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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, November 9th 2026 - 06:08 UTC

Politics

  • Tuesday, October 20th 2026 - 09:47 UTC

    Milei arrives in Madrid mid-campaign and will meet Ayuso but not Sánchez

    Milei has clashed sharply with Sánchez since 2024 and has made his alliances with conservative leaders a hallmark of his foreign policy

    Argentine President Javier Milei flew to Madrid on Monday night on his third visit of the year to Spain and his seventh since taking office, in the middle of the campaign for the snap general election on November 29. His agenda includes a meeting with the president of the Madrid regional government, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, of the People’s Party, but, as on previous visits, no meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

  • Tuesday, October 20th 2026 - 08:01 UTC

    Alberta overwhelmingly rejects starting the path to an independence referendum from Canada

    The question did not ask directly about independence, but whether the provincial government should begin “the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution”

    Voters in the Canadian province of Alberta on Monday overwhelmingly rejected having their government begin the process of calling a binding referendum on independence from Canada, according to preliminary results. With more than half the votes counted, around 76% chose for Alberta to remain a Canadian province, against about 24% who backed starting down the path to separation. Official results will be known on Thursday.

  • Monday, October 19th 2026 - 19:50 UTC

    US calls at the UN for an end to the Decolonisation Committee, key to Argentina’s claim

    The Argentine government has not commented on the US position, which contrasts with the close alliance between Milei and President Donald Trump

    The United States has called at the UN for an end to the mandate of the Special Committee on Decolonisation, the body before which Argentina presents its sovereignty claim over the Falklands every year, and described some of its activities as “a waste of resources”, according to the official summary of the General Assembly Fourth Committee session held on October 15.

  • Monday, October 19th 2026 - 19:46 UTC

    Argentina spent US$445 million on weapons and military equipment under Milei

    The largest acquisition was 24 F-16 fighters from Denmark, agreed in April 2024 for US$301.2 million payable in five annual instalments

    Argentina’s government spent some US$445 million on weapons, military and security equipment from when Javier Milei took office in December 2023 to August 2026, according to an analysis by the newspaper Infobae based on the state’s official procurement system and agreements signed with other countries. The figure already exceeds what was invested during the full terms of Alberto Fernández and Mauricio Macri.

  • Monday, October 19th 2026 - 06:15 UTC

    Lula asks Bolsonaro whether he will wield “Milei’s chainsaw” in a heated debate

    The face-off, lasting more than two hours, was held at the headquarters of the Band network in São Paulo and was the first of the campaign: neither candidate had attended the first-round debates

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asked his rival, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, on Sunday whether he intends to apply Argentine President Javier Milei’s “chainsaw” to cut 250 billion reais in public spending, during a first televised debate marked by mutual accusations of corruption, a week before the October 25 runoff.

  • Monday, October 19th 2026 - 06:13 UTC

    Rioting returns to Paris after a day of protests that saw 1,800 arrests across France

    From early afternoon, groups built barricades from burning rental bicycles in the streets around the square and looted some shops, while police responded with tear gas

    Clashes between police and groups of protesters returned to central Paris on Sunday around the Place de la République, a day after a nationwide day of protests against the cost of living and conditions in schools ended with the looting of hundreds of shops and at least 1,800 arrests across the country, according to police.

  • Sunday, October 18th 2026 - 21:56 UTC

    US fears Falklands-related sanctions could hit American companies

    According to Clarín, Washington has put forward two options: freezing the bill, its preferred choice, or amending it so that US companies are excluded

    The US government has conveyed to Javier Milei’s administration its concern that the National Sovereignty Defence bill, which toughens sanctions against those involved in exploiting resources in the Falklands, could reach American companies, the Argentine newspaper Clarín reported, citing unnamed officials in Washington.

  • Sunday, October 18th 2026 - 19:43 UTC

    Lula’s campaign takes alleged Meta favouritism towards Bolsonaro to the UN and federal police

    The incidents reported include reduced reach for Lula’s Instagram profiles, WhatsApp searches for the “Lula’s Army” channel suggesting the “Flávio’s Troop” channel instead

    The coalition backing Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s re-election on Saturday reported to the UN alleged unequal treatment by Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, in favour of his rival, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, and asked the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Federal Police to investigate possible illegal funding of his campaign. Meta attributes the incidents to technical errors.

  • Sunday, October 18th 2026 - 17:51 UTC

    Pressure mounts on Paraguay’s Central Bank over doubts about some lenders’ solvency

    “We ask the Central Bank to report on the solvency of all entities that received facilities in merger processes. That way doubts will be cleared,” the association said

    The Association of Banks of Paraguay, which groups 14 private lenders, on Sunday asked the Central Bank of Paraguay to report on the solvency of institutions that received facilities in merger processes, days after senators from the ruling party and the opposition called on President Santiago Peña to remove the institution’s leadership.

  • Saturday, October 17th 2026 - 06:23 UTC

    Bolsonaro and Lula head into the final stretch of Brazil’s campaign in a statistical tie

    Both polls were conducted before the Senate approved on Wednesday a cut in the working week from 44 to 40 hours, one of the flagships of Lula’s campaign

    Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are heading into the final days of the campaign for the October 25 runoff in a statistical tie, according to two new polls. A Datafolha survey released on Thursday night gives Bolsonaro 51% of valid votes and Lula 49%, compared with 52% and 48% a week earlier, with a margin of error of two points.