A Confucius Institute recently opened in Uruguay's capital Montevideo, fulfilling a dream for promoters of Chinese culture and locals keen to learn more about China. The institute, a worldwide network that offers a window to Chinese culture through Mandarin (standard Chinese) language classes and other types of courses, opened in April, thanks to an agreement between Uruguay's University of the Republic (Udelar) and Qingdao University in eastern China's Shandong Province.
The United States Travel Advisory for Uruguay offered a not very encouraging description of the country for foreign visitors but anyhow is well distanced from most of the rest of Latin American, and neighbors.
After several seasons of negative growth, 2017/18 looks to be the turning point, with 165 calls, up 15, and 300.000 visitors in Uruguay, (Montevideo and Punta del Este) anticipated Tourism minister Liliam Kechichian during the symbolic launching of the season in Montevideo.
Uruguay will expand sewage and rainwater drainage systems in Montevideo and improve management of City Hall's sanitation system thanks to a US$60 million loan approved by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The money represents the second stage of a line of credit that the IDB approved for investment projects in December 2006.
Venezuela will continue as member of Mercosur but with no right to vote, since it has not fully incorporated all the group's rules and regulations as had been agreed, revealed Uruguay's foreign minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa on Friday in Montevideo.
Argentina's Lower House left its peers from the Mercosur Parliament, Parlasur, with no allowances, despite claims from most of its 43 members. Last week the Chamber of Deputies approved the Argentine budget which must now be considered by the Senate.
Brazilian ex president Dilma Rousseff is in Uruguay, her first overseas visit since Congress voted her impeachment and removal from office. The leader is scheduled to participate on Friday in a march in downtown Montevideo with Uruguayan unions protesting salary conditions and will also be received at a special ceremony in the town hall where she will be given the keys of the city by mayor Daniel Martinez.
Paraguay's foreign minister Eladio Loizaga anticipated that the Mercosur coordinators meeting scheduled to take place this Tuesday in Montevideo, will be definitive since a proposal to solve the current acephaly of the block's presidency which was self proclaimed by Venezuela and questioned by other members, will emerge.
The 2014/15 cruise season was not encouraging for Uruguay which reported a drop in the number of vessels calling; passenger landings and money spent by the industry and visitors, according to the official assessment of the season presented by Tourism ministry officials and other government offices involved in the different operations.
Worst storm in 50 years. Emergency Committee receivs over 100 calls for help. Bad weather expected to continue.