MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[Iran closes Hormuz again after less than 24 hours as two ships report being fired upon]]> The reversal came as maritime tracking sites showed several ships attempting to take advantage of the opening Iran's reopening of the Strait of Hormuz lasted less than 24 hours. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared on Saturday that it had reimposed "strict control" over the maritime corridor, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas transits. At least two vessels reported being hit by gunfire while attempting to cross the strait, according to three maritime security sources cited by Reuters. It has not been confirmed whether the shots caused damage.

]]> Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:58:00 GMT <![CDATA[Uruguayan court rejects injunction against offshore seismic prospection, allowing exploration to continue]]> The court dismissed the case on procedural grounds without fully examining the environmental merits A Montevideo civil court dismissed an injunction filed by social organizations and fishing industry unions against seismic prospection activities for hydrocarbon exploration in Uruguay's exclusive economic zone, allowing operations by the company Viridien (CGG Services) to continue on an offshore block assigned to oil major Chevron.

]]> Sat, 18 Apr 2026 02:53:00 GMT <![CDATA[Milei government appeals to Supreme Court to avoid applying university funding law]]> The university conflict has been one of Milei's most politically costly fronts in 2024 and 2025, with massive student and union marches Argentina's government filed an extraordinary federal appeal with the Supreme Court on Thursday to avoid complying with the University Funding Law (27.795), which requires it to update faculty salaries and scholarship programs at national universities. The Executive argued that complying with the law would consume 90.3% of available primary spending credits and cause “a significant paralysis of the functioning of all three branches of government.”

]]> Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:55:00 GMT <![CDATA[Lula and Sanchez seal progressive alliance in Barcelona and call for front against global far right]]> Sánchez responded that Spain and Brazil share “the same vision of the world, anchored in the defense of democracy, international cooperation, respect for international law and human rights, and peace” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday cemented a political alliance in Barcelona between the European and Latin American left against the advance of the far right on both continents. At the first bilateral Spain-Brazil summit, held at the Pedralbes Palace with military honors and the participation of roughly ten ministers from each side, both leaders displayed total alignment and signed a series of cooperation agreements.

]]> Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:49:00 GMT <![CDATA[Iran declares Hormuz "fully open" until ceasefire ends; Trump insists on keeping Iranian port blockade]]> Despite the relief, normalizing traffic will take weeks. According to maritime intelligence firm Windward, at least 823 vessels remain trapped in the Persian Gulf Iran announced on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz will remain "fully open" to merchant shipping until the ceasefire with the United States expires next Wednesday. The decision, linked to the start of the 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon announced by Trump on Thursday, triggered an immediate drop in oil prices of nearly 10% and strong relief across global markets.

]]> Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:42:00 GMT <![CDATA[At least 12 schools in Paraguay receive shooting threats; authorities probe possible viral "challenge"]]> The phenomenon extends beyond Paraguay. In Argentina, threats with nearly identical messages — “Tomorrow, shooting. Don't come” — appeared in at least a dozen schools across Buenos Aires At least 12 schools in Paraguay received shooting threats between Thursday and Friday, with messages written on bathroom walls reading "tomorrow there will be a shooting," said Sonia Escauriza, director of Child and Adolescent Protection at the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC). The figure rose to 13 in the following hours, according to the same official in statements to radio station Universo 970 AM.

]]> Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:17:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chile launches deportation flights under Kast with 40 migrants expelled to Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia]]> The operation is not unprecedented in Chile. Under the government of Gabriel Boric (2022-2026), more than 20 deportation flights were carried out and roughly 4,500 people were expelled The government of Chilean President José Antonio Kast carried out its first deportation flight of irregular migrants on Thursday, expelling 40 people on a Chilean Air Force (FACh) Boeing 737 that made stops in Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia. The 19 Colombians, the last group to disembark, arrived in Bogotá shortly after 8:00 p.m. local time. The 17 Bolivians and four Ecuadorians were dropped off previously in La Paz and Guayaquil, respectively. Each deportee traveled accompanied by an officer from Chile's Investigative Police (PDI).

]]> Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:06:00 GMT <![CDATA[Trump says US "very close" to Iran deal and announces Israel-Lebanon ceasefire]]> “It looks very likely that we will reach a deal with Iran, and it will be a good deal, no nuclear weapons,” Trump said US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Washington is "very close" to reaching a deal with Iran and announced that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, in a day that combined diplomatic overtures with explicit threats to resume hostilities if Tehran does not accept American terms.

]]> Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:03:00 GMT <![CDATA[Venezuela dismantles Nestor Kirchner Room at Miraflores and repurposes it to receive US officials]]> The room had been inaugurated on December 1, 2011, during an official visit by Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to Venezuela Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez ordered the dismantling of the “Néstor Kirchner Room” at Miraflores Palace, a space that for nearly fifteen years served as a symbol of the political alliance between Chavismo and Kirchnerism. The measure involved removing portraits, paintings, quotations and objects linked to the former Argentine president, and converting the room into a meeting space with a neutral aesthetic that, according to Venezuelan outlet Monitoreamos, is now used to receive US officials.

]]> Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:55:00 GMT <![CDATA[“We are oppressed in Brazil”: thousands of conservative Brazilians seek new life in Paraguay]]> Paraguay broke a record in 2025 by granting 40,600 residency permits to foreigners. More than half — 23,500 — went to Brazilians, far outpacing the 4,300 Argentines in second place Hundreds of Brazilians camped overnight on beach chairs, plastic benches and tarps outside an immigration center in Ciudad del Este, on the border with Brazil, to secure a spot in a Paraguayan government drive to fast-track residency applications. Some organized an improvised barbecue on a barrel while they waited. Others had traveled more than 1,500 kilometers by bus. All shared a common thread: the desire to leave Brazil for reasons they describe as political, economic and ideological, according to a report by BBC News Brasil.

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