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June 22 (Reuters) - Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday the European Union should stop adopting a protectionist stance if it wants to reach a long-delayed trade deal with the Mercosur bloc. The EU and the Mercosur bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay completed negotiations in 2019 but the deal has been on hold due to concerns about Amazon deforestation and Brazil's commitment to climate change action. "The additional letter the EU sent to Mercosur is unacceptable because they punish any country that did not comply with the Paris Agreement," Lula told a news conference on the final day of his trip to Italy. "Not even them (EU) complied with the Paris Agreement. Lula said the Mercosur bloc was preparing its response and urged EU countries to be more "sensitive and humble".

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, Emmanuel Macron, Catarina Demony, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Union, Mercosur, EU, Thomson Locations: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Mercosur, Paris, Italy, France, Marcron, South America

☆ EU chief embarks on Latin America tour to boost 'neglected' ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 12 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen starts a four-nation trip to Latin American on Monday to bolster political and trade ties that the European Union admits it has sometimes neglected. Von der Leyen will meet the presidents of Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico on consecutive days. Von der Leyen will also seek to push forward an update to the EU-Mexico trade pact which the two sides agreed in 2018. It has a trade agreement with Chile that could give EU companies greater access to the country's lithium and copper. A possible understanding with Argentina could also promote exploration of the Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas reserves by EU investors.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Von der, Olaf Scholz, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Josep Borrell, Philip Blenkinsop, David Holmes Organizations: European Union, Mercosur, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, China, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Paris, Brussels, Caribbean, Paraguay, Uruguay, Mercosur, Vaca

[1/2] Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva meets with Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (not pictured) before a summit with presidents of South America to discuss the re-launching of the regional cooperation bloc UNASUR, in Brasilia, Brazil, May 29, 2023. "We won't decide anything at tomorrow's meeting, it is just about discussing possibilities," Lula told a news conference on Monday with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, on his first visit to Brazil in eight years. Lula said the leaders did not have to recreate a new Unasur but could come up with a different sort of organization. Maduro is hoping the South American countries will unite in calling on the United States to lift its sanctions against Venezuela, which he and Lula assailed at their news conference. "The aim of this initiative is to unite all the countries of the region once again," she told reporters on Friday.

☆ Brazil's Lula proposes common South American currency at UNASUR meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva proposed creating a common currency in the region during a meeting with South American heads of state in Brasilia on Tuesday. Talk of creating a common currency there has periodically cropped up since its founding in 1991. Lula also argued that regional development banks like the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), the Bank of the South and Brazil’s development bank BNDES should do more to finance social and economic development in the region. It’s not the first time that regional leaders have floated the idea of creating a common currency in South America. “If we compare the Eurozone, discussions over the common currency started back in the 1950s.

☆ $38.8 Billion in U.S. Treasury? For These Billionaires, That’s Nothing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Treasury Department said its cash balance fell to $38.8 billion as of Thursday, as the United States inched toward running out of cash to pay its bills. Just how empty is the Treasury cash coffer? For comparison, $38.8 billion is on par with the gross domestic product of Bahrain and Paraguay and lower than the net worth of more than two dozen of the wealthiest people in the world. Here is a list of people with higher net worths than the U.S. cash reserves, according to Bloomberg News’s Billionaire Index as of Thursday. Forbes, though, estimates his net worth at $94.5 billion.)

☆ One Secret to a Latin American Party’s Dominance: Buying Votes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Jack Nicas | María Magdalena Arréllaga | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Espinillo Indigenous community is 13 miles from the nearest polling station — and no one in the village has a car. “We want to look after them,” he said, standing watch with six young men he called colleagues. Then, after dark, The Times found a distinctive type of vote-buying, developed over decades, on blatant display. Mr. Paredes, 65, and his colleagues gathered some of the Indigenous people and took down their identification numbers. The young men then walked the Indigenous people through a simulation of Paraguay’s voting machines on a phone, guiding them to vote for Colorado candidates.

