LatinNews Daily - 15 March 2023

On 14 March the Brazilian government sent public security reinforcements to the state of Rio Grande do Norte, where at least 19 cities experienced coordinated violent attacks on public transport, municipal offices, two military police bases, shops, and privately-owned motor vehicles, which were set on fire.... Read More

On 14 March Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín announced the expulsion of Argentina’s ambassador in Ecuador, Gabriel Fuks, with Argentina following suit by expelling the Ecuadorean ambassador Xavier Alfonso Monge.... Read More

* Peru’s main extractive lobby, the Sociedad Nacional de Minería, Petróleo y Energía (SNMPE), has said that mining exports totalled US$2.47bn in January, representing a 19.8% drop compared with the same month in 2022.... Read More

* Brazil’s state oil company, Petrobras, has announced that an appeal to the country’s tax appeals council (Carf) was dismissed, and that the company therefore owes “approximately R$18bn” (US$3.44bn) in taxes.... Read More

On 14 March Honduras’ President Xiomara Castro instructed the foreign minister, Eduardo Enrique Reina, to begin negotiations to open diplomatic relations with China, describing the move as “a sign of my determination to fulfil the government plan and expand borders”. ... Read More

* The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a new statement following the conclusion of an Article IV visit to Guatemala, in which it found that Guatemala’s economy “continued to show resilience in 2022, with growth exceeding its potential”.... Read More

On 14 March, US ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar stated that combatting illegal fentanyl and arms trafficking was a priority for the US.... Read More

* Mexico’s national poultry farmers’ union (UNA), an industry group, has called on the Mexican government to reach an agreement with the US over genetically modified (GM) corn before resorting to a dispute resolution panel.... Read More

On 14 March, figures released by Argentina’s national statistics institute (Indec) showed that 12-month inflation had soared above 100% in February. ... Read More

* Chile’s President Gabriel Boric has met with the Confederación de la Producción y del Comercio (CPC), the country’s leading business association, to continue dialogue on tax reform, following the rejection of his reform bill in the lower chamber of congress on 8 March.... Read More