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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 9th 2025 - 15:00 UTC

Uruguay

  • Tuesday, April 29th 2025 - 10:17 UTC

    Two Uruguayans held under slave-like conditions rescued in Brazil

    The man had been working for nine years as a domestic employee and was forced to tattoo his employers' initials as a mark of ownership.

    Two Uruguayans, a homosexual man and a trans woman, were rescued in Planura, in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, after years of slave-like conditions. Lured via social media with false job promises, they endured physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, including forced tattoos of their employers' initials. The man worked unregistered for nine years, while the trans woman, held for six months, suffered a stroke.

  • Monday, April 28th 2025 - 10:18 UTC

    Uruguayan university study favors taxation on cigarettes

    At least 15% of adult deaths in Uruguay are believed to be caused by smoking

    In Montevideo, a Universidad de la República (Udelaar) study projected that a 60% increase in cigarette taxes from 2025 to 2028 would reduce smoking by 19%, preventing 49,000 smokers, and increase tax revenue by 24%, aligning with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.

  • Saturday, April 26th 2025 - 10:49 UTC

    Ancap back in the red after 5 years of Multicolor rule, Orsi says

    Orsi announced a management overhaul that would not impact Uruguayan consumers

    Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi announced Friday that the state-owned fuel company Ancap recorded a loss of US$ 118 million last year under the opposition government of Luis Lacalle Pou, contrasting with a US$ 41 million profit in 2019 when the country was headed by the late Tabaré Vázquez of the currently ruling Broad Front (Frente Amplio - FA).

  • Friday, April 25th 2025 - 10:35 UTC

    Uruguay halts Neptuno water supply project for 90 days

    Orsi's government wants to review the terms of the contract signed by the previous administration

    The Uruguayan Government of President Yamandú Orsi and the Aguas de Montevideo consortium signed an agreement Thursday to suspend the Neptuno Project contract for 90 days. This temporary halt pauses the construction of the Arazatí water treatment plant to renegotiate terms established under the previous administration. A Torre Ejecutiva working group will review the contract to ensure a sustainable drinking water supply and institutional transparency.

  • Thursday, April 24th 2025 - 10:43 UTC

    Montevideo's Carrasco Airport to reach top international standards

    Carrasco will be closed between August and September to update its ILS systems

    Montevideo's Carrasco Airport's international status will be upgraded to a Category III B Instrument Landing System (ILS) after an investment of more than US$ 20 million. The improvement will enable safer and more efficient operations in adverse weather conditions. Work has already begun on the alternate runway and will be extended to the main runway in June.

  • Thursday, April 24th 2025 - 10:35 UTC

    Uruguayan Bishops Hold Mass to Honor Legacy of Pope Francis

    Cardinal Daniel Sturla, who is set to travel to Rome for the upcoming conclave, emphasized the continuity of Francis’s leadership. Photo: Sebastian Astorga / EFE

    Uruguayan bishops held a solemn mass on Wednesday at Montevideo’s Cathedral to honor the life and legacy of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88. The ceremony drew around a thousand attendees, filling every seat and standing space in the historic church.

  • Tuesday, April 22nd 2025 - 20:04 UTC

    Uruguay's Defense Ministry takes disciplinary measures in Cardama deal probe

    Jorge Wilson was imposed a 30-day arrest for his conduct in the investigation regarding the fudgy Cardama deal

    Senior Uruguayan Navy officers, including former Commander-in-Chief Jorge Wilson, were handed down arrest sanctions for their roles in purchasing two ocean patrol vessels (OPVs) from Spain's Cardama shipyard, a company with no experience in that type of unit, and was also facing financial hardships.

  • Tuesday, April 22nd 2025 - 10:48 UTC

    Uruguay's new Housing Minister to be sworn in Tuesday

    Paseyro is to be sworn in during Tuesday's Council of Ministers meeting

    Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi picked Tamara Paseyro, previously the director of Social and Urban Integration at the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Ordering (MVOT), to become the new Minister of Housing, replacing Cecilia Cairo following her resignation amid a days-long scandal regarding unpaid taxes on her residence in Montevideo’s Pajas Blancas area.

  • Friday, April 18th 2025 - 10:59 UTC

    Uruguay's housing minister resigns over unpaid taxes on her residence

    Cairo held a meeting with Orsi before announcing her departure

    Cecilia Cairo resigned as Uruguay's Minister of Housing and Territorial Planning on Thursday following controversy over her failure to regularize her house’s construction and update its real estate taxes for at least 20 years, making minimum payments incompatible with the residence's size. President Yamandú Orsi plans to accept her resignation through a formal note on Friday.

  • Tuesday, April 15th 2025 - 19:25 UTC

    Paraguay and Uruguay prepare for new scenario with stronger Argentine peso

    The new floating quotation between the Argentine peso and the US dollar is foreseen to have positive repercussions in both neighboring countries

    Following Buenos Aires' announcements regarding the lifting of restrictions to exchange local pesos into US dollars, neighboring Uruguay and Paraguay are preparing for the changes to come. Both countries foresee an increasing influx of Argentine travelers to benefit from the new scenario, which in the case of Paraguay also includes a depreciating guaraní.