South America

QUITO, Nov 2 (NNN-Xinhua) — At least five Ecuadorean police officers were killed on Tuesday in explosive attacks in response to prisoner transfers from overcrowded and violent penitentiaries, prompting President Guillermo Lasso to declare a state of emergency in two provinces.

Lasso declared a state of emergency in the two coastal provinces of Guayas and Esmeraldas, which were hit by 12 attacks overnight.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration signaled a willingness to hand over power, two days after a nail-biting election loss to leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and amid speculation the far-right incumbent might fight the result.

Bolsonaro reportedly told members of Brazil’s Supreme Court Tuesday that his election battle against da Silva has come to an end. Earlier, in a brief speech at the presidential palace, he said: “I have always played within the four lines of the constitution,” although he stopped short of conceding.

SAO PAULO, Nov 1 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Argentine President Alberto Fernández met in Sao Paulo Monday afternoon with Brazil’s President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva to celebrate the latter’s victory in Sunday’s runoff.

The Argentine president posted a brief video on his Twitter account in which he appears embracing Lula.

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro will not contest his electoral defeat and plans to address the nation later on Tuesday, his Communications Minister Fabio Faria told Reuters, as a growing number of political allies advised him to concede.

Some of Bolsonaro's hardline supporters have called for military intervention to keep Bolsonaro in power and stop leftist President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office. Pro-Bolsonaro truck drivers blocked federal highways.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the federal highway police to immediately clear hundreds of roads across the country blocked by truck drivers protesting President Jair Bolsonaro’s loss in the Oct. 30 election.

01 Nov 2022; MEMO: Member of Hamas Political Bureau, Basim Naim, congratulated freedom fighter, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on his victory in Brazil's election after defeating his rival, incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, in a fiercely contested run-off election.

The Hamas official considered da Silva's election a victory for all oppressed people around the globe, particularly the Palestinian people, as da Silva is known for his strong and continued support for the Palestinians at all international forums.

SAO PAULO/BRASILIA, Oct 31 (Reuters) - President Jair Bolsonaro had yet to concede defeat in Brazil's presidential election by Monday afternoon, raising fears the far-right nationalist might contest the victory of his leftist rival, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Tens of thousands of jubilant Lula supporters took to the streets of Sao Paulo on Sunday night to celebrate a stunning comeback for the 77-year-old former metalworker, who governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010. His electoral win follows a spell in prison for corruption convictions that were later annulled.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilians delivered a very tight victory to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a bitter presidential election, giving the leftist former president another shot at power in a rejection of incumbent Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right politics.

BOGOTA, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Colombia has received a total of 93,502,966 COVID-19 vaccine doses, of which 89,310,214 have been applied, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday.

In the past week, 100,510 doses were applied, of which 17,217 were second doses and 3,611 were single-dose vaccines, said the ministry.

As part of the National Vaccination Plan, 36,191,103 people have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 30,132,460 received a second dose, while 6,651,795 have received a single-dose vaccine.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilians began voting Sunday morning in a polarizing presidential runoff election that pits an incumbent vowing to safeguard conservative Christian values against a former president promising to return the country to a more prosperous past.

The runoff shaped up as a close contest between President Jair Bolsonaro and his political nemesis, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Both are well-known, divisive political figures who stir passion as much as loathing.