Tag Archives: South America

Colombian officials say they have arrested two Florida men wanted in the United States on charges they illegally sold a bleachlike chemical as a miracle cure for the new coronavirus and other diseases. The Colombian prosecutor’s office said Tuesday that Mark and Joseph Grennon were arrested in the beach town …

Two former US soldiers have been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Venezuela on charges including terrorism, after a failed bid to invade the Caribbean country last May, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said. Luke Alexander Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, “admitted” to “conspiracy, association (to commit crimes), …

The State Department’s top official on Venezuela said Tuesday that the Trump administration will continue recognizing lawmaker Juan Guaidó as the nation’s interim president even if President Nicolás Maduro’s government ousts the opposition from the control of congress — its last major stronghold. “He will not change the legal status …

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 signal a repeat of last year’s surging destruction of the world’s largest rainforest. Brazil’s space research agency Inpe recorded 6,803 …

Coronavirus cases in Latin America for the first time have surpassed the combined infections in the United States and Canada, a Reuters tally showed on Sunday, amid a surge of infections in Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and Argentina. The quickly growing number of cases makes Latin America the region most …

South Africa has announced more than 12,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases as the total in one of the world’s worst affected countries reaches 434,200 with 6,655 deaths. South Africa makes up well over half the confirmed cases on the African continent, where experts say the virus could smoulder in areas …

Illegal armed groups are imposing strict Covid-19 quarantines in parts of Colombia where the state has a weak presence, threatening and even killing those who don’t comply, Human Rights Watch warned on Wednesday. At least nine people have been assassinated in recent months for either refusing to abide by the …

Eyewitnesses could only look on in horror as a small private plane crash-landed on the streets of Sao Paulo, before exploding into flames. Emergency response teams were too late to save the sole occupant trapped inside. The tragic incident took place just outside of the Campo de Marte Airport in …

Brazilian President Bolsonaro, who has sought repeatedly to minimize the coronavirus as he urges the country back to work, has tested positive for covid-19, he told reporters on Tuesday. Bolsonaro, who has been an outlier among world leaders in his skepticism of both the coronavirus and preventive measures intended to …

The number of fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest rose 20% in June to a 13-year-high for the month, government data showed on Wednesday, as researchers worry that it could signal a repeat of last year’s surge in forest fires. Health experts also fear the smoke that often blankets the region …

A massive plume of Saharan dust has shrouded swathes of the Caribbean, turning blue skies into a milky-brown haze and sparking health warnings across the region as air quality fell to unhealthy levels. Strong warm winds over the Sahara desert typically whip up sand at this time of year and …

Iran has sent its sixth cargo ship to the sanctions-hit South American nation, due to reach its destination on Sunday. Unlike previous vessels, which were carrying gasoline, this one is set to deliver food to Venezuela. The ‘Golsan’ is set to moor at one of Venezuela’s ports on June 21, …

On Friday night, Brazil became the second country in the world to surpass 1 million cases of the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The nation is on track to overshadow the U.S. for the most coronavirus deaths in the world by the end of July, according to …

Chilean and Argentine researchers have unearthed teeth in far-flung Patagonia belonging to a mammal that lived 74 million years ago, the oldest such remains yet discovered in the South American country, the Chilean Antarctic Institute reported on Thursday. Scientists uncovered the tiny teeth, which belonged to a species called Magallanodon …

Anti-government demonstrations broke out in several Brazilian cities on Sunday as President Jair Bolsonaro suffers growing backlash against his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Protesters carrying signs in defense of democracy and against racism gathered in Brazil’s largest cities despite medical recommendations of social distancing, many encouraged by U.S. demonstrations …

Brazil’s government has stopped publishing a running total of coronavirus deaths and infections in an extraordinary move that critics have called an attempt to hide the true toll of the disease in Latin America’s largest nation. The Saturday move came after months of criticism from experts saying Brazil’s statistics are …

With its overall Covid-19 death toll exceeding 34,000 people, Brazil is now the country with the third-highest number of deaths in the world, surpassing Italy. Brazil is widely regarded to be the current global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, with more new daily deaths and cases than any other country. …

France has rejected allegations that Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has been holed up inside the nation’s diplomatic mission in Caracas. Venezuelan authorities earlier labeled Guaido a “fugitive from justice.” “Juan Guaido is not at the French residence in Caracas. We have repeatedly confirmed this to the Venezuelan authorities,” French …

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit northern Chile early on Wednesday morning, the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) has said. The quake struck at a depth of 145 km (90 miles), GFZ added. The US Geological Survey said the epicenter of the earthquake was about 62 km southwest of …

With nearly 30,000 dead in Brazil and more than 10,000 dead in Mexico, the novel coronavirus epidemic threatens to shatter hospital systems across Latin America – while France, which is emerging from a similar nightmare scenario, begins on Tuesday a gradual return to normalcy. Four of the 10 countries showing …