Uruguay

• Wednesday, July 11th 2012 - 01:20 UTC

  Uruguay president and vice-president clash over Venezuela’s Mercosur admission

  

  Uruguayan Vice president Danilo Astori openly clashed with President Jose Mujica over the recent decision to incorporate Venezuela to Mercosur arguing it was “the deepest institutional injury” suffered by the block and questioned the concept that the juridical “has to be at the service of the political”.

• Monday, July 9th 2012 - 05:59 UTC

  Chavez announces trip to Brazil for Venezuela’s formal admission to Mercosur

  

  President Hugo Chavez said he will be attending at the end of July the coming Mercosur meeting in Brasil when Venezuela will officially become the group’s fifth full member, a decision that has proved controversial and exposed differences inside the Common Market of the South.

• Friday, July 6th 2012 - 16:14 UTC

  Mujica proposes to blend Mercosur and Unasur into an only `more flexible group

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica proposed to its South American peers to blend Mercosur and Unasur into an only group, according to an interview with a Uruguayan weekly in which he also ratified his commitment with Venezuela (and its oil resources) to justify the incorporation of the fifth full member of Mercosur.

• Friday, July 6th 2012 - 06:39 UTC

  Uruguay’s flag carrier Pluna “indefinitely grounded” and most staff redundant

  

  Uruguay’s flagship carrier Pluna said on Thursday that is was “suspending all flights indefinitely” and announced that 720 of the 900 staff would be sent on unemployment pay until a new associate for the company is found or the airline is definitively sold.

• Wednesday, July 4th 2012 - 19:32 UTC

  Cruise passengers main complaint in Uruguay: prices; the best, the people

  

  High prices was the main disapproval from cruise passengers visiting Uruguay this last summer 2011/12 despite the fact the number of calls was up 31% and expenditure 57% according to the final balance of the cruise season elaborated by the Ministry of Tourism.

• Wednesday, July 4th 2012 - 06:05 UTC

  Inflation in Uruguay remains strong, reaches 4.13% in the first six months

  

  With a marginal descent, Uruguay’s annual inflation in the twelve months to June reached 8% compared to May’s, 8.06%, but still two percentage points above the Central bank upper cap target.

• Wednesday, July 4th 2012 - 03:04 UTC

  Uruguay leaves benchmark rate at 8.75% on persistent concern with inflation

  

  Uruguay's central bank held its benchmark interest rate steady at 8.75% on Tuesday, citing “reasonable” economic growth and persistent concern about inflation expectations above target.

• Wednesday, July 4th 2012 - 02:53 UTC

  Partly Canadian owned South American airline on the verge of bankruptcy

  

  Uruguay’s bankrupt flagship carrier Pluna decided on Tuesday to cancel all flights during 48 hours following an announcement from the union of a two-day strike to protest working conditions and rumours of 200 redundancies.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 22:57 UTC

  “A coup against Mercosur” claims leading Brazilian newspaper

  

  Brazil’s conservative but influential daily O Estado de Sao Paulo dedicated the main Tuesday editorial to the Mercosur suspension of Paraguay and the entrance of Venezuela arguing that what happened at the group’s summit in Mendoza was “a coup against” the block.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 18:32 UTC

  Astori describes Mercosur latest decisions as “aggression and major institutional blows”

  

  “It’s a major institutional blow, maybe the most serious in the 21 years of Mercosur” said Uruguayan Vice president Danilo Astori in direct reference to the group’s decision to incorporate Venezuela with the approval of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay and the absence of Paraguay.