LatinNews Daily - 25 July 2019

On 24 July, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro announced a series of measures which the government says will inject R$42bn (US$11bn) into the economy over the next two years.... Read More

On 24 July Venezuela’s de facto president, Nicolás Maduro, announced the start of a major military exercise operation, ‘Campaña Libertadora Simón Bolívar 2019’, that will take place from 24-28 July in Venezuela’s border areas, comprising a total of 1m members of Venezuela’s armed forces (FANB) and civilian militias.... Read More

* According to Colombia’s national tourism fund (Fontur), the Colombian government has invested Col$148bn (US$46m) during the first half of 2019 in projects aimed at boosting tourism in the country.... Read More

* Brazil’s state-owned oil company Petrobras has successfully completed the sale of its upstream assets in shallow waters in the Campos basin (off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state) and Santos basin (off the coast of São Paulo state) for a combined US$1.5bn.... Read More

On 24 July Panama's President Laurentino Cortizo denied claims by Kenia Porcell, the head of the attorney general’s office (AG), that efforts were underway to hinder the work of anti-corruption prosecutors in the AG.... Read More

* The Costa Rican government led by President Carlos Alvarado has issued a decree declaring a state of emergency due to the lack of rainfall, caused by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENOS) phenomenon which began last November, a climate pattern that has brought extreme drought and heat waves to the country.... Read More

On 24 July the president of Mexico’s powerful business sector lobby Confederación Patronal de la República Mexicana (Coparmex), Gustavo de Hoyos Walther, accused the government led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of lacking “clear lines of action” to deal with the soaring levels of violence in the country.... Read More

* Mexico’s national statistics institute (Inegi) has reported that production generated by construction companies in May 2019 fell by 10.3% compared with the same month in 2018 while hours worked were down by 5.2%, the number of employed personnel dropped 4.7%, and wages contracted 0.7%.... Read More

On 24 July the head of Paraguay’s state-owned electricity firm (Ande), Pedro Ferreira, tendered his resignation.... Read More

* Credit ratings agency Moody’s Investor Service has warned of Argentina’s “weak economy”, citing increasing uncertainty around the government’s ability to continue to implement structural reforms and to sustain its commitment to addressing fundamental macroeconomic imbalances in the period following the national elections on 27 October.... Read More