World News

Peru’s Castillo, in first speech as president, pledges to heal colonial wounds

Pedro Castillo said Peru's colonial wounds still ran deep and he would seek to heal them, while promising economic stability in his inaugural speech as president. Speaking on the day…

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro shuffles cabinet, recreates labor ministry

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro appointed center-right Senator Ciro Nogueira as his chief of staff on Wednesday to shore up waning political support in Congress, and recreated the labor ministry to…

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Peru’s Castillo assumes presidency amid political storms in divided nation

Peru's Pedro Castillo will assume the presidency on Wednesday with little time to catch his breath as he battles the world's deadliest COVID-19 outbreak, tensions in his socialist party and…

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Coffee prices surge as unusual cold threatens Brazilian production

Arabica coffee prices rose 10% more on Monday, after jumping nearly 20% last week, to their highest in nearly seven years as unusual cold weather threatens coffee crops in the world's largest producer Brazil.…

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Brazil sees frosts hitting up to 11% of arabica coffee area

Unusually strong frosts reported over Brazil's agricultural regions last week hit up to 200,000 hectares (495,000 acres) of arabica coffee farms, or 11% of the total arabica coffee area in…

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‘Change is coming’: Peru’s Castillo faces a divided nation after election battle

Peru's Pedro Castillo has won a long and tense presidential election battle. Now he needs to heal the wounds of a starkly divided nation, split between support for his socialist…

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Chileans allowed to travel abroad again as vaccination drive pays dividends

Chile announced that its citizens and foreign residents would be allowed to travel outside the country if they are fully inoculated against coronavirus, a fresh perk for Chileans participating in…

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El Salvador ‘House of Horrors’ killings shock nation numbed to violence

Neighbours knew something was wrong in that squat green house when a young woman's screams pierced the quiet of their neighbourhood in Chalchuapa, a small town about 80 kilometers (50…

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Peru socialist Castillo confirmed president after lengthy battle over results

Peru's electoral authority on Monday named socialist Pedro Castillo as the country's next president, having officially won the June 6 runoff against right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori, who accepted the result…

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Brazil authorizes trials with 3rd dose of AstraZeneca COVID vaccine

Brazil's health regulator Anvisa said on Monday that it has approved trials with a third dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19. Anvisa said a third dose of the vaccine…

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Two political upstarts notch upset wins in Chile’s presidential primaries

Presidential primaries on Sunday for Chile's left- and right-leaning coalitions upended predictions, leaving leftist former student leader Gabriel Boric and center-right upstart Sebastian Sichel as major contenders in November's general…

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro recovering after second night in hospital

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro spent a second night in hospital, being treated for an intestinal blockage linked to a stabbing in 2018, with his condition improving and surgery less likely.…

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro, who was stabbed in 2018, may need emergency surgery

BRASILIA, July 14 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will travel to Sao Paulo to undergo tests for an obstructed intestine, and could receive emergency surgery, the president's office said…

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Over 10,000 species risk extinction in Amazon, says landmark report

SAO PAULO/BOGOTA, July 14 (Reuters) - More than 10,000 species of plants and animals are at high risk of extinction due to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest - 35%…

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Majority of Brazilians support impeaching Bolsonaro, poll shows

For the first time, a majority of Brazilians support impeaching President Jair Bolsonaro, according to a poll released on Saturday, as serious graft allegations related to vaccine procurement hit the…

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Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest rises for fourth straight month

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest rose for the fourth consecutive month in June, according to preliminary government data, amid concern that the destruction and a drought will fuel worsening forest…

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Why were Colombian ex-soldiers in Haiti? Experts say they are popular mercenaries

Highly-trained Colombian soldiers left at a loose end after retirement have frequently been tempted by opportunities to ply their trade abroad as private military contractors from Iraq to Yemen, military…

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Clashes between police, Caracas gang leave 26 dead in Venezuela

Clashes between police and a gang in northwestern Caracas this week have left at least 26 dead, including four officers, and 38 people injured, Venezuelan Interior Minister Carmen Melendez said.…

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Photo Story – The giant tortoises in the Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador

