Latin America

Brazil’s Bolsonaro blames indigenous people for Amazon fires in U.N. speech

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro told the United Nations that indigenous people in the Amazon were to blame for fires in the rainforest this year and attacked the media for spreading…

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Maduro says election postponement is impossible

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday said it would be "impossible" to delay parliamentary elections planned for Dec. 6, after the European Union suggested pushing back the vote to meet…

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Chileans urged to be ‘prudent’ during Independence Day celebrations

Chile’s health minister has urged Chileans to celebrate the country’s Independence Day holiday on Friday “prudently” amid fears that a special permit allowing people to hold and attend family gatherings…

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WHO director warns Latin America is opening too early, COVID-19 still a risk

Latin America has started to resume normal social and public life at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic still requires major control interventions, World Health Organization regional director Carissa Etienne…

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Brazil’s Rio risks second wave of COVID-19 with ill-timed reopening

The reopening of beaches and bars as Rio de Janeiro heads into the heady summer season risks a second spike of coronavirus infections, experts warned, even as Brazil’s second-largest city…

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Brazil registers highest coronavirus death toll in almost two weeks

Brazil in its latest update on the coronavirus pandemic in the country registered 1,113 new coronavirus deaths, the health ministry said, the highest number since September 2. Deaths now total…

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Peruvian President allies pledge to fight impeachment attempt

Allies of Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra pledged on Saturday to fight an attempt by Congress to impeach him and accused a congressional official of trying to involve the military in…

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EU says ‘time is too short’ to send observers for Venezuela’s December vote

The European Union has received an invitation to observe parliamentary elections in Venezuela in December, but President Nicolas Maduro’s authoritarian government so far has not met “minimum conditions” to allow…

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Photo Story: Protests during the anniversary of the Pinochet coup in Chile

A person is detained by police during a protest on the 47th anniversary of the coup and the start of the dictatorship, at Plaza Italia, in Santiago, Chile, 11 September…

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Colombia to gradually reopen international flights from September 21

Colombia will gradually reopen international flights from Sept. 21, following a six-month period during which they were suspended to contain the spread of coronavirus, Minister of Transport Angela Maria Orozco…

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Brazil coffee farmers see losses from drought in 2021 crop

Brazilian coffee farmers and analysts are expecting losses to the country's 2021 crop due to an extended dry spell hitting most of the producing areas in the world's largest producer…

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Russia’s RDIF agrees to manufacture Covid-19 vaccine in Brazil

Russia's sovereign wealth fund RDIF announced that it had agreed to manufacture Russia's first registered COVID-19 vaccine "Sputnik-V" in Brazil. RDIF, which is backing the vaccine's development, also said it…

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Latin America passes 8 million coronavirus cases

The coronavirus tally in Latin America has now passed the 8 million mark, the region with the most infections in the world, although there were indications the virus was now…

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Earthquake of magnitude 6.5 strikes northern Chile

An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 and at a depth of 44 km struck northern Chile on Friday, the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences said. Chile's National Emergency Office said…

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Brazil trials of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine show promising results

The governor of Brazil’s São Paulo state said on Wednesday that Phase 3 clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd have shown promising results…

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Brazil’s Amazon fires worsen in September

Fires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest worsened in the first week of September and are increasingly spreading into areas of untouched forest, satellite data showed as of Wednesday, after the number…

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Families in Bolivia turn to makeshift graves as cemeteries fill during pandemic

Desperate families in Bolivia are turning to makeshift graves to bury their loved ones, with cemetery space at a premium as the coronavirus pandemic keeps the South American nation in…

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A fossil tree in Peru sheds light on the Andes landscape from 10 million years ago

Handout photos made available by the Smithsonian Institution that show researchers posing next to the 'rumiyasqa mallki', a 10-million-year-old fossil tree, in San Miguel, Peru. Residents of the remote town…

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Powerful earthquakes strike in Chile and Vanuatu

An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck 50 km (31.07 miles) south-southwest of Coquimbo in Chile, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). The quake was at a depth of 25 km…