☆ Paraguay president-elect commits to 'strengthen' ties with Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 5 - Paraguay's president-elect, Santiago Pena, said on Friday that he would continue to strengthen his country's "historic ties" with Taiwan following a call with his counterpart there after winning Sunday's election. Paraguay is Taiwan's only South American ally and the island - claimed by China as its own - has lost support from other Central American nations in recent years. We will keep strengthening the historic ties between Paraguay and the Republic of China (Taiwan), and look forward to working on mutually beneficial cooperation projects," Pena said on Twitter, referring to President Tsai Ing-wen. Taiwan faces an uphill battle to keep ties with the 13 countries that currently recognize it as a sovereign nation, amid pressure from China. (This story has been refiled to fix a typographical error in paragraph 1)Reporting by Daniela Desantis; Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Paraguay presidential candidate Cubas arrested after post-election protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Paraguayo Cubas, who placed third in Paraguay's presidential elections last week, talks to police officers after his arrest, in Asuncion, Paraguay, May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Cesar OlmedoASUNCION, May 5 (Reuters) - Paraguayo Cubas, who placed third in Paraguay's presidential elections, has been arrested following post-election protests, authorities said on Friday. Cubas led protests to dispute Sunday's election results and call for a recount, though international organizations said there was no reason to doubt the integrity of the vote. "All the criminals in this country should be handcuffed like Paraguayo Cubas," he added as he got into a patrol car. Cubas had announced plans for renewed protests after his arrival in the capital.

☆ OAS says no reason to put into doubt Paraguay's election results
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 2 (Reuters) - The Organization of American States (OAS) said on Tuesday that its electoral observation mission saw no reason to put into doubt Paraguay's election results, following protests by supporters of a right-wing candidate who came in third. The statement follows clashes on Monday between police and supporters of Paraguayo Cubas amid complaints of fraud in a vote that the ruling Colorado Party won comfortably. President-elect Santiago Pena won 43% of the vote on Sunday compared with 27% for runner-up Efrain Alegre. Cubas, who surprised observers by winning nearly 23%, called in a post on Instagram for a recount and asked his supporters to protest. Reporting by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Sarah MorlandOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil working on payment solution for exports to Argentina, says minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, May 2 (Reuters) - Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Tuesday that the country is working on a solution to ensure that Brazilian exporters are paid for sales to Argentina, which is currently facing a severe economic crisis and a shortage of U.S. dollars. Argentina is Brazil's third largest trading partner after China and the United States. "We are trying to find a mediated solution," he said, adding that it "necessarily" involves the granting of collaterals by Argentina, which are being currently studied. Haddad will take part in a meeting between Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentine Alberto Fernandez later on Tuesday. Brazil also decided to recently simplify procedures of the local currency payment system (SML), an infrastructure that brings together the central banks of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

☆ Paraguay election result calms fear of another Taiwan ally falling (for now)
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lucinda Elliott | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ASUNCION, May 1 (Reuters) - News of Santiago Pena's election victory in Paraguay will be cheered by officials in Taiwan, which faces an uphill battle against China's economic muscle to keep its remaining 13 allies worldwide, including its last in South America. "This is a relief to Taipei," a senior European diplomat told Reuters in Asuncion asking not to be named. Taiwan's embassy in Paraguay congratulated Pena for winning the election and said it would continue to work on the two countries' "fruitful relationship". Pena's victory - and a strong performance in congressional elections by the ruling conservatives - has dampened hopes of a swift foreign policy shift, Galli said. Rubén Ramírez, a former foreign minister for Paraguay told Reuters that discussions over the Taiwan relationship must remain a priority when the new government is sworn in.

☆ Paraguay's conservatives score big election win, defusing Taiwan fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Paraguayan presidential candidate for the Colorado Party, Santiago Peña (C), celebrates with his wife, Leticia Ocampos de Pea (R), and Paraguayan former President Horacio Cartes, after winning the presidential election in Asuncion on April 30, 2023. Norberto Duarte | AFP | Getty ImagesParaguay's ruling candidate Santiago Pena, 44, scored a big win in the country's presidential election on Sunday, tightening the conservative Colorado Party's political grip in the country and defusing fears about the end of diplomatic ties with Taiwan. "Thank you for this Colorado victory, thank you for this Paraguayan victory," Pena said in a speech. Colorado and right-wing party candidates also performed strongly in congressional elections and governor races, with some provinces recording a historic Colorado majority over opposition rivals. The Colorado Party has dominated politics in the landlocked South American country since the 1950s.

