WEATHER ALERT
Dengue cases set a new record in the Americas this year as deaths also surge
Read full article: Dengue cases set a new record in the Americas this year as deaths also surgeDengue fever is sweeping across the Caribbean and the Americas, with a record 12.6 million suspected cases of the mosquito-transmitted virus reported this year, nearly triple the number from last year.
In a meeting with Biden, China's Xi cautions US to 'make the wise choice' to keep relations stable
Read full article: In a meeting with Biden, China's Xi cautions US to 'make the wise choice' to keep relations stableChina’s leader Xi Jinping met for the last time with U_S_ President Joe Biden but was already looking ahead to President-elect Donald Trump and his “America first” policies, saying Beijing “is ready to work with a new administration.”.
With Peru in the global spotlight for APEC, so is one of the world's least popular presidents
Read full article: With Peru in the global spotlight for APEC, so is one of the world's least popular presidentsThe high-profile Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima has thrust one of the world’s least popular presidents into the limelight.
Peru celebrates 2 decades of a fast-growing breed of guinea pigs eaten as a delicacy
Read full article: Peru celebrates 2 decades of a fast-growing breed of guinea pigs eaten as a delicacyPeru is celebrating two decades since the creation of a genetically modified breed of guinea pig, a rodent whose meat has formed a part of the diet of people in the Andean nation for thousands of years.
6 migrants from Egypt, Peru and Honduras die near Guatemalan border after Mexican soldiers open fire
Read full article: 6 migrants from Egypt, Peru and Honduras die near Guatemalan border after Mexican soldiers open fireMexican army troops opened fire on a truck carrying migrants from a half dozen countries, and six migrants from Egypt, Peru and Honduras died in an event that President Claudia Sheinbaum called “deplorable.”.
Pope expels a bishop and 9 other people from a Peru movement over 'sadistic' abuses
Read full article: Pope expels a bishop and 9 other people from a Peru movement over 'sadistic' abusesPope Francis has taken the unusual decision to expel 10 people from a troubled Catholic movement in Peru after a Vatican investigation uncovered “sadistic” abuses of power, authority and spirituality.
Group says photos of reclusive tribe on Peru beach show logging concessions are 'dangerously close'
Read full article: Group says photos of reclusive tribe on Peru beach show logging concessions are 'dangerously close'An advocacy group for Indigenous peoples has released photographs of a reclusive tribe’s members searching for food on a beach in the Peruvian Amazon.
Poor neighborhood in Peru's Amazon region hosts film festival celebrating tropical forests
Read full article: Poor neighborhood in Peru's Amazon region hosts film festival celebrating tropical forestsIn the heart of Peru’s Amazon region, a poor neighborhood put aside the trials and tribulations of everyday life and celebrated an international film festival with works from countries with tropical forests.
Hundreds in Peru mark Clown Day in hopes of getting the holiday official recognition
Read full article: Hundreds in Peru mark Clown Day in hopes of getting the holiday official recognitionHundreds of clowns have gathered in the streets of Peru’s capital to mark Clown Day, a holiday for which they have sought for years to gain official recognition.
UN countries adopt treaty to better trace origins of genetic resources under global patent system
Read full article: UN countries adopt treaty to better trace origins of genetic resources under global patent systemU.N. member countries have concluded a new treaty to ensure that genetic resources used in inventions, like new medicines derived from exotic plants in the Andes mountains, are properly traced.
Prosecutors widen illicit enrichment probe against Peru's president to include jewelry worth $500K
Read full article: Prosecutors widen illicit enrichment probe against Peru's president to include jewelry worth $500KPeru’s top prosecutor says the scope of an investigation into President Dina Boluarte’s ownership of three luxury watches has broaden to include fine jewelry that authorities estimate could be worth more than $500,000 and money transactions that exceed $400,000.
