
Guatemala beat back on Sunday a large migrant caravan bound for the United States, just days before the inauguration of the new administration.

Britain's government hopes to ease some lockdown restrictions in March as it presses ahead with Europe's fastest rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Sunday.

China’s economy grew at a faster-than-expected pace in the fourth quarter of last year, ending a rough coronavirus-stricken 2020 ahead of all major industrialized nations, as well poised to expand further this year.

Pope Francis told Uruguay’s new ambassador to the Holy See that a future visit to the country as well as to his native Argentina is still very much on the table. In an interview with Catholic News Service last week, Guzman Carriquiry, who prior to his appointment as Uruguay’s ambassador served as secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, said he decided to ask the pope about the long-awaited visit when he presented his letters of credential Jan. 9.

Argentina on Thursday became one of just a handful of Latin American countries to allow elective abortion, as neighboring Chile initiated its own debate on decriminalizing a procedure denied to most women on the continent. President Alberto Fernandez signed a law that allows abortion until 14 weeks of pregnancy that was passed by the Senate on December 30.

The Falkland Islands has been exempted from new UK regulations regarding pre-departure Covid-19 testing for international travelers to England. The new testing requirements, announced by UK Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, will be in force from 4 am on January 15.

The International Monetary Fund expects the pace of its ongoing discussions with Argentine authorities to accelerate in coming weeks, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said on Thursday.

United States president-elect Joe Biden laid out his plan for another US$ 1.9 trillion economic rescue package on Thursday, seeking to combat the economic and health crises stemming from the pandemic.

The risks to an expected economy recovery in Brazil during 2021 are increasing as delays in rolling out a vaccine program against coronavirus continues to be delayed, according to Moody's rating agency.

The appearance of new variants of the COVID-19 virus in several countries of the Americas, combined with an acceleration in the virus’s spread in virtually every country in the Americas, makes it urgent to continue public health measures such as social distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands often, Pan American Health Organization Director Carisa F. Etienne said.