☀ Domingo Brief — Mind the Gap, President Mulino

Each Sunday, take two minutes to catch key stories and opportunities shaping Latin America.

Welcome back to the Domingo Brief! This week, we’re following Venezuelan election pressures, Ecuadorian inflation, and more.

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Trivia of the Week

Just under a third (31%) of you correctly chose Rutherford B. Hayes as the U.S. President for whom Paraguay named a department (as well as a city)! Such an honor came to be after the Paraguayan War of 1864-1870 where President Rutherford B. Hayes arbitrated a boundary dispute between Argentina and Paraguay, ultimately awarding the territory to Paraguay in 1878. In gratitude, the country named the department “Presidente Hayes” and the capital city of the department “Villa Hayes.” There’s even a local soccer club carrying his namesake as well!

Each week, tune back in for the answer to the previous week’s trivia question. No cheating!

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🇦🇷 Argentina is taking a leap with four new lithium infrastructure projects ready to begin full-scale operations. Though already a major lithium exporter behind Australia and China, and having experienced decades of direct investment into its giant lithium deposits, the country has seen just one new mine develop in almost a decade.

Latinometrics: Currently, only three operations export lithium in Argentina, but in coming years the industry is expected to ramp up annual capacity by 79% to the equivalent of an increase of 202K metric tons. The projects are a prospective boon for President Javier Milei, who needs export dollars to help overcome currency constraints currently stifling Argentina’s crisis-prone economy.

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🇨🇷 Costa Rica has concluded negotiations with Iceland, New Zealand, and Switzerland to launch the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade, and Sustainability (ACCTS). After 15 rounds of negotiations over the past 5 years, the signatory countries agreed on an innovative trade agreement centered around climate change by means of changing their current commercial and sustainability agendas. The principal mechanisms to be implemented under the agreement include tariff reductions on environmental goods and renewable energy infrastructure, creation of environmental subsection agencies, elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, and guided eco-labelling. The ACCTS looks to mobilize action on climate change in the light of biodiversity loss, pollution, and other serious environmental challenges.