News of latin america

In this picture released by Peruvian news agency Andina, Peruvian presidential candidate for the Peru Libre (Free Peru) Party, Pedro Castillo, waves as he leaves a polling station in Cajamarca, Peru, after casting his vote during general elections on April 11, 2021.

PERUVIAN ELECTION 2021

Far-left schoolteacher takes lead as Peru counts presidential votes

Yesterdat 22:23 Union leader and teacher Pedro Castillo takes surprise, though slim, lead in Peru's presidential election, and will likely face a right-wing rival in a run-off in June, incomplete results showed Monday.

Picture released by the Peruvian National Service of Protected Natural Areas (SERNANP) on April 10, 2021 of a new species of marsupial frog found during a research study developed in the moorland and humid forest of the Cordillera de Colan, in a protected area of the Amazon region between 3,136 and 3,179 meters above sea level, in northeastern Peru.

Wildlife

New species of frog unearthed in Peruvian Amazon jungle

Yesterdat 16:28 A new species of marsupial frog has been discovered in Peru's Amazon jungle during a study in the humid tundra and mountainous woodland area of the Cordilleras de Colan.

Elderly people wait to receive a dose of the Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 at the Victorino Santaella Hospital in Los Teques, Venezuela on April 9, 2021, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Global pandemic

Maduro says Venezuela will produce Cuban Covid-19 vaccine

Yesterdat 14:22 Venezuela has signed an agreement to produce the Cuban coronavirus vaccines in its laboratories according to President Nicolas Maduro.

Ecuadorean presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso in Colta, Ecuador, on April 1, 2021.

Ecuador run-off

Lasso: the Catholic conservative pledging to change Ecuador's destiny

Yesterdat 11:29 Guillermo Lasso has returned the conservative right to power in Ecuador, winning Sunday's presidential election after two defeats that failed to discourage him.

Ecuadorean President-elect Guillermo Lasso (centre) speaks to the press next to his wife María de Lourdes Alcivera (right) and ex-Guayaquil mayor Jaime Nebot as he celebrates his victory in Guayaquil, Ecuador on April 11, 2021.

Ecuador run-off

Former banker Guillermo Lasso elected Ecuador's next president

Yesterdat 10:41 Career banker Guillermo Lasso has won Ecuador’s presidential election after a late surge in support, pledging "opportunities and prosperity" for pandemic-battered and debt-laden economy and a political system riven by gridlock.

Rafael Bielsa, Argentina’s current Ambassador to Chile.

INTERVIEW – PERIODISMO PURO

Rafael Bielsa: ‘Alberto Fernández is very far from being a puppet’

10-04-2021 07:42 Rafael Bielsa, Argentina’s current Ambassador to Chile, on the pandemic, the president, Peronism and bilateral relations.

by Jorge Fontevecchia

People wait to receive a dose of the Sinovac Biotech Ltd. Covid-19 vaccine at a clinic in Montevideo.

Global pandemic

Uruguay, once Covid haven, suffers record infections and deaths

09-04-2021 15:25 Uruguay is grappling with one of the world’s highest Covid infection rates, with scores killed weekly, schools shut and a confused and weary population searching for answers.

A medical worker assists a COVID-19 patient at the Dr. Abelardo Santos Regional Hospital in Belem, Para state, Brazil, on March 26, 2021.

Global Pandemic

Brazilian Senate to probe Bolsonaro's handling of pandemic

09-04-2021 11:55 A judge from Brazil's supreme court on Thursday ordered the Senate to create a commission to investigate President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic, after requests from 32 of Brazil's 81 senators.

A man holds Bolivar bills a street market in Caracas' Catia neighbourhood, on April 6, 2021, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

CRISIS IN VENEZUELA

GoFundMe or death: Venezuelans seek online help in Covid pandemic

09-04-2021 08:00 With a saturated public health care system and out of reach prices in private clinics, many Venezuelans are turning to crowdfunding sites throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ecuadorean presidential candidate for the Union por la Esperanza party Andrés Arauz attends the closing rally of his campaign in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on April 7, 2021.

