Uruguay

• Friday, November 9th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Green light for Botnia pulp mill; Argentina furious

  

  Uruguay finally granted the long-awaited start-up permit for Finland's Botnia pulp mill, which Argentina argues will contaminate a shared river. The green light came late Thursday following a last ditch effort to resolve the several years-long diplomatic dispute between the neighboring countries during the Ibero American summit in Santiago, Chile.

• Friday, November 9th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Uruguay blocks bridge to prevent pickets crossing

  

  Uruguay announced on Friday precautionary security measures in the area surrounding a controversial pulp mill that late Thursday was given the green light to begin production to which Argentina objects, generating a serious diplomatic rift between Montevideo and Buenos Aires.

• Wednesday, November 7th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  October surprise in Uruguay: retail prices drop 0.23%

  

  The consumers' prices index, CPI in Uruguay dropped 0.23% in October pushed down by the significant decrease in urban transport rates and health costs, both government managed prices.

• Wednesday, November 7th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  “Grand Voyager” opens cruise season in Punta del Este

  

  Uruguay's main international sea resort Punta del Este inaugurated on Tuesday the 2007/08 cruise season with the arrival of “Grand Voyager” and 900 tourists. Local operators and officials are encouraged by what they consider promises to be an “exceptional cruise season”.

• Wednesday, November 7th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Vazquez skeptical about solution to Botnia mill dispute

  

  Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez said that the Botnia pulp mill will be authorized to begin production next week, no matter what happens in the coming Ibero-American summit in Chile. The Finnish built plant is at the heart of an acrimonious dispute between Uruguay and Argentina.

• Friday, November 2nd 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Bat-transmitted rabies in Uruguay - Brazil border

  

  Uruguay has ordered the vaccination of 90.000 livestock cattle in the border area with Brazil following an outbreak of bat-transmitted paralytic rabies that killed thirty head of cattle. Sanitary authorities have asked farmers and residents to help locate bat caves on both sides of the open frontier.

• Friday, November 2nd 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Uruguay cattle supplies tight and beef exports down

  

  Uruguay's meat exports in the first nine months of this year totaled 368.662 tons equivalent to 816 million US dollars, compared to 429.376 tons and 919 million US dollars in the same period a year ago, according to the latest release from the country's National Meat Institute of Uruguay (INAC).

• Thursday, November 1st 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Uruguay's Botnia plant opening delayed on Spain's request

  At the request of Spain Uruguay at last moment postponed the effective start-up of a 1.2 billion US dollars Finnish built pulp mill which has been at the heart of an acrimonious two-year controversy with neighboring Argentina.

• Monday, October 29th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Uruguay becomes first country to order the “$100 laptop”

  

  The first official order for the so-called “100 US dollars laptop” has been placed by the government of Uruguay which is buying 100,000 of the machines for schoolchildren aged six to 12.

• Thursday, October 25th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine pulp company plans a million tons plant in Uruguay

  

  An Argentine corporation has joined a group of European and Japanese companies that are intent in turning Uruguay into a leading partner in the pulp and paper industry. Celulosa Argentina announced Wednesday it has plans to invest a billion US dollars to produce a million tons of pulp annually.