Press association criticizes Uruguayan minister; Colombian agriculture reform faces scrutiny

In Uruguay, the Uruguayan Press Association (APU) has issued a statement rejecting the actions of Economy and Finance Minister Gabriel Oddone following an incident with journalist Leonardo Sarro during a press conference at Parliament. While Sarro downplayed the encounter, the APU expressed concern regarding Oddone’s behavior and specifically emphasized that it is inappropriate for a minister to lower a journalist’s camera phone. The Ministry responded that the gesture was intended to facilitate an ‘off the record’ comment rather than a formal press statement.

In Colombia, the new Minister of Agriculture, Indalecio Dangond, presented a report to Congressional economic commissions regarding the previous administration’s agrarian reform. Dangond announced that $1.4 trillion in pending operations from the Petro government will not be transferred for the time being. Preliminary reviews indicated that land was acquired at prices above market references and that over 35,000 small producers and ethnic communities received provisional titles for land currently involved in litigation. The report also noted that many land deliveries lacked necessary credit, technical assistance, and productive projects.