💣 Hand grenades and singing puppets

For decades, Uruguay has been seen as something of an oasis in Latin America: a country whose steady economy, stable politics and progressive social norms have made it resemble parts of Europe more than its turbulent neighbors.

But that image is beginning to fade. A surge in violent crime has unsettled the small nation over the past decade and a half, with homicide rates doubling since 2011 as drug-trafficking gangs battle for territory and influence.

Concerns deepened recently after…

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