LATIN AMERICA

Mexico at 'peak moment' of coronavirus crisis after biggest daily rise in cases

Mexico has reached "the peak moment" of its coronavirus outbreak, officials said, as the country recorded its largest one-day rise in cases so far.

More than 2,409 new cases of the virus were confirmed on Thursday - the first time this figure has exceeded 2,000.

The total number of confirmed cases in the country is now more than 40,000.

The grim milestone comes amid preparations to ease lockdown measures and reopen the economy, particularly factories near the border with the US.

Read more ... Add new comment

Mexico can't stop drug cartels from handing out virus aid

Mexico’s president acknowledged Monday that drug cartels have been handing out aid packages during the coronavirus pandemic, and called on them to stop.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said such handouts have occurred “in several places,” but said the government can’t stop the practice. “It is something that happens, it cannot be avoided," López Obrador said.

“I don't want to hear them saying, ‘we are handing out aid packages,’” he said. “No, better that they lay off, and think of their families, and themselves, those that are involved in these activities and who are listening to me now or watching me.”

Read more ... Add new comment

Brazil's energy minister to attend G20 oil meeting after Saudi invite

Brazil’s Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque said on Monday that he is ready to attend a meeting of G20 oil ministers planned by Saudi Arabia to look at ways to stabilize oil markets hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Albuquerque said in a statement that Saudi Minister of Energy, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud, called him on Sunday to exchange views on the situation of oil markets and to invite Brazil to attend the meeting. He gave no date for the meeting.

Add new comment

INMATES SEIZE PRISON IN VENEZUELA

Inmates have revolted and taken control of a notorious prison in Venezuela, as the volatile country braces for presidential elections decried as illegitimate by regional leaders.

Read more ... Add new comment

96 YEAR OLD WOMAN GOES TO HIGH SCHOOL

Guadalupe Palacios stands out in her high school class in Mexico, and it is not just because of her gray hair, her deeply creased skin or her 96 years.

Palacios, who is seeking to live out her dream of finishing high school by her 100th birthday, is also the most enthusiastic student in the classroom.

Read more ... Add new comment