Ecuador run-off

Leftist Andrés Arauz says he would renegotiate Ecuador's agreements if elected

08-04-2021 16:31 Leftist presidential candidate Andres Arauz has big plans to change Ecuador's course if elected on Sunday, when he faces right-wing contender Guillermo Lasso in a run-off vote.

Ecuadorean presidential candidate for the Creando Oportunidades (CREO) movement, Guillermo Lasso (centre), gives the thumb up during the closing rally of his campaign in Guayaquil, Ecuador on April 8, 2021.

Ecuador run-off

Right-winger Guillermo Lasso says aiming for Ecuador political unity

08-04-2021 16:20 Right-wing presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso says he's ready to work with anyone, including political rivals, to govern the country if elected in Ecuador's second-round run-off on Sunday.

Indigenous Roberto Tipantuna, a supporter of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Andres Arauz, poses in the village of Pujili, Cotopaxi province, Ecuador, on April 6, 2020. After Ecuadorean indigenous presidential candidate Yaku Perez lost his chance to run for the second round of the election, political division went back to indigenous communities.

ECUADOR RUN-OFF

Environmentalists dismayed by Ecuador presidential candidates

08-04-2021 16:09 Leftist Andrés Arauz faces the right-wing Guillermo Lasso in a run-off election, with both vowing to continue oil and mineral extraction, which has already devastated a sixth of Ecuador's Amazon jungle.

An activist dressed as Evita Perón takes part with others in a rally calling for debt reform during the virtual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, outside of IMF headquarters in Washington DC on April 8, 2021.

BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS

Tax-the-rich initiatives gain support across Latin America

08-04-2021 14:55 Chile, Mexico, Colombia see wealth tax proposals advancing, Argentina and Bolivia have already passed measures; Debt in region soared as pandemic caused worst crash in two centuries.

Handout picture released by Venezuela's Presidency, showing President Nicolás Maduro speaking during a televised announcement regarding the pandemic of the new coronavirus Covid-19, at Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, on March 22, 2020.

Global pandemic

Venezuela claims sanctions blocking vaccine purchases

08-04-2021 11:48 Venezuela's foreign minister claims that without economic sanctions against the government of President Nicolás Maduro, the country would already have purchased all 30 million coronavirus vaccines it needs.

President Donald Trump and Bolsonaro are expected to discuss the crisis in Venezuela, a possible free-trade agreement between their countries and Chinese telecom company Huawei over a working dinner Saturday, March 7 at Trump's resort in Florida.

Global pandemic

Brazil's Bolsonaro snubs new lockdown calls

08-04-2021 11:44 Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro doubled down on his opposition to lockdown measures to contain Covid-19 Wednesday, as experts warned a largescale stay-at-home was "absolutely necessary" to slow a deadly surge of the coronavirus.

People wearing protective face masks walk by Avenida Brasil, near the Constitución train station in Buenos Aires City, on April 6, 2021.

DEBT RELIEF

Mexico, Argentina urge debt relief for middle-income nations

08-04-2021 11:36 Mexico and Argentina call for international debt relief for middle-income countries home to many of the people pushed into extreme poverty by the coronavirus pandemic; IMF open to doing more to support nations hit hard by virus crisis.

The candidate to the Peruvian Congress for the Renacimiento Unido Nacional party, Julio Mario Valencia, a former truck driver known as the

Peruvian Politics

Ex-prostitute, 'Jesus' actor line up for Peru Congress race

07-04-2021 12:33 Meet some of the candidates in Peru's Congressional elections, including an ex-prostitute campaigning for sex workers rights, a Jesus impersonator, a transgender congresswoman and an anime fanatic.

