Uruguay

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In a Rarity, Latin American Nation Allows Euthanasia

Uruguay is the first to do so by passing a law allowing people to end their lives

(Newser) - Uruguay's senate passed a law decriminalizing euthanasia on Wednesday, reports the AP , putting the South American nation among a handful of other countries where seriously ill patients can legally obtain help to end their lives. It makes Uruguay the first country in predominantly Catholic Latin America to allow euthanasia...

The 'Poorest President' Was Famous for His Humility
World's 'Poorest President' Dies
OBITUARY
May 14, 2025 6:21 AM CDT

World's 'Poorest President' Dies

Uruguay's beloved ex-leader José Mujica was 89

(Newser) - José Mujica, the onetime guerrilla fighter who became the world's "poorest president," has died at 89, leaving behind a legacy of radical politics and a famously simple way of life. Mujica, who governed Uruguay from 2010 to 2015, was respected for his austere lifestyle and blunt...

Drug Kingpin Eluded Cops as a So-So Soccer Player
Drug Kingpin Eluded Cops
as a So-So Soccer Player
longform
Jul 28, 2024 8:03 AM CDT

Drug Kingpin Eluded Cops as a So-So Soccer Player

Sebastian Marset of Uruguay didn't just bankroll teams, he played for them

(Newser) - Drug kingpins, including Pablo Escobar, have been known to bankroll local soccer teams in Latin America, writes Kevin Sieff in the Washington Post . It's a smart move in a few ways: Not only is soccer the "bedrock of power and politics," it's also an easy way...

Bronze Nazi Eagle Won't Become a Dove After All

Uruguay's president's Friday announcement was undone on Sunday

(Newser) - A bronze eagle that was cast by the Nazis won't become a dove after all. The 6-foot-tall eagle, which holds a swastika in its talons, formerly adorned a battleship used by the Nazis called the Admiral Graf Spee. The BBC reports the Graf Spee managed to take down eight...

2 Nations Warn Citizens About Traveling to the US

Uruguay, Venezuela cite violence, hate crimes

(Newser) - Two countries are urging citizens to use extreme caution when visiting the US, citing a rise in hate crimes. Travelers to the US should "take precautions against growing indiscriminate violence, mostly for hate crimes, including racism and discrimination, which cost the lives of more than 250 people in the...

Prison Can't Hold Mafia Boss
Prison Can't Hold Mafia Boss
Jun 24, 2019 7:17 PM CDT

Prison Can't Hold Mafia Boss

Italian drug kingpin escapes in Uruguay

(Newser) - An Italian mafia boss and three other inmates broke out of a prison in Uruguay through a hole in the roof, the government said. The escapees robbed the owners of a farmhouse nearby before vanishing, per CNN . Rocco Morabito, who was arrested in 2017 after being a fugitive for more...

48M People Just Lost Power
2 Entire Countries Just
Lost Power
Jun 16, 2019 7:01 AM CDT

2 Entire Countries Just Lost Power

Sweeping blackout hits the 48M people in Argentina, Uruguay

(Newser) - Two entire South American nations are completely in the dark after a massive power failure that cut electricity to the 48 million people who live within their borders, reports the BBC . "A massive failure in the electrical interconnection system left all of Argentina and Uruguay without power," electric...

Fugitive 'Cocaine King' Finally Messes Up After 23 Years

He now faces 30-year sentence in Italy

(Newser) - A fugitive Italian crime boss is in custody after 23 years on the run following what seems to have been a major slip-up: Authorities in Uruguay say 50-year-old Rocco Morabito, once known as the "cocaine king of Milan," was found after he used his real name to enroll...

Treasure Hunter Seeks $1B in Gold From Sunken Ship
Treasure Hunter Seeks $1B
in Gold From Sunken Ship
in case you missed it
Feb 4, 2017 1:15 PM CST

Treasure Hunter Seeks $1B in Gold From Sunken Ship

Lord Clive wreck off Uruguay will be raised next month

(Newser) - When the British warship Lord Clive was blasted by Spanish cannon fire just off the coast of Uruguay in 1763, about 270 crew members went down with the ship. Now a treasure hunter from Argentina hopes it's also still home to more than $1 billion in gold coins, reports...

