MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, November 3rd 2025 - 07:14 UTC

Politics

  • Wednesday, February 26th 2025 - 10:55 UTC

    Milei criticized for U-turn in foreign policy regarding Ukraine

    Milei and Zelensky once stood on the same side

    Argentine President Javier Milei took heavy flak from friends and foes alike after his country abstained at the United Nations from urging Russia to withdraw from Ukraine, thus making a notorious U-turn from the support he showed his colleague Volodymyr Zelensky during his Dec. 10, 2023, inauguration in Buenos Aires and last month at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos (Switzerland).

  • Wednesday, February 26th 2025 - 10:28 UTC

    Milei fills Supreme Court vacancies by decree absent the Senate's consent

    The Senate had stalled its consent for the appointment of both judges for over a year

    Argentine President Javier Milei decided Tuesday to appoint Ariel Lijo and Manuel García-Mansilla to the Supreme Court (CSJN) by decree in a move that further dented his image following his U-turn in foreign policy regarding Ukraine and the $LIBRA cryptocurrency scandal, among other events that challenge La Libertad Avanza's (LLA) chances for this year's mid-term elections. The magistrate's appointment will be effective until the end of the next legislative term, as provided for in the Constitution in case of vacancies.

  • Wednesday, February 26th 2025 - 10:25 UTC

    Israel and Hamas agree to renew exchanges

    The f family was buried in a moving ceremony attended only by guests

    Israel and the terrorist group Hamas Tuesday agreed in principle to further exchange Palestinian prison inmates for the bodies of four Israeli hostages as part of the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire, mediated by Egypt. The deal follows tensions over delayed releases and Hamas’s public handling of hostage handovers, which Israel dubbed as humiliating, particularly in the case of a body “mistakenly” passed on as that of dual Argentine national Shiri Bibas, who was murdered alongside her two children Ariel and Kfir.

  • 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.

  • Wednesday, February 26th 2025 - 09:37 UTC

    Export of live animals do not violate Brazilian law, federal court ruling

    The export of live animals, cattle and sheep, are a booming business in Mercosur countries.

    A Brazilian Federal Court has ruled that the export of live animals for slaughter does not violate Brazilian law. The unanimous decision of the Federal Court overturned a lower court ruling that had suspended the activity at all Brazilian ports.

  • Wednesday, February 26th 2025 - 08:51 UTC

    Falklands, Eleven Veterans complete kayak and trek expedition to honor lost friends

    The group of eleven Veterans rest as they finish their expedition (Pic  Cockleshell22)

    A team of veterans have completed an expedition to commemorate fallen comrades of the Falklands War. Former Royal Marine Tom Rendell, from Bristol, has led 11 men as they follow different actions the 3 Commando Brigade made during 1982 - from landing to freeing the capital Stanley.

  • Tuesday, February 25th 2025 - 19:38 UTC

    Argentina unveils non-airworthy F-16 for training purposes

    The first airworthy F-16s are to be flown straight from Denmark later this year

    The so-called 25th F-16 unit of a batch of 24 second-hand US-built fighter jets purchased from Denmark was unveiled this week at the Tail Argentine Air Force Base. This particular F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft is not airworthy and will only serve training purposes at the Ground Instruction Center, it was explained during the ceremony presided over by Defense Minister Luis Petri, who insisted that this acquisition represented “sovereignty” and “peace.”

  • Tuesday, February 25th 2025 - 19:03 UTC

    Uruguay's INE reports unemployment on the rise

    Unemployment grew year-on-year despite the creation of 27,000 new jobs, the INE report found

    Uruguay's National Institute of Statistics (INE) released a report Tuesday showing that last month's unemployment rose from 7.4% to 8.1% from the previous month. However, this figure represented an interannual improvement against last year's 8.6%. Joblessness was not as harsh in Montevideo (7.1%) but it was indeed noticeable elsewhere in the South American country (8.7%). In addition, 21.3% of workers were detected not to be registered with social security authorities, which was tantamount to an increase in informality.

  • Tuesday, February 25th 2025 - 15:20 UTC

    Petrobras orders four homebuilt tankers

    Brazil's shipbuilding industry hopes to bounce back with this agreement

    Brazil's State-run oil company Petrobras and its subsidiary Transpetro Monday signed a contract for the building of four Handy-class tankers, each costing US$ 69.5 million, with a total investment of US$ 278 million. The new ships will become a part of Petrobras' Fleet Renewal and Expansion Program. The ceremony in Rio Grande do Sul was attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, and other officials.

  • Tuesday, February 25th 2025 - 10:52 UTC

    Falkland Islands Express Solidarity with Ukraine on War Anniversary

    Photo: Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly

    The Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly marked the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by reaffirming its support for the country’s sovereignty and democratic freedoms.