In this file photo taken on April 2, 2021, health surveillance agents are seen applying a fine and shutting down for a day a gas station store after not following Covid-19 restrictions imposed by Rio de Janeiro's City Hall during an operation at the Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Global pandemic

Pandemic policy discord deepens Brazil's Covid chaos

07-04-2021 09:33 Changing and poorly explained quarantines, contradictory judgements, erroneous vaccination forecasts: in Brazil, the global epicentre of the pandemic, the fight against the coronavirus is being conducted in the greatest confusion.

Peruvian authorities showcase illegal weapons seized as part of operation Trigger VI carried out last month.

Crime & Security

4,000 arrested in Interpol arm-trafficking raids across South America

06-04-2021 16:31 Interpol investigation carried out last month targeting illegal arms trafficking led to arrests of around 4,000 individuals, as well as seizing of illicit firearms, parts, components, ammunition and explosives.

A waiter sits at one of the restaurant tables that block a street during a protest by the sector against the measures taken by the national government to prevent the spread of COVID-19, in Cali, Colombia, on April 5, 2021.

Global pandemic

Bogotá to impose lockdown as Covid-19 cases rise in Colombia

06-04-2021 15:05 A third wave of coronavirus in Colombia has led to a tightening of sanitary policies, including the implementation of a three-day lockdown in the capital Bogotá over the weekend.

The MercadoLibre MercadoPago application is displayed on an Apple iPhone while the MercadoLibre homepage is shown on a Macbook in an arranged photograph taken in Buenos Aires.

Bloomberg

MercadoLibre plans to double workforce with 16,000 new jobs

06-04-2021 14:26 Latin American e-commerce powerhouse will double its workforce across the region to handle the surge in online purchases, according to company staff.

Passengers are pulled up at a traffic stop in Buenos Aires City, during the coronavirus pandemic.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

IMF projects stronger 2021 growth amid pandemic rebound

06-04-2021 11:01 IMF forecasts that recession-hit Argentina's economy will grow by 5.8% this year, with global GDP expected to rebound 6% overall.

Handout picture released by the Venezuelan Presidency of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaking during a broadcast message at Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on April 4, 2021.

Maduro's Venezuela

Venezuela to request UN aid to clear mines from Colombia border

05-04-2021 12:34 Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said in a televised speech that the country is preparing to ask for immediate emergency aid from the UN to defuse antipersonnel mines allegedly placed in the southeast of the country by Colombian armed groups.

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle leaves a hospital after being inoculated with the CoronaVac vaccine in Montevideo.

GLOBAL PANDEMIC

Borders closed and new restrictions: Latin America passes 25 million infections

03-04-2021 08:07 Regions across South America try to put the brakes on surging coronavirus cases – Chile closes all its borders for entire month of April; Bolivia shutters frontier with Brazil; Peru enters Easter lockdown.

COVID-19 VACCINATION

Vaccination plan advances but with difficulties, as second wave nears

03-04-2021 07:57 Confirmed cases now total 2.37 million, with more than 56,000 fatalities. To date, more than four million vaccines have been given.

INTERVIEW: PERIODISMO PURO

Pedro Cahn: ‘If things get out of hand, more lockdowns may be necessary’

03-04-2021 07:14 Dr Pedro Cahn is the Scientific Director of Fundación Huésped, a major NGO devoted to the fight against HIV/AIDS. During the coronavirus pandemic, he has served as part of an expert committee advising the Presidency and the Health Ministry on how to combat the transmission of Covid-19.

by Jorge Fontevecchia

People await to receive medical attention outside the emergency area at Alberto Sabogal Hospital in Lima.

Global pandemic

Chile, Bolivia, close borders, Peru locks down in Covid battle

02-04-2021 02:59 Virus surges in Latin America – Chile closes all borders for the month of April; Bolivia shutters frontier with Brazil; Peru goes into Easter lockdown.

FOOTBALL TRANSFERS

Lucas Torreira says he wants to play for Boca following mother's death

02-04-2021 02:55 Arsenal's Uruguay international midfielder Lucas Torreira, who is on loan at Atlético Madrid, says he wants to leave Europe and play for Boca Juniors.

