LatinNews Daily
LatinNews Daily - 30 March 2023
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- ECUADOR: CC gives the green light to impeachment trial
Andean
- In brief: UN education fund increases support to Colombia
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Government confirms details of new fiscal framework
- In brief: Lending by Brazilian banks falls for second month
Central America & Caribbean
- COSTA RICA: Farmers stage protests over gov’t policies
- In brief: Panama and China consortium announce restart of key project
Mexico
- MEXICO: US, Mexico pledge fight against fentanyl amid tensions
- In brief: Mexico’s mining sector warns against proposed reform
Southern Cone
- ARGENTINA: Fernández gets photo-opportunity with Biden
- In brief: Argentina’s economic activity edges up in January
On 29 March Ecuador’s constitutional court (CC) gave the green light to an impeachment trial of President Guillermo Lasso.
LatinNews Daily - 29 March 2023
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- PERU: AG opens new investigation into Boluarte over campaign donations
Andean
- In brief: Colombia seeks to widen access to credit
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Ethics commission to probe communications minister
- In brief: Brazil’s central bank more positive on gov’t’s fiscal plan
Central America & Caribbean
- EL SALVADOR: Protests as state of emergency passes one-year mark
- In brief: Panama’s gov’t hails economic recovery
Mexico
- MEXICO: Condemnation builds of lethal fire at migration centre
- In brief: Mexico calls for consolidation of Mundo Maya tourism project
Southern Cone
- CHILE: Congress moves on security measures
- In brief: Argentina’s foreign debt rises
On 28 March Peru’s attorney general’s office announced that it has expanded its investigations into President Dina Boluarte and her predecessor, Pedro Castillo (2021-2022), to include illegal political donations, money laundering, and criminal organisation.
LatinNews Daily - 28 March 2023
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- GUATEMALA: Campaigns kick off ahead of election
Andean
- COLOMBIA: High level dialogue with US gets underway
- In brief: Bolivia’s tax take rises
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Fatal stabbing sparks concerns about school attacks
- In brief: Brazil’s current account deficit shrinks
Central America & Caribbean
- In brief: Costa Rica hails issuance of international bonds
Mexico
- MEXICO: Deadly fire claims migrants’ lives
- In brief: Mexico’s trade deficit decreases in monthly terms
Southern Cone
- CHILE: Tohá seeks cross-party agreement on crime
- In brief: Uruguay’s poverty rate decreases
On 27 March presidential candidates officially launched their campaigns in Guatemala ahead of the 25 June general elections.
LatinNews Daily - 27 March 2023
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- CUBA: Doubts over gov’t claims of high turnout in legislative vote
Andean
- PERU: Boluarte denies corruption allegations
- In brief: Peru’s GDP forecast lowered due to protests
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Lula’s visit to China postponed for health reasons
- In brief: Inflation slows in Brazil
Central America & Caribbean
- In brief: Honduras formally establishes ties with Beijing
Mexico
- MEXICO: Gov’t challenges electoral reform suspension
- In brief: Mexico’s economic activity grows in January
Southern Cone
- ARGENTINA: Macri drops presidential ambitions
- In brief: Paraguay’s economy continues recovery in Q4
Washington Watch
- US announces more assistance to address Venezuela humanitarian crises
On 26 March the president of Cuba’s national electoral council, Alina Balseiro, cited preliminary figures which put turnout in elections held earlier that day for the 470-member national assembly (ANPP) at 70.34%.
LatinNews Daily - 24 March 2023
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- PARAGUAY: Cartes and Velázquez to be investigated for corruption
Andean
- COLOMBIA: Petro suffers first major congressional defeat
- In brief: IMF hails Colombia’s transition to more sustainable growth path
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Deadly clash between police and criminal gang in Rio
- In brief: China to restart beef imports from Brazil
Central America & Caribbean
- EL SALVADOR: Corte-IDH hears landmark abortion case
- In brief: Costa Rica receives WB loan for natural disasters
Mexico
- MEXICO: Gov’t rejects spying claims
- In brief: Inflation in Mexico continues to slow
Southern Cone
- In brief: Uruguay’s GDP down in IV quarter 2022
On 23 March, Paraguay’s attorney general announced the launch of an investigation into former president Horacio Cartes (2013-2018) and current vice president Hugo Velázquez, after the US accused the two men of corruption.
