International
The presidential candidates in Uruguay promised in a debate not to raise taxes
The candidates for the Presidency of Uruguay for the ruling National Party, Álvaro Delgado, and the opposition Frente Amplio, Yamandú Orsi, presented their proposals in a televised debate, in which both politicians promised that they would not raise taxes.
The debate between the candidates prior to the second round next Sunday, was broadcast on national radio and television, and is stipulated by Law 18,827, promulgated in September 2019.
A debate in Uruguay with counterpointing
It began with opposing messages from the aspirants. While Orsi pointed out that Uruguay is “a stagnant country,” Delgado pointed out that the government model ensures “future and development.”
“Next Sunday we will have to choose between two options: that of a stagnant country, that of unfulfilled promises or that of a sure change. A change that will certainly not be radical and that involves the well-being of our people,” said the Frenteamplista.
Delgado stressed: “Here two models of country are compared, a model that retreats with ideology and with uncertainties. And a model – ours – that ensures guarantee, certainties, future and development.”
From human development to work
In the 90-minute debate, the candidates presented their views on five thematic blocks: human development, security, economy, knowledge and work.
In the first of these, both agreed on the importance of giving “quality of life to citizens.”
In terms of security, Delgado pointed out that the current government will leave the next, for the first time since 1984, fewer crimes reported, something that was achieved, he said, by trust in the police.
Although he said that they are not satisfied with what has been achieved, he reviewed with a graph numbers in the decrease in robberies (42%), thefts (22%), abigeato (57%) and homicides (3%); he said that “is the way.”
In addition, he mentioned the importance of repression, rehabilitation and reintegration.
Orsi, for his part, spoke of the victims “fruit of violence” in Uruguay, and gave as an example that every 15 days a child enters a hospital for a gunshot wound.
In that sense, he said that the pillars of his security policy will be the active exercise of authority, the defense of victims of crime and crime, in addition, he supported the police and the incorporation of more technology.
When talking about the economy, the Frente Amplio candidate recalled that when that party governed, between 2005 and 2020, the Gross Domestic Product increased by 73.2%.
Taxes: key point
“We are not going to increase taxes. In this period in which I will have to be Government, we are especially going to support small and medium-sized enterprises,” Orsi said.
On the contrary, Delgado said that the Government of the Frente Amplio gave the country with an inflation “of almost two digits” and that currently this is half, while pointing out that the real salary “is the highest in 49 years.”
He also said that an eventual government headed by Orsi will raise taxes, since, he said, this is what the Frente Amplio program says, and that on the contrary the ruling coalition will not do it.
“We are not going to raise taxes, we are going to generate investment incentives and we are going to open Uruguay to the world with pragmatism and without ideology,” Delgado said.
Delgado added that he intends “a cheaper Uruguay to live and to produce.”
When Orsi intervened again, he reiterated that he will not raise taxes.
He spoke of unemployment in the country, detailed that unemployment at the level of young people is close to 26%, the highest in the region, he said.
The National Party candidate said, on the contrary, that the unemployment rate in the country is 8.1% and among young people it is almost 2.5% higher.
The final message
The debate, carried out exactly one week before the second round of the elections, closed with a final message from each of the candidates.
“Here people can buy two country models and two leaderships. Our model that is a model of certainties, with economic growth, with security, with guarantees and with freedom. And the other model that is to return to the past with a lot of ideology, with more uncertainty, with surely more taxes, but surely with less freedom and with many more risks,” Delgado said.
He offered his experience and added that he is prepared and tested to govern the country.
“There’s one week to go. You will all have to choose between two proposals, two projects: the one of broken promises or the country of commitments. The country of commitments is one that implies a sure change,” emphasized the opponent Orsi.
He reiterated that he wants to become the next president of the Uruguayans and that, just as he knew how to do it when he governed the department (province) of Canelones (2015-2024), he will know how to do it at the head of all of Uruguay.
International
Trump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority
President Donald Trump issued an executive order this Monday for the immediate construction of two new warships that will bear his name. These vessels will be the pioneers of what he described as the “Golden Fleet,” a future generation of “Trump-class” battleships that he claimed would be “100 times more powerful” than those currently in service.
The announcement took place at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The President indicated that following the initial two ships, the administration aims to commission up to 25 additional vessels. He is scheduled to meet with Florida-based contractors next week to expedite production, criticizing existing defense firms for failing to deliver results efficiently.
This naval expansion is a cornerstone of Trump’s goal to revitalized the American shipbuilding industry and address the strategic gap between the U.S. and competitors like China.
The move comes amid heightened geopolitical tension. Just last week, Trump ordered the seizure of all sanctioned tankers involved with Venezuela’s “ghost fleet” to cripple the country’s crude oil industry. Since December 10, the U.S. military—deployed in the Caribbean under the guise of counter-narcotics operations—has already detained two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil transport.
International
U.S. Judge Blocks ICE from Re-detaining Salvadoran Erroneously Deported Under Trump Administration
A U.S. federal judge ruled this Monday, December 22, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is prohibited from re-detaining Salvadoran national Kilmar Ábrego García, who was erroneously deported to El Salvador earlier this year during the administration of President Donald Trump.
During a hearing in Maryland, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Ábrego García must remain free on bail through the Christmas holidays, concluding that his initial detention lacked a legal basis. The ruling follows a request from his legal team for a temporary restraining order to prevent ICE from carrying out a new arrest.
Earlier this month, on December 11, Judge Xinis ordered his release from a Pennsylvania migrant detention center after determining that the government had detained him without a formal deportation order. In 2019, an immigration judge had already ruled that Ábrego could not be returned to El Salvador because his life was in danger.
Despite that protection, Ábrego García was deported in March 2025 following a raid by the Trump administration. Officials argued at the time that he was a gang member, and he was sent directly to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) in El Salvador. In June, he was returned to the United States to face a new trial for alleged human smuggling—a charge he denies.
On Monday, Judge Xinis also temporarily invalidated a new deportation order issued by an immigration judge following Ábrego’s recent release, granting him legal protection through the coming weeks. His trial is scheduled to begin in Tennessee in January 2026.
International
Fire at substation triggers major blackout in San Francisco
The U.S. city of San Francisco was plunged into darkness Saturday night after a power outage left about 130,000 customers without electricity, although the utility company said service was restored to most users within hours.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) said in a statement posted on X that nearly 90,000 homes had their power restored by 9:00 p.m. local time (05:00 GMT on Sunday), while the remaining 40,000 customers were expected to have service restored overnight.
Large areas of the city, a major technology hub with a population of around 800,000, were affected by the blackout, which disrupted public transportation and left traffic lights out of service during the busy weekend before Christmas, a crucial period for retail businesses.
“I know it’s been a difficult day,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a video posted on social media from the city’s emergency operations center. “There has been progress, but for those still without power, we want to make sure they are safe and checking in on their neighbors,” he added.
Lurie said police officers and firefighters advised residents to stay home as much as possible. He also noted that officers and traffic inspectors were deployed to manage intersections where traffic lights were not functioning.
The mayor confirmed that the outage was caused by a fire at an electrical substation. Parts of the city were also covered in fog, further complicating conditions during the incident.
As a result of the blackout, many businesses were forced to close despite it being the weekend before Christmas. The sudden drop in shopper traffic ahead of the holiday is “devastating” for retailers, the manager of home goods store Black & Gold told the San Francisco Chronicle.
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