May 14 (UPI) -- The Uruguayan government has declared three days of national mourning in honor of the late former President Jose "Pepe" Mujica. Political and social leaders across Latin America expressed their condolences with heartfelt tributes, describing Mujica, who died Tuesday, May 13, at the age of 89 after a battle with esophageal cancer, as a global ethical beacon and a living symbol of integrity, humility, and dedication to social justice. A former guerrilla and prominent leftist