by Luke Taylor, The British Medical Journal – Latin America continues to suffer some of the worst tolls of Covid-19, with over seven million recorded infections accounting for nearly half of all daily deaths. But in the region's Southern Cone there is a clear outlier wedged between Brazil to the east, with over 3.5 million confirmed cases, and Argentina to the west, with half a million.
Latin American leaders have appealed at the United Nations for free access to a future Covid-19 vaccine, urging major powers to share their know-how for the sake of global well-being.
President Donald Trump plans to name conservative federal appeals court judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy on the US Supreme Court created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, two sources said on Friday quoted by Reuters.
About 3,500 U.S. companies, including Tesla Inc, Ford Motor Co, Target Corp, Walgreen Co, and Home Depot have sued the Trump administration in the last two weeks over the imposition of tariffs on more than US$300 billion in Chinese-made goods.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro underwent an operation to remove a bladder stone on Friday, the government said, the latest in a series of health issues for the far-right leader.
A referendum next month on legalizing recreational cannabis has divided opinion in New Zealand with ruling party politicians staying clear of the contentious issue ahead of a general election they are likely to win.
One of the Vatican's most influential cardinals proclaimed his innocence on Friday after being pushed out by Pope Francis following news reports of the prelate allegedly directing church funds to family members.
A businessman who spun his wealth from bottled water and vaccines has usurped tech tycoon Jack Ma as China's richest man, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index showed this week.
The Falkland Islands Government has confirmed that, as part of its efforts to contribute to the worldwide Coronavirus relief response, it has made a donation of £5,000 to Centro de Promoción por la Dignidad Humana (CEPRODIH), based in Uruguay.
The poor and weakest members of society should get preferential treatment when a vaccine for the coronavirus is ready, Pope Francis told the United Nations on Friday. Speaking from the Vatican in a video address to the UN General Assembly, Francis said the worldwide pandemic had highlighted the urgent need to promote public health and ensure access to vaccines.