INTERNACIONAL
El congreso de Guatemala abre sesiones con el debate del nuevo subsidio a los combustibles y citación a funcionarios para fiscalizar el anterior
El Congreso de Guatemala abrirá el segundo período ordinario con el debate del nuevo subsidio a los combustibles anunciado por Bernardo Arévalo, una propuesta que prevé Q12 por galón de diésel y Q3 por galón de gasolina regular hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2026 para contener el alza internacional del petróleo, el precio del pasaje y el gasto de los hogares.
La iniciativa del Ejecutivo, contempla un espacio presupuestario de Q3 mil 480 millones, equivalentes a unos USD 453 millones. El Gobierno sostiene que ese monto saldrá de una readecuación interna del presupuesto, sin deuda nueva y sin tocar los recursos de Salud Pública, Educación ni Comunicaciones, Infraestructura y Vivienda.
Antes de que el pleno entre al fondo de la propuesta, la Instancia de Jefes de Bloque volverá a reunirse el lunes 3 de agosto. Allí comparecerán los ministros de Finanzas Públicas, Economía y Energía y Minas, junto con autoridades de la Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria, para presentar un informe sobre la ejecución del subsidio anterior y responder dudas de los diputados sobre financiamiento, fiscalización y resultados.
La discusión llega sin consensos cerrados. Tras la reunión de jefes de bloque del jueves 30 de julio, el vicepresidente del Congreso Nery Ramos informó que seguía en análisis tanto la iniciativa del oficialismo para un subsidio directo como otra opción: crear un fondo de compensación que se active cuando los precios internacionales superen un techo previamente definido.
El nuevo esquema supera al apoyo temporal aprobado en el Decreto 11-2026, que rigió entre el 28 de abril y el 2 de julio de este año. Ese mecanismo otorgó Q8 por galón de diésel y Q5 por galón de gasolina, con un costo fiscal cercano a Q2 mil millones.
Según el Ministerio de Energía y Minas, ese subsidio ayudó a contener la inflación mientras estuvo vigente. Cuando expiró, los precios volvieron a subir hasta superar los Q40 por galón en algunas estaciones de la capital.
Arévalo presentó la propuesta en una conferencia de prensa junto al ministro de Finanzas Públicas Jonathan Menkos y el ministro de Energía y Minas Erwin Barrios. El presidente vinculó la presión sobre los combustibles con las tensiones bélicas en el estrecho de Ormuz, que han empujado al alza los precios internacionales del crudo.
“El precio de los combustibles, tanto el diésel como la gasolina, está golpeando la economía de las familias guatemaltecas y se siente en quienes llenan el tanque de sus vehículos, pero también en el precio del pasaje que utilizan quienes van a trabajar o estudiar”, dijo el mandatario. Luego agregó: “Ningún país de nuestra región está libre de esta realidad. Nos encontramos en medio de una crisis de carácter global”.
Barrios explicó que la diferencia entre los montos asignados al diésel y a la gasolina responde al peso económico de cada combustible. Según el ministro, el diésel tiene un impacto tres veces mayor porque mueve el transporte de personas y mercancías en trayectos cortos y largos.
Arévalo resumió ese criterio con una frase: “El apoyo al diésel es mucho más efectivo que el apoyo a la gasolina, que se limita al vehículo en el transporte”. La apuesta oficial busca contener tanto el costo de carga de combustible como los precios de movilidad y distribución.
La bancada oficialista sostiene que el proyecto aún puede modificarse para endurecer controles. Uno de los diputados que defendió esa línea afirmó tras la reunión del jueves: “Aún estamos discutiendo, aún estamos buscando consensos y acuerdos con los diferentes bloques que nos permitan aprobar lo más pronto posible una medida urgente, necesaria para poder aliviar la crisis que las familias guatemaltecas están enfrentando por el incremento de los precios del petróleo”.
Otra voz del oficialismo planteó que el punto central es evitar que el beneficio se pierda antes de llegar al usuario final. En esa línea, señaló: “Lo que debemos de atacar fuertemente es las alzas del pasaje injustificados. Tenemos denuncias que aún con el subsidio, los transportistas incrementaron el pasaje y esa es la parte que no se vale”.
El Ejecutivo también fijó límites a las alternativas en discusión. Menkos descartó contratar nuevos préstamos o cualquier otro esquema de endeudamiento público para cubrir el subsidio.
Barrios rechazó además una rebaja parcial de tributos como solución suficiente. Indicó que eliminar el Impuesto de Distribución de Petróleo y el IVA al diésel solo produciría una rebaja de Q7 por galón, por debajo del beneficio planteado por el Gobierno.
La fijación de precios máximos tampoco forma parte del plan. El ministro de Energía y Minas sostuvo que esa opción contradice la Ley de Comercialización de Hidrocarburos, basada en el libre mercado, y afirmó: “Los precios tope serían una ilegalidad”.
