La noticia dio vuelta al mundo por lo insólita, y ahora la situación se encamina hacia un desenlace, aunque no el más propicio: el barco de bandera togolesa con casi tres mil vacas uruguayas varado en un puerto de Turquía ya regresa a Montevideo. El buque carguero abandonó en las últimas horas el mar de Mármara, donde estaba anclado, y se interna ahora en el Mediterráneo.

El viernes, las autoridades de Turquía y Uruguay mantuvieron una reunión virtual para destrabar la situación del barco que estaba desde fines de octubre sin poder atracar. No hubo acuerdo. Las organizaciones animalistas pusieron el grito en el cielo: «Puede que las vacas no lleguen con vida».

El viernes 19 de septiembre zarpó el Spiridon II, un carguero enorme y de 50 años de antigüedad, desde el puerto de Montevideo, Uruguay, hacia un puerto del Mar de Mármara, en Turquía. Llevaba a bordo, además de su tripulación, 2.901 vacas uruguayas que tenían como destino ese país de Medio Oriente. Exactamente 32 días después, el 21 de octubre, el Spiridon II llegó a las inmediaciones del puerto de Bandirma, en el Mármara, y hundió anclas a 12 kilómetros de distancia de ese puerto; a más de 100 de Estambul, a modo de referencia.

Desde ese martes 21 de octubre, las vacas llevaban hasta este sábado 25 días varadas. Iban a estar destinadas al engorde y cría en granjas turcas. Pero las autoridades locales impidieron el desembarco, ya que no todas disponían del certificado veterinario preceptivo. Aunque la gran mayoría de las vacas venían con todos los datos en reglas, 469 animales no estaban correctamente certificadas. Según la sentencia judicial labrada en Turquía, además había 146 animales con microchips o etiquetas ilegibles y otros 58 habían muerto durante el viaje de ida.

En Uruguay, en cambio, alegaban un desacuerdo entre dos empresas, la exportadora uruguaya y la importadora turca. «Desde el punto de vista sanitario está todo correcto», explicó Marcelo Rodríguez, director de Servicios Ganadero del Ministerio de Ganadería, Agricultura y Pesca de Uruguay.

En cualquiera de los dos casos, el buque se convirtió -como definieron medios locales- en una «tumba flotante».

El viernes se llevó a cabo una reunión entre representantes de ambos gobiernos y no se llegó a un acuerdo, por lo que se determinó que el Spiridon II levara sus anclas y abandonara las inmediaciones del puerto de Bandirma.

Ahora le toca hacer el mismo trayecto, pero en sentido contrario. Las vacas deberían volver a su lugar de origen.

El viaje comenzó este sábado, cuando hacia la noche (en hora local; tarde en hora de Buenos Aires y Montevideo), el carguero ya había traspasado el Estrecho de los Dardanelos, que abre paso a los buques hacia el Mar Egeo, que luego de vadear las islas de Grecia conduce hacia el Mediterráneo.

Sin embargo, el panorama es doblemente desolador. Además de que no se lograra el acuerdo comercial entre las empresas turca y uruguaya y entre los respectivos agentes gubernamentales, resulta acuciante que en el Spiridon II no hay alimento suficiente para la alimentación de los bovinos durante lo que pudiera tardar el viaje de vuelta. Así lo denunciaron desde la Fundación para el Bienestar de los Animales.

«Observamos que el barco no lleva suficiente alimento. Es muy difícil que los animales lleguen a Uruguay con vida, y es más probable que los arrojen por la borda en alta mar», aseveró María Boada Saña, de esa fundación.

Además, ya se habían reportado otro tipo de situaciones desavenientes. Durante el transcurso en que el carguero con bandera togolesa estaba anclado a kilómetros del puerto de Bandirma, hubo aproximadamente 140 solicitudes de nacimiento de terneros a bordo y todas las vacas preñadas dieron a luz, aunque muchos de esos novillos fallecieron debido a las condiciones insalubres.

