Uruguay

• Monday, March 31st 2025 - 08:38 UTC

  Andes crash survivor Álvaro Mangino dies in Montevideo

  

  Álvaro Mangino Schmid, one of the 16 survivors of the 1972 Andes plane crash, passed away in Montevideo just one day before his 71st birthday due to respiratory issues from pneumonia.

• Saturday, March 29th 2025 - 10:14 UTC

  Slight drop in unemployment in Uruguay and Chile

  

  Uruguay's unemployment rate slightly decreased to 7.9% in February from 8.1% in January, according to a National Statistics Institute (INE) report released Friday. This represents a 0.2% drop month-over-month and a 0.4% decrease compared to February 2024, with approximately 150,900 people unemployed. The employment rate remained stable at 59.4%, while the activity rate saw a minor decline from 64.6% to 64.5%. It was President Luis Lacalle Pou's last month in office. Yamandú Orsi was sworn in on March 1.

• Friday, March 28th 2025 - 10:21 UTC

  Current and former Uruguayan presidents celebrate democracy

  

  José 'Pepe' Mujica underlined Thursday the importance of a country having the freedom to disagree. He made those remarks alongside former fellow Uruguayan Presidents Julio María Sanguinetti and Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera, together with the incumbent Yamandú Orsi, during a Colorado Party ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the South American country's return to democratic rule. Luis Lacalle Pou, who completed his term last month, made a video appearance while relatives of the late former Presidents Jorge Batlle and Tabaré Vázquez were presented with a distinction.

• Thursday, March 27th 2025 - 17:19 UTC

  Spanish shipyard starts building OPVs for Uruguay

  

  The Spanish shipyard Cardama began this week constructing the first of two ocean patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Uruguayan Navy, marked by the cutting of the first steel plate for the vessel, temporarily named “C-250.” This milestone follows initial payments by the Uruguayan government and the delivery of Lloyd’s certificates approving the design. The keel-laying is scheduled for May 2025.

• Monday, March 24th 2025 - 20:12 UTC

  Uruguay reports first autochthonous case of dengue

  

  Uruguayan health authorities Monday confirmed the first autochthonous case of dengue this year. It was a patient in Montevideo, whose appearance triggered a full-scale deployment of epidemiology teams to track down the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the disease's vector. Montevideo City Hall teams also tested neighbors of the affected person in a move to curtail spreading.

• Monday, March 24th 2025 - 08:33 UTC

  UK Ambassador in Uruguay ok after falling from horse

  

  The United Kingdom's Ambassador to Uruguay Malcolm Green was reported to have sustained only minor bruises and a head injury after falling off his horse during the Patria Gaucha parade in Tacuarembó. He was initially treated at a local facility, where a CT scan ruled out any serious physical damage, and later transferred to Montevideo for further treatment at the British Hospital.

• Friday, March 21st 2025 - 19:24 UTC

  Uruguay records increase in foreign visitors who also spent more

  

  Uruguayan summer resorts recorded a 10.45% increase in tourist spending compared to the previous year, with 572,699 visitors entering the country. Popular destinations like Punta del Este, Piriápolis, and Barra del Chuy saw high demand, with accommodation prices soaring. Some apartments in the exclusive Punta del Este fetched up to US$ 20,000 per month. The surge was largely driven by Argentine tourists, compensating for a decline in Brazilian visitors. Montevideo's Carrasco International Airport also hit a record with 206,000 passengers.

• Friday, March 21st 2025 - 10:17 UTC

  Uruguay’s economy rebounded in 2024, but growth expected to slow in 2025

  

  Uruguay’s economy expanded by 3.1% in 2024, recovering from a severe drought the previous year, according to national accounts data released by the Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU). However, economists warn that growth in 2025 is likely to return to the country's historical pace of slower expansion.

• Wednesday, March 19th 2025 - 10:06 UTC

  Julio María Sanguinetti becomes corresponding member of Brazilian Academy of Letters

  

  Former Uruguayan President Julio Maria Sanguinetti was inaugurated as a corresponding member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL) last Monday. In his acceptance speech, he emphasized the shared history of Uruguay and Brazil and how territorial disputes evolved into unity and brotherhood.

• Tuesday, March 18th 2025 - 08:33 UTC

  Uruguayan civil aviation watchdog website hacked

  

  Hackers from Argentina, identified as LaPampaLeaks, BogotaLeaks, and Uruguayo 1337, Monday hit the website of Uruguay’s National Directorate of Civil Aviation and Aeronautical Infrastructure (DINACIA). Using DNS poisoning, they defaced the site, exposing private data of President Yamandú Orsi, such as his phone number and records, as well as those of Agency for Electronic Government and Knowledge Society (Agencia del Gobierno Electrónico y Sociedad del Conocimiento - Agesic) Security Director Mauricio Papaleo.