LatinNews Daily - 23 March 2023
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- BRAZIL: Police uncover criminal plot targeting politicians
Andean
- COLOMBIA: Gov’t presents pension reform
- In brief: Merger approved between Colombian airlines Avianca and Viva
Brazil
- In brief: Brazil maintains high interest rates
Central America & Caribbean
- HONDURAS: Gov’t delegation visits China
- In brief: Remittances to Nicaragua surge
Mexico
- MEXICO: Police officers arrested in Ayotzinapa case
- In brief: Mexican state governors pledge to fight climate change
Southern Cone
- ARGENTINA: Gov’t orders bond swap to ease pressure on peso
- In brief: Argentina’s GDP contracts in Q4 2022
On 22 March, Brazil’s justice minister Flávio Dino announced that federal police had dismantled a planned attack from a criminal organisation to assassinate or kidnap public officials and authorities, including the federal senator Sergio Moro, the former anti-corruption judge who was appointed justice minister during the right-wing presidency of Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2023).
LatinNews Daily - 22 March 2023
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- GUATEMALA: Moves to exclude another leading presidential contender
Andean
- COLOMBIA: Petro’s son under investigation for money laundering
- In brief: Ecuador’s state oil company declares force majeure at more oilfields
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Lula announces measures to tackle racial inequality
- In brief: Brazilian meatpacker JBS reports major slump in profits
Central America & Caribbean
- In brief: Panama issues bonds to boost budget
Mexico
- MEXICO: López Obrador ups criticism of US
- In brief: Experts raise Mexico’s 2023 growth forecast
Southern Cone
- CHILE: Top court upholds presidential pardons
- In brief: Argentina raises minimum wage
On 22 March Rafael Curruchiche, the head of Guatemala’s attorney general (AG)’s special anti-impunity unit (Feci), announced that he had requested the lifting of immunity from prosecution of Edmond Mulet, a presidential candidate who is competing in the 25 June general elections for the centre-right Cabal party.
LatinNews Daily - 21 March 2023
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- VENEZUELA: Oil minister resigns amid sweeping corruption probe
Andean
- In brief: Ecuador’s country risk rises as impeachment process advances
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Key health programme to be relaunched
- In brief: Brazilian retailer Americanas reportedly presents recovery plan
Central America & Caribbean
- DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: High-level arrests spark protests
- In brief: Panama’s Cortizo discusses trade with US official
Mexico
- MEXICO: Concerns raised over violence towards SCJN head
- In brief: US firm accuses Mexican forces of illegal property seizure
Southern Cone
- ARGENTINA: Government announces intervention in Edesur
- In brief: Chile posts 2022 GDP growth
On 20 March, Venezuela’s oil minister, Tareck El Aissami, resigned amid a corruption probe.
LatinNews Daily - 20 March 2023
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- COLOMBIA: Petro suspends ceasefire with Clan del Golfo
Andean
- In brief: Earthquake hits Ecuador and Peru
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Lula receives early poll boost but challenges loom
- In brief: Brazil lowers growth forecast
Central America & Caribbean
- HONDURAS: Tax reform generates controversy
- In brief: Pressure to stop BCIE lending to Nicaragua
Mexico
- MEXICO: López Obrador receives US legislators
- In brief: New oil discovery in offshore Mexico
Southern Cone
- CHILE: Piñera launches right-wing regional forum
- In brief: Experts predict solid 2023 GDP growth in Paraguay
Washington Watch
- US Trade Representative visits Brazil
On 19 March, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro suspended a ceasefire between his government and the Clan del Golfo drug trafficking organisation (DTO).
