US President Donald Trump announced a temporary exemption from new 25% tariffs for goods from Mexico covered under the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The Republican leader adopted the measure following a telephone conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. The exemption, effective until at least April 2, reverses tariffs imposed earlier this week, aimed at addressing fentanyl trafficking and trade imbalances.
Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin had on Wednesday his first formal day in office on Wednesday. During a ceremony in Montevideo attended by President Yamandú Orsi and Vice President Carolina Cosse, the South American country's top diplomat emphasized Uruguay's role as an “actor of peace” to help reduce global tensions.
Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia have endorsed Suriname's Foreign Minister, Albert Ramdin, as their candidate for Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS). Ramdin, who previously served as Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, is seen as uniquely qualified to address contemporary challenges and bring a fresh perspective. The vote to replace the outgoing Secretary General, Luis Almagro of Uruguay, is scheduled for March 10, with Paraguayan Foreign Minister Ruben Ramirez Lezcano also in the running. Almagro's term ends on May 25 after a decade in the role.
Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa extended this week the state of emergency for 30 more days in seven provinces and two municipalities, including the capital, Quito, to curb insecurity and maintain public order, social peace, and peaceful coexistence.
Given US President Donald Trump's pressure, CK Hutchison Holdings, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, agreed to sell control of a unit operating ports near the Panama Canal, it was announced Tuesday. The sale includes an 80% stake in the Hutchison Ports group and a 90% interest in Panama Ports Company, which operates the ports of Balboa and Cristobal. The consortium acquiring these stakes includes BlackRock Inc., Global Infrastructure Partners, and Terminal Investment Ltd.
According to The Economist's global Democracy Index published Thursday, Uruguay is the only country in the region with a full democracy, ranking 15th globally with a score of 8.67 out of 10.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado denounced on Thursday that “unidentified men” attempted to force their way into her home in Caracas' Los Palos Grandes area and insisted these people representing Bolivarian ruler Nicolás Maduro's “furious tyranny” threatened to arrest her neighbors and a watchman.
Bolivian President Luis Arce inaugurated the El Mutún complex, the South American country's first industrialized iron facility, which can boost other infrastructure developments, particularly those sponsored by Russia and Iran.
Guatemala and the United States have announced a US$ 125 million initiative to expand Puerto Quetzal, the largest Pacific port in the Central American country, in a move to counterbalance China's presence in the region through its current prevalence in the Panama Canal in addition to the projected Nicaragua interoceanic crossing already under construction.
Foreign Ministers Elmer Schialer of Peru and Celinda Sosa of Bolivia signed a series of agreements in Lima on Monday to strengthen ties between the two countries with a focus on cooperation and integration to promote the bilateral agenda. The understandings include a Temporary Border Module at the San Lorenzo (Peru)-Extrema (Bolivia) border crossing and the financing and Biennial Operating Plan 2025-2026 for the Binational Autonomous Authority of Lake Titicaca.