Uruguay

World Food Day took place this week, inspiring thousands of Uruguayans to take on the streets and demand President Luis Lacalle Pou to address the still ongoing food crisis that the country has been going through for the past two decades

The country re-entered the European Union’s tax haven “graylist” due to the recent publishing of the Pandora Papers, making the government start discussions in regards as to how the nation can improve fiscal transparency

Manifestations in the country continue as thousands of protesters overtake the city of Montevideo to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights

This week a general strike in the country begun: workers suspended activities as a way of demanding the government higher salaries and an overall better treatment for the Uruguayan working class

There are current tensions within the South American trade bloc Mercosur, since Uruguay has formally decided to agree on a Free Trade treaty with China; Mercosur’s major partners claim that decisions of such caliber should be done consulting the bloc

Fuel prices have been fixed to new levels, slightly lower than those in use; the reaction on social medias of all political sides range from praising the effort to considering the iniziative to timid to make a real difference

Today the country officially announced that it will no longer take advice from Mercosur, the official South American trade bloc, for new individual trading opportunities; something that hasn’t been done in 20 years

The Regulatory Unit of Energy and Water Services recommended the government to have a 3% increase in gas prices, however the Minister of Economy just declared a 7% to 9% increase

Opposition politicians filed a petition before the Electoral Court to call for a referendum to repeal several articles of the Urgent Consideration Law (LUC) passed last year

Parties, public performances and social events will now be allowed thanks to the slowdown of the pandemic and the vaccination of more than 50% of the population

Undocumented migrants and asylum seekers who have been in the territory for more than 90 days are now eligible for vaccination against Covid-19

The Frente Amplio Party asked for the resignation of the Minister of Tourism, German Cardoso, for violating the Code of Ethics for Public Officials by maintaining privileged treatment with a former policeman being prosecuted by the courts