Peru arrests an Iranian man accused of planning an attack on an Israeli citizen
Read full article: Peru arrests an Iranian man accused of planning an attack on an Israeli citizenPolice in Peru have announced the arrest of an Iranian citizen who was purportedly a member of the Iranian Quds Force and had allegedly planned to kill an Israeli citizen in the South American country.
Meet Efruz, the Jack Russell terrier that loves to surf the waves of Peru
Read full article: Meet Efruz, the Jack Russell terrier that loves to surf the waves of PeruLittle Efruz balances himself on the front of the surfboard as waves foam around him and his companion as they skim over the Pacific waters off Peru.
Endangered species list grows by 2,000. Climate change is part of the problem
Read full article: Endangered species list grows by 2,000. Climate change is part of the problemThe International Union for Conservation of Nature, the leading tracker of global biodiversity, released their new Red List of Threatened Species on Monday at the United Nations climate conference in Dubai.
Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is freed from prison on humanitarian grounds
Read full article: Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is freed from prison on humanitarian groundsPeru’s former President Alberto Fujimori has been released from prison on humanitarian grounds, despite a request from a regional human rights court to delay his release.
Peruvian constitutional court orders release of former President Alberto Fujimori
Read full article: Peruvian constitutional court orders release of former President Alberto FujimoriPeru’s constitutional court has ordered an immediate humanitarian release for imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori.
Japan's Princess Kako arrives in Peru to mark 150 years of diplomatic relations
Read full article: Japan's Princess Kako arrives in Peru to mark 150 years of diplomatic relationsJapanese Princess Kako on Friday arrived in Peru on an official visit to commemorate 150 years of diplomatic relations between both countries.
Volunteer medical students are trying to fill the health care gap for migrants in Chicago
Read full article: Volunteer medical students are trying to fill the health care gap for migrants in ChicagoA group of volunteer doctors in Chicago is spending their Saturdays providing street medicine for the growing number of migrants.
Not so fast! Wrong distance means no world record in women's walk race at Pan Am Games
Read full article: Not so fast! Wrong distance means no world record in women's walk race at Pan Am GamesOrganizers of the Pan American Games say the times of the women's 20 kilometers walk race were annulled due to “a measuring problem.”.
Joran van der Sloot expected to plead guilty in Natalee Holloway extortion case
Read full article: Joran van der Sloot expected to plead guilty in Natalee Holloway extortion caseCourt records filed Friday indicate the chief suspect in Natalee Holloway’s 2005 disappearance intends to plead guilty in an extortion case.
First leopard cubs born in captivity in Peru climb trees and greet visitors at a Lima zoo
Read full article: First leopard cubs born in captivity in Peru climb trees and greet visitors at a Lima zooThe first leopard cubs born in captivity in Peru are climbing trees and greeting visitors as they make their debut at a local zoo.
Dozens of cats in Poland had bird flu but the risk to people is low, the UN health agency says
Read full article: Dozens of cats in Poland had bird flu but the risk to people is low, the UN health agency saysThe World Health Organization says more than two dozen cats have been infected with bird flu across Poland, but no people appear to have been sickened.
Indigenous community wins, then loses, path to reclaim ancestral rainforest land in Peru
Read full article: Indigenous community wins, then loses, path to reclaim ancestral rainforest land in PeruA landmark ruling that an Indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon could reclaim ancestral rainforests has been set aside by an appellate court.
EU countries adopt law banning products which fuel deforestation
Read full article: EU countries adopt law banning products which fuel deforestationThe 27 European Union countries have formally endorsed a law that should help the bloc reduce its contribution to global deforestation by regulating the trade in a series of goods.
Peru's ex-president returned home to face corruption charges
Read full article: Peru's ex-president returned home to face corruption chargesFormer President Alejandro Toledo has arrived in Lima after being extradited from the United States to face charges he allegedly received millions of dollars in bribes in a giant corruption scandal that has ensnared four of Peru’s ex-presidents.
