Uruguay

• Wednesday, October 28th 2009 - 14:29 UTC

  France’s Crédit Agricole selling its banking assets in Uruguay

  

  French bank Credit Agricole officially announced this week it had begun consultations to sell its banking interests in Uruguay where it operates under the name of Credit Uruguay.

• Tuesday, October 27th 2009 - 12:25 UTC

  Uruguayan ruling coalition retains majority in next Parliament

  

  Uruguay’s ruling coalition obtained 47.49% of the vote in last Sunday’s general election according to the primary vote count from the country’s Electoral Court, thus confirming a run off for the presidential office at the end of November.

• Tuesday, October 27th 2009 - 12:19 UTC

  Uruguay’s flag carrier Pluna flies cargo between Santiago and Punta Arenas

  

  Pluna, Uruguay’s flag carrier began this month commercial cargo flights between Santiago and Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile and has plans to incorporate passengers in the near future, reports La Prensa Austral.

• Tuesday, October 27th 2009 - 07:34 UTC

  Uruguay tops the 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index in South America

  

  Uruguay tops the 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index in South America and is only second to Costa Rica in Latinamerica and ahead of Chile and Argentina. However Latinamerica’s best placed countries in the index which defines prosperity as wealth and wellbeing are in the thirties out of a total list of 104.

• Monday, October 26th 2009 - 12:40 UTC

  Uruguayan president to be decided in run-off at the end of November

  

  A run off at the end of November was the result of Sunday’s presidential election in Uruguay since no candidate managed 50% plus one of the votes, as had been anticipated by most pollsters.

• Saturday, October 24th 2009 - 10:07 UTC

  Uruguay votes for President and a new parliament on Sunday

  

  An estimated 2.6 million out of a population of 3.2 million Uruguayans are registered to vote on Sunday’s election that will decide on the successor of President Tabare Vazquez and a new parliament. Voting in Uruguay is compulsory.

• Friday, October 23rd 2009 - 12:11 UTC

  Botnia pulp mill in Uruguay transferred to world leading group UPM

  

  Uruguay’s Botnia pulp mill in Fray Bentos and the eucalyptus plantation forestry company Forestal Oriental Uruguay have been transferred to UPM which is one of the world’s leading forest industry groups.

• Friday, October 23rd 2009 - 08:43 UTC

  Former Uruguayan military dictator condemned to 25 years in jail

  

  Former Uruguayan military dictator retired General Gregorio Alvarez was condemned this week to 25 years in jail for his involvement in the deaths of leftist activists and repeated violation of human rights during the 1973-85 dictatorship.

• Friday, October 23rd 2009 - 08:38 UTC

  Uruguay: risk contract with US company to explore for natural gas onshore

  

  Uruguay signed on Friday the first risk contract for the exploration of hydrocarbons in the north of the country, the first ever of its kind. US company Schuepbach Energy from Dallas will be looking for possible traces of natural gas in lutite sedimentary rocks during a two year period in an area of 10.000 square kilometres.

• Friday, October 23rd 2009 - 08:27 UTC

  Offshore oil exploration in Uruguay to begin next January

  

  Brazil's government managed oil and gas corporation Petrobras and Repsol-YPF have been awarded a contract to explore for natural gas and oil off Uruguay's coast announced the country’s oil firm Ancap.