Passengers walk at Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago on April 1, 2021, after Chile announced it will close its borders in April as of Monday amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Global pandemic

Chile closes borders for April as Covid cases rise

01-04-2021 15:11 With new virus variants, believed to be more contagious, spreading across the continent, cases have been soaring in Chile despite its vaccination drive.

In this file photo taken on April 15, 2020 a patient infected with the novel coronavirus Covid-19 receives treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital de Clinicas, in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Global pandemic

More than 80% of intubated Covid patients die in Brazil

31-03-2021 10:27 More than 80% of Covid-19 patients who have to be intubated in Brazil have died since the start of the second wave of infections ravaging the country, according to researchers.

In this file photo taken on April 17, 2019, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (left) and Army Commander Edson Pujol are drenched with rain as they attend a ceremony to mark Army Day, in Brasilia.

BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO

Brazil military chiefs exit in new turmoil for Bolsonaro

30-03-2021 20:36 Three commanders of Armed Forces out, confirms Bolsonaro government. Some Brazilian media reports trio had resigned in protest at president's surprise decision to replace defence minister Fernando Azevedo as part of a sweeping reshuffle.

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s president, speaks during a bill signing ceremony at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on Wednesday, March 10, 2021.

ANALYSIS

Bolsonaro ousts top ministers as pandemic spirals out of control

30-03-2021 10:19 Cabinet changes are Bolsonaro’s latest attempt to diffuse growing Covid crisis amid harsh criticism from the business community and his own allies.

In this file photo taken on February 4, 2020 Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo (R) speaks next to Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva during a press conference regarding the evacuation of Brazilian citizens from Wuhan --the region affected by the coronavirus in China-- at the Planalto Palace, Brasilia. Brazilian Defence Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva announced his exit from far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's administration on March 29, 2021, following on the heels of the foreign and health ministers. His announcement came hours after Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo submitted his resignation amid controversy over the government's problems securing more COVID-19 vaccines.

BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO

Bolsonaro overhauls cabinet as Covid surges in Brazil

29-03-2021 21:28 While speculation had been swirling that Bolsonaro was about to fire foreign minister Ernesto Araujo, who faced criticism for the government's problems securing more Covid-19 vaccines, many of the other changes came as a surprise.

Sebastián Piñera at La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, Chile

CHILEAN POLITICS

Chile president proposes delaying election on new constitution

29-03-2021 19:28 Chilean President Sebastián Piñera on Sunday proposed delaying elections that will choose a commission to rewrite the country's dictatorship-era constitution, due to a surge in Covid-19 infections.

A member of staff at Galapagos Islands airport holding two of the 185 tortoises found inside a suitcase during a routine inspection.

Environmental Crime

Staff at Galapagos airport, Ecuador, find 185 tortoises in suitcase

29-03-2021 15:03 Staff at an airport on the Galapagos Islands have found 185 tortoises, ten of which were dead, in a suitcase that was heading for Ecuador's mainland. Police are now investigating the incident.

Handout photo released by the Venezuelan Presidency of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaking during a televised message at Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on March 28, 2021.

Global pandemic

'Oil for vaccines,' offers Venezuela's Maduro as Covid bites

29-03-2021 14:07 As a second wave of coronavirus takes Venezuela by storm, president Nicolas Maduro offers to exchange "oil for vaccines."

MERCOSUR AT 30

Highlights (and low points): Mercosur turns 30

27-03-2021 08:49 A free-trade agreement with the European Union which has yet to be implemented, an imperfect common external tariff, mounted with great difficulty – these factors and others mark the 30-year history of Mercosur, a mosaic of successes and inconclusive challenges.

GLOBAL PANDEMIC

Pandemic spins out of control in Brazil: 3,650 dead in just one day

27-03-2021 08:30 São Paulo’s Butantan biomedical institute announces it is developing a “100 percent Brazilian” vaccine against Covid-19.