Lawmakers back Paris Olympic law despite surveillance fears
Read full article: Lawmakers back Paris Olympic law despite surveillance fearsA proposed French law for the 2024 Paris Olympics that critics contend will open the door for privacy-busting video surveillance technology in Europe has passed an important hurdle.
Mudslides smash villages in Peru; at least 12 confirmed dead
Read full article: Mudslides smash villages in Peru; at least 12 confirmed deadResidents of five small gold-mining villages in southern Peru’s Arequipa region are struggling to salvage their belongings after landslides caused by strong rains killed at least 12 people and dragged mud, water and rocks that turned precarious homes and other buildings into rubble.
Steady rains set off mudslides that kill at least 36 in Peru
Read full article: Steady rains set off mudslides that kill at least 36 in PeruAuthorities in Peru say landslides triggered by steady rains swept mud, water and rocks into several villages in the country's south, killing at least 36 people.
Peru protesters tear-gassed after president calls for truce
Read full article: Peru protesters tear-gassed after president calls for truceThousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Peru’s capital and were met with volleys of tear gas and pellets amid clashes with security forces just hours after President Dina Boluarte called for a “truce” in almost two months of protests.
Peru closes Machu Picchu as anti-government protests grow
Read full article: Peru closes Machu Picchu as anti-government protests growPeru has indefinitely shut its iconic tourist site Machu Picchu in the latest sign that anti-government protests are increasingly engulfing the South American country.
Despite tear gas, Peru protesters vow to keep demonstrating
Read full article: Despite tear gas, Peru protesters vow to keep demonstratingThousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Peru’s capital and are being met with volleys of tear gas for the second straight day, as demonstrators made clear they will keep up their mobilizations to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte.
New Peru president appears with military to cement power
Read full article: New Peru president appears with military to cement powerPeru’s first female president appeared in a military ceremony on national television on Friday in her first official event as head of state, an attempt to cement her power and buck the national trend of early presidential departures.
OAS launches external ethics probe into chief over romance
Read full article: OAS launches external ethics probe into chief over romanceThe Organization of American States has launched an external probe into allegations that Secretary General Luis Almagro may have violated the organization’s code of ethics while carrying on an intimate relationship with a staffer.
OAS boss vows to cooperate in ethics probe of romance claim
Read full article: OAS boss vows to cooperate in ethics probe of romance claimThe head of the Organization of American States says he won’t interfere in an internal ethics probe into claims he had a romance with a staffer, and he insists he took no action to favor the younger woman allegedly involved.
Qatari ambassador faces LGBT-rights appeal before World Cup
Read full article: Qatari ambassador faces LGBT-rights appeal before World CupQatar’s ambassador to Germany has been urged to abolish his country’s penalties for homosexuality at a human rights congress hosted by the German soccer federation two months before the Middle East country hosts the World Cup.
Latin American nations ease restrictions as COVID cases drop
Read full article: Latin American nations ease restrictions as COVID cases dropPlummeting coronavirus infection rates across Latin America have led governments in the region to lift restrictions on mass gatherings, travel requirements and mask mandates that have been in place for two years.
Facing hunger, Peru's poor band together with 'common pots'
Read full article: Facing hunger, Peru's poor band together with 'common pots'Every day for more than two years, Cindy Cueto has woken up in the house she shares with her three children atop a desert hill in Peru’s capital, and wondered: “What are we going to eat?”.
New data in Peru show COVID-19 death toll is over 180,000
Read full article: New data in Peru show COVID-19 death toll is over 180,000Peru has announced a sharp increase in its COVID-19 death toll, saying there have been more than 180,000 fatalities since the pandemic hit the country early last year.
The Latest: US 7th Fleet: 14,000 personnel fully vaccinated
Read full article: The Latest: US 7th Fleet: 14,000 personnel fully vaccinatedThe U.S. 7th Fleet that operates throughout the Indo-Pacific says more than 14,000 of its service members have received their full doses of the coronavirus vaccine, which it began administering on January 5.
