La Nacion

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to spend between $1 million and $2 million to buy Boston Dynamics Spot quadruped robots for inspections and risk assessments in dangerous, confined or hard-to-reach areas, but it has not yet determined the quantity or final purchase price.

Sami Pajari won Rally del Paraguay 2026 for his third consecutive victory of the WRC season. Diego Domínguez Bejarano won WRC2 at home, while Santiago Peña said he would work to bring more competitions to Paraguay; Pedro Alliana presented Andrea Lafarja as the first Paraguayan woman to reach a World Rally Championship podium.

The APS is preparing Paraguay’s National Opening of Soybean Planting 2026/27 and projects 3.6 million to 3.7 million hectares for the new campaign. The meeting will examine the outlook for the new cycle, which depends on weather, prices and production costs.

Maigotex turns mango residues into biomaterial for bags, footwear and accessories after more than 1,500 tests with support from the National University of Asunción, developing a local alternative to leather.

Operational problems in Montevideo, restrictions on convoy formation width and Argentina’s US$1.30-per-net-registered-ton toll, charged on both outbound and return journeys, are raising costs and uncertainty for Paraguayan cargo transported along the Paraná–Paraguay waterway, as the country seeks transshipment alternatives at Punta del Arenal Sur.

A bill introduced in Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies proposes an integrated policy to research, preserve, teach and disseminate information about Acosta Ñu and the Campaign of the Cordilleras. The measures remain proposals subject to legislative review; the text would also bring together dispersed legal and institutional instruments and create an ad honorem technical committee.

The Senate is reviewing an agreement that could allow Paraguayans and Qataris to enter, transit through and stay in each other’s territory for up to 90 days without visas or fees, subject to approval by both houses of Congress, as the government expands its economic and trade agenda with the business sector.

The dollar fell to G. 5,950 in Paraguay, its lowest rate since 2019, putting pressure on exporters and real estate projects, while the Central Bank of Paraguay attributes the exchange rate to supply and demand and is assessing measures to reduce volatility.

The Mercosur-EU agreement could expand Paraguayan exports and attract investment, especially in agriculture, forestry and renewable energy, but it will require certification, audits and traceability to meet European standards.

Sara Benítez recounted on TikTok an argument with an American at a café in Asunción after photographing the venue; published reactions criticized his approach and revived debates about interactions between Paraguayans and some foreigners in public spaces.

Decree No. 6,692, signed by Santiago Peña, authorizes the transfer for consideration of a military property spanning more than 9 hectares at Km 8 in Ciudad del Este to the Ministry of Health to build the Gran Hospital de Alto Paraná. Itaipú will fully finance the physical works, initially planned to have 204 inpatient beds and 56 intensive care beds.

The TSJE conducted a nationwide TREP simulation on August 28, while Villarrica separately tested the system at its 19 polling locations; sources differ over whether the schedule ended on August 29 or 30.

Paraguayan courts have definitively confiscated Darío Messer’s assets, including companies, real estate, vehicles, livestock and accounts, while prosecutors investigate seven offices in Hernandarias transferred to Banco Atlas through a trust.

The National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD) seized 5,967 kilograms of marijuana, destroyed eight camps and five hectares of cultivation in Capitán Bado, where it detained a 16-year-old, and separately seized 13 kilograms of the drug in a package at Silvio Pettirossi Airport.

Paraguay’s Interior Minister Enrique Riera said the armed group EPP will be eliminated and the three abducted people who remain missing — Edelio Morínigo, Félix Urbieta and Óscar Denis — found by the end of his term. Former minister Francisco de Vargas warned that the group retains operational capacity and called for stronger security forces.

Paraguay's Senate approved National Evangelical Church Day for the last Sunday of October, without creating a public holiday or requiring the date to be added to the school calendar. IELPA and IERP challenge the name and historical rationale; the bill will still be reviewed by the Chamber of Deputies.

A doctors’ strike in Paraguay enters its fifth day with 39 pediatric surgeons threatening to resign from Monday, while the government proposes a phased 76% increase over 14 months and lawmakers disagree over funding sources.

Santiago Peña has proposed turning Paraguay into a regional logistics hub by expanding the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway and the Bioceanic Corridor, improving air connectivity and modernizing institutions. The government’s goal is to gradually double the volume of river cargo.

Caperex and Digemabel maintain a permanent working group to coordinate controls on weapons and military materials in courier shipments, aiming to prevent irregular operations, strengthen traceability and improve clear, secure procedures. The coordination matters for Paraguay’s security and regional logistics because it seeks to reduce risks in the cross-border transport of regulated goods.

Women account for 16% of mayoral candidacies in Paraguay’s 2026 municipal elections, up from 12.9% in 2021, while they represent 32% of registrations for Municipal Councils, according to the Supreme Tribunal of Electoral Justice, which is providing training to expand women’s political participation.

A truck carrying 283 boxes of inputs without health registration, reportedly from Bolivia, was seized in Mariscal Estigarribia in Paraguay’s Chaco region. The driver was charged with smuggling, and authorities suspect the material could be used to counterfeit or market alleged injectable weight-loss medicines.

Operation Mirage detained five Brazilians in La Paloma, Canindeyú, and seized weapons, ammunition, electronic devices and two vehicles reported stolen in Brazil. Police are investigating possible links to the PCC and counterfeit medicines.

Petropar has begun selling Jet A-1 and AVGAS in Paraguay, with one plant operating in Encarnación and plans for five facilities through a public-private partnership that does not require direct state investment in infrastructure.

Paraguay’s national doctors’ strike suspended nonurgent consultations and surgeries for a second day as the National Medical Union demands pay increases, job stability and better conditions, while the government and Congress seek negotiations amid budget constraints.