Latin America

Lula’s lead over Bolsonaro narrows in Brazil vote -poll

SAO PAULO, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Brazilian presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's lead over President Jair Bolsonaro has shrunk to 5 percentage points ahead of a runoff vote…

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro and Lula spar in first debate of runoff campaign

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attacked each others' records in office on Sunday in the first debate of…

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Lula lead narrows to less than 5 points in Brazil election – AtlasIntel survey

BRASILIA, (Reuters) - Brazilian presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's polling lead over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro has narrowed to less than 5 percentage points, according to a new opinion…

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Venezuela floods kill at least 25 after heavy rains

TEJERIAS (Reuters) - At least 25 people died and 52 were missing after five small rivers in central Venezuela flooded due to heavy rains, Citizen Security Vice President Remigio Ceballos…

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OAS chief faces probe over relationship with staffer

LIMA, (Reuters) - Luis Almagro, the chief of the Organization of American States (OAS), confirmed that he faces an internal investigation over a romantic relationship with a staff member, but…

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro says ally Trump would have averted war in Ukraine

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said in comments published on Friday that the war in Ukraine would not have happened if former U.S. President Donald…

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Brazil election: Lula has 51% of voter support versus 43% for Bolsonaro, poll finds

SAO PAULO, (Reuters) - Brazil's leftist presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva maintains a clear lead over right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, a poll showed, as the candidates scrambled to…

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Earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 strikes Peru-Ecuador border -EMSC

Oct 5 (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 struck the Peru-Ecuador border region on Wednesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake was 25 km…

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Right-wing wins in Brazil’s Congress show staying power of ‘Bolsonarismo’

A strong election night for allies of President Jair Bolsonaro have given his party the most seats in both chambers of Congress, highlighting the enduring strength of his conservative movement…

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Brazil election goes to runoff as Bolsonaro outperforms polls

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Brazil's presidential election is headed for a run-off vote, electoral authorities said on Sunday, after President Jair Bolsonaro's surprising strength in the first round spoiled rival Luiz…

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UPDATE – Lula may clinch Brazil election on Sunday, final polls show

BRASILIA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Brazilians cast their votes on Sunday in the first round of their country's most polarized election in decades, with leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expected to…

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Front-runner Lula close to outright win in Brazil election

BRASILIA, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva maintains a solid lead going into Sunday's presidential race against far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and is within sight…

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Photo Story: Fatal bridge collapse in the Brazilian Amazon

A picture taken with a drone of the collapse of a bridge in the municipality of Careiro Da Varzea, Brazil. At least three people died on 27 September and 14…

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Lula and Bolsonaro trade barbs over corruption in Brazil election debate

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Brazil's leading presidential candidates traded accusations of corruption in the last debate before Sunday's election, with little discussion of proposals to govern the…

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U.S. tells Lula it plans to quickly recognize Brazil election winner, sources say

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) - U.S. diplomats have assured Brazil's leading presidential candidate, leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, that they will swiftly recognize the winner of next…

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Lula maintains large lead over Bolsonaro ahead of Brazil election -poll

Brazil presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva slightly extended his lead over President Jair Bolsonaro less than two weeks before the South American country's election, a poll by IPEC released on…

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro draws heat for pointed campaign speech before Queen’s funeral

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was accused by opposition figures on Sunday of turning his trip to London for Queen Elizabeth's funeral into an election campaign…

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Argentina’s inflation rate expected to hit 95% this year

Economists hiked their estimate for annual inflation in Argentina this year to 95%, a monthly poll published Friday by the central bank showed, as the country struggles to overcome a prolonged economic…

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A year on, El Salvador’s bitcoin experiment is stumbling

CONCHAGUA, El Salvador, (Reuters) - A year after El Salvador adopted bitcoin as legal tender, the area where the world's first cryptocurrency city was meant to be built - a…

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Poll shows Bolsonaro narrowing gap to Lula ahead of Brazil election

