Caazapá

A cold air mass is bringing the coldest nights of the week to Paraguay, with temperatures potentially dropping to 3°C in the south and a risk of frost, according to an alert from the country's Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH).

Paraguay has reported 12 confirmed cases of dengue and one of chikungunya in the past three weeks, bringing the total to 261 dengue cases and 16 chikungunya cases in 2026, including three imported from Bolivia.

Luis Szarán, born in Encarnación in 1953 and who arrived in Asunción at the age of 12 on a yerba mate truck without money for the fare, has been the conductor of the Asunción City Symphony Orchestra (OSCA) since 1978 and its principal conductor since 1990. He has held the position for nearly five decades, performed over 2,500 concerts internationally, composed around sixty works, and published the Dictionary of Music in Paraguay in 1999.

Paraguay's economy remains heavily concentrated in a few regions, with five areas — the departments of Central, Asunción, Alto Paraná, Itapúa, and Caaguazú — accounting for more than 70% of the country's production, formal employment, and business structure, according to an analysis by researcher Belén Servín from the Center for Analysis and Dissemination of the Paraguayan Economy (Cadep).

Paulo Cándido Oliveira Da Silva, 39, considered the "ambassador" of the Comando Vermelho in Paraguay, was arrested in Luque during Operation Puma Py and expelled from the country in June 2026. He reportedly confessed to Brazilian authorities to the murders of 18 people during his time in Paraguay, including the killing of Arnaldo Rotela Gauto, known as "the king of cattle rustling," who was killed in Yuty in August 2024.

The Paraguayan Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology has issued a warning for storms with winds of up to 80 km/h, heavy rain, lightning, and hail starting Sunday, with the phenomenon affecting 14 regions of the country through Monday night.

The Oñoiru Agroecological Agriculture Association, which brings together more than 150 families of small rural producers from the departments of Itapúa and Caazapá, will open a commercial office in Warsaw, Poland, in June to export 100% organic Paraguayan yerba mate to over 30 European Union countries. This initiative is supported by the National Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the Market Insertion Project, which allocated more than 2.232 million guaraníes to modernize the association's industrial plant.

Experts advocate for the use of prescribed burns as a controlled management tool to reduce the buildup of combustible material and prevent disastrous wildfires in Paraguay.

President Santiago Peña inaugurated the Hospital Día Oncológico in Caazapá and stated that the government is working to offer quality cancer treatment in the country, comparable to what is available in São Paulo. He highlighted a more than threefold increase in the Incan budget and the construction of a new hospital in Itauguá that will be a reference in South America.

After three decades of deadlock, Paraguay's government, through Indert, begins land regularization for the Santa Teresa del Mandu'ara community in Caazapá, with the symbolic delivery of ten property titles.

The Minister of the National Secretariat of Culture (SNC), Adriana Ortiz, took part in the third National Forum of Cultural Managers in Paraguarí, where the National Culture Plan 2050 was officially launched. The event highlighted the need for decentralization of the cultural budget and greater citizen participation.

Inspectors from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (Mades) found recent removal of forest cover on 12 hectares in Tavaí, Caazapá, with soil preparation for soybean cultivation. The case was documented and forwarded to the Legal Advisory Directorate for administrative and criminal sanctions under Law No. 6676/20.

The Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) forecasts that the cold will continue in Paraguay this Tuesday, May 19, with lows of 6°C in some regions and highs between 18°C and 20°C. The sky will be partly cloudy, with no rain forecast. The National Emergency Secretariat (SEN) maintains the Jaho'i operation to shelter homeless people.

Between April 2025 and April 2026, the Social Security Institute (IPS) expanded its protected population by 63,456 people, totaling 1,666,595 insured individuals. Asunción, Central, and Alto Paraná concentrate more than 80% of the insured, reflecting the formalization of employment in the country's main economic hubs.

The National Institute of Statistics (INE) reported that 85.4% of Paraguayans aged 10 or older used the internet in the last evaluated period. Young people aged 25 to 29 lead with 97.1%, while inequality between urban areas (88.2%) and rural areas persists, with San Pedro and Caazapá recording the lowest rates.

Technicians from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) visited the property of producer Gabriela Maidana Sanabria in San Rafael, Caazapá, and observed good development of hybrid tomato and locote, as well as a mild whitefly infestation, with management recommendations and a nutrition schedule.

The Ministry of Children and Adolescents (MINNA) coordinated an action that removed 42 indigenous children and adolescents from the streets of Ciudad del Este, amid cold and danger. Three adolescents were unaccompanied, and an indigenous woman with seven children was taken to a shelter. The group will be reintegrated into their communities of origin in Guairá, Caazapá, and Alto Paraná.

A survey by the Paraguayan Chamber of Meat (CPC) based on Senacsa data shows that between 2015 and 2025, more than 34,000 cattle farmers left the activity, while about 3% of establishments account for 61% of bovine production. The Eastern Region concentrates 90% of the reduction, with emphasis on San Pedro, Concepción, Caaguazú, Itapúa, and Caazapá.