Paraguay

• Sunday, February 26th 2017 - 13:50 UTC

  Paraguayan guerrillas free abducted teenager after ransom is paid

  

  A Mennonite teenager, Franz Weiber who was abducted last July by Paraguayan Marxist inspired guerrillas in the north of the country was released on Saturday, safe and sound, after the family and friends collected the equivalent of US$ 25.000 in food to distribute among fourteen Indian communities in the area.

• Friday, February 17th 2017 - 08:44 UTC

  Matthew Hedges new British Ambassador to Paraguay

  

  Mr Matthew Hedges has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Paraguay in succession to Dr Jeremy Hobbs, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr. Hedges will take up his appointment in August 2017.

• Thursday, February 16th 2017 - 10:43 UTC

  Thirty tons of Venezuelan currency are seized in Paraguay; smuggled from Brazil

  

  Central Bank employees will count about 30 tons of Venezuelan currency seized in a private house in Paraguay, while officials try to figure out why the vast quantity of 50- and 100-bolivar bills was brought into the country. The cash was discovered in Salto del Guaira, a city about 370 kilometers northeast of the capital of Asuncion, on the border with Brazil in a region known for the contraband trade.

• Monday, February 13th 2017 - 09:20 UTC

  Mercosur/EU technical discussions in Brussels ahead of Buenos Aires meeting

  

  Mercosur representatives will be meeting their European Union counterparts this week, beginning Monday, in Brussels in anticipation of another round of trade and cooperation discussions scheduled for March in Buenos Aires. Mercosur members, under the coordination of Argentina, which currently holds the group's chair are attending with a common position reached after several days of videoconferences.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2016 - 08:08 UTC

  Cartes vetoes 2017 budget to avoid risk of Paraguay's default

  

  President Horacio Cartes Monday vetoed the 2017 budget to avoid the risk of default after the Senate set a ceiling on the amount of debt the government could issue.

• Tuesday, November 8th 2016 - 10:52 UTC

  Paraguay foresees possible economic growth above expectations

  

  Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP) CEO Carlos Fernández Valdovinos spoke of the possibility of closing this year with a growth of more than 4% of gross domestic product (GDP). Announcement due on December 5.

• Wednesday, November 2nd 2016 - 11:25 UTC

  Storms cause damage and power outages in several parts of Paraguay - orange alert still on in Uruguay

  

  Various locations within the country, Central, Asunción and the metropolitan area have been area without power for several hours, even in places that were not hit directly by the adverse weather. But service had to be interruped nonetheless as several destructions were reported.

• Tuesday, September 20th 2016 - 09:53 UTC

  Brazil and Uruguay agree on a Mercosur with “a greater open integration”

  

  President Tabare Vazquez confirmed on Monday that Uruguay will continue as “coordinator” of discussions between Mercosur and the European Union to reach a wide ranging trade agreement.

• Friday, September 9th 2016 - 10:09 UTC

  Mercosur insists in trade negotiations with EU despite Brazil and Venezuela situations

  

  Negotiations for a trade and cooperation agreement between Mercosur and the European Union must continue and should not be overshadowed by political issues such as the impeachment process in Brazil, pointed out Paraguay's foreign minister Eladio Loizaga, following a motion by 15 Green Euro and United Left parliamentarians in Strasbourg to cancel discussions because of the “corruption contaminated” removal of Dilma Rousseff.

• Tuesday, August 30th 2016 - 04:38 UTC

  Mercosur members who disagree and don't accept consensus “can walk out”...

  

  Paraguay said Mercosur will continue to function and is waiting for a reply from Uruguay to confirm a collegiate presidency of the block, until Argentina takes the helm at the end of the year. If not, “Mercosur members are well aware that the the same way they decided to belong to the group, they can walk away...”