South America Can't Find Ex-Gitmo Detainee

Syrian native Abu Wa'el Dhiab, who had been resettled in Uruguay, goes missing

(Newser) - A South American airline is asking its employees to be on the lookout for a former Guantanamo Bay detainee who was resettled in Uruguay after being freed by US authorities, the AP reports. The alert about Syrian native Abu Wa'el Dhiab adds to a growing mystery about his whereabouts....

'Middle Class' Gitmo Inmates Struggle in New Home

They're not 'humble people of the desert,' Uruguay prez says

(Newser) - Controversy is flaring over the six Guantanamo detainees taken in by Uruguay for resettlement , with even the man who pushed through the plan, President Jose Mujica, seeming to criticize them for lacking a work ethic. The men were locked up for more than a dozen years at the US base...

Gitmo Prison Count Hits Milestone

With release of 6, Cuban prison at lowest number of prisoners since 2002

(Newser) - Six prisoners from Guantanamo Bay have been transferred to Uruguay, the US government said today, announcing a resettlement deal that had been delayed for months by security concerns in the Pentagon and political considerations in the South American country. The six are the first prisoners transferred to South America from...

World Cup Star Accused of Biting Rival (Again)

Uruguay's Luis Suarez in another controversy

(Newser) - Uruguay knocked Italy out of the World Cup today, but headlines about the win are being overshadowed by a high-profile bite. Video shows Uruguay's Luis Suarez looking for all the world like he's chomping down on the shoulder of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini reports USA Today . Chiellini got...

Behind Uruguay's Loss: Confiscated Caramel Sauce?

Brazil took the team's ridiculously large supply of dulce de leche

(Newser) - We all know professional athletes have rigorous dietary needs, and for Uruguay's World Cup team, those needs have been compromised—by a crippling lack of caramel sauce. Brazilian customs confiscated roughly 86 pounds of dulce de leche , saying the team lacked the proper documents to prove that the milk-based...

Uruguay Prez: It's Time to Stop Wearing Suits

He rants against formal attire at regional conference

(Newser) - War! Imperialism! Racism! Formal attire! One after another, the leaders of Latin America denounced the ills of the world at a regional summit in Cuba yesterday. It fell to famously casual Jose Mujica, the Uruguayan president, to tackle a subtler evil plaguing humankind: the business suit. "We have to...

The Next Big Wine Region: Uruguay?

The region's tannat grapes have been building buzz

(Newser) - When you think of the great wine producing countries, Uruguay probably doesn't leap to mind. But buzz has been steadily building around the country's wines, particularly its dominant tannat grape, which is becoming to the country what malbec is to Argentina. This week Edward Deitch at Today speculated...

The Economist’s Country of the Year Is ...

Uruguay

(Newser) - Congratulations, Uruguay. The South American nation is the winner of the first-ever "country of the year" honor bestowed by the Economist . Uruguay? The editors explain that they eschewed focusing on things such as GDP or having a dominant world leader and instead looked for a country with "path-breaking...

Uruguayans Get New Pot Dealer: Their Government

Country is first to fully legalize marijuana

(Newser) - Marijuana legalization has been taken to the next level in Uruguay, where lawmakers have voted to make the government the first in the world to oversee the growing, distribution, and sale of the drug. The pioneering law, which takes effect in April, will allow registered users over 18 to buy...

Uruguay's Plan: Sell an Eighth of Pot for $3.50

That's enough to make a few marijuana cigarettes, explains its helpful drug czar

(Newser) - Uruguay's drug czar has announced how the country will stamp out drug trafficking: by getting into the business of selling pot—legally and dirt cheap. And as long as the plan can get through the Senate (which it's expected to, with President Jose Mujica's help), marijuana sales...

Uruguay Set to Legalize Pot
 Uruguay Set 
 to Legalize Pot 
Aug 1, 2013 12:01 AM CDT

Uruguay Set to Legalize Pot

Bill puts government in charge of marijuana sales

(Newser) - Uruguay: the Colorado of South America? The country is set to become the first to fully legalize and regulate the sale of marijuana after the lower house of parliament narrowly passed a sweeping legalization bill, the BBC reports. The bill, backed by President Jose Mujica's government, puts the sale...

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