LatinNews Daily - 14 February 2019

On 13 February, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said that Gustavo Bebianno, the minister of the secretary-general to the presidency, would be dismissed if he was found to be guilty of embezzling funds from the president’s Partido Social Liberal (PSL) during last year’s election campaign.... Read More

On 13 February, opposition figures like Bolivia’s former president Carlos Mesa (2003-2005), a presidential candidate ahead of the October vote, along with civil-society groups, presented complaints before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) against President Evo Morales’ re-election bid.... Read More

* Peru’s energy & mining ministry (MEM) has released a statement which reveals that revenue from mining exploitation concessions (which include royalties) to regional governments reached a total of PEN4.8bn (US$1.44bn) in 2018 – up 47% year-on-year.... Read More

* Brazil’s national statistics institute (IBGE) has released figures which show that retail sales in December 2018 fell by 2.2% month-on-month, after 'Black Friday' promotions led to a spike in November 2018.... Read More

On 13 February, the Panamanian government led by President Juan Carlos Varela announced it was recalling its ambassador to the European Union (EU), Miguel Verzbolovskis, for consultations.... Read More

* The Dominican Republic’s central bank (BCRD) has released new figures which show that inflation in January 2019 was 0.71% year-on-year.... Read More

On 14 February, the government led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reversed the proposed appointment of Edith Arrieta as deputy director at the national science & technology council (Conacyt), a federal government entity tasked with promoting scientific and technological development in the country, just two days after it was announced.... Read More

* Mexico’s transport & communication minister, Javier Jiménez Espriú, has told reporters that the cancelled New Mexico City International Airport project (NAICM) will not cost the Mexican state more than M$100bn (US$5.15bn). The minister admitted that negotiations with the NAIM contractors are still under way; however, he assured that the losses for the project would in no way exceed the announced figure.... Read More

On 13 February, Uruguay’s President Tabaré Vázquez held a private meeting with his Argentine counterpart, Mauricio Macri, after which the two issued a joint statement calling for the staging of “free and credible” elections in Venezuela and for the flexibilization of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur).... Read More

* Uruguay’s livestock, agriculture & fishing ministry (MGAP) has announced that the country has resumed beef exports to Japan.... Read More