Uruguay

• Wednesday, August 7th 2013 - 14:17 UTC

  Mujica says Mercosur members must have more negotiating space with third parties

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica said that Mercosur should give its members more space to negotiate with third parties and supported linking to the Alliance of the Pacific, which nevertheless he argued is “part of a geopolitical involving China” and not accepted by Brazil.

• Wednesday, August 7th 2013 - 02:39 UTC

  Uruguay floats 2bn dollars in bonds to help spread debt payment

  

  Uruguay priced 2 billion dollars in 10-year benchmark sovereign bond on Tuesday at a spread of 187.5 basis points over US Treasuries as part of the government's bid to improve its debt profile, according to reports from Thomson Reuter’s unit IFR. The bond priced at 99.833 with a 4.5% coupon and 4.521% yield, according to IFR.

• Tuesday, August 6th 2013 - 03:05 UTC

  Inflation in Uruguay remains ever so far from the Central bank annual target

  

  Consumer prices in Uruguay during July increased 0.77% while twelve-month inflation reached 8.75%, which is the highest since last February, and well ahead of the 8.21% to June, according to the latest release from the country’s National Stats Institute, INE.

• Monday, August 5th 2013 - 19:51 UTC

  Brazilian farmers blast Mercosur for its ‘bad leadership and worse presidents’

  

  Mercosur has become characterized for “bad leadership and worse presidents” of the countries that make up the block, since there is no incentive for the regional organization and it has become “an ideological battle political field”, said Cesario Ramalho da Silva, president of the Brazilian Rural Society.

• Monday, August 5th 2013 - 02:15 UTC

  Uruguay’s ruling coalition wants Vazquez to confirm his 2014 presidential candidacy

  

  Uruguayan Former president Tabare Vazquez is expected to announce in coming days that he will effectively be the ruling Broad Front candidate for next year’s presidential election when President Jose Mujica’s five year term comes to an end.

• Monday, August 5th 2013 - 01:38 UTC

  Yerba mate price soars but consumers remain faithful to the traditional infusion

  

  Yerba mate, the classical infusion drink in much of southern South America and particularly in Uruguay is making headlines because of a 34% price increase in the last six months and with prospects of further hikes, according to local providers.

• Sunday, August 4th 2013 - 21:35 UTC

  Spanish trawler crew member medic-evacuated by Uruguayan frigate

  

  A Uruguayan frigate was involved in a high seas medic evacuation following a distress call from Spanish trawler ‘Playa de Sartaxens’ because one of its young crew members suffered a sudden faint which lasted several minutes.

• Friday, August 2nd 2013 - 04:17 UTC

  Argentines capable of ‘eluding the Pope and the UN in getting dollars out of their country’

  

  Uruguay president José 'Pepe' Mujica was again ironic in praising Argentines when he stated that the Argentine population “is capable of eluding the Pope and even the United Nations” in their quest to buy US dollars and get them out of the country, in spite of current exchange controls.

• Friday, August 2nd 2013 - 03:20 UTC

  UN narcotics board says Uruguay’s marijuana bill is contrary to international treaties

  

  A United Nations narcotics body on Thursday expressed alarm about a bill passed by Uruguay’s Lower House that would legalize marijuana.

• Friday, August 2nd 2013 - 02:56 UTC

  Overall feeling that corruption in the Americas in the rise, says watchdog group

  

  From the US capital Washington D.C. to Caracas, people throughout the Americas feel that corruption in sectors of society is on the rise, according to a survey from the watchdog group, Transparency International.