Mexico's last island penal colony may now host cruise ships
Read full article: Mexico's last island penal colony may now host cruise shipsVisitors will be able to tour the remote island jail, but not stay overnight. Ad“Visitors will have their first contact with the former island prison which for 100 years sheltered numerous criminals,” Torruco said. When Panama closed its Isla Coiba penal colony in 2004, Isla Marias became the last one remaining in the Americas. But in the end, the Islas Marias wound up costing Mexico far more per prisoner than did mainland jails. Chile closed its Santa Maria prison island in the late 1980s, Costa Rica’s Isla San Lucas penal colony closed in 1991 and Brazil’s Isla Grande in 1994.
Medical oxygen scarce in Africa, Latin America amid virus
Read full article: Medical oxygen scarce in Africa, Latin America amid virusIt takes about 12 weeks to install a hospital oxygen plant and even less time to convert industrial oxygen manufacturing systems into a medical-grade network. AdIn Brazil’s Amazonas state, a pair of swindlers were caught reselling fire extinguishers painted to look like medical oxygen tanks. Only then did President Muhammadu Buhari release $17 million to set up 38 more oxygen plants and another $670,000 to repair plants at five hospitals. AdLeith Greenslade of the Every Breath Counts Coalition, which advocates for wider access to medical oxygen, said the looming shortages were apparent last spring. The main provider of medical oxygen to Brazil’s Amazonas state, White Martins, operated at half capacity before the pandemic.
Peru's crime worries tainting Venezuelans who want to work
Read full article: Peru's crime worries tainting Venezuelans who want to workPeru is hosting roughly 1 million displaced Venezuelans, an influx that began around 2014 as inflation, unemployment, crime and shortages of food and medicine soared in their homeland. Then the coronavirus pandemic came, hitting Peru particularly hard, and Marero found herself out of work as did countless other migrants. Using imprisonment data in Peru as a proxy for crime rates, researchers said 1.3% of inmates were foreign born. Federico Agusti, the representative in Peru of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, challenged officials' assertions that Venezuelan immigrants are increasingly involved in crime. He said data that the government has shared with the U.N. body show that only 1.8% of all complaints in Peru are against Venezuelans.
The Latest: Brazil is latest to ban flights from Britain
Read full article: The Latest: Brazil is latest to ban flights from BritainA demonstrator wears a face shield with a red handprint, mimicking blood, to protest Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the deadly coronavirus pandemic in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020. ___NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dozens of Tennessee hospitals have stopped taking transfer patients because they are overwhelmed during one of the nation’s worst recent outbreaks of COVID-19 cases. ___DENVER — Colorado has started vaccinating correctional workers as the state sees a surge of coronavirus cases in its prisons. ___BOSTON — Help is on the way for Massachusetts small businesses struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, with Gov. COVID-19 cases have been declining in New Mexico, but the economic fallout from the pandemic continues.
The Latest: Coronavirus cases keep rising in South Korea
Read full article: The Latest: Coronavirus cases keep rising in South Korea(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has added 1,092 new coronavirus cases in a resurgence that is erasing hard-won epidemiological gains and eroding public confidence in the government’s ability to handle the outbreak. It would deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and resources to vaccinate a nation confronting a frightening surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths. Preliminary data on U.S. deaths show the coronavirus pandemic contributing to a 15% or more increase in deaths over last year. ___MEXICO CITY — Mexican officials have reported a new daily high in confirmed coronavirus cases as the country awaits its first shipment of vaccine. ___WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The Navajo Nation is reporting 151 new coronavirus cases and seven more deaths related to COVID-19.
