Today, Venezuela stands at a historical crossroads, with many internal contradictions in tension.

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Petrobras Q1 Production Hits 3.23 Million Barrels Per Day — Búzios Sets Single-Day Record — Ecuador: Noboa Declares Curfew in Nine Provinces, 2,509 Homicides in Four Months, 100% Tariffs on Colombia Now Active — Lula Announces “Desenrola Brasil” Debt Relief Programme on National TV, Launches Monday — Brazil Fiscal Deficit Reaches R$199.6 Billion in March, […]

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Key Points —President Javier Milei’s approval rating fell to 35.5% in April from 44% in January, while disapproval climbed from 51.6% to 63%, according to AtlasIntel polling for Bloomberg. —Argentine sovereign dollar bonds maturing October 2028 — twelve months after the next presidential election — yield 8.3%, a 360 basis-point premium over comparable bonds maturing […]

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Key Points —Argentina CGT march filled Plaza de Mayo on May 1 with the labor confederation, social movements, and opposition parties demanding Milei reverse course on factory closures and wage erosion. —The rally opened with a tribute to Pope Francis, who died one year ago, with church representatives and video segments anchoring the religious framing. […]

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Key Points —Uruguay Temu tax enters force May 1, applying 22% IVA to all foreign online purchases made under the franquicia regime — the duty-free import allowance. —Purchases from US-based sellers are explicitly exempted, leaving Chinese platforms Temu, Shein, AliExpress, and other non-US e-commerce as the primary targets. —The measure is part of Uruguay’s broader […]

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January 3 is a date that marks a before… and a still. Yes, it is supposed to mark a before and an after, but the still prevails in Venezuela.

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For the second consecutive year, Nicaragua is the Latin American country with the worst score in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index.

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Key Points —A bilateral Brazil-Argentina report confirms Vaca Muerta gas can meet Southern Cone demand for over 50 years at competitive production costs. —Brazil’s Energy Ministry proposes a $1.6 billion, 593-km pipeline from Uruguayana to Porto Alegre to carry Argentine gas. —Argentine gas at $5-5.50/MMBTU competes against $16-17 in Brazilian industry, creating a massive price […]

The post Vaca Muerta Can Supply Southern Cone Gas for 50 Years, Brazil Says appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points —The Venezuela BP gas deal covers the Cocuina-Manakin cross-border field with Trinidad and the offshore Loran gas field on the Deltana Platform. —BP will open a permanent office in Caracas. Shell has also expressed interest in the Loran project. —BP joins Eni and Repsol in signing exploration agreements with the Rodríguez government since […]

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Key Points —President Santiago Peña will visit Taiwan in May in his second trip as president, reinforcing Paraguay Taiwan diplomatic ties. —Paraguay is one of only 12 countries worldwide — and the only one in South America — that maintains formal diplomatic relations with Taipei. —The visit comes amid sustained Chinese pressure on Taiwan’s remaining […]

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Key Points —Sheinbaum approval dropped to 51% in April, three points below March and at least 15 points below a year ago, per Bloomberg-AtlasIntel. —Corruption (59%), crime (39%), and inflation (31%) are voters’ top three concerns. Nearly half rate the economy as bad. —The drop coincides with a GDP contraction, the Rocha narco indictment, and […]

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Key Points —Decree 302/2026 applies a partial 0.5% Argentina fuel tax increase from May 1, while deferring the full backlog of 2024-2025 adjustments to June. —The government froze fuel taxes entirely in April after Brent surged past $120 due to the Hormuz crisis, causing a 23% pump price spike in March. —Repeated deferrals since 2024 […]

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