Uruguay

• Saturday, July 2nd 2011 - 05:59 UTC

  Uruguay raises 2011 growth forecast to 6% and inflation to 7.8%

  

  Uruguay has raised its 2011 economic growth forecast to 6% and its inflation to 7.8%, according to a government document published on Friday. The previous estimate was 4.5% and full year inflation of 6%.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 17:42 UTC

  Colombian group takes over Uruguay main supermarkets chain, Disco and Devoto

  

  France’s Casino Guichard-Perrachon Colombian retailing branch, Exito announced the signing of a share purchase agreement for the acquisition of Casino' majority stakes in Uruguay’s main supermarket chain Disco and Devoto in an operation involving 746 million US dollars.

• Thursday, June 30th 2011 - 16:44 UTC

  Uruguay calls on Sao Paulo corporations to help develop (not colonize) Mercosur

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica called on Sao Paulo corporations to cooperate with the development of Mercosur partners by adopting a policy of alliances with local companies and leaving aside ‘colonizing’ temptations.

• Wednesday, June 29th 2011 - 03:53 UTC

  Mercosur ‘structural convergence fund’ has distributed 1.1bn USD in 37 projects

  

  Mercosur structural convergence fund, Focem, which was created in 2005, has distributed 1.1 billion US dollars among its full members for the implementation of 37 projects basically to improve roads for inter-region and international trade, according to official figures released in Asunción.

• Tuesday, June 28th 2011 - 06:12 UTC

  Mercosur summit begins Tuesday among controversy over its effectiveness

  

  The Mercosur summit will be an opportunity to solve asymmetry problems and social inequalities in the region, said Paraguay’ Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Lara Castro. The South American customs union is meeting this week in Asuncion for the first of two annual summits when the rotating chair will be passed on to Uruguay.

• Monday, June 27th 2011 - 06:24 UTC

  Parlasur member claims Mercosur summits have become ‘display of empty rhetoric’

  

  Mercosur summits have become a display of empty rhetoric, full of protocol and ‘family photos’ but with no full hearted willingness to achieve a solid, fair integration, claimed the head of the Paraguayan delegation before Parlasur, the Mercosur Parliament.

• Friday, June 24th 2011 - 02:17 UTC

  To contain inflation Uruguay raises benchmark rate 50 points to 8%

  

  As anticipated, Uruguay's central bank raised its benchmark lending rate 50 basis points to 8% on Thursday in an effort to keep inflation within its target range. Uruguay’s consumer price index rose 8.53% in the 12 months through May, far above the official target range of between 4% and 6% set for the 12 months ending June 2012.

• Friday, June 24th 2011 - 00:02 UTC

  Russian meats market paralyzed; Uruguay and Brazil exports affected

  

  The Russian market which has been the main buyer of Uruguayan beef helping to boost cattle prices has virtually ceased operations according to Uruguayan exporters who claim deals are limited to small shipments of livers and tongues.

• Thursday, June 23rd 2011 - 08:58 UTC

  A Uruguayan debt ‘profiling’, an option to help Greece avoid defaulting

  

  With Greece on the precipice of financial collapse and a full Euro confidence crisis looming while EU leaders can’t agree on the next steps, the example of Uruguay in 2002/03 stands out as a successful smart way out of the crisis that spilt over from neighbouring Argentina.

• Thursday, June 23rd 2011 - 00:21 UTC

  Zamin Ferrous project in Uruguay to be submitted to referendum, says President Mujica

  

  President Jose Mujica said that Swiss-based Zamin Ferrous iron-ore project feasibility study for an 18 million mt/year project has not been approved and given the controversy that has surfaced he supports the idea of holding a referendum on the project.