LatinNews Daily - 17 March 2023
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- COLOMBIA: Gov’t presents wide-ranging labour reform bill
ANDEAN
- In brief: Ecuador’s opposition launches impeachment attempt against Lasso
BRAZIL
- BRAZIL: Intelligence agency to be investigated over illegal monitoring
- In brief: EU competition commissioner visits Brazil
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- GUATEMALA: Protesters demand dismissal of electoral magistrates
- In brief: Panama obtains loan for new metro line
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Gov’t hails economic resilience
- In brief: Mexico finds more irregularities at Manufacturas Vu plant
SOUTHERN CONE
- PARAGUAY: Abdo Benítez discusses bi-oceanic corridor and Itaipú with Lula
- In brief: Argentina’s central bank raises interest rates
On 16 March, Colombia’s government led by President Gustavo Petro presented a flagship labour reform bill that aims to reduce working hours and boost overtime pay, but which critics say would threaten job creation.
LatinNews Daily - 16 March 2023
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- BOLIVIA: Looking to the IMF as dollar reserves dwindle
ANDEAN
- In brief: Roadblocks cleared in Colombia
BRAZIL
- BRAZIL: Lula relaunches anti-crime policies amid cartel violence
- In brief: Steel production drops in Brazil
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- EL SALVADOR: Bukele plans for a 2024 re-election victory
- In brief: Remittances to the Dominican Republic continue to rise
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Nuevo Laredo killings were executions, says gov’t official
- In brief: Blackout hits Mexico City
SOUTHERN CONE
- CHILE: Boric hardens stance on migration
- In brief: Uruguay’s Lacalle Pou slates EU-Mercosur deal
On 15 March Bolivia’s Finance Minister Marcelo Montenegro said that the central bank had used its special drawing rights (SDR) arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), amid continued concerns over Bolivia’s dwindling reserves of hard currency.
LatinNews Daily - 15 March 2023
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- BRAZIL: Cartel leads wave of violence in Rio Grande do Norte
ANDEAN
- ECUADOR: Row with Argentina escalates as ambassadors expelled
- In brief: Mining exports down in Peru
BRAZIL
- In brief: Brazil’s Petrobras loses appeal against US$3bn tax payment
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- HONDURAS: Castro embraces Beijing
- In brief: IMF praises economic stability in Guatemala
MEXICO
- MEXICO: US ambassador works to smooth relations
- In brief: Mexico’s poultry industry warns against GM corn ban
SOUTHERN CONE
- ARGENTINA: Inflation enters triple-digit territory
- In brief: Chile’s Boric meets with business sector to discuss new tax reform
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.
LatinNews Daily - 14 March 2023
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- MEXICO: Ebrard visits Washington on the defensive
ANDEAN
- PERU: Ministers attacked by protesters
- In brief: Peruvian hydrocarbons lobby highlights dwindling reserves
BRAZIL
- BRAZIL: SVB crisis could lead to lower interest rates
- In brief: Brazil’s Eletrobras sees profits slump
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- COSTA RICA: Urgent security debate convened
- In brief: DR receives first visit from World Bank president
MEXICO
- In brief: Mexico’s industrial activity stagnates in January
SOUTHERN CONE
- URUGUAY: New health minister takes office
- In brief: IMF completes fourth Argentina agreement review
On 13 March, Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard travelled to the US to “defend” Mexico in the face of recent criticisms from US Republican lawmakers.
LatinNews Daily - 13 March 2023
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- COLOMBIA: ELN granted political status as peace talks advance
ANDEAN
- In brief: Currency pressures weigh heavily on Bolivia
BRAZIL
- BRAZIL: Homicide rate dips – but will it last?
