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[Trump threatens to take Cuba 'almost immediately' after tightening sanctions on the regime]]> The new executive order expands the scope of existing sanctions to persons, entities, and companies that support the Cuban regime's security apparatus US President Donald Trump said on Friday that his country would take Cuba “almost immediately,” in remarks made during a private event at the Forum Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, hours after signing an executive order substantially expanding economic sanctions against the Havana regime. The president's words, though framed in colloquial tone, considerably escalate bilateral tensions and open a new chapter in US policy toward Miguel Díaz-Canel's government.

]]> Sun, 03 May 2026 09:59:00 GMT <![CDATA[Bolivia's agro-environmental court judge shot dead amid wave of drug-related violence]]> Claure, a 49-year-old lawyer born in Cochabamba, was intercepted near midnight while driving along Busch Avenue Víctor Hugo Claure, dean of Bolivia's Agro-Environmental Court, was shot dead late Thursday in the eastern city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in what authorities describe as an attack carried out by hitmen and which falls within a sequence of violent events linked to the growing influence of drug trafficking in the country's main city. The killing has prompted unanimous condemnation from the judicial system and from opposition politicians, and poses a direct challenge to the administration of President Rodrigo Paz, in office since November.

]]> Fri, 01 May 2026 14:54:00 GMT <![CDATA[Poll projects dead heat between Fujimori and Sánchez in Peru runoff as count nears completion]]> With 95.89% of ballots processed by the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), Fujimori leads with 17.06% of valid votes, Sánchez stands second with 12.05% Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori and left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez would tie at 38% of the vote in the Peruvian presidential runoff scheduled for June 7, according to the first opinion poll published after the April 12 election, against a backdrop of an inconclusive count and an ongoing dispute over second place. The Ipsos Peru survey, conducted between April 23 and 24 and published by daily Perú.21, points to a scenario of absolute parity with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points.

]]> Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:36:00 GMT <![CDATA[Kast–Paz rapprochement opens door to potential restoration of Bolivia–Chile relations]]> The diplomatic shift responds to a direct “mandate” from the presidents of both countries — far-right José Antonio Kast, who took office in Chile on March 11, and center-right Rodrigo Paz The foreign ministers of Bolivia, Fernando Aramayo, and Chile, Francisco Pérez Mackenna, agreed on Friday to deepen bilateral ties and advance a joint economic agenda, amid a decisive diplomatic rapprochement between the two countries after nearly five decades without ambassador-level relations. The meeting, held at an event organized by the Chamber of Industry, Commerce, Services, and Tourism (Cainco) in Santa Cruz, concluded a two-day official visit by the Chilean minister.

]]> Fri, 24 Apr 2026 19:49:00 GMT <![CDATA[Petro travels to Caracas to meet Delcy Rodríguez following failed Cúcuta summit]]> Colombian President Gustavo Petro will meet at midday on Friday in Caracas with Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez, in what marks the first official meeting between a head of state and the Venezuelan leader since she took office on January 5, following the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro in a US military operation on January 3 of this year.

]]> Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:31:00 GMT <![CDATA[LATAM and Aerolíneas Argentinas aircraft collide on the ground at Santiago airport with no injuries reported]]> Chile's Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) reported that both aircraft were immediately stopped and subjected to technical assessment in line with operational safety protocols Two commercial aircraft collided on the ground at Santiago's Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport on Wednesday evening in an incident that left no injuries but forced the rescheduling of both affected flights. The collision occurred at around 8:00 p.m. local time, when a LATAM Airlines Airbus A321 struck a stationary Aerolíneas Argentinas Boeing 737 that was holding on the apron awaiting clearance for take-off.

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:58:00 GMT <![CDATA[Latin America's largest investment bank targets Uruguay as regional hub after acquiring local HSBC unit]]> Founded in 1983 in Rio de Janeiro, the group is present in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru Brazilian group BTG Pactual, Latin America's largest investment bank, is awaiting authorisation from Uruguay's Central Bank (BCU) to begin operating in the local financial market following its $175 million acquisition of HSBC Uruguay, agreed in July 2025. Group executives expect regulatory approval to come through by mid-year, allowing them to begin operations gradually in the second half of 2026.

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:28:00 GMT <![CDATA[Peru's electoral authority chief resigns as runoff still undecided ten days after first round]]> The failures that triggered the crisis included delays of up to five hours in the opening of polling stations in the capital and the postponement of voting to the following day at thirteen locations Piero Corvetto resigned as head of Peru's National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) on Tuesday, ten days after the April 12 first-round presidential vote, amid judicial investigations and an institutional credibility crisis deepened by the logistical failures recorded during the election. The National Justice Board (JNJ) accepted the resignation unanimously.

]]> Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:18:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chile closes ranks on Strait of Magellan sovereignty a week after Argentine admiral's remarks]]> The head of Argentina’s Naval Hydrography Service had stated that “the mouth of the Strait of Magellan is Argentine,” a claim that Chile’s foreign minister described as “unfounded.” A week after remarks by Argentine Rear Admiral Hernán Montero on the eastern mouth of the Strait of Magellan went viral, the Chilean government has consolidated a unified stance in defense of its sovereignty, while internal debate has shifted toward the executive's handling of the communications response.

]]> Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:57:00 GMT <![CDATA[Milei drops to 14th among Latin American Presidents, ranks among region's five worst-rated]]> Milei shares the bottom bloc with Bernardo Arévalo (Guatemala), Daniel Noboa (Ecuador), José María Balcázar (Peru), Delcy Rodríguez (Venezuela), and José Raúl Mulino (Dominican Republic) Argentine President Javier Milei fell to 14th place out of 18 leaders in the regional approval ranking for April 2026, consolidating his entry into the group of six worst-rated heads of state in Latin America. The survey, carried out by polling firm CB Global Data, registered a 36.2% positive image and a 59.7% negative reading, a 23.5-point gap that represents the widest imbalance since the start of his administration.

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