AND THAT REMINDS ME...

Mercosur’s murky future

27-03-2021 07:27 Mercosur will have problems selling itself to the rest of the world while it cannot sell to itself.

by Michael Soltys

March 25, 1991: Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello (left), Paraguayan President Andrés Rodríguez (second left), Argentine President Carlos Menem (second right) and Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Herrera, sign copies of the Treaty of Asunción.

MERCOSUR AT 30: ANALYSIS

Thirty years on since its founding, Mercosur faces uncertain future

27-03-2021 07:17 Regional bloc celebrates its 30th birthday weakened by differences, with its partners unprepared for post-pandemic world.

President Alberto Fernández addresses the Mercosur summit.

LATIN AMERICA: MERCOSUR SUMMIT

‘We’re not a burden’ – Fernández clashes with Mercosur leaders

27-03-2021 07:11 Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay confront Argentina to demand greater flexibility to negotiate trade agreements during a tense summit of Mercosur leaders commemorating the 30th anniversary of the regional trade bloc’s founding.

Tourists enter Argentina, after arriving on a flight to Ezeiza international airport.

Coronavirus pandemic

Argentina suspends flights from Brazil, Chile and Mexico

26-03-2021 10:22 Government announces that flights to Argentina from Brazil, Chile and Mexico will be suspended starting this Saturday, March 27.

Costa Rica's Deputy Nidia Cespedes protests before the Legislative Plenary for the third straight day in San Jose, on March 24, 2021 against a bill proposing the decriminalisation of abortion.

Latin America

Costa Rica deputy stages parliament sit-in to protest abortion bill

25-03-2021 15:06 Costa Rican legislator from the conservative New Republic party has spent the last three days barefoot in the middle of the country's National Assembly hall to protest against a possible bill to legalise abortion.

Health professionals carry a coffin to protest the death of 300,000 people from Covid-19, at the square of the Three Powers, in Brasilia, on March 25, 2021.

Global pandemic

Brazil surpasses 300,000 Covid-19 deaths

25-03-2021 14:50 A total of 300,685 people in Brazil have now died of Covid-19, with Argentina's giant neighbour struggling to deal with an explosion of cases blamed on a local variant of the virus that is believed to be more contagious.

Handout photo released by the Venezuelan Presidency of Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez (C), speaking next to Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza (R) during a message televised at Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on March 24, 2021.

Global pandemic

Venezuela won't accept AstraZeneca vaccine through Covax

25-03-2021 14:47 Venezuela informs the Pan American Health Organisation it will not accept the AstraZeneca vaccine, despite having ordered between 1.4 and 2.4 million doses of it through Covax.

Rosa Correa herds cows to be vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease in a field in Cerro Pelado, Lavalleja Department, 160 km northeast of Montevideo, Uruguay, on March 17, 2021.

Beef Industry

Beef-addicted Uruguay aiming to make farming greener

25-03-2021 12:00 Last year, Uruguay launched a livestock and climate initiative with the help of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). We hear from Rosa Correa, one of 62 farm owners to implement the programme, about its aims and objectives.

The San Martin Palace in Buenos Aires, which serves as the ceremonial headquarters of the Foreign Ministry.

CRISIS IN VENEZUELA

Argentina quits Lima Group, saying its work has ‘led to nothing’

24-03-2021 15:29 Buenos Aires announces its withdrawal from the Lima Group, saying its efforts had "led to nothing" and failed to provide an exit from the crisis.

The sun rises in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro on March 24, 2021. Christ the Redeemer is celebrating its 90th anniversary in October 2021 and is receiving restoration work to ensure that it looks its best for the public and visiting tourists.

Global pandemic

Brazil's 24-hour Covid deaths surpass 3,000 for first time

24-03-2021 12:38 Brazil's daily Covid-19 death toll soared past 3,000 for the first time Tuesday as the country struggled to contain a surge of cases that has pushed many hospitals to breaking point.