[1/5] Cipriano Gomez and Ambrosio Pedraza share a laugh as they chat the day after the general elections, where Santiago Pena, from the ruling Colorado Party, was elected as the new Paraguayan President, in Asuncion, Paraguay May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin MarcarianASUNCION, May 1 (Reuters) - Paraguayans on Monday were mixed about the prospects of another five years of conservative Colorado party rule, but hoped President-elect Santiago Pena could reboot the country’s farm-driven economy. Pena, a 44-year-old economist, secured a 15-point lead over his opposition rival with 42.7% of the vote, cementing another five-year term for the ruling Colorado Party. "For me personally, Santiago Pena is a person who could contribute a lot to the economy of our country (by) putting things in place in macroeconomic terms,” Candia told Reuters. Resident Victor Barrios also felt Pena was the right choice: "I think Santiago Pena is the ideal president for now … five years on we’ll see what he does and how we judge him," he said.

[1/4] Paraguayan presidential candidate Santiago Pena from the ruling Colorado Party gestures next to his wife Leticia Ocampos at the party headquarters as he and his running mate Pedro Alliana won Paraguay's presidential race, according to the preliminary official count, in Asuncion, Paraguay April 30, 2023. Still, Pena will be able to keep a cool head amid the tumult, his supporters say. "I think what characterizes him is that he has infinite tranquility," said Lea Gimenez, who served as Pena's deputy when he was finance minister and was later finance minister herself. Throughout the campaign the Colorado Party candidate has vowed to extend Paraguay's decades-long diplomatic relations with Taiwan, despite pressures to open up to China and its huge consumer demand for soybeans and beef. He became finance minister in 2015.

☆ Paraguay Picks a New President: What You Need to Know
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Jack Nicas | Laurence Blair | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Colorado incumbent, President Mario Abdo Benítez, cannot run again because of term limits — and surveys show he is one of Latin America’s most unpopular leaders because of his handling of the pandemic. Representing the Colorado Party at the polls will be Paraguay’s former finance minister. In January, the U.S. government placed financial sanctions on the Colorado Party’s leader, the former president Horacio Cartes, accusing him of bribing his way to power. The sanctions have complicated the party’s financing. Some recent polls have shown that the leading opposition candidate — a conservative who is still to the left of the Colorado Party’s contender — holds a narrow lead.

☆ Paraguay Voters Elect Conservative Economist as President
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Jack Nicas | Laurence Blair | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

POZO COLORADO, Paraguay — Paraguayans elected Santiago Peña, a 44-year-old conservative economist, as their new president on Sunday, keeping the South American nation in the control of the right-wing Colorado Party that has run the country for all but five of the past 76 years. The result means that Paraguay, a landlocked nation of seven million people, has resisted the leftward shift across Latin America in recent years. Instead, Paraguayans delivered victory to a right-wing candidate who made vague promises to add jobs, lower energy prices and clear drug addicts from the street. Mr. Peña had 43 percent of the vote with 99 percent of the ballots counted, defeating two challengers who split the opposition vote. Mr. Peña is a political protégé of a former Paraguayan president, Horacio Cartes, who is one of its richest men and the president of the Colorado Party.

ASUNCION, April 30 (Reuters) - Paraguayans are readying to head to the polls on Sunday in what could be the biggest electoral challenge to the ruling conservative Colorado Party in over a decade and with the country's near 70-year ties with Taiwan potentially at stake. In the streets and news debates, the political build-up has been dominated by the economy, corruption allegations and the candidates' views on Taiwan. Paraguay is one of only 13 nations to maintain formal diplomatic ties with the democratically-governed island that China claims as its own. Pena has said he would maintain ties with Taiwan. In final campaign events, Alegre took aim at corruption charges that have dogged Colorado Party leader Horacio Cartes, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury this year.

☆ Paraguay's women battle to break political glass ceiling
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Lucinda Elliott | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But there are signs of change, with seven female candidates out of 26 this time around. Nunez is the vice presidential candidate for the main opposition coalition, hoping to unseat the ruling Colorado Party. The more right-wing Colorado party has also approved gender parity plans for the cabinet, though two men are on its ticket. Some women are worried that may work against female candidates, who often contend with having less political apparatus and campaign funding. "By insisting on gender parity, it opens up the debate further," Martinez said.