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Brazil’s coronavirus cases pass the four million mark

Brazil has recorded more than 4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 43,773 new cases and 834 deaths from the disease caused by the virus reported in the past 24…

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Peru looks to reopen international passenger air travel

Peru will restart passenger air transport internationally on Oct. 1 after it was suspended in March due to the coronavirus outbreak, Transport and Communications Minister Carlos Estremadoyro announced. Estremadoyro said…

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After months of heartache, signs of COVID-19 easing in Brazil

Brazil’s COVID-19 death toll appears to be easing for the first time since May, data shows, a sign the Latin American country could be descending from a long infection plateau…

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Brazil Amazon fires likely worst in 10 years

The official August data on the number of fires in Brazil’s Amazon needs to be corrected and will likely show an increase over last year, meaning that blazes surged to…

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Colombia confirmed COVID-19 deaths top 20,000

Confirmed deaths in Colombia due to COVID-19 topped 20,000 as cases surpassed 624,000, the health ministry said in its daily update. The Andean country has so far reported 20,052 deaths…

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COVID-19 infections in Latin America exceed 7.25m

The cumulative number of COVID-19 infections in Latin America is close to 7.25 million as of Sunday, with over 3.86 million cases reported from Brazil, the second most affected country by the pandemic…

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6.7 earthquake strikes near Chilean coast

An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 struck near the coast of Northern Chile on Tuesday, the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences said. It earlier showed the magnitude as 7. The…

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Maduro pardons opposition politicians

Venezuela said on Monday it has pardoned more than 50 opposition politicians including 20 legislators who had mostly been accused of conspiring against President Nicolas Maduro, as the country heads…

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Argentina reports record number of new Covid-19 cases but relaxes lockdown

Argentina registered its highest number of new daily COVID-19 cases on Friday as the government partially relaxed nationwide lockdown measures to allow outdoor get-togethers of up to 10 people wearing…

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South American presidents agree to team up on COVID-19 vaccine knowledge and access

A group of South America presidents agreed on information sharing and coordination on access to eventual COVID-19 vaccines to counter the virus which has the continent within its grip, Chile’s…

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Coronavirus cases in Latin America pass 7 million

Coronavirus cases passed the 7 million mark in Latin America on Thursday even as some countries begin to show a slight decline in infections in a region with the world’s…

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Photo Story: Ecuadorian elderly couple, who total 214 years, enter the Guinness record

Ecuadorians Julio Cesar Mora Tapia (R), 110, and Waldramina Maclovia Quinteros (L), 104, pose during an interview in Quito, Ecuador. Julio Cesar and Waldramina entered the Guinness World Records book…

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Brazil hits 3.7 million COID-19 cases, death toll at 117,666

Brazil reported 47,161 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 1,086 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Wednesday.…

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Coronavirus Global Response: EU Humanitarian Air Bridge supports Venezuela

As part of the EU's global coronavirus response, an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge operation consisting of two flights to Venezuela has concluded after delivering a total of 82.5 tonnes of…

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Pandemic’s toll among journalists in Peru is especially high

Dozens of journalists have died from COVID-19 in Peru since the pandemic began, in the highest reported death toll of media workers from the new coronavirus in Latin America, according…

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Brazil coronavirus cases pass 3.6 million, death toll at 114,744

Brazil reported 23,421 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 494 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said. Brazil has…

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Maduro says Venezuela buying Iranian missiles ‘a good idea’

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said it would be a “good idea” to look into buying missiles from Iran, a day after Colombia said Venezuela was considering such a plan amid…

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U.S. unfreezing Venezualan assets to help opposition fight COVID-19

Venezuela's opposition said the United States has granted it access to millions of dollars of frozen Venezuelan government funds to support efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the…

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Latin America passes 250,000 death toll from COVID-19

The number of reported COVID-19 deaths in Latin America passed 250,000 on Thursday, as the virus afflicts the region that has become the worst hit in the world. The grim…

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Peru, Morocco to test China Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 3 trial