Spiridon II Uruguay’dan gelmişti
Uruguay’a geri dönüyor
2901 hayvandan (çoğunluk gebe inek) 58’i öldü
140’ı doğum yaptı
Buzağıların 50 si gemide, 90’ı kayıp, büyük ihtimalle sıkışık padoklarda ezildiler.
Canlı hayvan ticareti bu demek…
Hayvanlara uygulanan sınırsız acı demek! pic.twitter.com/WFcdNGqzDf

— Animal Save Türkiye (@AnimalSaveTR) November 15, 2025

En esa línea, poco después de la partida del barco de Uruguay, Fernando Fernández, exportador de Ganosan Livestock, empresa que organizó la exportación, afirmó en un podcast del rubro agro que aproximadamente la mitad del ganado a bordo del Spiridon II eran novillas preñadas.

Desde la Fundación para el Bienestar Animal aportan que el Spiridon II (anteriormente llamado Mikhail Cheremnykh) navega actualmente bajo bandera togolesa y fue construido en Finlandia en 1973.

Entre 2021 y 2024, se detectaron un total de 84 deficiencias en el carguero, y la embarcación fue detenida una vez (nueve veces en toda su historia operativa).

Hasta junio de 2024, estaba autorizado para transportar animales en España. Desde entonces, según registros oficiales, no habría estado autorizado para transportar animales en Europa. Según el Memorando de Entendimiento de París, se trata de un buque de bandera negra, lo que es decir que supone un alto riesgo para los animales a bordo, la tripulación y la seguridad marítima.

A little more than a week after socialist New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani took the reins of the nation’s largest city, voters in Seattle elected a socialist that has been compared to Mamdani to lead the West Coast’s fifth-largest city by population. 

Katie Wilson, a progressive activist who operates a small nonprofit called the Transit Riders Union, defeated Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell in an election so tight that it took over a week to determine. Harrell conceded Thursday as the vote totals all but guaranteed a win for Wilson, who, like Mamdani, identifies as a «democratic socialist.»

Like Mamdani, Wilson has faced criticism for past support of defunding the police, most notably through her support of a «Solidarity Budget» which would have cut the Seattle police force by 50%.

«There’s a strong argument for simply disbanding police departments and starting over,» Wilson wrote in a June 2020 op-ed.

INCUMBENT SEATTLE MAYOR CONCEDES TO MAMDANI-STYLE ‘SOCIALIST’ WHO TAPPED HER PARENTS FOR MONEY WHILE RUNNING

Similar to Mamdani, Wilson walked back her past statements on defunding the police and distanced herself from the «abolish the police» movement on a debate stage when pressed by Harrell.

Leading up to Tuesday night’s election, Wilson pledged to «Trump-proof» the City of Seattle and has been likened to New York City’s Mamdani by political pundits on that angle as well. 

Wilson, like Mamdani, has proposed policies like implementing government-run grocery stores. She pledged to explore government-backed grocery stores if elected this fall after accepting the endorsement from grocery workers union UFCW 3000, Washington’s largest private-sector union. New York voters, meanwhile, saw a similar pitch from Mamdani. 

«Yes, Seattle voters want to tax the rich,» Wilson wrote in February of this year, echoing a prominent socialist platform, championed by Mamdani, of increasing the tax burden on the wealthiest residents.

Prior to her establishment of the Transit Riders Union in 2011, Wilson worked several jobs in various unrelated industries, including as a barista, boatyard worker, apartment manager, lab technician, baker, construction worker and legal assistant. 

Several of the progressive activist groups and unions that backed Mamdani’s campaign also endorsed Wilson, including the Working Families Party, Planned Parenthood affiliates, and SEIU affiliates. 

MULTIPLE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS LINE UP TO SUCCEED MAMDANI

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks to members of the media at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the Queens borough of New York on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Wilson has credited her parents with helping her run her campaign for mayor.

«They send me a check periodically to help with the child care expenses,» Wilson told Seattle’s PubliCola, noting daycare for her kids cost about $2,200 per month. Wilson did not share precisely how much her parents contribute, pointing out that she does not keep track. However, when pressed for more details, Wilson reportedly said the money comes in every few months.