Brazil’s Minister of Justice Sergio Moro.

Lava Jato

Brazil's Supreme Court rules Moro was 'biased' against Lula

23-03-2021 19:14 Brazil's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that judge Sergio Moro was "biased" in convicting ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of corruption in 2017, a new victory for the left-wing leader as he eyes a political comeback.

Lionel Messi takes on two Bolivia players during Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup South American qualifiing match this week.

International football

CONMEBOL wants FIFA protection after virus postponements

23-03-2021 19:06 CONMEBOL on Tuesday urged FIFA to protect its member federations after the postponement of South America's latest round of World Cup qualifiers over coronavirus restrictions.

Coronavirus vaccine

Uruguay revokes residence of Argentine who hosted 'illegal party'

23-03-2021 14:50 Uruguay revokes temporary residence of Argentine citizen after police raided an illegal party attended by more than 500 people at a private home in Maldonado department.

Argentina’s Foreign Minister Felipe Solá received Paraguayan Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga in Buenos Aires last week.

MERCOSUR SUMMIT

Trade and Covid-19 vaccines top agenda for Mercosur summit

23-03-2021 13:22 Mercosur’s member nations will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the bloc's founding at a key summit this Friday, with the clear differences between them more than evident.

by Mariano Beldyk

Healthcare workers look after patients infected with Covid-19 at the full emergency room of the Nossa Senhora da Conceição hospital in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, in southern Brazil, on March 11, 2021, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Global pandemic

In Brazil, Covid is increasingly hitting the young

23-03-2021 10:10 There are fewer wrinkles and less grey hair among patients in Brazil's intensive care units as the country reels from a surge in Covid-19 that is increasingly hitting people under 60.

A televison screen showing Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is seen inside the ICU unit of the Regional Public Hospital of Baixo Amazonas in Santarem, Para State, Brazil.

BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO

Bolsonaro critics face 'intimidation campaign' in Brazil

22-03-2021 14:36 Lawyers and human-rights activists warn Brazil is seeing a surge in legal and extra-legal moves to stifle dissent against President Jair Bolsonaro.

Tiendanube provides a platform for small and medium sellers to launch personalised stores.

Bloomberg

Start-up Tiendanube raises US$89 million in funding round

22-03-2021 13:03 Argentine e-commerce start-up Tiendanube will use fresh financing to roll out a major expansion across Latin America.

In this file photo taken on March 13, 2021, Bolivia's former interim president Jeanine Áñez (C) is escorted by police members of the Special Force against Crime (FELCC) after being arrested in La Paz.

ex-interim president

Bolivia's Áñez authorised for transfer from prison to hospital

20-03-2021 09:18 Bolivia's former interim president Jeanine Áñez will be allowed to transfer from prison to a hospital following poor health, a panel of judges said Friday, less than a week after her arrest on charges linked to the ousting of her predecessor Evo Morales.

LATIN AMERICA

Covid surges back in Brazil, sparking fears in Argentina

20-03-2021 07:30 Covid-19 is raging in Brazil, where intensive care units are more than 80 percent full in 25 out of 27 states. In Rio, the rate is 95 percent.

This file photo taken on July 4, 2019 shows a former political prisoner during an interview with AFP at her home in Montevideo on July 7, 2019.

Latin America

Victims of Uruguay's dictatorship seek justice

19-03-2021 13:46 A group of Uruguayan women are seeking justice for the sexual abuse they suffered throughout the country's 1973 dictatorship. With few developments in the case, they have decided to approach the regional watchdog.

View of a jar with cannabis flowers at the esplanade of the Estela de Luz in Mexico City, on March 9, 2021, on the day that Mexico's Congress begins to discuss eventual legalisation of the use of recreational marijuana.

LEGAL MARIJUANA IN MEXICO?

