LATIN AMERICA

ARGENTINA BRACES FOR NEW COVID WAVE AS CASES RISE TO HIGHEST IN ALMOST 6 MONTHS

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Photo Credit: Reuters

Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Argentina almost doubled on Monday from Friday to 20,263 new infections, according to the country's health ministry, the highest daily tally in almost 6 months as the Omicron variant spreads around the world.

On Friday, the government had registered 11,181 new cases of the virus. While it publishes daily case counts on weekends, those numbers tend to be lower than on weekdays.

Argentina's government has not said how many of the new cases could be tied to the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which also has been detected in most neighboring countries. Paraguay reported its first case on Monday.

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BRAZIL'S BOLSONARO SAYS 11-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WILL NOT GET COVID-19 JAB

Presidential guard change ceremony at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia

Photo Credit: Reuters

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will not vaccinate his 11-year-old daughter against COVID-19, he said on Monday, maintaining the firm anti-vaccine stance that has drawn criticism from public health experts and hit his poll numbers.

The right-wing leader added that the nation's health minister, Marcelo Queiroga, will divulge on Jan. 5 the manner in which Brazil will carry out its coronavirus vaccination campaign for 5 to 11-year-olds, which was approved earlier this month.

"Children have not been dying in a way that justifies a vaccine for children," he told reporters in the southern state of Santa Catarina.

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BRAZIL FLOODING DEATH TOLL MOUNTS, THOUSANDS MORE DISPLACED

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Photo Credit: AFP

Bahia firefighters confirmed the death of a 60-year-old man who drowned in a river in the south of the state on Sunday.

Two people are also missing, while 19,580 have been displaced and another 16,001 forced to seek shelter, bringing the number of people driven from their homes to 35,000, the Bahia civil protection agency Sudec said.

Another 286 people have been injured since the start of the downpours, Sudec added.

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GABRIEL BORIC: FROM STUDENT PROTEST LEADER TO CHILE'S PRESIDENT

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Photo Credit: BBC

When Mr Boric won the candidacy of his leftist bloc to run for president, he made a bold pledge. "If Chile was the cradle of neoliberalism, it will also be its grave," he said. "Do not be afraid of the youth changing this country."

And so he ran on a platform promising radical reforms to the free-market economic model imposed by former dictator Gen Augusto Pinochet. One that, he says, is the root of the country's deep inequality, imbalances that came to the surface during protests in 2019 that triggered an official redraft of the constitution.

After a polarising campaign, Mr Boric defeated far-right rival José Antonio Kast in the second round of the presidential election by a surprising large margin, ushering in a new chapter in the country's political history.

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LEFTIST GABRIEL BORIC TO BECOME CHILE'S YOUNGEST EVER PRESIDENT

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Photo Credit: AP

In what was expected to be a tight race, the 35-year-old former protest leader defeated his far-right rival José Antonio Kast by 10 points.

Mr Boric told supporters he would look after democracy, promising curbs on Chile's neoliberal economic model.

He will lead a country that has been rocked in recent years by mass protests against inequality and corruption.

Mr Boric's victory prompted celebrations on the streets of the capital Santiago, with his supporters waving flags and honking car horns.

In his speech, Mr Boric said he was taking on the job with humility and a "tremendous sense of responsibility", vowing to "firmly fight against the privileges of a few".

"We have an enormous challenge. I know that in the coming years, the future of our country is at stake, so I guarantee that I will be a president who cares for democracy and does not risk it, listens more than speaks, seeks unity, and attends to the needs of the people daily," he told supporters.

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