South America

Rio’s samba scene struggles to find a tune after COVID-19 batters Brazil

After months of coronavirus-induced inactivity, Rio de Janeiro's legendary samba scene is tentatively tiptoeing back to life, offering a sliver of hope to those whose livelihoods depend on the traditional…

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Maradona recovering from ‘successful’ surgery – Update

Update : Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona was in recovery after successful surgery to treat a subdural hematoma, a blood clot on the brain, the former World Cup winner's doctor said late…

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Maradona hospitalised in Argentina after feeling unwell

Diego Maradona, who turned 60 last Friday, has been admitted to hospital in his native Argentina with undisclosed “health problems” although it is not related to Covid-19. The former Argentine…

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Tributes pour in for Maradona on 60th birthday

Diego Maradona celebrated his 60th birthday on Friday with a comprehensive league victory for the club he coaches, cake presented to him inside a shuttered stadium and a 100-metre long…

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Christ the Redeemer lit up in yellow and green to pay tribute to Pele on his 80th birthday

Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer was lit up in yellow and green on Friday (October 23) as part of a birthday tribute to Brazilian soccer legend Pele on his…

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Former Bolivia President Morales left Argentina

Bolivian former President Evo Morales has left Argentina on a flight traveling to Venezuela, Argentine state news agency Telam reported on Friday, which would come in the wake of his…

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AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial Brazil volunteer dies but trial to continue

Brazilian health authority Anvisa said that a volunteer in a clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University had died but added that the trial would…

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Argentina reaches 1 million coronavirus cases

Argentina has become the fifth country with more than one million coronavirus cases, its Health Ministry and a Reuters tally confirmed on Monday, making it the smallest nation by far to reach the…

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Bolivia’s socialists seal dramatic election comeback

Bolivia's socialists all but sealed a dramatic election comeback after their centrist rival Carlos Mesa conceded the vote on Monday, with several unofficial vote counts giving the party of ousted…

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Bolivia’s socialists claim victory as unofficial count shows big win

Bolivia's socialist candidate Luis Arce looks set to win the country's presidential election without the need for a run-off, an unofficial count indicated on Monday, putting the leftwing party of…

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Photo Story: A return to cultural life in Sao Paulo

Scenes from the OsGemeos exhibition, titled 'Secretos (Secrets),' in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The OsGemeos exhibit marks the return of cultural life in Sao Paulo after seven months of inactivity due…

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Bolivians hope to restore political stability in Sunday presidential election

Bolivians head to the polls on Sunday in an election many hope can restore stability to an Andean country that was plunged into turmoil after a fraught and eventually voided…

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No barriers for care as group of women rent crane to be close to their friend fighting cancer

A friendship that has lasted for over ten years became a viral phenomenon after the 12 protagonists did a beautiful gesture towards their friend. After not being able to see…

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Photo Story: Eating out in Argentina in times of pandemic

Three women wait for their order inside a dome for the isolation of customers in a restaurant, in the town of San Miguel, in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.…

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Container shortage delays shipments of Brazil’s record coffee crop

Coffee traders are struggling to ship cargos out of Brazilian ports because of a shortage of available containers or space in vessels to hold them, according to traders and analysts.…

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Brazil reports 290 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours

Brazil confirmed 290 coronavirus deaths over the last 24 hours and 12,342 new cases, the nation's Health Ministry said on Sunday. The South American country has now registered 5,094,979 total…

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Argentina first country to approve GMO wheat

Argentina has approved HB4 drought-resistant GMO wheat by biotechnology firm Bioceres SA , the company and the government announced, making it the first country in the world to approve a…

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Brazil hits 5 million COVID-19 cases, epidemiologist fears second wave

Brazil passed the mark of 5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday as it approached 150,000 deaths in the second most deathly coronavirus outbreak outside the United States. Though the…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Pontal beach, in Rio de Janeiro, the most emblematic city in Brazil. Via EPA-EFE/Antonio Lacerda

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Photo Story: Argentina mourns legendary cartoonist Quino

A woman cries while leaving flowers to the statue of Mafalda after the death of its creator, 'Quino', in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentine cartoonist Joaquin Salvador Lavado, known as 'Quino'…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

An alligator rests on the Olympic golf course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Alligators, foxes, capybaras and even snakes share terrain with athletes and fans at the Rio de Janeiro…

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In Brazil’s Amazon a COVID-19 resurgence dashes herd immunity hopes

The largest city in Brazil's Amazon has closed bars and river beaches to contain a fresh surge of coronavirus cases, a trend that may dash theories that Manaus was one…

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Brazil to join COVAX vaccine facility, as Chile, Israel, UAE also sign up

Brazil, which has the world's second-highest coronavirus death toll, has decided to join the global COVID-19 vaccine partnership known as COVAX and will earmark 2.5 billion reais ($454 million) for…

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Rio cancels Carnival for first time in a century

As the number of coronavirus deaths worldwide looked set to pass a million within days, Rio de Janeiro delayed its annual Carnival parade for the first time in a century…

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Photo Story: Pollution on the beaches of Barra de Tijuca, Brazil

Aerial view from a drone showing a pollution stain through the Joatinga channel towards the sea in Barra de Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. According to experts, the stain is…

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Brazil death toll from COVID-19 rises to 97,256

Brazil reported 57,152 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 1,437 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said. Brazil has…

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Fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest surge

The number of fires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest jumped 28% in July from a year ago, official data showed on Saturday, as some environmentalists warned a jump this week could…

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Photo Story: Covid-19 protection in Brazil

Brazilian accountant Tercio Galdino, 66, and his wife, Alicea Galdino, walk down Leme beach wearing protective suits to avoid contamination with Coronaviruses in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tercio who has…

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Argentina extends coronavirus lockdown as cases increase

Argentina will extend a mandatory lockdown until Aug. 16 as its coronavirus cases continue to rise, President Alberto Fernandez announced. The lockdown, which has been the strictest in the capital…

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Brazil reopens international flights to tourists even as coronavirus deaths spike

Brazil on Wednesday reopened international air travel to foreign tourists, which had been banned since March, even as the country's coronavirus outbreak ranks as the world's second worst. Tourists from…

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