Paraguay's Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano had a busy week in Montreal, Canada, where he participated in the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of the Ukraine Peace Formula and met with British Foreign Office Director General for Latin America Harriet Matthews on the event's sidelines, among other engagements.
After an intervention by the Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP) deemed as timely in Asunción's financial circles last week, the local currency appreciated against the US dollar and fell further away from the psychological ₲ 8,000 barrier. The BCP pledged to further inject at least US$ 15 million daily into the market, to stabilize the local currency. The dollar went up 9% against the guarani in 2024, largely driven by demand for the dollar in the international market and by local exchange needs.
Atilio Basualdo, the Mayor of the Argentine city of Las Lomitas in the province of Formosa said Sunday that hitmen had tried to kill him while visiting neighboring Asunción in Paraguay on Saturday afternoon. He also hinted Formosa's Peronist Governor Gildo Insfran could have been involved.
Paraguay's Central Bank (BCP) announced Friday that it would adopt additional measures to keep the US dollar from soaring further against the local guaraní after crossing the US$1 / ₲ 8,000 barrier on Thursday. Starting next week, the BCP will pour US$15 million daily into the exchange market to keep the quotation at bay.
According to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) World Economic Outlook report released Tuesday in Washington DC, Paraguay is the country in the region that will grow the most this year with a projected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 3.8%, way above South America's 1.8% average. Following Paraguay is Uruguay's 3.2% GDP, with Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela tied at 3%. Argentina ranks at the bottom of the list (-3.5%).
Argentine and Paraguayan authorities are planning to fully reopen for all type of vehicles the border crossing between Ituzaingó (Corrientes) and Ayolas on the Yacyretá dam, which is expected to boost the local economy, it was announced this week.
Paraguay's Central Bank (BCP) has this week upped the South American country's economic growth projection for this year from 3.8% to 4%. On the supply side, the main upward revisions were in the livestock, trade, and tax sectors, while downward adjustments were recorded in electricity and water amid higher domestic demand in line with the good dynamics imports have been registering.
Paraguayan authorities have launched a ₲ 7 billion (around US$ 894,366) reward for anyone supplying accurate, certain, and responsible information on members of the Paraguayan People's Army (EPP) guerrilla as the government of President Sebastián Peña intends to solve the case of three people kidnapped by the Marxist organization, including former Vice President Óscar Denis, it was announced this week in Asunción.
Relatives of Paraguayan guerrilla leader Carmen Villalba sheltering in Argentina were stripped of their refugee status by the administration of President Javier Milei and could soon be extradited to stand trial, it was reported in Asunción. The news that we have confirmed is that their political asylum was withdrawn, they are not politicians, Interior Minister Enrique Riera confirmed.
The Brazilian Geological Survey (SGB) found that the Paraguay River was 62 centimeters below its reference level, the lowest level ever measured at the Ladario post, near the city of Corumbá (MS), on the border with Porto Quijarro (Bolivia), thus surpassing the 61 cms recorded in 1964, Agencia Brasil reported.