Get our news on your inbox! x

Remember me Forgot password

MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, April 23rd 2026 - 05:38 UTC

Politics

  • Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 09:49 UTC

    Surprise shock for Lula: praise from Temer, “he's a very charismatic figure”

    “He's a very charismatic figure. There's a reason he's leading opinion polls”, Temer said on Radio Bandeirantes. “I don't think he's dead.”

    Brazil's popular but scandal-plagued leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva got an unlikely morale boost on Monday from a political nemesis, current President Michel Temer. Lula easily leads the polls heading to October's presidential election but his dream of returning to office was left in doubt last week after an appeals court upheld an earlier corruption conviction against him.

  • Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 09:38 UTC

    Macron calls on the EU for more sanctions on Venezuela

    “Sadly things are going in the wrong direction,” Macron told a joint news conference with the visiting president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri.

    French President Emmanuel Macron called for further European Union sanctions on Venezuela, days after the 28-nation bloc agreed a travel ban and asset freezes on seven senior Venezuelan officials. The West accuses President Nicholas Maduro's government of violating democracy and human rights in the oil-producing nation, which is in the grip of a major economic and social crisis with millions suffering food and medicine shortages.

  • Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 09:03 UTC

    Peruvian public opinion divided in halves over pardon to ex president Fujimori

    In late December, Kuczynski granted the 79-year-old Fujimori a pardon on medical grounds, allowing him to leave prison.

    Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s approval rating has fallen to 19% since he granted a pardon to authoritarian former President Alberto Fujimori, a decision that has deeply divided the country, a poll showed on Sunday.

  • Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 08:03 UTC

    Argentina: Antarctic tribute to lost San Juan crew

    They formed the number 44 on the ice as they headed into the Antarctic while performing a traditional military salute next to their ship, the ARA Almirante Irizar. Forty-four submariners on the ARA San Juan were lost in the waters of the South Atlantic on 15 November.

  • Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 07:22 UTC

    Foreign Office planning to ban drilling and mining offshore BOTs in South Atlantic

    South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are home to more than 3 million penguins, along with fur seals, elephant seals and various species of whale.

    British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is expected to institute a ban on fishing, drilling and freight transport in British overseas territories in the South Atlantic in an effort to protect wildlife in the area. The South Sandwich Islands, which plays host to Antarctic scientists but has no permanent residents, lie around 1,500km east of the Falkland Islands.

  • Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 07:12 UTC

    EU Agriculture and Trade commissioners at odds over increasing Mercosur beef access

    Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan is strongly resisting a higher figure, but trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström is willing to go beyond 100,000 tons

    A long-awaited major trade deal between the EU and Mercosur may this week take a key step towards realization with ministerial teams from both sides meeting in Brussels on Monday. They are expected to give negotiators a new, decisive political impulse to reach agreement in a matter of weeks, according to Irish sources.

  • Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 07:00 UTC

    EU rules for post-March 2019: UK abides but will not be involved in making them

    Brexit Secretary David Davis said the UK wanted a “right to object” to new laws passed by the EU during this time

    The European Union has set out its demands for the temporary transition period after the UK leaves in March 2019, and EU wants the UK to continue to follow its rules but not be involved in making decisions.

  • Monday, January 29th 2018 - 18:29 UTC

    “Electoral charade”: Maduro clings to power at all costs

    The Supreme Court of Justice issued a judgment ordering the exclusion of the opposition coalition Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD) from the electoral process

    On December 20 the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) - formed only by pro-government officials - decreed that political parties that did not participate for the last regional election a few months ago must be revalidated before the National Electoral Council (CNE), a rule that according to the the current constitution should be should be applied when absenting more than 3 times to the suffrages.

  • Monday, January 29th 2018 - 11:01 UTC

    Macri and ministers expected to freeze their salaries, for one year, as part of the austerity measures

    “The political nominated posts reduction will be at least 20%, and in some cases could go even further”, cabinet chief Marcos Peña anticipated

    The government of Argentine president Mauricio Macri is expected to announce on Monday as part of the overall austerity and adjustment programs, a freeze on all top government salaries and the reduction of at least 20% in political nominee posts in the Executive branch.

  • Monday, January 29th 2018 - 10:56 UTC

    February 10, RMS St Helena departs on her last trip after 27 years service

    The main celebrations will take place on Friday, 9 February, with an RMS Open Day and celebrations on the Sea Front.

    The unique Royal Mail Ship, RMS St Helena, will depart on a final voyage (268) from the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena on Saturday, 10 February, having dutifully served for the past 27 years. The island, a UK Overseas Territory located 1200 miles off the west coast of Africa could only be reached by the ocean-going passenger-cargo ship service, until commercial flights began operating last October, following completion of an airport.