
The Uruguayan president and Vice president have again openly clashed this time over education reform. First Lady and Senator Lucia Topolansky described Vice-president Danilo Astori’s comments on the issue as “negative” and praised the attitude of teachers’ unions involved in the reform effort.

Credit rating agencies believe that in spite of the successful management of its sovereign debt Uruguay still has some issues to improve before investment grade is awarded. Moody’s has promised to visit Uruguay at the beginning of next year to assess those conditions.

The Uruguayan central bank “Monetary Policy Committee” will attempt to balance ‘concern’ over inflation with the increasing international uncertainty when it meets next 29 December, said the bank’s president Mario Bergara.

Uruguayan president Jose Mujica announced Mercosur is considering the modification of legislation so that Venezuela can definitively be incorporated as a full member to the South American trade block, which has been blocked for several years now by the Paraguayan Congress.

Uruguay’s ruling coalition main grouping and which responds to President Jose Mujica expressed their full support for the Executive and Economy minister Fernando Lorenzo and his team, which has been increasingly questioned lately for its “excessive orthodoxy”.

The IMF recommended Uruguay greater flexibility in the management of macroeconomic policy, ahead of unexpected changes in the international scenario.

Brasil Foods SA, the world’s largest poultry exporter, said it signed an asset-swap accord with Marfrig Alimentos SA after being ordered to shed some units as part of a regulatory approval for a 3.8 billion dollars takeover.

Uruguayan President José Mujica changed his mind and will attend Argentine President Cristina Fernández inauguration ceremony next Saturday, official sources confirmed.

The academic director of a Conservative think-tank, questioned Uruguayan president Jose Mujica attitudes and expressed the growing concern in the local business community and internationally about the fact the country seems to have two different economic teams.

Uruguayan President José Mujica, 76, announced he would not be attending President Cristina Fernández inauguration ceremony on Saturday after his doctor recommended he should rest for the next few days. His wife, First Lady and Senator Lucía Topolansky will be attending instead.