(Reuters) - Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro slightly narrowed his deficit to opponent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of an October election, a poll showed. The survey by Datafolha showed…

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Venezuela to seek extradition of former minister in corruption case

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela will seek the extradition of a former top energy official and launched fresh legal action against a former oil minister, who it is also trying to…

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Bolsonaro mixes campaign politics, military displays on Brazil bicentennial

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) - President Jair Bolsonaro mingled military parades on Brazil's Independence Day with political rallies in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia on Wednesday, firing up hundreds of…

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Chile overwhelmingly rejects progressive new constitution

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chileans overwhelmingly voted against a proposed new constitution on Sunday, rejecting what would have been one of the world's most progressive charters. While nearly 80% of Chileans…

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EXPLAINER-Is Chile about to tear up its Pinochet-era constitution?

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chileans will head to the polls on Sunday to approve or reject a new constitution that would replace the Andean country's current text that dates back decades…

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Chile’s constitution vote puts Andean country at historic crossroads

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chileans are set for a historic decision on Sunday: stick with a market-friendly constitution dating back to military dictator Augusto Pinochet or approve a progressive new text…

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Brazil’s Amazon sees worst August fires in over a decade

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Fires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest surged in August to the highest for the month since 2010, government data showed this week, surpassing the blazes in August…

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Argentina shaken by assassination attempt on vice president

UENOS AIRES, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Argentines descended on the capital's main plaza on Friday in a show of solidarity against a shocking assassination attempt on the country's…

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Bolsonaro gains on Lula ahead of Brazil election – Datafolha poll

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has a 13-percentage-point lead over President Jair Bolsonaro, but the far-right incumbent has narrowed his leftist rival's advantage ahead of…

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UPDATED: Argentina VP unharmed in assassination attempt

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Argentina's Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner escaped unharmed on Thursday after a man fired a loaded gun at her that failed to go…

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Lula retains lead over Bolsonaro in Brazil’s election – poll

SAO PAULO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has retained his strong lead over incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro ahead of the country's October election,…

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Colombia will not extradite criminals who negotiate government deals – Petro

Colombian President Gustavo Petro proposed that drug traffickers who comply with government surrender conditions and abandon the trade will not be extradited to face charges abroad. Petro, who was sworn…

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Colombia to suspend air strikes on armed groups

BOGOTA, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Colombia will suspend aerial bombings targeting illegal armed groups in a bid to avoid collateral damage to civilians and deaths of minors who have been…

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Peru’s Castillo reshuffles Cabinet yet again as prosecutors ramp up probes

LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvian President Pedro Castillo reshuffled his Cabinet for the second time in less than three weeks on Wednesday, as prosecutors continue investigations into his close allies and…

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Chilean government sets new push on bill to reduce working hours

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The government of Chilean President Gabriel Boric said it has revived efforts to pass a bill that would reduce working hours in the country and fulfill a…

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Brazil receives embalmed heart of Portuguese king to mark independence

The embalmed heart of the Portuguese monarch who declared the independence of Brazil from Portugal 200 years ago was received with the military honors of a head of state in…

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Bolsonaro says he will respect Brazil election result if ‘clean, transparent’

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday he would respect the result of an October election regardless of the result, as long as the voting is "clean and transparent." In an interview…

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Chilean legislators to be drug tested as new initiative begins

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean legislators will begin random drug testing in the next few days after a proposal making it compulsory was approved last month, despite criticism from some lawmakers.…

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Colombia suspends ELN rebel arrest warrants, extradition orders to restart peace talks

Colombia's new president said he was suspending arrest warrants and extradition requests for members of the left-wing guerrilla group the National Liberation Army (ELN) in an effort to restart peace…

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Lula’s lead over Bolsonaro narrows slightly ahead of Brazil election -poll

SAO PAULO, (Reuters) - Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva remains the front-runner to win Brazil's presidential election in October, a poll of voter support showed, although incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro…

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Argentine official visits neighbors to bolster Falklands claim