An undated handout photo made available by the Charles Darwin Foundation on 09 July 2021 shows giant tortoises in Santa Cruz, in the Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador (without date). Scientists from…

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Brazil registers record deaths, lowest number of births for Jan-June period

Brazil registered the highest number of deaths and lowest number of births in the first six months of the year since comparable data was first compiled in 2003, the national…

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro says he may not accept 2022 election under current voting system

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said he may not accept the result of a presidential election next year unless the voting system, which uses computers to record votes, is replaced with…

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More Brazilians disapprove of Bolsonaro amid pandemic, poll shows

Some 48.2% of Brazilians believe the administration of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is "bad" or "terrible," according to results of an opinion poll by CNT/MDA, up from 35.5% in February.…

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro implicated in alleged graft scheme as lawmaker, UOL reports

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was involved in a scheme to skim salaries of his aides while a federal deputy, website UOL reported on Monday, citing what it said were audios of his…

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Brazil COVID-19 deaths surpass 524,000

Brazil registered 27,783 new COVID-19 cases and 830 new deaths in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said. That brought the total in Brazil to 18,769,808 cases and 524,417…

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Brazil top court gives nod for probe into Bolsonaro over vaccine deal

Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Rosa Weber authorized an investigation of President Jair Bolsonaro by the top prosecutor's office, or PGR, for dereliction of duty in the process of procuring an…

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Brazil sees most June fires in Amazon rainforest since 2007

Brazil recorded the most fires in the Amazon rainforest in 14 years for the month of June, government data showed, amid worries that an extreme drought in many parts of…

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro says he won’t hand over presidency if there is vote fraud

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he would hand over power to whoever wins next year's presidential election cleanly - but not if there is any fraud. His comments will do…

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COVID-19 cases worsen in Latin America, no end in sight

Cases of COVID-19 may be declining in North America but in most of Latin America and the Caribbean the end to the coronavirus pandemic "remains a distant future", the Pan…

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Bolsonaro fires Brazil health official after new vaccine graft accusation

SAO PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO, June 30 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro fired a Health Ministry official on Wednesday after a newspaper reported that the official asked for a bribe…

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Brazil reports 64,134 new coronavirus cases, 1,593 deaths

Brazil on Saturday reported 64,134 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 1,593 deaths from COVID-19, according to the Health Ministry. Brazil has registered…

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Peruvians take to the streets as election result hold-up stokes tensions

Thousands of Peruvians supporting socialist Pedro Castillo and right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori took to the streets on Saturday amid uncertainty over the result of a tight June 6 presidential election…

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Helicopter carrying Colombia’s President Duque struck by bullets in attack

A helicopter carrying Colombia's President Ivan Duque and others was struck by multiple bullets in an attack on Friday, he said in a video message. The incident took place while…

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Coronavirus lambda variant spreads across Latin America

Classified as a "variant of interest" by the World Health Organization (WHO) on June 17, the lambda, or C.37, variant of the coronavirus has already been detected in 29 nations…

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Peru political fog thickens as election count official quits

Peru’s already tense election process was plunged into further disarray after one of the four magistrates on the jury reviewing contested ballots quit after clashing with the other officials over…

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Bitcoin to become legal tender in El Salvador on September 7

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said in a national address that a recently passed law making bitcoin legal tender will take effect on Sept. 7, noting that its use will…

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Brazil sets single-day record for coronavirus cases

Brazil registered a single-day record of 115,228 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said, as its outbreak shows new signs of accelerating despite long-delayed…

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Washington calls Peru election ‘fair’ despite Fujimori claims of voter fraud

The U.S. State Department said that Peru's recent presidential election was "a model of democracy," despite efforts by conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori to get ballots thrown out while raising accusations…

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Colombia becomes tenth country in the world to reach 100,000 covid deaths

The South American nation has been registering a growing number of daily cases since April. Over the past seven days, it had the world’s third-highest per capita death rate from…

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Earthquake of magnitude 5.7 strikes near coast of Peru

An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 struck near the coast of Peru late on Tuesday, the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences said. The quake was at a depth of 10…