Peru's interim president resigns as chaos embroils nation
Read full article: Peru's interim president resigns as chaos embroils nationPeople celebrate after the resignation of interim president Manuel Merino, at Plaza San Martin in Lima, Peru, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)LIMA – Peru’s interim president resigned Sunday as the nation plunged into its worst constitutional crisis in two decades following massive protests unleashed when Congress ousted the nation’s popular leader. The politician agreed to step down after a night of unrest in which two young protesters were killed and half his Cabinet resigned. Congress called an emergency session for Sunday evening to select a new president, but was still debating the question late into the night. Merino, previously head of Congress, stepped in as interim president, but his six-day rule was marred by constant protests.
Peru president's ouster sparks wave of youth-led protests
Read full article: Peru president's ouster sparks wave of youth-led protestsOn Tuesday, Manuel Merino was sworn in as the country's president, after the legislature voted Vizcarra out of office Monday. “I think they removed him out of their own personal interests rather than those of the people,” she said. “Legislators are supposed to watching out for the good of all.”Peru’s Congress voted overwhelmingly to remove now ex-President Martín Vizcarra on Monday, complaining about his handling of the pandemic and accusing him of corruption. Nineteen people, including officers and civilians, were injured at a large protest Thursday, according to the public defender’s office. Like those protests, the Peru demonstrations are loosely organized, driven by notices posted on social media and fueled in large part by the demands of young people.
In Peru's Cuzco, pandemic devastates tourism and economy
Read full article: In Peru's Cuzco, pandemic devastates tourism and economyCurrently open to maintenance workers only, the world-renown Incan citadel of Machu Picchu will reopen to the public on Nov. 1. Cuzco, the historic capital of the Inca empire near Machu Picchu lives almost entirely from international tourism and is suffering the worst crisis in its recent history. Fredy Deza, Cusco’s regional director of tourism, said there are 8,000 tour guides in the region who do not have access to these benefits. At the moment, 129 Cuzco guides and artisans have received grants of $830 for guides and $415 for artisans, according to official data. The small town of Aguas Calientes, the closest to Machu Picchu, is also a ghost town.
Peru's Machu Picchu reopening Sunday after pandemic closure
Read full article: Peru's Machu Picchu reopening Sunday after pandemic closureThe Machu Picchu archeological site is devoid of tourists while it's closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in the department of Cusco, Peru, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. Currently open to maintenance workers only, the world-renown Incan citadel of Machu Picchu will reopen to the public on Nov. 1. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)MACHU PICCHU – Except workers repairing roads and signs, Peru's majestic Incan citadel of Machu Picchu is eerily empty ahead of its reopening Sunday after seven months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tour operators are offering packages costing $250 to visit Machu Picchu, which before the pandemic would have cost at least $750. Machu Picchu is Peru's tourism jewel and in 2018 drew 1.5 million visitors.
The Latest: Indian cases spike, retesting ordered for some
Read full article: The Latest: Indian cases spike, retesting ordered for someIndia edged closer to recording nearly 100,000 coronavirus cases in 24 hours as it ordered retesting of many people whose first results were from a less reliable testing method that's being widely used. According to the Health Ministry, India recorded another spike of 96,551 cases in the past 24 hours, taking its caseload to 4.56 million. It also said some negative rapid antigen tests should be redone through the more reliable RT-PCR method, the gold standard of coronavirus tests that looks for the genetic code of the virus. The directive was meant to ensure infected people did not go undetected and to check the spread the disease among their contacts. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday the 176 cases added in the previous 24 hours took the national tally to 21,919, with 350 deaths.
Peru's Indigenous turn to ancestral remedies to fight virus
Read full article: Peru's Indigenous turn to ancestral remedies to fight virus(AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)PUCALLPA – As COVID-19 spread quickly through Peru’s Amazon, the Indigenous Shipibo community decided to turn to the wisdom of their ancestors. So Mery Fasabi gathered herbs, steeped them in boiling water and instructed her loved ones to breathe in the vapors. “We had knowledge about these plants, but we didn’t know if they’d really help treat COVID,” the teacher said. “We’ve always been forgotten,” said Roberto Wikleff, 49, a Shipibo man who turned to Fasabi’s treatments to help treat his COVID-19. Fasabi said that by no means are the remedies a cure, but their holistic approach is proving effective.
