News of pandemic

World set to ring in another pandemic Christmas

24-12-2021 08:58 Omicron's rise has heralded another pandemic-tinged Christmas for billions across the world; Argentina's government records 13,456 cases in a day – a threefold rise in just a week.

The virus horde strikes back

18-12-2021 08:26 Like it or not, human beings will simply have to learn to live with Covid just as they have with countless other threats, whether natural or man-made.

Chile confirms first case of Omicron variant

05-12-2021 16:57 Chile confirmed on December 4 the first case of the variant of the Omicron coronavirus in a traveller from Ghana, who had arrived in the southern country on 25 November, the Valparaíso Regional Health Secretariat (Seremi) reported.

Travel curbs reimposed across globe over Omicron fears

03-12-2021 23:22 Argentina orders arrivals from Africa to undertake 10-day quarantine, following host of other nations; Authorities “pre-emptively” isolate 300 passengers on cruise ship after ‘false positive’ test result.

Latam Airlines reaches bankruptcy deal that hands reins to creditors

28-11-2021 08:37 Latam Airlines Group SA has reached a deal with key stakeholders that paves the way for the Chilean carrier to slash debt and exit bankruptcy under new ownership.

Nation reopens borders to foreign tourists

05-11-2021 18:20 Starting November 1, Argentina has lifted restrictions to enter and exit the country from international airports.

Brazil's Bolsonaro to skip United Nations climate talks

28-10-2021 13:01 Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will skip climate talks in Glasgow next week and instead visit an Italian town awarding him honorary citizenship.

Brazil senators back criminal charges against Bolsonaro

27-10-2021 12:42 A Brazilian Senate commission approved a damning report on Tuesday that recommends criminal charges be brought against President Jair Bolsonaro, including crimes against humanity, for his Covid policies.

Darkest days of Covid crisis remain fresh in the memory for many

15-10-2021 15:59 Coronavirus infections and fatalities are down in Argentina and intensive care units are getting emptier. Yet the darkest days of the Covid-19 pandemic are indelible memories for doctors, nurses and recovered patients.

Gravedigger and philosopher: the double life of Osmair Candido

11-10-2021 21:34 For Osmair Candido, who has worked as a gravedigger for the past 30 years, the pandemic was worse than a nightmare, an ordeal the Brazilian overcame only with the help of a few old friends – Kierkegaard, Kant and Nietzsche.

Poverty in Argentina reached 40.6% in first half of 2021

01-10-2021 21:00 INDEC data shows extreme poverty in Argentina rose to 10.7% of population by end of June; Poverty rate down 1.4 percentage points from the second half of 2020.

Argentina has paid for 46% of its Covid vaccine contracts

24-09-2021 22:08 As of September 9, the government had shelled out almost US$700 million to buy Covid-19 vaccine doses – less than half of the total funds it has agreed to pay to buy 130 million shots.

Brazil turns the tide with Covid-19 vaccines

16-09-2021 16:57 Brazil is one of the fastest vaccinating countries on the planet, after a late and chaotic start that continues to take its toll on President Jair Bolsonaro.

Pandemic gives 9/11 conspiracists fresh impetus

11-09-2021 00:01 Twenty years after al-Qaeda terrorists flew two hijacked aircraft into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center, conspiracy theorists are more emboldened than ever.

Fans can return to football, but will the players be there?

27-08-2021 23:08 Argentine fans were able to celebrate the prospect of finally returning to the stadium, only to discover that there may not actually be any players on the pitch when they do so.

by Dan Edwards

Pandemic helps deliver e-commerce boom in Argentina

27-08-2021 21:20 New data from the CACE (Cámara Argentina del Comercio Electrónico) shows invoicing doubled in the first half of the year, reaching 630 billion pesos.

by Lorena Rodríguez

Peru’s economy rebounds by record 42% after slump last year

24-08-2021 09:00 Peru's GDP grew 41.9% in the three months through June from the same period a year earlier, when the nation suffered the most severe contraction of any major economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

IMF urges US$650-billion SDR injection be directed to Covid’s hardest hit

23-08-2021 15:42 IMF's record US$650-billion resource injection comes into effect; Kristalina Georgieva urging wealthy states to direct some of allocation to countries lacking means to cope with Covid crisis.

IMF officially approves increased lending capacity

02-08-2021 21:32 IMF approves increasing the institution's lending capacity by US$650 billion, last step in approving an initiative to boost aid to the most vulnerable countries.

Pandemic slashes pay for workers in Latin America’s black economy

31-07-2021 00:28 Latin America's job market is going deeper into the dark, with a surge of off-the-books employment trapping millions in an abyss of worse pay, unstable work and dependence on government aid.