how a progressive, left-wing administration can effectively govern

    Zohran Mamdani was inaugurated as the 112th mayor of New York City on Thursday, marking a historic shift in the city’s political landscape. The 34-year-old former State Assemblyman, an avowed democratic socialist, became the first Muslim to lead the nation's most populous city.

  • Friday, January 2nd 2026 - 10:28 UTC

    New State of Emergency declared in Ecuador after mass killing

    The 60-day measure seeks to allow the Armed Forces to dismantle active criminal structures

    A violent mass shooting in the Ecuadorean port city of Manta left at least six people dead and a dozen wounded on New Year's Eve, as President Daniel Noboa declared a fresh 60-day State of Emergency across nine provinces.

  • Friday, January 2nd 2026 - 08:28 UTC

    Bolsonaro leaves hospital, goes back to Police HQs

    Bolsonaro's doctors continue to have full access to the patient while in detention, De Moraes argued in denying a request for house arrest

    Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro left Brasilia's DF Star Hospital late Thursday afternoon and was transferred back to the Federal Police's detention facility, where he is serving his 27-year prison sentence for masterminding the Jan 8, 2023, coup attempt.