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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, July 8th 2026 - 19:30 UTC

Politics

  • Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 08:46 UTC

    Countdown for Rajoy's government: call for fresh elections

    Rajoy called the opposition’s move “opportunist”, and said the no-confidence vote “goes against the stability in Spain and damages the economic recovery”

    Spanish opposition parties have launched a fierce campaign to end the conservative government of Mariano Rajoy after courts ruled that his Partido Popular profited from a large kickbacks-for-contracts scheme. The Socialist opposition announced a vote of no confidence against the prime minister with the backing of anti-establishment and left-wing parties, while the pro-business Ciudadanos (Citizens) – which had supported the conservative minority government until now – urged Mr Rajoy to call a fresh election.

  • Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 08:39 UTC

    Brexit talks in Brussels lead to strong exchanges with Chancellor Hammond

    “There are obviously a wide range of views on both sides but everybody that I have engaged with has been very constructive, very keen”, Hammond said

    Chancellor Philip Hammond has criticized claims from European Union officials that Britain has a “fantasy” approach to Brexit negotiations. Mr Hammond insisted that talks with EU officials were “constructive” after reports from the continent that Britain was being “unrealistic” and little progress made in discussions in recent days.

  • Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 08:32 UTC

    Odebrecht begins paying debts and fines following financial agreement

    Odebrecht said that Itaú Unibanco Holding SA and Banco Bradesco SA, Brazil's top two lenders, will give Odebrecht a joint loan of 2.6 billion reais.

    Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht SA's will use part of a 2.6 billion reais (US$709.96 million) bank loan to repay a loan in arrears with state-controlled bank Banco do Brasil SA, according to sources quoted by Reuters. Under the terms of an agreement announced on Friday, the engineering group, at the center of a corruption scandal, will repay a 100 million reais debt to Banco do Brasil.

  • Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 08:32 UTC

    Thousands march in Buenos Aires to protest Argentina's IMF credit bid

    Opposition parties, unions, human rights organizations and artists marched next to Buenos Aires’ emblematic obelisk, under the banner “the country is in danger.”

    Thousands of Argentines on Friday protested the government’s bid to secure a credit line from the International Monetary Fund, which they blame for hardship during a past financial crisis. Opposition parties, unions, human rights organizations and artists took part in the march near the capital Buenos Aires’ emblematic obelisk, under the banner “the country is in danger.”

  • Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 08:16 UTC

    Colombia invited to join OECD; third Latin American member with Mexico and Chile

    “The accession of Colombia will contribute to our efforts to transform OECD into a more diverse and inclusive institution”, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría

    The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced on Friday that Colombia would be officially invited to join the group. The Paris-based economic organization was founded in 1961 and has traditionally included industrialized nations, though in recent years it has extended its membership to emerging economies.

  • Saturday, May 26th 2018 - 07:58 UTC

    South Korea and Mercosur agree in Seoul to begin formal negotiations for a free trade deal

    “This represents a significant step toward deepening the important relationship between Mercosur and the Republic of Korea,” the joint statement said

    South Korea and Mercosur agreed to begin formal negotiations for a trade deal in the latter half of this year to facilitate commerce and investment, the Seoul government said on Friday. South Korea signed an agreement to launch the negotiations with four Mercosur member states -- Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay -- during a ceremony held in Seoul. Mercosur expelled Venezuela in 2016 for failing to meet its basic standards.

  • Friday, May 25th 2018 - 09:00 UTC

    Nicaragua peace talks collapse and clashes resume : two dead and 50 injured

    Since protests began on 18 April, 76 people have been killed and more than 800 wounded, according to a preliminary report of the IACHR

    At least two people were killed and 50 wounded as clashes flared in Nicaragua after peace talks between the government and opposition collapsed, the Red Cross and victims' relatives said on Thursday.

  • Friday, May 25th 2018 - 08:50 UTC

    Brazil truckers strike: Government says a 15-day truce had been reached

    Brazil's economy runs largely on road transport and the strike to protest rising diesel prices was beginning to have serious consequences

    Brazil's government said late Thursday that a deal had been reached with truckers to suspend a four-day-old strike that caused fuel shortages, cut into food deliveries, backed up exports and threatened airline flights.

  • Friday, May 25th 2018 - 08:23 UTC

    Blow to Rajoy: 29 members of the ruling party convicted for corruption

    Rajoy who last year became the first Spanish prime minister in office to testify as a witness, told the court he was not aware of the party’s accounting practices

    A Spanish court has issued hefty prison sentences for politicians and business people involved in a kickbacks-for-contracts scheme that helped fund Spain’s governing party. The National Court’s decision is a major blow for Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s Partido Popular, fined 245,000 Euros because it benefited from the illegal scheme that was in place between 1999 and 2005.

  • Friday, May 25th 2018 - 08:15 UTC

    Japan encouraging Central and South America to join the TPP trade pact

    Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said “the TPP has 'Trans-Pacific' in its name but is not limited to the Pacific Ocean”

    Japan is encouraging more countries from Central and South America to join the reworked Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, in hopes of both capturing the potential of these markets and pressuring the U.S. to return to a framework it left last year.