Paraguay

• Sunday, August 17th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  New Paraguay president Lugo meets with poor

  

  Paraguay's new leftist president returned Saturday to the province where he spent 11 years as bishop, and pledged to raise living standards by eradicating poverty and corruption in one of South America's poorest nations.

• Friday, August 15th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguay's Lugo promises to end corruption and misery

  

  Former bishop Fernando Lugo was inaugurated Friday as Paraguay's president, ending six decades of one-party rule. Tens of thousands of Paraguayans cheered as the tie less, sandal-clad Lugo raised his hand in the air and was sworn in, addressing the crowd in both Spanish and the Guarani indigenous language from a huge stage in front of Congress.

• Wednesday, August 13th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguay's new government, a test for Taiwan diplomacy

  Taiwan's president Ma Ying-jeou begins this week his first overseas visit to three Latinamerican countries some of the very few left in the world that still recognise the Republic of China (Taipei).

• Wednesday, August 13th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguay's 300.000 landless families wait for new president

  

  Land distribution promises to become the main immediate challenge for Paraguay's elected president Fernando Lugo who takes office on Friday. An estimated 300.000 peasant families are expecting to be given a lot of land and their organizations are impatient.

• Monday, August 11th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguay: The next leftist of the block

  

  Next August 15 a major event will be taking place in one of South America's poorest and most forgotten countries: Paraguay.
  
  Bishop Fernando Lugo will be taking the presidential oath, but even more significant the Partido Colorado which has had a hegemonic domination of the country's politics for the last six decades has accepted defeat and will take refuge in the elected Congress and whatever remnants of power it has in the bureaucracy.

• Friday, August 8th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguay, “a devastated country”, says elected president

  

  Paraguay's elected president former bishop Fernando Lugo said he receives a “devastated country with no institutions”, and claimed there is a plan to destabilize his administration which takes office next August 15.

• Tuesday, August 5th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Land reform single major issue for next Paraguayan leader

  Land reform stands out as the single biggest issue for Paraguay, a landlocked country of just under 7 million people, where one percent of the population controls 77% of the arable fields.

• Friday, August 1st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Exceptional papal waiver for bishop president in Paraguay

  

  Pope Benedict granted an unprecedented waiver to allow former bishop and elected president Fernando Lugo to serve as head of Paraguay Executive without violating church rules, said the Vatican representative in the capital Asuncion.

• Tuesday, July 29th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguay's incoming government reiterates support for Mercosur

  

  Paraguay is not planning to abandon Mercosur “in spite of the overall disappointment because we have received no advantages” said the incoming Foreign Affairs minister of president elect Fernando Lugo.

• Wednesday, July 23rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  South American cities with serious personal safety problems

  South American cities do not rank favorably with Mercer's highest personal safety ranking based on internal stability, crime, effectiveness of law enforcement and relationships with other countries.