Uruguay expects 200 cruise calls this 2010/2011 season totalling 300.000 visitors between passengers and crewmembers said the country’s Tourism and Sports minister Hector Lescano during the official launching of the cruise season.
Uruguayan authorities begun this week surprise and random safety inspections of fishing vessels docked in the port of Montevideo following a succession of fire incidents, mostly involving Korean flagged vessels which were described as “suspicious”.
Uruguayan president Jose Mujica underlined the strong common links going back to the birth of Argentina and Uruguay and called for an end to the “ports’ war” (Montevideo vs Buenos Aires) a rivalry born when the two countries were provinces of the colonial Spanish empire.
Uruguayan businessman Gaston Savoi long established in South Africa is facing corruption and tax evasion charges in association with top figures from the ruling African National Congress party belonging to the provincial governments of KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape.
Uruguay has ordered an in depth investigation to all fires in fishing vessels occurred in the port of Montevideo since 2008 following a second incident in two days, Monday and Wednesday early dawn, involving a Korean flagged trawler and a now jigger.
A fire which broke out in a Korean flagged fishing vessel docked in the port of Montevideo and which was still burning early Monday forced the suspension of the official launching of Uruguay’s cruise season.
Uruguay and Argentina announced they had reached a final “scientific” agreement for the joint environmental monitoring of the UPM-Botnia pulp mill in shared waters and which delaying the implementation of a bilateral agreement.
President Jose Mujica confirmed that Uruguay recognizes the Palestinian State and announced the establishment of a representation to begin bilateral relations. The announcement was done during the sixteenth congress of Ferab, Federation of Arab entities in Latinamerica which took place in Montevideo last week.
Nova Scotia bank is close to buying Advent International Corp.’s 54% stake in Uruguay’s Nuevo Banco Comercial, Business News Americas reported on its website.
Uruguayan president Jose Mujica was critical of Argentina’s economic policies and of the recent organization for the funeral of former president Nestor Kirchner. He also admitted it would be “difficult” to reach a definitive agreement with Argentina regarding the long standing UPM-Botnia pulp mill conflict.