Authorities in Peru and Morocco have approved Phase 3 clinical trials for a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by China National Biotec Group (CNBG), the company said late on Thursday on…

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Brazil sees early signs coronavirus spread is slowing

The spread of coronavirus in Brazil could be about to slow, the Health Ministry said, amid reports the transmission rate has fallen below the key level and early signs of…

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Colombia passes half a million coronavirus cases as deaths approach 16,000

Coronavirus cases in Colombia surpassed 500,000 on Wednesday as deaths from the virus approach 16,000 and the country nears the end of five months of lockdown. The Andean country has…

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LATAM Airlines has laid off 12,600 employees since March amid coronavirus crisis

LATAM Airlines, South America's largest carrier, announced it had laid off 12,600 employees since March - or almost 30% of its pre-coronavirus workforce - due to the pandemic that has…

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Brazil fires threaten world’s largest wetland

Flames are ravaging Brazil’s Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, approaching the region’s main highway and threatening endangered species amid a near-record number of fires. Brazil’s national space research agency Inpe…

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Brazil coronavirus cases top 3.4 million, death toll nears 110,000

Brazil reported 47,784 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 1,352 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said. Brazil has…

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Pope sends ventilators and scanners to needy hospitals in Brazil

Pope Francis continues to make his heartfelt appeal for generosity and solidarity for communities and countries hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic by personally leading the way through concrete acts…

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Small Argentine firms face ‘terrifying’ future even after debt deal

Francisco Lurueña's textile firm on the outskirts of Buenos Aires has survived 39 years of myriad economic crises. Now it stands on the verge of closure, hit by COVID-19 on…

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Brazil registers 620 new deaths and 23,101 new cases of coronavirus

Brazil on Sunday registered 620 new deaths and 23,101 new cases of coronavirus, the health ministry said. In total, Brazil now has 3,340,197 confirmed cases and 107,852 deaths due to…

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro approval rating at highest despite coronavirus

The approval rating of Brazil’s right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro, is at its highest since he took office last year despite the country’s 105,000 deaths from the world’s second-worst coronavirus outbreak,…

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Latin America’s coronavirus cases exceed 6 million

Coronavirus cases in Latin America, the region of the world worst-affected by the pandemic, exceeded 6 million on Friday and continued to accelerate, according to a Reuters tally, as most…

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U.S. says seized four Iranian fuel shipments en route to Venezuela

The United States announced it had confiscated four Iranian fuel shipments that had been bound for Venezuela, disrupting a key supply line for both Tehran and Caracas as they defied…

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Peru surpasses 500,000 coronavirus cases, marks highest fatality rate in Latin America

Peru surpassed half a million coronavirus cases and has the highest fatality rate in Latin America, according to health ministry data, as the government struggles to contain a recent surge…

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Argentina and Mexico to produce AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

Argentina and Mexico will produce the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for most of Latin America, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez announced after a meeting with company executives involved in the project. An…

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Argentina death toll from coronavirus tops 5,000 as new cases spike

Argentina’s death toll from the coronavirus has topped 5,000, the government said on Tuesday, as cases have skyrocketed in recent weeks, pushing the South American nation up in the global…

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro calls surging Amazon fires a ‘lie’

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday angrily denied the existence of fires in the Amazon rainforest, calling it a "lie," despite data produced by his own government showing that thousands…

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Colombia tops 400,000 coronavirus cases, deaths close to 13,500

Colombia topped 400,000 confirmed coronavirus cases on Tuesday, as deaths climb toward 13,500 and intensive care units in the capital Bogota remain near capacity. The Andean country has 410,453 confirmed…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Maracana stadium, Brazil

A general view of the pitch of Mario Filho stadium, best known as Maracana, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Via EPA-EFE/Antonio Lacerda

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Brazil COVID-19 deaths reach 100,000

Brazil’s death toll from COVID-19 passed 100,000 on Saturday and continue to climb as most Brazilian cities reopen shops and dining even though the pandemic has yet to peak. Confronting…

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