South America

LIMA/CHUGUR, Peru, July 28 (Reuters) - As a boy in Peru's rural north, Pedro Castillo would help collect and crush cane on his family's small farm. Now he is president of the nation, an abrupt rise to power that has shaken up the copper-rich Andean country's political landscape.

Castillo, who began his campaign as a wild card candidate from a Marxist party, takes office on Wednesday facing divisions in the country, in Congress, in the military - and within his own party.

BRASILIA, July 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Arabica coffee prices rose 10 percent more on Monday, after jumping nearly 20 percent last week, to their highest in nearly seven years as unusually cold weather threatens coffee crops in the world’s largest producer, Brazil.

Severe frosts last week damaged a large part of the fields in Brazil’s main coffee belt and a new polar air mass is forecast to move over the same areas later this week, the third strong cold front to hit crops this year.

BOGOTA, July 25 (NNN-TELESUR) — On Saturday, the Institute for Peace (INDEPAZ) confirmed the assassination of Jose Vianey, who became the social leader 101 murdered by irregular armed groups operating with impunity in Colombia.

Vianey was found dead in the “La Montañita” community in Caqueta, after being shot by unidentified gunmen. 

He was the local community Action Board’s Attorney, where he supported rural workers’ demands. 

Local authorities launched an investigation to determine the instigators and the motives behind the murder.

SAO PAULO, July 24 (Reuters) - Protesters took to the streets in several Brazilian cities on Saturday to demand the impeachment of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, whose popularity has fallen in recent weeks amid corruption scandals against the backdrop of the pandemic.

This week, news broke that Brazil's defense ministry told congressional leadership that next year's elections would not take place without amending the country's electronic voting system to include a paper trail of each vote.

CARACAS, July 25 (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that he was aiming to begin a dialogue with the country's political opposition next month in Mexico facilitated by Norway, a process he hoped the United States would embrace.

In May the opposition changed strategy and indicated its willingness to return to negotiations to resolve the political crisis in OPEC member Venezuela.

BRASILIA, July 24 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro announced he was evaluating a cabinet reshuffle and also expressed doubts about running for a new term in office in October 2022.

“We are working on a small ministerial change, which must take place next Monday to be precise, to continue administering Brazil,” Bolsonaro said in a radio interview.

The most important change would be the creation of a Labor Ministry to be named “Social Security and Employment,” Economy Minister Paulo Guedes admitted Wednesday.

LIMA, July 24 (NNN-TELESUR) — The new Congress of Peru, elected for the period 2021-2026, took office Friday at the gates of the inauguration of the new President of the country and in the midst of struggles for the integration of the board of directors of the legislative body.

Friday’s was an unprecedented ceremony due to the protocols implemented by the COVID-19 pandemic, since the 130 elected congressmen, belonging to ten parties, are sworn in divided in three blocks.

Hyderabad, July 24 (PTI) Brazil has suspended the clinical studies of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin following termination of the company's agreement with its partner there, the South American Country's health regulator said.

Bharat Biotech on Friday announced cancellation of the MoU it signed with Precisa Medicamentos and Envixia Pharmaceuticals LL.C for its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin for the Brazilian market.

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 22 (Reuters) - Brazil's political leaders lined up on Thursday to stress next year's presidential election is certain to take place, after a bombshell newspaper report that Brazil's defense minister had issued a threat about holding the highly polarized vote.

The Estado de S. Paulo story landed at a fraught time in Brazil, amid repeated - and unfounded - allegations by President Jair Bolsonaro that the country's electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud.

SANTIAGO, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Chile has fully vaccinated 78.34 percent of its target population against COVID-19, or 11,908,045 people, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday.

So far, 13,062,630 people have received their first vaccine dose, or 85.93 percent of the target population, Health Minister Enrique Paris reported during a press conference.

Nationwide, 24,471,952 vaccine doses have been administered from the more than 27 million doses of vaccines that have arrived in the South American country to date.