LATAM POLITICS TODAY-Lithium politics in Mexico piles on industry doubts

The latest in Latin American politics today: Decree adds to doubts about Mexico's lithium future

MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government's latest move to tighten control over its potentially lucrative lithium reserves fails to resolve the puzzle of how it can lure needed private industry expertise while keeping most profits for state coffers. Last Saturday, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signed his latest presidential decree on lithium, which in part stated that existing concessions within a newly designated mining zone "remain safe." But the order also declared, "No mining activity can be carried out related to lithium" within the area.

Experts see echoes in Lopez Obrador's preference for tight state control regarding commodities deemed strategic, pointing to his approach to energy policy. El Salvador begins transfers to new 'mega prison'

SAN SALVADOR - El Salvador's government moved thousands of suspected gang members to a newly opened "mega prison," the latest step in a controversial crackdown on crime that has caused the Central American nation's prison population to soar. "This will be their new home, where they won't be able to do any more harm to the population," President Nayib Bukele wrote on Twitter.

Around 2,000 accused gang members were moved to the 40,000-person-capacity prison, considered to be the largest in the Americas. More than 64,000 suspects have been arrested in Bukele's anti-crime dragnet over the past year.

Mexico's AMLO: Tesla can't build where water is scarce MEXICO CITY - Tesla would be denied permits to build a plant in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon if water is scarce, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said.

His comments mark the strongest sign yet that his concerns over water supply could become a deal-breaker for Tesla's plans near the U.S.-Mexico border, underscoring critiques from analysts and investors that interference from Lopez Obrador's government is undercutting Mexico's potential as a near-shoring destination serving the U.S. market. "If there's no water, no," Lopez Obrador told reporters, when asked if he would allow the electric vehicle maker led by billionaire Elon Musk to open a plant in Nuevo Leon, a major industrial hub considered a top contender to land the investment.

Argentina farm group to protest against FX controls, taxes BUENOS AIRES - Argentina farmers, currently being hit hard by a prolonged drought, will hold a protest next week to demand better taxation, foreign exchange rates and financial support conditions, a major growers federation said.

The Argentine Agrarian Federation (FAA) said producers on Tuesday will gather at a major junction of a key highway going from farm hub city Rosario in Santa Fe to the capital, Buenos Aires. "We will demonstrate and we will continue making our demands," the FAA said, adding it would focus on asking for export taxes to be eliminated, financial aid to properly reach farmers and improvements in Argentina's skewed FX markets. (Compiled by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Leslie Adler)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)