South America

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Scientists have long been warning that extreme weather would cause calamity in the future. But in South America — which in just the last month has had deadly landslides in Brazil, wildfire in Argentine wetlands and flooding in the Amazon so severe it ruined harvests — that future is already here.

LIMA, Feb 21 (NNN-ANDINA) — The number of citizens infected with COVID-19 rose to 3,496,009 and the death toll reached 209,468 in Peru as of Feb 19 at 10 pm, the Ministry of Health (Minsa) has reported.

Within this framework, 4,067 cases were detected and 53 people passed away due to the virus on the analyzed day.

A total 23,473,698 samples tested negative for COVID-19 —out of a total of 26,969,707.

It must be noted that 3,514,048 people have been discharged and declared healthy. Other 2,683 were hospitalized.

CARACAS, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Venezuela must reinforce its separation of powers, especially the independence of its judicial branch, to give more autonomy to its electoral commission and improve the voting process, the European Union's electoral observation mission said on Tuesday.

The recommendation is among 23 included in the mission's final report on regional and local elections that took place last November, the first time in 15 years that EU observers were present at a Venezuela vote. 

CARACAS, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Venezuela must reinforce its separation of powers, especially the independence of its judicial branch, to give more autonomy to its electoral commission and improve the voting process, the European Union's electoral observation mission said on Tuesday.

The recommendation is among 23 included in the mission's final report on regional and local elections that took place last November, the first time in 15 years that EU observers were present at a Venezuela vote. 

CORRIENTES, Argentina (AP) — Wildfires that have been ravaging northern Argentina for several weeks advanced relentlessly Sunday, although the light rains that began over the weekend gave some hope to firefighters.

Corrientes province is the most affected area, where officials said at least eight separate fires continued to burn and had devastated at least 9% of its territory. The flames are consuming about 30,000 hectares (89,000 acres) a day in Corrientes, destroying almost 800,000 hectares so far, according to the latest official reports.

SANTIAGO, Feb 19 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Chile is to be defined in the future as a “Regional State, multinational and intercultural” according to the draft approved on Friday afternoon by the constitutional convention that is discussing the new constitution for the country.

The article, the first to be discussed was supported by 112 votes and 34 against plus three abstentions.

The other option that was also considered but rejected was a “Unitary Decentralized State”.

SANTIAGO, Feb 19 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Chile’s Interior Minister Rodrigo Delgado wants to close the country’s northern border as a new stage of the “state of exception” already in force in four provinces where the migration crisis is escalating.

“The time has come to close the border even more and be able to have the tools that the new immigration legislation and the state of exception are giving us. We are going to continue using them and we do not rule out taking more measures,” he told reporters Friday.

PETROPOLIS, Brazil (AP) — The death toll from floods and landslides that swept down on the mountain city of Petropolis rose to at least 117 on Thursday and local officials said it could still rise sharply, with 116 more still unaccounted for.

The Rio de Janeiro state government confirmed the rising loss of life, with many feared buried in mud beneath the German-influenced city nestled in the mountains above the city of Rio de Janeiro.

PETROPOLIS, Brazil (AP) — Rio de Janeiro state’s government has confirmed 94 deaths from floods and mudslides that swept away homes and cars in the city of Petropolis. But even as families prepared to bury their dead, it was unclear Thursday how many bodies remained trapped in the mud.

Rubens Bomtempo, mayor of the German-influenced city nestled in the mountains, didn’t even offer an estimate for the number of people missing, with recovery efforts still ongoing.

PETROPOLIS, Brazil (AP) — The death toll from devastating mudslides and floods that swept through a mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state has reached 38, local authorities said Wednesday.

The city of Petropolis was slammed by a deluge on Tuesday, and Mayor Rubens Bomtempo said the number of dead could rise as searchers picked through the wreckage.

Rosilene Virgilio, 49, was in tears as she recalled the pleas for help from a woman she couldn’t save.