The Latest: India reports record number of new infections
Read full article: The Latest: India reports record number of new infections(AP Photo/Martin Mejia)NEW DELHI India has recorded another record number of new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours as it ramps up testing to more than 900,000 a day. The 69,652 new cases reported Thursday push Indias total reported cases past 2.8 million, of which 2 million have recovered. The Health Ministry says another 977 coronavirus fatalities were recorded in the past 24 hours, raising total deaths to 53,866. It has the third-most reported cases in the world, behind the United States and Brazil, and has the fourth highest number of reported deaths behind the U.S., Brazil and Mexico. Confirmed cases rose by 5,792 to 537,031, and 707 more deaths were confirmed, bringing Mexicos total to 58,481.
Virus pushes millions into hunger; UN seeks more food funds
Read full article: Virus pushes millions into hunger; UN seeks more food fundsFor many residents the "community pot" is their only defense against a hunger that's become a constant feature of life amid the new coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)JOHANNESBURG Millions of people have been pushed into hunger by the coronavirus pandemic, the U.N. World Food Program said Monday as it appealed for nearly $5 billion to help feed the growing numbers in poor and middle-income countries. The frontline in the battle against the coronavirus is shifting from the rich world to the poor world, said David Beasley, WFPs executive director. Until the day we have a medical vaccine, food is the best vaccine against chaos." Coronavirus infection levels are climbing when food stocks in some parts of the world are already low.
Beijing sees drop is virus cases as Brazil passes 1 million
Read full article: Beijing sees drop is virus cases as Brazil passes 1 millionA porter rests on his cart amid the new coronavirus pandemic, in La Victoria district of Lima, Peru, Friday, June 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)BEIJING Chinas capital recorded a further drop in coronavirus cases amid tightened containment measures while Brazil surpassed more than 1 million confirmed infections, second only to the United States. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva that nearly half of the newly reported cases were from the Americas, with significant numbers from South Asia and the Middle East. South Africa has about 30% of the virus cases on the African continent, or more than 87,000. Meanwhile, Germany reported the countrys highest daily increase in virus cases in a month after managing to contain its outbreak better than comparable large European nations.
Barber offers hope in Peruvian barrios devastated by virus
Read full article: Barber offers hope in Peruvian barrios devastated by virus"I want them to look in the mirror and see a bit of hope," said Yacahuanca, who's just 21 years old but already considers himself a veteran barber because he starting cutting hair age 13. Yacahuanca seeks out clients devastated by a coronavirus lockdown that has gone on for nearly 100 days in an attempt to stem the wave of new infections. I want them to look in the mirror and see a bit of hope, said Yacahuanca, who though just 21 years old is a veteran barber, having started cutting hair at age 13. Peru has been one of Latin America's hardest hit by recession brought on by the virus outbreak. On each trip, he follows a routine, setting out an old wooden chair as his makeshift barber chair and offering up his services.
In Peru, thousands of faces at Mass -- none now alive
Read full article: In Peru, thousands of faces at Mass -- none now aliveWorkers stick portraits of people who died due to the COVID-19, inside the Cathedral, in Lima, Peru, Saturday, June 13, 2020. Sunday's mass in Lima's cathedral with the presence of more than 4,000 portraits of the dead from COVID-19 is the first with these characteristics in the South American country where until Saturday more than 6,400 had died and more than 225,000 were infected. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)LIMA Archbishop Carlos Castillo on Sunday looked out over a catheral full of faces none of them now alive. The nation as a whole faces a projected economic contraction of 12% this year, and Castillo called for solidarity with the poor. There were images of doctors, police, firemen and streetsweepers, even an infant.