«Before I decided to run for office, my husband and I were just kind of juggling our kid back and forth,» Wilson continued about the childcare costs her parents assist with. «We didn’t have her in daycare because it’s so expensive. But then, when I decided to run, we’re like, we really need childcare.»

Affordability was a key driver of Wilson’s campaign, similar to Mamdani’s campaign in New York City, and after her victory she has continued to outline those goals. 

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Longtime progressive organizer and new Seattle mayor Katie Wilson. (Katie Wilson for Seattle )

«There is an awful lot that I want to accomplish as mayor,» Wilson said in her first speech since clinching the mayor’s office. «I want everybody in this great city of ours to have a roof over their head. I want universal childcare and free K-8 summer care. I want world-class mass transit. I want great, safe public spaces where kids can run around with abandon. I want stable, affordable housing for renters.»

«I want social housing. I want much more land and wealth to be owned and stewarded by communities instead of corporations. I want a robust economy, with thriving small businesses, great living wage jobs, and strong rights for workers. I want a city where everyone has the basics of a dignified life, including healthy food, access to healthcare, and support of communities. I want a city where your health and your life expectancy and your children’s future doesn’t depend on your zip code or your race.» 

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

Thousands of protesters swarmed Mexico City on Saturday, attacking police officers and attempting to breach a security barrier around the National Palace, which houses the federal government’s executive branch.

Plumes of tear gas filled the street as protesters dragged riot police out of formation and beat them with various weapons.

The anti-government march, which became violent at Zocalo Square, was organized by members of Gen Z—people born between the late 90s and early 2010s.

Protesters told the Associated Press they were rallying against corruption and safety concerns.

‘NARCO-BANNERS’ REPORTEDLY THREATEN AMERICANS IN VACATION HOT SPOT WHERE CARTELS RULE LIKE MAFIA: EXPERT

Arizbeth Garcia, a 43-year-old physician, told the outlet she was marching for increased security and additional funding for the public health system.

«[Doctors] are also exposed to the insecurity gripping the country, where you can be murdered and nothing happens,» Garcia said.

Another demonstrator, Rosa Maria Avila, 65, of Patzcuaro in Michoacán, told the outlet she was marching in support of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, an anti-crime activist who was assassinated at a public event earlier this month in Michoacán.

«The state is dying,» Avila said. «He was killed because he was a man who was sending officers into the mountains to fight delinquents. He had the guts to confront them.»

Protesters charge at police during a youth anti-government march in Mexico City, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

MEXICAN MAYOR WHO TOOK HARD LINE AGAINST DRUG GANGS SHOT AND KILLED AT DAY OF THE DEAD EVENT

Manzo was shot seven times after condemning Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for her alleged lack of effort in combating cartels. 

«We need greater determination from the president of Mexico,» Manzo told local media in September. «I do not want to be just another mayor on the list of those who have been executed and had their lives taken away from them. … I am very afraid, but I must face it with courage.»

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October 2024 as Mexico’s first female president, recently came under fire after a series of high-profile murders.

Demonstrator try to tumble a fence during a rally against the government of Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum at Zocalo Square in Mexico City on November 15, 2025.  (Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images)

Critics accuse her of tolerating organized crime and failing to support anti-cartel efforts.

In May, Sheinbaum publicly confirmed she rejected U.S. military assistance from President Donald Trump, who was looking to help the country fight drug trafficking and violent cartels.

FATHER OF SLAIN VETERAN SAYS BIDEN’S BORDER POLICIES EMBOLDENED CARTELS, TRUMP RESTORING ORDER

She allegedly told Trump the country will «never accept» the presence of the U.S. Army in its territory.

«No, President Trump, our territory is inalienable, sovereignty is inalienable,» Sheinbaum previously said. «We can collaborate. We can work together, but with you in your territory and us in ours. We can share information, but we will never accept the presence of the United States Army on our territory.»

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The Heritage Foundation, a top conservative group, claimed Mexico was unlikely to change its stance when Sheinbaum was elected despite the escalating threat from cartels.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and the Associated Press contributed to this report.