Americas: Paraguay’s 30 April general elections to determine future of ties with Taipei Sectors: all Key Risks: policy shifts; political instability In Paraguay, general elections will be held on 30 April ending a tight election race that has been in the spotlight due to opposing views about whether to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The […]
Date first published: 13/04/2023 Key sectors: tourism; all Key risks: organised crime; violent crime; kidnapping; extortion; business disruption Risk development Organised and violent crime is on the rise in Mexico’s seemingly paradisiacal Caribbean beach resorts and their surrounding areas. On 16 March the United States (US) issued a travel alert warning travellers to “exercise […]
Americas: Annual inflation hits 104.3 per cent in Argentina; economic crisis set to deepen Sectors: all Key Risks: economic; sovereign default In Argentina, on 14 April official statistics agency INDEC reported that annual inflation hit 104.3 per cent in March amid a cost-of-living crisis that has significantly increased poverty. Inflation for the month was 7.7 […]
Date first published: 11/04/2023 Key sectors: oil and gas Key risks: inflation; supply deficit; political tensions Risk development: On 2 April Saudi-led OPEC+ stunned global markets by announcing voluntary cuts totalling 1.2m bpd. Cuts will be effective from May and will last through end-2023, depending on global economic conditions. Oil markets responded to the […]
Americas: Brazil’s Petrobras to honour signed asset sales contracts, review other potential deals Sectors: oil and gas Key Risks: business risk; contract reviews; frustration of process; contract frustration In Brazil, on 10 April state-owned oil firm Petrobras announced plans to move forward with the sale of five assets for which contracts have already been signed […]
Date first published: 04/04/2023 Key sectors: all Key risks: political violence; internal conflict Risk development On 27 March after 12 consecutive weeks of protests, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a pause in the legislative process of the judicial reforms launched by his government. At the same time, to prevent the government’s immediate collapse, the […]
Americas: Former US president Donald Trump set to face criminal charges Sectors: all Key Risks: political polarisation In the United States, on 4 April former president Donald Trump is set to surrender to New York prosecutors. Trump, who is leading the race to become the Republican presidential nominee in 2024, faces criminal charges related to […]
Date first published: 28/03/2023 Key sectors: all; mining Key risks: terrorism Risk development On 19 March nine Chinese workers were killed and two others were injured by unidentified armed assailants during an attack at the Chimbolo gold mine, near Bambari, Ouaka prefecture. The assailants stormed the facility’s premises around 05:00 local time and quickly […]
Americas: Rare corruption probe suggests internal power struggle within Venezuela’s PSUV party Sectors: all Key Risks: political stability; business risk In Venezuela, on 25 March the Attorney General announced that a total of 21 people – including 10 officials and 11 businesspeople – had been arrested since a rare and ongoing government-led corruption probe began […]
Date first published: 21/03/2023 Key sectors: all Key risks: drug trafficking; targeted killings; arson attacks; extortion; crime-related violence Risk development Drug trafficking and associated violence have finally made it to the national public and security agenda. On 7 March President Alberto Fernandez announced the deployment of additional federal security forces – including 300 gendarmerie […]
Americas: Foreign exchange shortage stokes concerns over Bolivia’s deepening financial crisis Sectors: all Key Risks: credit risk; economic risk; business risk In Bolivia, on 19 March President Luis Arce’s government admitted the country was facing a foreign exchange (FX) shortage following overdemand for US dollars. The Central Bank’s FX reserves fell from US$15.12bln in 2015 […]
Date first published: 09/03/2023 Key sectors: mining; national security; foreign investment Key risks: economic risks; business risks; frustration of process Risk development On 15 February Treasurer Jim Chalmers blocked Chinese-owned Yuxiao Fund (YF) – the largest shareholder of Australian rare earths producer Northern Minerals (NM) – from increasing ownership from 9.92 to 19.9 per […]