Paraguay

• 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.

• Monday, July 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguay downplays discovery of oil in commercial volumes

  

  The Paraguayan government confirmed the existence of oil deposits in an inhospitable area to the north of the country. However one long year must elapse before the deposits can be considered commercially exploitable.

• Friday, July 18th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguayan economy grows on soy exports and construction

  Boosted by agriculture, construction and manufacturing Paraguay's GDP expanded at an annual 7.6% during the first quarter of 2008, according to the latest report from the country's Central Bank. Last year the Paraguayan economy expanded 6.4%.

• Thursday, July 17th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Promising discovery of diamonds in north-east Paraguay

  

  Ten diamonds ranging in size from 0.002 to 0.04 carats have been discovered in the north east of landlocked Paraguay, reported Latin American Minerals Inc., a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of properties of highly prospective countries of the region.

• Saturday, June 28th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguay headed for a record beef export year: 600 million USD

  Paraguayan beef exports are scheduled to break all records reaching over 600 US dollars which represents a 25% jump over 2007 according to an article published in the country's “ABC Color”.