South America

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Brazil reports 39,637 coronavirus cases and 873 COVID deaths in 24 hours

Brazil has had 39,637 new cases of the novel coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, and 873 deaths from COVID-19, the health ministry said. The numbers reflect a weekend…

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With over 80,000 dead, Argentines struggle under weight of COVID-19

For lawyer Lidia Alverisi, Argentina's COVID-19 pandemic has taken an almost unbearable toll. "We have all lost someone, someone we knew well," she told Reuters. "In my case, it's been…

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Photo Story – Building collapses in Rio de Janeiro

Firefighters work among the debris of the collapsed building in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 03 June 2021. According to the Municipal authorities three people were rescued alive. At the moment…

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Brazilians protest as another 2,500 die of COVID-19

Pot-banging protests erupted across several cities in Brazil on Wednesday evening as President Jair Bolsonaro addressed the nation, just days after protestors took to the streets across the country over…

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Brazilian police arrest Italian drug lord after years on the run

Brazil's Federal Police arrested Rocco Morabito, a fugitive Italian drug lord with ties to the powerful 'Ndrangheta criminal gang, underlining the growing importance of Brazil in the Europe-bound cocaine trade.…

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Argentina to return to strict lockdown

Argentina will tighten pandemic lockdown measures to combat a severe second COVID-19 wave, President Alberto Fernandez said, underscoring concern as daily cases and deaths have broken records over the last…

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Diego Maradona’s medical team charged with homicide

Seven medical professionals were charged with homicide in the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona, according to ESPN. Maradona died in November, two weeks after having brain surgery. He was 60. Following Maradona's…

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Argentina halts meat exports for 30 days amid inflation fears

Argentina announced a 30-day halt on meat exports on Monday amid rising prices that have spooked the government as it struggles with runaway inflation ahead of key mid-term elections at the…

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Datafolha poll shows Bolsonaro’s approval falls to 24%

Only about 24% of Brazilians think the administration of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has been "good" or "great," his lowest popularity rating since taking office in 2019 and down from…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Copacabana beach, Brazil

People enjoying Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: EPA-EFE/Antonio Lacerda

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Argentina pushes back mid-term elections as COVID-19 rages

The Argentine government has agreed with opposition parties to postpone primary and mid-term elections due to take place from August for five weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Interior…

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Rio de Janeiro drug shootout death toll rises to 28

The death toll from a police raid on a drug gang in a poor Rio de Janeiro neighborhood on Thursday has risen to 28, civil police said on Friday, the…

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Update – 25 people die in deadly drug raid in Rio’s favelas in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) -At least 25 people, including at least one police officer, were killed in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday in a shootout during a police raid targeting…

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Youth kills 3 toddlers, 2 employees at Brazilian nursery school

A young man armed with a machete broke into the nursery school Pró-Infância Aquarela, located at Quintino Bocaiúva street, in the Industrial district, in Saudades , in the west of Santa Catarina , on…

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Lawyer lambasts ‘trial by media’ in Maradona case

A defense lawyer involved in the case around the death in Argentina last year of soccer star Maradona slammed what he called a "trial by media" on Monday after the leak of…

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Argentina COVID-19 cases hit 3 million

Argentina coronavirus cases hit 3 million, as medical workers said hospitals were full to capacity despite toughened government measures to bring down the spread of infections. The country's health ministry…

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Ecuador announces curfew, curbs as COVID again overwhelms hospitals

Ecuador implemented a nighttime curfew and other mobility restrictions as a spike in coronavirus cases again overwhelms hospitals in the Andean country, which in 2020 experienced one of the region's…

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Argentina COVID-19 deaths hit 60,000 in pandemic’s ‘worst moment’

Argentina is going through its "worst moment" of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health minister said, as deaths from the virus hit 60,000 amid a sharp second wave that has forced…

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Brazil asks women to delay pregnancy over new coronavirus variant fears

Brazil asked women to delay getting pregnant until the worst of the pandemic passes, saying the virus variant that is devastating the South American country appears to affect expectant mothers…

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Brazil’s COVID-19 response cost thousands of lives, says Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The Brazilian government's "failed response" to the pandemic led to thousands of otherwise avoidable deaths and created a humanitarian catastrophe that is still playing out,…

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Argentina closes schools, imposes curfew in Buenos Aires as COVID-19 cases spike

Argentina’s government will tighten pandemic restrictions in and around the capital Buenos Aires to rein in a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases, including shutting schools and imposing a curfew from…

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Study shows Brazil’s P1 coronavirus variant mutating, may become more dangerous

Brazil’s P1 coronavirus variant, behind a deadly COVID-19 surge in the Latin American country that has raised international alarm, is mutating in ways that could make it better able to…

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Majority of Brazil COVID-19 ICU patients aged 40 years or younger

The surging COVID-19 outbreak in Brazil is increasingly affecting younger people, with hospital data showing that last month the majority of those in intensive care were aged 40 or younger,…

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Guillermo Lasso wins presidency in Ecuador

Ecuadorean banker Guillermo Lasso has won Sunday’s presidential runoff vote against leftist economist Andres Arauz, putting the country on track to maintain open market policies rather than return to socialism.…

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Ecuador to choose between socialism and free markets in presidential runoff

Ecuadoreans on Sunday will choose between a conservative banker and a left-wing economist in a presidential runoff that follows months of debate over whether the country’s economic malaise can be…

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Mexico, Brazil will not limit AstraZeneca vaccine

Mexican and Brazilian health regulators said on Wednesday they would not limit the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot after Britain's vaccine advisory committee recommended not using it for people under…

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‘A biological Fukushima’: Brazil COVID-19 deaths on track to pass worst of U.S. wave

Brazil’s brutal surge in COVID-19 deaths will soon surpass the worst of a record January wave in the United States, scientists forecast, with fatalities climbing for the first time above…

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Brazil hopes veterinary facilities can help increase COVID-19 vaccine output

Brazil hopes to use veterinary facilities to increase COVID-19 vaccine output, authorities said on Saturday, as the country accounts for the world’s worst daily death tolls and its vaccination efforts…

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Argentine President Alberto Fernandez says tests positive for coronavirus

Argentine President Alberto Fernandez has tested positive for the new coronavirus, is waiting for the result to be confirmed and is in good spirits despite having a light fever, the…

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