LatinNews Daily - 31 January 2024

On 30 January El Salvador’s Andy Failer, the president of small opposition party Nuestro Tiempo (NT), denounced “anti-democratic acts” by the country’s supreme electoral court (TSE) regarding the failure to accredit and swear-in party representatives for municipal electoral boards (JEM) ahead of the 4 February general elections.... Read More

On 30 January Bolivia’s deputy interior minister, Jhonny Aguilera, called for roadblocks on the country’s key highways to be lifted following an agreement between President Luis Arce’s government and its opponents on the holding of overdue judicial elections.... Read More

*The US State Department yesterday announced that it will not extend General Licence 44, which suspended sanctions on Venezuela’s oil and gas sector, after it expires on 18 April, unless President Nicolás Maduro’s government lifts bans on opposition presidential candidates.... Read More

On 30 January Brazil’s government confirmed the dismissal of the national intelligence agency (Abin)’s deputy director, Alessandro Moretti, in relation to the scandal involving the alleged abuse of Abin’s surveillance capabilities during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2023).... Read More

*Brazil’s labour ministry has released the latest figures from its national employment registry (Novo Caged) which showed a net job loss of 430,159 jobs in December 2023, with 1.93m dismissals and 1.50m new hires.... Read More

*Panama’s chamber of commerce, industry, and agriculture (CCIAP) has published its bimonthly survey of consumer confidence, which it said stood at 84 points in January, up from 71 points in November 2023.... Read More

On 30 January US media outlet ProPublica published an investigation claiming US drug enforcement agents had previously uncovered “what they believed was substantial evidence” that “major cocaine traffickers had funnelled some US$2m” to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s first presidential campaign in 2006.... Read More

*Mexico’s deputy finance minister, Gabriel Yorio, has stated that Mexico’s economy will continue to be strong in 2024.... Read More

On 30 January a court in Argentina invalidated the labour reform contained within the decree of necessity and urgency (DNU) issued in December by President Javier Milei.... Read More

* Argentina’s economy ministry has placed bonds on the domestic market totalling Ar$1.35trn (US$1.63bn).... Read More