Ultima Hora

The Family Health Unit (USF) in Ycuá Karanday, Luque, has been ready for months but has not yet opened due to a lack of equipment and supplies. The community, awaiting services such as vaccination and dentistry, already sees health professionals circulating, but the doors remain closed.

Paraguayan musicians Stefano Pavetti and Derlis González Morel took part in a historic concert at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in the Vatican, performing Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. The event marks the growing Paraguayan cultural presence at the institution and reinforces Pavetti's goal of creating a choral conducting course in Paraguay.

Paraguay's Comptroller General's Office has initiated a summary proceeding against former Senator Javier 'Chaqueñito' Vera for failing to submit his sworn asset declaration within the legal 15-business-day deadline after leaving office. Vera claims forgetfulness and says he is organizing the documentation, while the Comptroller's Office warns that the fine could reach 100% of his salary, depending on the days of delay.

The Municipality of Asunción reminds that the deadline to renew driver's licenses expires on May 31. The Centro Paraguayo Japonés (CPJ) and a post in the Sajonia neighborhood are authorized for the service. Drivers aged 65 or older must undergo mandatory annual medical exams, according to Ordinance 113/17.

The National Emergency Secretariat (SEN) reactivated the temporary shelter in the Tacumbú neighborhood of Asunción as part of Operation Jaho'i 2026. On the first night, four homeless men were taken in, receiving shelter, food, and basic care. SEN asks the public to report cases of vulnerability by calling 911 or (0986) 111 001.

The National Directorate of Civil Aviation (Dinac) confirmed that Gol Linhas Aéreas has reopened talks for the direct route between Asunción and Miami. Tuesday's meeting with the Chief of Staff of the Presidency, Javier Giménez, may define the next steps, including the issue of the subsidy demanded by the airline.

A serious accident on Ruta Acceso Sur in Itá left four women injured after a truck collided with and dragged their car into a drainage ditch. Two elderly women were hospitalized with suspected fractures.

Starting this Tuesday, Paraguay's Vice Ministry of Transport began applying staggered fines to bus companies that do not transmit their real-time GPS location, as part of the Integral Control and Monitoring System (SICM). The measure aims to combat frequent 'reguladas' (fleet reductions) and improve service for users.

Jorge Daniel Samudio, known as 'Freddie Mercury', was detained along with two other men, including a retired non-commissioned officer of the Armed Forces, suspected of robbing two gas stations in Limpio, Central Department. Police seized a vehicle, a pistol, and ammunition.

Three hooded men broke into a house in the Santa Isabel neighborhood of Katueté, Canindeyú, and held two women hostage for nearly two hours. They took about 28 million guaranis in cash, made bank transfers of approximately 29.4 million guaranis, and fled in a Volkswagen Saveiro. Police recovered the vehicle abandoned in a cornfield and arrested Antonio Varela Giret, owner of one of the accounts used in the transfers.

Paraguay's Public Ministry on Monday requested a 6-year prison sentence for former sports executive Ramón González Daher, accused of lying under oath in 2021 during a defamation lawsuit filed by Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez. The defense claims the defendant invented a voluntary resignation from the vice presidency of the Paraguayan Football Association (APF), but official documents show he was removed for failing a fitness exam.

The Sentencing Tribunal was recused by the defense of one of the accused, and the new trial is suspended until a decision by the Court of Appeals. The victim's father criticizes the delay and announces a protest.

Two Belgian multinationals, Jan De Nul and DEME, are competing for the 25-year concession of the Paraná-Paraguay waterway, a route that handles 80% of Argentine exports and also serves Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Paraguay. The final decision depends on the economic proposals, while Argentina's Administrative Investigations Prosecutor's Office points to irregularities in the process.

From June 3 to 6, the Itaipu Binacional hydroelectric plant on the Paraguay-Brazil border will host the 38th meeting of UNESCO's International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB-ICC). The event, with about 250 participants from 34 countries, will focus on clean energy and natural reserve management.

Saudi Arabia has launched its first quantum computer, installed at the state-owned Aramco data center, in collaboration with French company Pasqal. The initiative includes the Middle East's first commercial Quantum Computing as a Service (QCaaS) platform, targeting applications in energy, materials, and industry.

Paraguay's Ministry of Health records an average of 348 weekly dengue notifications, with 57 confirmed cases in the last three weeks, predominantly in the Central Department and Asunción. The DENV-1 serotype has been identified. Two cases of chikungunya have also been confirmed in Pedro Juan Caballero, one imported from Bolivia. Authorities warn to maintain prevention measures even with the cold.

UNESCO released on Monday the Spanish version of the Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Property, an interactive platform featuring 241 missing items from 47 countries, with notable participation from Spanish-speaking nations, including Paraguay, which contributed two objects. The initiative has already aided in the recovery of pieces such as the gold helmet of Coțofenești from Romania.

A 16-year-old teenager is hospitalized in intensive care at the Trauma Hospital of Asunción after being run over by a pickup truck in Capiatá, Central Department. The driver, aged 70, tested negative for alcohol but was under the effect of controlled medications. Family members demand the driver's responsibility for the costs.

Thieves stole all food and utensils from the makeshift kitchen of San Lorenzo Basic School in General Resquín, San Pedro, interrupting the Hambre Cero program for two days. Parents denounce the precarious infrastructure and demand action from authorities.

The city of Pedro Juan Caballero, in the department of Amambay, was the scene of three notable events in May 2026: a fire that destroyed the home of an 85-year-old woman, the death of the city's oldest woman at age 110, and the shooting murder of a Brazilian mechanic, in a case treated as possible contract killing.

Paraguay's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) issued an agrometeorological alert due to a forecast of a sharp temperature drop starting May 19, with frost risk in the central and southern regions of the Eastern Region. The agency recommends preventive measures for sensitive crops and livestock production.

Paraguay's Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) informed that temporary detours on Silvio Pettirossi Avenue, between Elizardo Aquino and Ñu Guasu avenues, remain in effect for the construction of the foundation heads of the viaduct for the Las Residentas road corridor. The measure, expected to last about ten days, alters traffic in both directions and requires increased driver attention.

In the early hours of May 18, the Ministry of Childhood and Adolescence (MINNA) coordinated an inter-institutional operation that removed 42 indigenous children and adolescents from the streets of Ciudad del Este, in the department of Alto Paraná. Three minors were without adult reference; a repeat offender woman and her seven children were taken to the MINNA Open Shelter Refuge by court order. The others underwent medical examinations and were sent back to their communities of origin in Guairá, Caazapá, and Alto Paraná.

The Embassy of Taiwan, together with the Taiwanese community and students from the Taiwan-Paraguay Polytechnic University, promoted a cleanup day on Asunción's Costanera to raise awareness about environmental care and reinforce the request for Taiwan's participation in international forums.