Mexico prepares for legal marijuana gold rush

18-03-2021 11:52 Mexican lawmakers are close to approving legalisation that is expected to catapult the country's regulated cannabis trade into a billion-dollar legal marijuana market.

Picture of an empty street in São Paulo, taken on March 15, 2021, hours before a night-time curfew takes effect in the state amid the coronavirus pandemic.

RATE RISE

Brazil hikes interest rate, eyeing inflation

18-03-2021 11:39 First rate hike in six years for Latin America's biggest economy. Central Bank indicates another hike of the same magnitude could be coming in May.

Handout picture released by the Chilean Air Force showing a health worker carrying a cooler containing doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac coronavirus vaccine at a Chilean Air Force base in Antarctica, Chile March 14, 2021.

Coronavirus vaccines

Coronavirus vaccine reaches Antarctica

18-03-2021 11:24 The coronavirus vaccine has reached Antarctica after Chile immunised 49 people on the continent, the country's Air Force said on Wednesday.

A man rides on his bicitaxi by a graffiti reading "Long Live Fidel and Raúl" in Havana, on March 15, 2021.

April congress

New era beckons for Cuba, without a Castro in power

17-03-2021 12:46 Cuba will emerge from the April congress of its all-powerful Communist Party without a Castro at the helm for the first time in over 60 years.

Global pandemic

Under fire, Brazil's Bolsonaro tones down on Covid

17-03-2021 10:26 With Brazil registering record daily death tolls from Covid-19, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is changing his traditionally pandemic-sceptic tune.

EU-MERCOSUR DEAL

More than 450 NGOs, groups condemn ‘obsolete’ EU-Mercosur trade deal

16-03-2021 17:26 More than 450 civil society groups, associations and NGOs call on Mercosur, European Union to “abandon” controversial free-trade deal.

Handout photo released by the Brazilian Senate of Marcelo Antonio Cartaxo Queiroga Lopes during a Social Affairs Commission public hearing in Brasilia on August 12, 2015.

Global pandemic

Bolsonaro changes health minister again, as Brazil's Covid cases surge

16-03-2021 09:19 Bolsonaro to appoint cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga as health minister, the fourth to hold the post during the pandemic, as the country's health system staggers amid surging Covid-19 cases.

Lionel Messi is seen during Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup South American qualifier football match against Ecuador at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires on October 8, 2020.

International football

CONMEBOL should switch World Cup qualifiers to Europe, claims insider

15-03-2021 16:11 All South American qualifiers for the next World Cup should be played in Spain and Portugal to get around coronavirus restrictions at home, says one well-placed football insider.

by Anthony Harwood

Bolivia's former interim president Jeannine Áñez speaks with her lawyers in a prison cell of the Special Force for the Fight Against Crime (FELCC) after being arrested in La Paz, on March 13, 2021.

LATIN AMERICA

Bolivia ex-interim president Áñez arrested in 'coup' probe

14-03-2021 07:53 Bolivia's former interim president Jeanine Áñez was arrested Saturday on terrorism and sedition charges over what the government claims was a coup attempt against her predecessor and political rival Evo Morales.

Health officials and police officers inspect a business open after lockdown restrictions in São Paulo, Brazil, on Saturday, March 6, 2021.

BLOOMBERG

Brazil shunned as a Covid superspreader by nervous neighbours

14-03-2021 07:39 Leading the world in daily deaths and the source of a worrying Amazonian variant, Brazil is a cause of deep anxiety for world health officials and its neighbours, who are barring their gates.

President Alberto Fernández and his team speak with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and other government officials during a videoconference call.

MERCOSUR SUMMIT

No Bolsonaro in BA – Government takes Mercosur ceremony online

13-03-2021 15:50 Argentina has suspended a historic ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the Mercosur regional trade bloc, due to be held later this month, and will instead take it online.

THE WEEK

What we learned this week: March 6th to 13th

13-03-2021 09:16 A selection of stories that caught our eye over the last seven days in Argentina.

by Michael Soltys