Arévalo recordó que la aprobación y entrada en vigor del Decreto 11-2026 tomó cerca de dos semanas, del 14 al 28 de abril. El presidente estimó que esta vez el plazo podría ser menor porque los reglamentos y mecanismos de control ya existen y solo requieren ajustes.
El Gobierno anunció además una mesa técnica para definir medidas adicionales si la crisis energética internacional se prolonga más allá del plazo del subsidio. Entre las alternativas figura focalizar el apoyo, aunque el presidente advirtió que ese mecanismo necesitaría al menos dos meses de preparación.
También prevé reforzar a la Dirección de Asistencia al Consumidor y al Ministerio de Energía y Minas para vigilar posibles maniobras especulativas en los precios. A la vez, evalúa si el subsidio anterior favoreció el contrabando de combustible hacia países vecinos para diseñar controles que aseguren que el beneficio se aplique solo dentro del territorio nacional.
En su mensaje final, Arévalo pidió rapidez al Legislativo para aprobar la medida: “Este no es tiempo para divisiones, este no es un tiempo para réditos personales o políticos. Guatemala necesita un Congreso unido que proteja el bolsillo de nuestras familias”. Varias bancadas ya habían expresado su disposición a respaldar una readecuación presupuestaria antes del anuncio oficial, según reportes de medios guatemaltecos del día anterior.
Congreso de la República de Guatemala
INTERNACIONAL
Bipartisan pair of senators urge Rubio to release aid to African women, children at risk of Ebola
WHO issues WARNING after DEADLY Ebola outbreak
The CDC is coordinating the ‘safe withdrawal’ of at least six Americans exposed to a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the WHO declared a global health emergency.
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Senators Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., are urging the State Department to release hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to help women and infants affected by an Ebola outbreak in East Africa.
In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio Thursday, the senators urged him to use $608 million in congressionally approved international family-planning funds and distribute $1.7 million in already purchased family-planning supplies.
The supplies, which the senators implied included condoms, hormonal contraception, post-rape care medicine and hemorrhage medicines, are being stored at a site in Geel, Belgium, according to the letter.
The senators said if the supplies aren’t used, their understanding is that they will be «destroyed.»
Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., wrote a letter Thursday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking the administration to release congressionally appropriated funds to help women and infants at risk of contracting Ebola. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Annabelle Gordon)
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«Ebola during pregnancy is catastrophic, with a nearly 100 percent fetal loss rate and catastrophic material mortality risk due to severe hemorrhaging,» the lawmakers wrote.
«By providing women with the option to voluntarily prevent unplanned pregnancies and to protect themselves from transmission of the virus and have access to clinics, the United States can prevent further deaths of women and the cruel and certain death of any fetus exposed to the virus,» they added.
The senators also asked the State Department to issue a «humanitarian exception» to support the United Nations Population Fund’s existing health clinics in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Psychologists speak with Nyota Safi, a patient who recovered from Ebola virus disease, at the Rwampara Ebola Treatment Centre in Bunia, Ituri, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo July 13, 2026. (Benediction Murhabazi/AFP via Getty Images)
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As of July 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had reported 3,532 Ebola cases in the DRC and 1,556 deaths, representing a mortality rate of roughly 44%.
In neighboring Uganda, there have been 20 confirmed cases and two deaths, according to the CDC.
Murkowski and Shaheen told the State Department the virus’s rapid spread «leaves no time for delay in providing all possible interventions to save lives.»
Health workers start simulations on admission of suspected cases and evacuation of those deceased during a training by medical charity, Médecins Sans Frontières, in Kenya July 10, 2026. (Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images)
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«The cost of [the] United States response is approaching $1 billion,» they wrote. «Investment now in voluntary family planning is fiscally rational in addition to being morally urgent.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 22, 2026. (Eloisa Lopez/Pool Photo via AP)
The earliest known case in the latest Ebola outbreak involved a health worker in the DRC’s Ituri Province who developed symptoms in late April and later died, though the World Health Organization (WHO) believes transmission may have begun as early as March.
The WHO was first alerted to the outbreak May 5 after four health workers died within four days. Ten days later, investigators confirmed that the illness was caused by Bundibugyo virus, a form of Ebola.
ebola, aid, state department, health, politics, marco rubio
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Three people were killed on Saturday at an upscale Italian restaurant in central Moscow following a massive explosion.
The explosion was caused by a homemade explosive device, Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee claimed.
The dead included a woman who attempted to bring the explosive device into the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant, a security guard and a patron, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported, adding that the security guard wouldn’t let her in.
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Law enforcement officers and emergency services personnel stand near the site of an explosion at a restaurant in central Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 1, 2026. (REUTERS)
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At least 21 more people were injured in the explosion, which happened around 8 p.m. on a ground-floor terrace restaurant at Kudrinksaya Square, which includes seven skyscrapers built during the Stalin regime.
