New Year has taken off in Uruguay with a raft of utilities' rates increases which includes power, fuels, drinking water, telecommunications, urban bus fares, plus extra taxes on tobacco and gambling. Inflation in the twelve months to November was 6.30%.
A resolution backed overwhelmingly by the United Nations has effectively called on the US to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The vote in support of the resolution was 128, nine against and 35 abstentions. The South American Mercosur block, currently holding a summit in Brasilia, voted divided, while Brazil and Uruguay supported the resolution, Argentina and Paraguay abstained.
An acute case of intoxication with cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in recreational exposure during an algal bloom in Montevideo beaches, Malvin and Carrasco, was reported in the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
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.
Support for democracy in Uruguay reached 70% this year, two points higher than in 2016, and leads in Latin America in its overall sustained commitment to democracy, according to the latest release from the Latinbarometer report.
Finland's UPM and the Government of Uruguay have signed an investment agreement, which outlines the local prerequisites for a potential pulp mill investment. The agreement details the roles, commitments and time-line for both parties as well as the relevant items to be agreed prior to the final investment decision, reported the Finnish company in a release on Tuesday.
Uruguay’s commitment to human rights at home and abroad is clear, but the country must address a series of challenges, including “inhumane” prison conditions, widespread violence against women, dropout rate in education, the situation of adolescents in pre-trial conditions and continuing impunity for violations committed during military rule, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said at the end of a two-day visit.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein will visit Peru and Uruguay this week to discuss progress and challenges concerning human rights in these countries. He will also launch a joint plan of action by the UN Human Rights Office and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to address the protection of human rights defenders in the Americas.
Soccer passionate Uruguay is again with no matches this weekend in the local major leagues and could be for several weeks, because of a conflict between professional players demanding to remove the authorities of their association and a call for fresh elections. A request supported by six hundred signatures, and until complied there will be no games. The measure has been supported by the referees association.
The Uruguayan government announced on Friday the presence of hydrocarbons in the north west of the country, in the framework of exploratory drilling by US based Schuepbach Energy. The discovery took place in the county of Paysandu, some 400kms north of the capital Montevideo.