News of quarantine

Rafael Bielsa: ‘Alberto Fernández is very far from being a puppet’

10-04-2021 07:42 Rafael Bielsa, Argentina’s current Ambassador to Chile, on the pandemic, the president, Peronism and bilateral relations.

by Jorge Fontevecchia

Buenos Aires bankers’ return to office imperiled by Covid surge

07-04-2021 17:07 Several of Argentina’s largest banks succeeded at getting more employees back to headquarters as the virus toll abated in South America’s second-biggest economy. A rising case count now puts that path into question.

A year of living dangerously

20-03-2021 08:40 Thursday’s nationwide broadcast was widely criticised and mocked, but in his guarded and indirect manner President Fernández was telling it like it is regarding a central problem which too many ignore.

A year of fear

20-03-2021 07:08 The nationwide quarantine imposed exactly one year ago today might well have qualified for that cliché “the first day of the rest of your life,” but let us hope that it is not quite as bad as that.

by Michael Soltys

Murders surge in Brazil despite pandemic

20-10-2020 08:52 Number of murders and other violent deaths in Brazil increased 7.1% in first half of the year, despite lockdown measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Covid-19 hits Mar del Plata, as pandemic surges in Argentina

19-10-2020 07:00 Mar del Plata has become an epicentre in a coronavirus surge through Argentina's interior that has given the country the fifth-highest confirmed case total in the world.

Trump has 'mild' Covid symptoms, diagnosis rocks race for White House

02-10-2020 09:13 US president experiencing "mild symptoms" of Covid-19 after testing positive, along with First Lady Melania Trump. News upends election campaign, a month before Republican leader faces Joe Biden at the polls.

Latin America's cities bustle like Covid is gone – but it’s not

20-09-2020 21:57 In Latin America’s big cities, as in other places around the globe, it almost feels like the virus never happened.

Protesters rally in capital to demand justice for Facundo Castro

04-09-2020 02:50 Protest held one day after forensic experts confirm remains of a body found in a rural area of Buenos Aires Province belong to Castro, a 22-year-old who had been missing for more than 100 days.

Judge confirms found remains belong to Facundo Astudillo Castro

03-09-2020 04:11 Bahía Blanca Federal Judge María Gabriela Marrón confirms remains of a skeleton found earlier this month belong to missing 22-year-old, who was last seen alive on April 30.

Lockdown extended until September 20 amid record infection rates

28-08-2020 22:24 Some restrictions eased: outdoor social gatherings of up to 10 people approved, while restaurants in capital can now serve customers at tables on streets. 11,717 new cases and 222 deaths on Friday.

Anti-government protesters defy virus lockdown to rally

17-08-2020 21:59 Large crowds of demonstrators take to the streets, in cities across the country, on to protest lockdown extension and government's proposed judicial reform bill.

Nerves fray in Argentina, as some flout pandemic lockdown

13-08-2020 15:02 People are on edge in Argentina, where the number of new coronavirus cases is surging despite nearly five months of strict limits on movement and activities in Buenos Aires and the surrounding area.

Youngsters in Latin America vent pandemic fury after lost 2020

12-08-2020 23:30 For four young adults across Latin America, 2020 was meant to be a year of freedom and opportunity. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic brought confinement and frustration. 

What we learned this week: July 25 to August 1

01-08-2020 09:18 The most important stories that caught our eye in the last seven days.

Judicial reform and jumping the queue

01-08-2020 09:07 The judicial reform bill announced this week suffers all the problems of Caesar’s wife – it must not only be honourable but seen to be so, a challenge which neither its context nor origin nor timing favour.

CONMEBOL forces Argentina to step up plans for return of football

18-07-2020 10:12 While many South American leagues have already retaken the field or are preparing to restart leagues, in Argentina even the return to training remains pending. That, however, hasn’t stopped CONMEBOL.

by Dan Edwards

Search continues for missing 22-year-old, UN calls for ‘exhaustive’ probe

18-07-2020 10:03 Facundo Astudillo Castro was last seen on April 30 after being stopped by police in Buenos Aires Province for breaching Covid-19 lockdown.

Banks block accounts of those suspected of trying to circumvent dollar quota

17-07-2020 00:11 At least three of country's biggest banks have started to block dollar purchases via online platforms for clients suspected of using loopholes to purchase greenbacks beyond the US$200 limit.

Colombia: Illegal groups using violence to enforce lockdowns

16-07-2020 23:27 Illegal armed militias are imposing strict Covid-19 quarantines in parts of Colombia where the state has a weak presence, threatening those who don’t comply, Human Rights Watch has warned.