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Both sides in Peru’s contested election double down in weekend rallies

Supporters of socialist Pedro Castillo and conservative Keiko Fujimori took to the streets by the thousands in Peru on Saturday, as tensions rose over the result of the June 6…

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Brazil passes half a million COVID-19 deaths

Brazil's death toll from COVID-19 surpassed the 500,000 on Saturday as experts warn that the world's second-deadliest outbreak may worsen due to delayed vaccinations and the government's refusal to back…

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Peru ex-military stir election tensions with appeal to Armed Forces to “remedy” poll

A group of retired officers has suggested Peru's military should refuse to recognize socialist candidate Pedro Castillo if he is declared winner of the country's presidential election if fraud allegations…

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‘We are not communists’: Castillo seeks to allay fears in divided Peru

Pedro Castillo, a former teacher and political outsider on the verge of being named president of Peru, has looked to temper fears in the divided Andean nation after a slow…

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World Bank rejects El Salvador request for help on bitcoin implementation

The World Bank said it could not assist El Salvador's bitcoin implementation given environmental and transparency drawbacks. "We are committed to helping El Salvador in numerous ways including for currency…

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Fujimori fights result as Peru leftist Castillo claims election win

Peruvian socialist candidate Pedro Castillo claimed victory in the presidential election after clinging on to a narrow lead as the lengthy vote count ended, although his right-wing rival pledged to…

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Photo Story – Aftermath of presidential elections in Peru

Supporters of Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori protest outside the house of the head of the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) Piero Corvetto in Lima, Peru, 14 June 2021.…

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Latin American nations’ capacity to fight corruption weakened

Latin American nations' capacity to fight corruption diminished over the past year as the coronavirus pandemic absorbed resources and offered politicians in some countries the space to weaken judicial bodies,…

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Brazil reports 1,129 new COVID-19 deaths, nearly 40,000 cases

Brazil reported 1,129 COVID-19 deaths and 37,948 new coronavirus cases, the Health Ministry said. Nearly 490,000 people in the country have died from the virus during the pandemic, with 17.4…

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Peru’s Fujimori leads protest to annul votes as Castillo nears win

Peruvian right-wing presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, who is likely to lose a runoff election against her socialist rival, on Saturday led a protest in Lima , calling again for the…

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Peru’s Castillo on verge of being named President after last-minute vote wrangling

Peru's presidential election front-runner Pedro Castillo was poised for victory on Friday night, despite legal wrangles over the ultra-close vote count that had ignited tensions in the Andean nation. "We…

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IMF sees legal, economic issues with El Salvador’s bitcoin move

The International Monetary Fund said it has economic and legal concerns regarding the move by El Salvador to make bitcoin a parallel legal tender, further clouding the outlook for an…

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Chile shuts capital Santiago once more as Covid-19 cases surge

Chilean health authorities announced a blanket lockdown across the capital Santiago on Thursday following some of the worst COVID-19 case numbers since the pandemic began, despite having fully vaccinated more…

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‘People have awakened’: Peru’s Castillo closes in on election win

Socialist Pedro Castillo was closing in on victory in Peru's presidential election, holding a slim lead of some 63,000 votes over conservative rival Keiko Fujimori, who has yet to concede…

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Colombia protests lose steam, but their economic toll rises

Anti-government protests in Colombia were sparsely attended this week, but the economic fall-out of the six-week-old demonstrations is far from over, officials said. Road blockades associated with protests have caused…

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Peru on knife-edge as battle builds over election count with socialists ahead

Peruvian socialist Pedro Castillo held a wafer-thin lead in a polarized presidential election on Wednesday, as rival Keiko Fujimori doubled down on unproven allegations of voter fraud, which could spark…

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El Salvador president says will discuss bitcoin law with IMF

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele will discuss the country's new bitcoin law and other issues in a meeting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday, he said in an…

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UPDATED: El Salvador approves law allowing bitcoin as legal tender

El Salvador has become the first country in the world to formally adopt bitcoin as legal tender after Congress approved President Nayib Bukele's proposal to embrace the cryptocurrency. With 62…

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