Latin America

• Monday, June 22nd 2020 - 09:55 UTC

  Machu Picchu opening suspended; Cuzco residents fear tourist transmission of the virus

  

  The ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, a jewel of Peruvian tourism, will not reopen in July as originally scheduled due to concerns over the coronavirus, local media reported on Sunday.

• Sunday, June 21st 2020 - 21:05 UTC

  Colombian army frees tourists kidnapped three months ago by guerrillas

  

  Colombia's army said on Friday it had freed a Swiss and a Brazilian kidnapped three months ago by suspected guerrillas.

• Sunday, June 21st 2020 - 06:40 UTC

  Giant tortoises grown in captivity returned into the wild in Galapagos Islands

  

  A group of giant tortoises who have lived in captivity for decades and helped rescue their species from the brink of extinction were released into the wild in the Galapagos Islands this week.

• Saturday, June 20th 2020 - 10:10 UTC

  US blacklists Mexican companies involved in failed oil-for-food contract with Venezuela's Maduro

  

  The United States blacklisted Mexican company Libre Abordo and a related firm, accusing them of helping Caracas evade US sanctions in the first formal action taken by the US Treasury Department against Mexican companies involved in trading Venezuelan oil.

• Friday, June 19th 2020 - 10:08 UTC

  Toothfish season underway at South Georgia

  

  The Government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, GSGSSI, usually celebrates the toothfish fishery on the 4th September each year – Toothfish day. However, this season celebrations started early, when, on the 1st May the first vessels arrived at South Georgia for the start of the 2020 fishing season.

• Thursday, June 18th 2020 - 23:00 UTC

  LATAM Argentina announces options for purchased ticket holders

  

  LATAM Airlines Group informs that LATAM Airlines Argentina announced on Wednesday that it will cease passenger and cargo operations for an indefinite period. The announcement is a result of current market conditions, exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the difficulty of building structural agreements with local industry actors, which has made it impossible to foresee a viable and sustainable long-term project.

• Thursday, June 18th 2020 - 12:18 UTC

  Peru with more virus contagion cases than hard hit Italy

  

  Peru topped 240,000 total cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, surpassing hard-hit Italy, government data showed, even as the pace of infections has begun to moderate in the Andean nation.

• Thursday, June 18th 2020 - 12:09 UTC

  India, Mexico, Norway and Ireland chosen to the UN Security Council; defeat for Canada's Trudeau

  

  The UN General Assembly elected on Wednesday four new members of the Security Council for 2021 and 2022, with Canada losing out again and the battle for the African seat going to a second round.

• Thursday, June 18th 2020 - 10:15 UTC

  LATAM's Argentina branch will cease operations indefinitely; 1,715 staff to be laid off

  

  LATAM Airlines Group said on Wednesday its Argentine subsidiary will cease operations indefinitely, cancelling all domestic flights, its first major cutback since filing for bankruptcy protection. The announcement fell short of saying the company, Latin America’s largest airline, will entirely wind down its subsidiary, although it is unclear if it will ever resume operations.

• Wednesday, June 17th 2020 - 18:54 UTC

  Honduran president and wife test positive for Covid 19

  

  The Honduran president has said he and his wife have tested positive for coronavirus. The Central American nation has registered just under 10,000 COVID-19 infections, according to the health ministry, and 330 deaths.