The ruling Colorado Party has dominated Paraguayan politics for the last three-quarters of a century, in power for all but five years. "We never talked about politics before, because a win for the Colorado Party was a done deal," 40-year-old bank worker Gustavo Vera told Reuters in the capital. "There's more corruption in Paraguay than work... All I know is we have to work much harder to make ends meet." The U.S. Treasury earlier this year imposed sanctions on party chief Horacio Cartes and Vice President Hugo Velazquez, citing "rampant corruption." Alegre, on his third presidential campaign, has pulled together a broad alliance of independent parties to challenge the powerful Colorado political machine.

But Pena, who has powerful party backing, is able to keep a cool head amid the tumult, his supporters say. "I think what characterizes him is that he has infinite tranquility," said Lea Gimenez, who served as Pena's deputy when he was finance minister and was later finance minister herself. Opinion polls suggest either Pena or center-left opposition leader Efrain Alegre could triumph and most analysts predict a close race. "He matured very quickly, being a young father... he became an adult very quickly," a former colleague told Reuters. He became finance minister in 2015.

☆ Taiwan or China? Paraguay's dilemma puts election race in the spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Lucindaalice Elliott | Daniela Desantis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Paraguayan presidential candidate Santiago Pena from ruling Colorado Party, attends his campaign rally, in Asuncion, Paraguay April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Cesar OlmedoASUNCION, April 24 (Reuters) - From Paraguayan capital Asuncion to Taipei and Washington, diplomats, officials - and farmers - are closely watching a tight election race that could determine Paraguay's future ties with Taiwan. "How can I deny a relationship that is beneficial for all Paraguayans, a people that need development, need investment, need industry?" China has long argued that democratically-ruled Taiwan is part of its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taipei strongly rejects. 'WHEN, NOT IF'Among diplomatic circles in Asuncion there is a sense a switch is inevitable - regardless of the election outcome.

☆ Brazil hopes for conclusion to EU-Mercosur trade deal this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Catarina Demony | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON (Reuters) - Brazil hopes the Mercosur trade deal with the European Union (EU) will be concluded this year, a government official said on Sunday, ending years of delay and opening the way to increased trade between the two regions. While Germany has pushed for a swift conclusion, France has said it is waiting to see progress in Brazil. “The signs are very positive,” Elias Rosa said. “Brazil already complies with the socio-environmental requirements related to labour legislation,” Elias Rosa said. Together with other government officials, Elias Rosa is in Portugal as part of a five-day visit by Lula, his first to Europe since being elected president.

☆ Taiwan 'perplexed' by Paraguay candidate questioning of ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Alegre's public comments "certainly have caused some perplexity". We will do our best to maintain diplomatic relations with Paraguay." Paraguay is one of only 13 countries to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, and China has been stepping up efforts to win over the island's remaining allies. China has long argued that democratically ruled Taiwan is part of its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taipei strongly rejects. China demands that countries it has ties with must adopt its position that Taiwan is Chinese territory.

☆ Exclusive: Paraguay opposition leader plans state 'austerity' vs tax hikes on farmers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Daniela Desantis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Soy exports currently face no levies, boosting competitiveness, but the country's diplomatic ties with Taiwan have closed doors to China. Peña, the ruling party candidate, has said publicly he wants to crack down on tax evasion and have more people working in the formal economy. Alegre has criticized Paraguay's current diplomatic relations with Taiwan going back over 60 years, which have made it hard to sell soy and beef to China, a major global buyer. "We are going to solve this based on national interests and of course also based on our alliances in international politics. The current relationship is insufficient, we have a critical position to what we have today," he said.

☆ Interpol-led LatAm swoop seizes thousands of weapons, $5.7 bln in drugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, April 18 (Reuters) - Interpol said on Tuesday its largest-ever fire arms swoop across Central and South America resulted in the seizure of thousands of illegal weapons and $5.7 billion worth of drugs after unprecedented cooperation by 15 countries. The operation found 8,263 illicit firearms and nearly 306,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as 203 tonnes of drugs and 372 tonnes of drug precursors. Eleven people were rescued in Paraguay when authorities dismantled a human trafficking ring, Interpol said. It said law enforcement had reported a spike in drug-related violence over the past year, fueled by trafficking of illegal firearms. The swoop saw participation from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

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