LATIN AMERICA

Photo Credit: AFP

"Unfortunately our country has almost 98,000 children who lost their father, mother or guardian during the pandemic," said Peru's Minister of Women Anahi Durand, citing figures published in the medical journal The Lancet.

Peru leads the world in overall Covid deaths per capita, with more than 6,000 Peruvians per million having died from the disease, according to an AFP analysis of official figures.

The government currently provides a pension of 200 soles ($50) every two months to more than 18,000 families.

Durand hopes to expand the benefit to cover psychological and educational support, and to reach more than 83,000 children and adolescents.

Photo Credit: AFP 

Attorney general Zoraida Avalos Rivera "opened a preliminary investigation" into the president "for allegedly committing the crimes" of aggravated influence peddling, as perpetrator, and collusion, as participant, the agency said in a statement.

But the proceedings will be suspended until Castillo's five-year term ends in 2026, as the president has "absolute immunity that transcends the scope of criminal proceedings" in Peru.

Photo Credit:Getty Images

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was admitted to hospital in the early hours of Monday with abdominal pain and was being examined to see if surgery might be necessary, Bolsonaro's doctor Antonio Luiz Macedo told the news website UOL from the Bahamas.

The Brazilian TV network Globo showed images of Bolsonaro walking down the stairs of the presidential plane after landing in Sao Paulo at about 01:30 He was then taken to the Vila Nova Star hospital, Globo said.

Photo Credit: Reuters

Gunmen unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry during an event on January 1 commemorating the Caribbean country's independence, his office said in a statement.

Mr. Henry's office said on January 3 that "bandits and terrorists" had tried to shoot the Prime Minister at a church in the northern city of Gonaives where the ceremony marking the 218th anniversary of independence was taking place.

Video footage broadcast on social media showed Mr. Henry and his entourage scrambling toward their vehicles as an armed group began shooting outside the cathedral in Gonaives.

Local media said one person was killed and two were injured in the gunfire. National police were unable to immediately confirm the casualties.

Photo Credit: Reuters

Mexico earlier this year slashed its COVID-19 vaccine order with CanSino Biologics by more than half when it became clear that the Chinese company would deliver far less than agreed, three people familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

Mexico informed CanSino (6185.HK)in July it would reduce its order to roughly 14.5 million doses from 35 million as it sought to ramp up supplies from other sources, according to a Mexican official with knowledge of discussions.

The first batch of CanSino vaccines reached Mexico in March, and nearly all the 14.1 million doses the country has since received were bottled in the central Mexican state of Queretaro.