
Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou and Agriculture Minister Fernando Mattos spoke to reporters after attending the ceremony Monday marking the launch of the 2023 rice harvest, which will be one of the few items with something to celebrate in a country hit by drought.

Former Uruguayan military officer Alejandro Ariel Ferreira has been sentenced to 9 years in jail for torture and crimes against humanity at the clandestine detention center known as Los Vagones during the 1973-1985 military regime, it was announced Monday. It was the first conviction by oral and public trial for crimes against humanity through the new criminal code and the first ruling for a crime under international law.

Argentina's Customs General Directorate created a department within its structure to monitor drug trafficking through the Uruguay River, it was announced Friday. The new task force will increase controls on regional transshipments where various containers featuring cocaine have been detected recently.

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou Thursday told his country's Legal Assembly that the economy was showing signs of recovery and that we have earned international recognition, thanks to the performance of our finances. The head of state made those remarks while launching the new Legislature in Montevideo, which also marked the beginning of his fourth year at the helm of Torre Ejecutiva.

Uruguay's exports, including those shipped out of duty-free zones, totaled US$ 939 million in February of 2023, which represented an 8% decrease. The main reason for this setback was reported to be a drop in sales of beef and by-products, rice, wood, and wooden by-products.

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou was shown to have a 43% approval three years into his term, according to a survey by pollsters Usina de Percepción Ciudadana published Tuesday in Montevideo.

Uruguay became this week the second Latin American country where Rockstar has been launched since the brand purchased its licenses in March 2020. The energy drink with added caffeine and vitamins B3, B5, and B6, which also contains ginseng and guarana, is to reposition the soft-drink giant in the so-called functional beverages segment together with its local bottling partner, Fábricas Nacionales de Cerveza.

Effective this month, a decree signed by Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou on Feb.16 requires all foreign travelers entering the country to have medical insurance, regardless of whether they arrive by land, sea, or air. The same measure, which has also been approved by the Council of Ministers, also lifts all previous Covid-19 requisites.

Doctor Agustina Ruiz Villamil has been appointed as Pfizer's new Chief Executive Officer for Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay to replace Nicolá Vaquer, who was the laboratory's chief during the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing negotiations for the purchase of vaccines.

A report released Tuesday by Uruguay's Electricity Market Administration (ADME) showed that energy imported from Argentina and Brazil made up over 50% of the South American country's supply.