
Uruguay’s Environment Ministry on Friday granted operational authorization for a 3D seismic survey in its jurisdictional waters, in an offshore block operated by Chevron, with a specialized vessel already in position and work planned through the end of April.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday announced the provisional application of the trade part of the EU-Mercosur association agreement, following parliamentary ratification in Argentina and Uruguay. The move activates trade commitments ahead of full conclusion of the treaty, which still requires the European Parliament’s consent.

Uruguay and Argentina ratified on Thursday the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union, becoming the first founding members of the South American bloc to complete parliamentary approval. Whether the treaty begins to apply now hinges on decisions inside the EU, as a separate legal review process continues following moves in the European Parliament.º

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele tops a February 2026 regional ranking of Latin American leaders’ public approval, according to a survey by Argentina-based CB Consultora Opinión Pública. Bukele posts 72.6% approval and 24.8% disapproval.

Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi and former president Luis Lacalle Pou attended an Air Force ceremony at Base Aérea No. 1 (Route 101, Canelones) for the presentation of the first A-29 Super Tucano aircraft entering service with the Uruguayan Air Force (FAU). Defence Minister Sandra Lazo and former defence minister—now senator—Javier García were also present.

A woman who described herself as a waste picker found a military rocket while searching a skip in Montevideo’s Pocitos neighborhood and contacted police, triggering a security operation at her home in Nuevo París, northern Montevideo, according to Montevideo police.

A special committee of Uruguay’s parliament tasked with reviewing the EU–Mercosur agreement approved the ratification bill on Monday, clearing the way for floor votes in the Senate and lower house in the coming days — a timetable that could make Uruguay the first Mercosur member to complete domestic approval.

Argentine authorities are investigating an alleged plot to kill Entre Ríos’ Security and Justice Minister Néstor Roncaglia and two federal justice officials — Judge Leandro Ríos and prosecutor José Ignacio Candiotti — in attacks that case files described as planned for Punta del Este, using Uruguayan hitmen for about US$40,000.

Uruguay’s foreign minister Mario Lubetkin appeared before Parliament’s Permanent Commission after an opposition-led interpellation focused on the government’s stance on Venezuela, a Taiwan-related line included in a joint statement with China, and the lack of clarity over US immigration-visa restrictions affecting Uruguay.

Uruguay’s PIT-CNT labour federation warned lawmakers that the debate on the Mercosur–European Union trade deal is moving forward without adequate sector-by-sector assessments, which it said “limits the possibility of an informed debate” on potential effects on industry, jobs and the country’s productive structure. The union confederation testified on Wednesday before a special Senate committee reviewing the agreement, alongside the Chamber of Industry (CIU) and the Rice Growers Association (ACA), ahead of a vote expected on Wednesday 25.