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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, July 19th 2025 - 15:23 UTC

Politics

  • Saturday, May 5th 2018 - 08:50 UTC

    Labour party faces “unmitigated disaster” and demands a “proper post-mortem”

    Labour’s Chukka Umunna said that “after eight years of Tory government and the resignations of several senior ministers... Labour to be making far greater gains”

    Jeremy Corbyn is facing a Labour backlash over his party’s “unmitigated disaster” at the polls, which prompted Theresa May to taunt his failure to make an electoral breakthrough. As the dust settled Labor’s Chukka Umunna called for his party’s ruling National Executive to set up a “proper post-mortem,” warning the results could not give it confidence it would win the next General Election.

  • Saturday, May 5th 2018 - 08:26 UTC

    England local elections: May relieved, Corbyn questioned and Lib-Dem surging

    Theresa May visited Wandsworth hailing as a success the fact that Labour had failed to capture a borough that has been under Conservative control for 40 years.

    Britain’s two main parties emerged from May 3 local elections in England in a draw, with Labor making gains but failing to capture target councils from the Conservatives. Ukip (Independent party) was almost wiped out, losing all but three of its 126 seats, but the Liberal Democrats had a good night, gaining 75 seats and winning control of four more councils.

  • Saturday, May 5th 2018 - 07:24 UTC

    Argentina hikes benchmark rate to 40%, easing pressure on the Peso but not on inflation

    Analysts said the move suggested the Central Bank had done enough for now to stabilize the peso.

    Argentina's Central Bank on Friday hiked its benchmark interest rate to 40% to support the peso, the third such hike in just over a week and one day after the currency plunged in value. Following the decision, the peso -- which has lost more than 10% of its value in the past month -- opened 6% higher against the dollar.

  • Friday, May 4th 2018 - 08:49 UTC

    EU parliament demands Venezuela elections be 'immediate suspended'

    The head of European diplomacy, Federica Mogherini: “We ask for a review of the electoral calendar based on an agreed and credible calendar”.

    The European Parliament voted on Thursday for the immediate suspension of the presidential elections on May 20 in Venezuela, considering that they do not guarantee any credibility for their lack of transparency and inclusion. In this way, the body and the representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Policy, Federica Mogherini, call for the restructuring of an electoral agenda in which there are no outlawed candidates and the necessary electoral guarantees are fulfilled.

  • Friday, May 4th 2018 - 08:25 UTC

    Brazil's highest court limits privileges and “impunity” of federal lawmakers

    The protection known as “privileged standing” allows thousands of politicians to have cases against them tried in higher courts than a normal citizen would.

    Brazil's highest court voted on Thursday to restrict a legal protection afforded to federal lawmakers that critics say has resulted in impunity, as the country grapples with massive official corruption. The protection known as “privileged standing” allows tens of thousands of politicians to have cases against them tried in higher courts than a normal citizen would.

  • Friday, May 4th 2018 - 08:21 UTC

    Brazilian Agriculture minister formally accused of 2009 bribery scheme

    Prosecutor General Raquel Dodge filed charges at the Supreme Court against Minister Blairo Maggi

    Brazilian prosecutors filed charges against the country’s Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi on Wednesday, accusing him of orchestrating a bribery scheme in 2009 when he was governor of Mato Grosso state. Prosecutor General Raquel Dodge filed charges at the Supreme Court, according to a written statement from the federal prosecutor’s office.

  • Friday, May 4th 2018 - 08:09 UTC

    Massive raid in Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay after money laundering ring suspected of moving US$ 1.6bn

    Federal prosecutors in Rio said that arrest warrants were issued for 53 people, mostly black-market money changers, including six in Uruguay and Paraguay.

    Brazilian investigators conducted one of their largest operations against graft ever on Thursday, targeting a money laundering ring linked to powerful politicians and businessmen that moved some US$1.6 billion through offshore accounts in 52 countries.

  • Thursday, May 3rd 2018 - 08:33 UTC

    Customs union controversy remains at the heart of the UK cabinet

    Downing Street said the meeting acknowledged there were “challenges” to the existing proposals but that both the options put forward are still on the table

    Theresa May has asked officials to draw up “revised proposals” for post-Brexit customs arrangements after a key meeting with her most senior ministers. The Brexit sub committee met on Wednesday to try to agree on a new model to replace the UK's membership of the customs union.

  • Thursday, May 3rd 2018 - 08:29 UTC

    Dominican Republic drops Taiwan and establishes relations with Beijing

    The Dominican Republic said it believed its switch to ties with China would be “extraordinarily positive for the future of our country”, in an official statement

    The Dominican Republic and China announced on Tuesday they were establishing diplomatic relations as the Caribbean country became the latest nation to dump Taiwan, leaving it with just 19 diplomatic allies around the globe. Taipei said it was “deeply upset” at the decision, which it blamed on “dollar diplomacy”. The move deepens the island's international isolation while its giant neighbor flexes its economic and political might on the global stage.

  • Thursday, May 3rd 2018 - 08:19 UTC

    Congress members from Spain's ruling party divided on the Gibraltar question

    A first “soft” motion formally tabled was replaced by a motion that put Spain’s sovereignty aspirations centre stage and adopted a much harder position on Brexit

    Internal divisions on Gibraltar within Spain’s ruling Partido Popular have been laid bare in two versions of a parliamentary motion to be debated in the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Spanish Senate on Thursday.