South America

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian health regulator Anvisa on Friday approved clinical trials of a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac, according to an official gazette publication.

The study - first announced on June 11 - is led by Instituto Butantan, a research center funded by the state of Sao Paulo. The agreement with Sinovac includes not only trials but also the transference of technology to produce the potential vaccine locally.

CARACAS, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela and the European Union (EU) have agreed to promote their diplomatic contact "at the highest level," Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza said in Caracas on Thursday.

The two parties issued a joint communique after Arreaza spoke by phone with the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.

In an interview with Caracas-based news network Telesur, Arreaza said he held a "very frank, very sincere and at the same time very cordial" conversation with Borrell on Wednesday.

BOGOTA, July 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 118 members of the Colombian army have been investigated since 2016 for alleged involvement in sexual abuse against minors, the head of the army said, amid accusations of sexual violence by soldiers against young girls.

Of the 118 soldiers and army officials, 45 were fired, while the remaining 73 are facing criminal and disciplinary investigations by the attorney general and procurator’s offices, General Eduardo Zapateiro told a virtual news conference.

BOGOTA, July 1 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — A bilateral trade agreement between Colombia and the United Kingdom has passed in Colombia’s plenary senate session and now passes to the Andean nation’s lower house for approval.

The legislation seeks to maintain uninterrupted trade access, terms and conditions between Colombia and the UK that have existed under the Colombia – European Union agreement.

Colombia’s exports to the UK last year totaled US$ 470.4 million and represented about 10% of what Colombia sells to the European Union.

CARACAS, June 30 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro gave the head of the European Union mission in Caracas, Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa, 72 hours to leave the country after the bloc announced sanctions against 11 Venezuelan officials.

“Who are they to try to impose themselves with threats?” said Maduro.

“We will sort it out in 72 hours… she will be given a plane to leave, but we will arrange our things with the European Union.”

LIMA, June 29 (NNN-ANDINA) – The Peruvian Health Ministry reported Sunday, 3,430 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 279,419 with a total of 9,317 deaths.

A total of 10,861 people required hospital care, including 1,178 in intensive care units and on ventilators, according to the ministry.

The capital Lima is the hardest hit region, with 156,172 cases of infection.

The Peruvian government said, the nation’s COVID-19 outbreak has reached a plateau, and has begun to reactivate the economy with preventive measures in place.

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 28 (NNN-CMA) – Brazil, on Saturday, reported at least 1,109 daily deaths of COVID-19, raising its death toll to 57,070.

In the last 24 hours, 38,693 new cases were reported, bringing the national count to 1,313,667, the Brazilian Health Ministry said, in its daily report.

The state of Sao Paulo, the most populous in the country, has been the most heavily affected by the disease, with 14,263 deaths and 265,581 cases, followed by Rio de Janeiro, with 9,789 deaths and 108,803 cases.

SAO PAULO, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian Ministry of Health announced on Saturday an agreement with the United Kingdom to acquire technology to locally produce a vaccine against COVID-19 that is currently being developed by the University of Oxford and British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Ivan Duque on Friday called Venezuela a public health “time bomb,” and said the lack of reliable information about the status of its neighbor’s coronavirus outbreak was a worry as his administration tries to control its own infections.

Colombia has long been the top destination for Venezuelans fleeing years of social and economic upheaval in their home country.

BUENOS AIRES, June 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Argentina President Alberto Fernandez announced on Friday a toughening of lockdown measures in the capital Buenos Aires and its surrounding area as coronavirus cases are on the rise.

“We’re going back to closing the Buenos Aires metropolitan area so that traffic dramatically decreases, to reduce infections and the need for (hospital) beds,” said Fernandez.

From July 1 “we’re going to ask everyone to return to isolation at home and to only leave to fetch provisions for daily life,” he said.