The global geopolitical situation shaped by the war in Ukraine is an opportunity for Argentina to continue adding support for its sovereignty claim over British-run Falkland Islands, an Argentine official…

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PDVSA pauses oil-for-debt shipments to Europe, wants product swaps

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Venezuela has suspended new crude shipments to Europe under an oil-for-debt deal and has asked Italy's Eni and Spain's Repsol to provide it with fuel in exchange…

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Sick again, Argentine’s economy eats away at nation’s mental health -study

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Argentines mired in their country's latest economic meltdown are experiencing a growing sense of hopelessness, according to a landmark mental health study that points…

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Venezuela opposition leader Guaido in “informal” meetings with Colombia’s govt

CARACAS, - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has held "informal meetings" with members of newly elected Colombian President Gustavo Petro's government, he said. In a quest to normalize bilateral relations,…

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Colombia detects $20 billion likely tied to money laundering

BOGOTA, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Colombia's financial crimes unit, intensifying efforts to catch fraud, has detected some $20 billion in financial operations potentially tied to money laundering over the last 3-1/2 years,…

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Lula’s lead narrows to single-digit in Brazil race – poll

Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's lead over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro has narrowed to 7 percentage points ahead of the October election, according to a new poll published on…

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Analysts expect Argentina’s inflation to reach 90.2% in 2022

BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) - Analysts polled by Argentina's central bank sharply raised their inflation estimate for 2022 to 90.2%, up 16.2 percentage points from the previous month's forecast, according to…

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Leftist Petro takes office in Colombia amid economic, social challenges

BOGOTA, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Gustavo Petro will on Sunday become Colombia's first leftist president, elected by voters who hope he can carry out ambitious social and economic reforms meant…

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Chile’s Easter Island reopens to tourists after pandemic shutdown

Chile's Easter Island received its first group of tourists after closing its borders for more than two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. Easter Island, over 2,000 miles (3,219 km)…

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Colombians cautiously optimistic ahead of leftist Petro’s inauguration

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombians are expressing cautious optimism about the government of incoming leftist President Gustavo Petro, days before he takes office on promises to reshape the polarized country with a raft…

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Smell problems may predict memory problems after COVID-19

Severity of smell dysfunction after infection with the coronavirus may be a better predictor of long-term cognitive impairment than overall severity of COVID-19, according to an Argentinian study. Researchers studied…

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Lula’s advantage over Bolsonaro in Brazil’s October elections narrows -poll

SAO PAULO, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Brazilian leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva maintains a lead against incumbent right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro ahead of October's presidential election but is losing the strong…

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Peru’s PM Torres resigns for ‘personal reasons’

LIMA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Peru's Prime Minister Anibal Torres said on Wednesday he has tendered his resignation to President Pedro Castillo due to "personal reasons". (Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by…

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Luxembourg banks told to freeze Ecuador assets amid Perenco dispute

A Luxembourg bailiff has ordered banks to freeze assets held by Ecuador in Luxembourg accounts as a result of a dispute over a $391 million settlement award that Anglo-French oil…

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Brazil’s Lula maintains big lead over Bolsonaro ahead of October election -poll

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's lead over incumbent far-right President Jair Bolsonaro slipped one percentage point from 19 to 18 points ahead of the Oct. 2 election,…

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Britain’s High Court rules against Venezuela’s Maduro in $1 bln gold battle

LONDON, July 29 (Reuters) - Britain's High Court has rejected President Nicolas Maduro's latest efforts to gain control of more than $1 billion of Venezuela's gold reserves stored in the Bank of…

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Magnitude 6.2 quake strikes off Tocopilla in Chile – EMSC

July 28 (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck off the coast of Tocopilla in Chile on Thursday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake was at a depth…

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Bankers and business leaders say Brazil’s democracy in ‘grave danger’

SAO PAULO, July 26 (Reuters) - Top Brazilian bankers and businessmen issued a letter in defense of Brazil's electronic voting system that has been attacked by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro,…

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