Balzi Rossi ‘s website said it was closed Saturday for a private event.
Police vehicles are at the site of an explosion at a restaurant in central Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 1, 2026. (REUTERS)
Russia’s FSB security service said earlier this year that it planned to increase security within the country for high-level officials after a series of assassinations as the war in Ukraine drags on.
Law enforcement officers stand guard at the site of an explosion at a restaurant in central Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 1, 2026. (REUTERS)
Heavily armed law enforcement was seen at the scene.
Moscow Investigative Committee told the news agency the scene is still under active investigation.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
russia, bombings, world
INTERNACIONAL
Trump blasts rogue GOP senators for blocking Blanche nomination, vows anti-weaponization bill fight
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President Donald Trump blasted Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, Saturday for opposing his nomination of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the permanent position, suggesting he could keep Blanche in the temporary Justice Department leadership role and ensure the anti-weaponization bill is passed.
While blasting the rogue GOP senators, Trump tied the Blanche nomination fight to the anti-weaponization bill, proposed legislation that would establish a congressionally authorized compensation program for alleged victims of political «weaponization,» replacing the controversial DOJ-created anti-weaponization fund.
The fund was formed through a settlement Blanche reached with the IRS and the Treasury Department to create a $1.8 billion fund to compensate alleged victims of political persecution. Amid criticism that the executive branch lacked authority to create such a program without congressional approval, the Justice Department later said it would not move forward with the fund, effectively shelving it.
«If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn’t Endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren’t going to approve Todd Blanche, one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill, which takes care of those who have been so badly treated by the Crooked Joe Biden (and Obuma!) Administration (I get nothing, although I was treated horribly!), PASSED. Todd Blanche was a voice of reason! It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done,» Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday morning.
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Cornyn and Tillis, both of whom faced electoral opposition from Trump in some form, each indicated they would not vote to advance Blanche’s nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, talks with Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., during a Senate Finance Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 30, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
«I think I am prepared to vote no, but I do think I owe it to my constituents and to Mr. Blanche to try to negotiate in good faith,» Cornyn told Capitol Hill reporters Wednesday. «And that’s what we’ve been doing. And, so, we’ll see where things are this morning and see where we go from here.»
Though both Blanche and Trump have previously said the anti-weaponization fund is «dead,» Cornyn and Tillis both indicated they want the fund’s demise to be formalized in writing before supporting Blanche’s confirmation.
Cornyn questioned Blanche about the fund during his mid-July confirmation hearing.
«Has there been a written agreement of the parties to modify the settlement fund?» Cornyn asked Blanche.
«No, the settlement fund is just not moving forward,» Blanche replied.
TRUMP UNLOADS ON CORNYN, TIES AG NOMINATION FIGHT TO BITTER TEXAS PRIMARY
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is sworn in at his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Tillis, who announced in 2025 that he would not be seeking re-election just one day after Trump threatened to back a primary challenger, also criticized the anti-weaponization fund, calling it a «payout pot for punks» in a response to Trump on X Saturday morning.
«Despite comments as late as yesterday that the fund is dead, President Trump clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against,» Tillis wrote.
«It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal. Hopefully, we can resolve this by Tuesday.»
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., makes his way to a vote in the U.S. Capitol April 30, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
Cornyn, who has been a senator since 2002, lost his GOP primary to Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during the state’s May 26 contest, losing by nearly 400,000 votes, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.
Trump, during his Cabinet Friday meeting at Camp David, theorized that his backing of Paxton was Cornyn’s motivation for opposing Blanche.
«This is being done by a senator. And I don’t really blame him, to be honest with you. I endorsed his opponent. And as soon as I endorsed his opponent, his opponent went through the roof, and he won the primary election in Texas,» Trump said.
«And the man that lost, the man that I didn’t endorse has become very angry. And that’s OK. I understand that. I probably would do the same thing.»
President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth participate in a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Thurmont, Md, July 31, 2026. (Daniel Heuer/Reuters)
Cornyn downplayed that possibility.
«That’s a convenient excuse, and it happens to be untrue,» Cornyn told reporters on Capitol Hill Wednesday, according to CBS News.
Trump also told reporters during the Cabinet meeting that, though he considers the anti-weaponization fund «dead,» he wishes it wasn’t.
«Well, it is dead. But, you know, I wish it weren’t to be honest with you. I think people were horribly treated, horribly abused. … And I’d like to see them compensated for the pain,» Trump said.
Blanche is scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday for a vote on whether to advance his nomination out of the committee and to the full Senate for confirmation.
Fox News Digital contacted the White House, the Justice Department, Cornyn and Tillis for further comment.
Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.
donald trump, senate elections, attorney general, politics, todd blanche, republicans
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