- In brief: Monthly inflation rises in Brazil
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- NICARAGUA: Ortega severs ties with Vatican
- In brief: Guatemala’s export lobby proposes job creation strategy
MEXICO
- MEXICO: Pro-armed forces protests defy López Obrador
- In brief: Mexico to boost agri-food trade with China
SOUTHERN CONE
- CHILE: Embattled Boric conducts cabinet reshuffle
- In brief: Paraguay’s Abdo Benítez talks trade with Argentina’s Fernández
WASHINGTON WATCH
- Blinken meets Brazil’s Vieira
On 10 March the second round of dialogue between the Colombian government and the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) guerrilla group concluded in Mexico with the announcement that the ELN has been granted political status as an “armed rebel organisation”.
LatinNews Daily - 10 March 2023
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- PANAMA/REGION: Warnings over surge in Darién crossings
Andean
- PERU: Castillo’s preventive detention extended to three years
- In brief: Peru holds interest rates for second consecutive month
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Central bank downplays risk of credit crunch
- In brief: Brazil’s coffee exports slump
Central America & Caribbean
- In brief: Guatemala’s remittances up year on year
Mexico
- MEXICO: Tensions with US intensify
- In brief: Inflation slows in Mexico
Southern Cone
- ARGENTINA: Fernández conviction published
- In brief: Argentina completes domestic debt swap
On 9 March, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) cited official figures showing that in the first eight weeks of 2023 around 49,000 people crossed the Darién Gap – a dense jungle in Panama bordering Colombia – which IFRC said was “five times more than in the previous period in 2022”.
LatinNews Daily - 09 March 2023
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- CHILE: Congress rejects tax reform proposal in major blow to Boric
Andean
- COLOMBIA: Informal miners cause chaos in Antioquia
- In brief: Annual inflation rises sharply in Venezuela, says think tank
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Lula launches gender rights package
- In brief: Brazil expects imminent end to suspension of beef exports to China
Central America & Caribbean
- HONDURAS: Castro lifts ban on morning-after pill
- In brief: Panama and FQM announce deal over major copper mine
Mexico
- MEXICO: Frustration rises over femicides and gender violence
- In brief: Gov’t hails progress on plans for Mexico’s Tesla plant
Southern Cone
- In brief: Inflation eases in Chile
On 8 March Chile’s 155-member lower chamber rejected a proposed tax reform bill tabled by the leftist government led by President Gabriel Boric.
LatinNews Daily - 08 March 2023
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- PERU: Protest violence resurges
Andean
- In brief: Fears of US dollar shortages in Bolivia
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Jewellery scandal sets back Bolsonaro’s plans
- In brief: Brazil hails Mexico’s decision to allow Brazilian beef imports
Central America & Caribbean
- HONDURAS: Gov’t under pressure over surge in violence
- In brief: Costa Rica registers monthly deflation
Mexico
- MEXICO: Plan unveiled to combat drought in Valle de México
- In brief: Walmex announces investment in Mexico
Southern Cone
- ARGENTINA: Security forces deployed to Rosario
- In brief: Chile’s trade surplus down
On 7 March the head of the joint command of Peru’s armed forces, Manuel Gómez de la Torre, blamed anti-government protesters for the deaths of six soldiers.
LatinNews Daily - 07 March 2023
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- MEXICO: Relations with US under strain over kidnapping case
Andean
- COLOMBIA: Clan del Golfo ready for talks
- In brief: Colombia’s struggling coffee sector shows signs of recovery
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Communications minister avoids dismissal
- In brief: Brazil begins tests for digital currency
Central America & Caribbean
- NICARAGUA: Leading private sector lobby shuttered
- In brief: Inflation rises in Honduras
Mexico
- In brief: US escalates dispute with Mexico over GM ban
Southern Cone
- CHILE: Second constitutional process gets underway
- In brief: Argentina’s gov’t agrees local debt swap with banks
On 6 March, US Whitehouse press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the kidnapping of four US citizens in Mexico’s Matamoros city, Tamaulipas state three days earlier was “unacceptable”.
