Jose Mujica

8 Stories

'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...

Meet World's New 'Poorest' Leader

Nepal's Sushil Koirala is a pretty frugal guy

(Newser) - Nepal elected a new prime minister last month, and the Washington Post takes a look at the man it dubs the world's new poorest leader. Sushil Koirala claims to have three possessions, all of them are inexplicably cell phones and one of which doesn't function. And though he'...

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 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...

What Makes This Man The 'Poorest' President?

Uruguay's Jose Mujica gives 90% of his pay to charity

(Newser) - He's a vegetarian, drives a 1987 VW Beetle, and runs a flower farm. Did we mention he's also the ruler of Uruguay? Jose Mujica is known as the world's 'poorest' president, but the one-time guerrilla revolutionary has chosen to shun the state's grand presidential home...

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