Latin America

World News

Amid Pandemic, Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro Faces Political Crisis

11:41am April 29, 2020

by Philip Reeves

As Brazil's president down plays the coronavirus threat — despite a sharp uptick in death — he's facing a political crisis. It is affecting the government's handling of the pandemic.

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Mexican Wrestlers Are Sewing Lucha Libre Masks To Protect People From The Coronavirus

5:48pm April 28, 2020

by Carrie Kahn

Will the masks of El Santo and the Blue Demon protect people from the coronavirus? Mexico's professional wrestlers hope so. They are now sewing face masks for the public.

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Venezuelan migrants in Colombia walk toward the border amid the coronavirus lockdown. Colombian officials say 12,000 Venezuelans have taken buses back to their home country since Colombia imposed restrictions to stop the outbreak.

Thousands Of Migrants Head Back To Venezuela To Flee Colombia's COVID-19 Lockdown

1:41pm April 28, 2020

by John Otis

Colombian officials say 12,000 Venezuelans have taken buses back to their home country since Colombia imposed restrictions to stop the coronavirus outbreak. Many other Venezuelans are fleeing on foot.

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Pandemic Puts Economic Pressure On Venezuelans Who Fled To Colombia

6:15am April 28, 2020

by John Otis

Venezuela's economy and health care systems collapsed long before coronavirus. Venezuelan refugees in Colombia have run out of cash and are returning home.

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Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, pictured in February, has authorized police to use lethal force against gang members who allegedly ordered murders to take advantage of police attention to the coronavirus.

El Salvador's President Takes On The Country's Gangs Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

8:24pm April 27, 2020

by Carrie Kahn

President Nayib Bukele authorized officers to use lethal force against gang members who allegedly were responsible for dozens of murders while police were focused on the COVID-19 lockdown.

Poet Gioconda Belli On Nicaragua In The Time Of COVID-19

6:18am April 27, 2020

NPR's Noel King talks to Nicaraguan poet Gioconda Belli about how the country is handling the corornavirus pandemic. She likens the country's response to the outbreak as dark magical realism.

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U.S. Pushes Mexico To Open Some Factories

7:55am April 26, 2020

by Carrie Kahn

U.S. officials and firms are pressuring Mexico to open up factories vital to North American supply chains, despite a number of worker deaths from COVID-19.

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Relatives mourn at the site of a mass burial at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery, in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, on Tuesday. The cemetery is carrying out burials in common graves due to the large number of deaths from COVID-19 disease, according t

'Living Through A Nightmare': Brazil's Manaus Digs A Mass Grave As Deaths Mount

4:38pm April 23, 2020

by Philip Reeves

Cemeteries and hospitals are overwhelmed by a surge in fatalities, most of which are not registered in official COVID-19 statistics because of a lack of testing and bureaucratic delays.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro prepares to speak to supporters protesting against quarantine and social distancing measures to combat the new coronavirus outbreak in Brasilia on Sunday.

Brazil's Bolsonaro Joins Supporters In Protest Against Coronavirus Measures

4:56pm April 20, 2020

by Philip Reeves

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been widely accused of endangering the public by greatly underestimating the threat posed by the coronavirus, which has claimed more than 2,500 Brazilian lives.

U.S. And Mexico Extend Coronavirus Border Restrictions For Another Month

4:37pm April 20, 2020

by Vanessa Romo

Officials from both countries say the temporary closure to nonessential travel is critical to slowing the spread of the coronavirus. The U.S. has reached a similar agreement with Canada.