LatinNews Daily - 06 March 2023
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- ECUADOR: Congress approves report recommending Lasso’s impeachment
Andean
- In brief: Year-on-year inflation rises in Colombia
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Bolsonaro hedges his bets at CPAC
- In brief: Cultivation and sale of GM wheat approved in Brazil
Central America & Caribbean
- GUATEMALA: Controversial candidacy excluded
- In brief: Panama boosts trade and investment ties with Ecuador
Mexico
- MEXICO: State official killed in Veracruz
- In brief: Mexico’s tourism ministry optimistic for 2023
Southern Cone
- ARGENTINA: Economic stress likely to increase this year
- In brief: Moody’s highlights investment lack in Argentina’s power sector
Washington Watch
- US requests extradition of son of Mexico’s ‘El Chapo’
On 4 March, Ecuador’s national assembly voted to approve a report recommending the launch of impeachment proceedings against President Guillermo Lasso.
LatinNews Daily - 03 March 2023
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- COLOMBIA: Petro backs probe into son over drug money
Andean
- In brief: Colombian court suspends Petro’s control over utilities regulators
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Two ministers face corruption allegations
- In brief: Quarterly drop in Brazil’s GDP
Central America & Caribbean
- NICARAGUA: Ortega accused of crimes against humanity
- In brief: Western Union expands remittance services to Cuba
Mexico
- MEXICO: Head of supreme court receives death threat
- In brief: Mexico’s unemployment down year on year
Southern Cone
- ARGENTINA: Attack on Messi’s family stokes crime concerns
- In brief: Uruguay’s Lacalle Pou announces plans to cut taxes
On 2 March Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro asked the attorney general’s office to open an investigation into his brother and his son amid allegations of financial irregularities during Petro’s 2022 election campaign, including an alleged donation from a convicted drug trafficker.
LatinNews Daily - 02 March 2023
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- COLOMBIA: Clan del Golfo’s second-in-command found dead
Andean
- In brief: Colombian regulator opens investigation into Viva Air
Brazil
- BRAZIL: Centrão seeks negotiations on fuel taxes
- In brief: Year-on-year drop in Brazil’s trade surplus
Central America & Caribbean
- EL SALVADOR: Bukele clashes with Colombia’s Petro over mega-prison
- In brief: Costa Rica and Ecuador ink trade association agreement
Mexico
- MEXICO: López Obrador promises investigation of Nuevo Laredo killings
- In brief: Mexico’s Banxico cuts growth forecast
Southern Cone
- ARGENTINA: Fernández on defensive, blasts judiciary in speech to congress
- In brief: Argentina hit by massive blackout
On 1 March, Colombian police announced that the suspected second-in-command of the Clan del Golfo drug trafficking organisation (DTO), Wilmer Antonio Giraldo Quiroz (‘Siopas’), had been found dead in the north-western municipality of Dabeiba, Antioquia department.
LatinNews Daily - 01 March 2023
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- BRAZIL: Kerry in Brasília to follow up on climate pledges
Andean
- COLOMBIA: Viva Air causes chaos by grounding fleet
- In brief: Peru to award US$3bn in public-private infrastructure contracts
Brazil
- In brief: Brazil’s unemployment rate down in Q4 2022
Central America & Caribbean
- GUATEMALA: Leading newspaper further targeted in crackdown
- In brief: Panama rejects request to suspend Cobre Panamá labour contracts
Mexico
- MEXICO: López Obrador and Musk seal the deal
- In brief: Mutual recriminations over Mexico flight disruption
Southern Cone
- ARGENTINA: Drought-hit farmers demand help
- In brief: Paraguay and Brazil hail Itaipú debt pay-off
On 28 February during a visit to Brazil, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said that protecting the Amazon rainforest is essential if the world is to meet its target of limiting global warming to not more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.