South America

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- China is an essential partner for Brazil as the South American country envisions a future combining economic growth with environmental sustainability, said Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao on Thursday.

"China's new strategies for a circular and sustainable economy represent opportunities to expand and diversify our bilateral economic ties," Mourao said during the presentation of a document titled "Foundations for Brazil's long-term China strategy," organized by the Brazil-China Business Council.

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Soccer superstar Diego Maradona was buried Thursday in a private ceremony attended by only two dozen people — a stark contrast to earlier in the day when tens of thousands of weeping fans filed past his coffin for hours in an observance that mixed head-of-state-like honors with the chaos of a rowdy stadium.

Only family members and close friends were permitted at Jardín Bella Vista cemetery for the final religious ceremony and burial of Maradona next to the graves of his parents, Dalma and Diego.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Hopes of families for a quick release for six American oil executives detained in Venezuela for three years over an alleged corruption scheme have evaporated, with a judge finding them all guilty and quickly sentencing them to prison.

Attorneys and relatives of the so-called Citgo 6 said the men were wrongly convicted, and the defense lawyers vowed to appeal Thursday’s verdicts.

SAO PAULO, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The hospitalization rate of people who contracted the novel coronavirus was more than 34 percent lower among "sufficiently active" individuals, according to a study released Monday by the Sao Paulo State Research Support Foundation.

"Sufficiently active" was defined as at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity or 75 minutes of high intensity activity a week, the study said.

"It was possible to observe a reduction of 34.3 percent in hospitalization in the group considered sufficiently active," said the study.

SANTIAGO, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 jolted 98 km northwest of Constitucion, Chile, at 21:54 on Saturday (0054 GMT on Sunday), according to the University of Chile's Seismological Service.

The offshore earthquake occurred near costal city Constitucion in the middle region of country. The epicenter, with a depth of 20.14 km, was initially determined to be at 34.6194 degrees south latitude and 73.0759 degrees west longitude.

BUENOS AIRES, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, on Saturday called for greater global integration to tackle the challenges caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

"The world is moving towards alarming levels of inequality" due to the economic impact of the pandemic and lockdown measures, Fernandez told a Group of 20 (G20) leaders' summit via video link.

While the wealth gap between nations and people existed, "the pandemic revealed this inequality, which we must attack in order to live in a more just world," Fernandez said.

BOGOTA (Colombia), Nov 21 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Amid a breakdown in relations and absence of US diplomats in Venezuela, Washington has named its first ambassador for the South American country for the first time in a decade.

However he will carry out his duties from the capital of neighboring Colombia, Bogotá.

LIMA, Nov 21 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Peru’s interim president appointed veteran economist Waldo Mendoza as his finance minister in a bid to shore up investor confidence shaken by political turmoil.

Interim President Francisco Sagasti swore in most of his 19-member ministerial team on Wednesday after becoming the country’s third leader in little more than a week.

Mendoza, a former deputy finance minister and central bank board member, was previously the head of the public finance commission in Lima. He’s the country’s ninth finance minister in less than five years.

LA PAZ, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Bolivia has resumed its full participation in regional intergovernmental bodies including the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and the Union of South American Nations.

The Bolivian Ministry of Foreign Relations said in a statement on Friday that the previous decisions made by Bolivia's interim government "to suspend Bolivia's participation in the aforementioned integration spaces responded to purely political interests."

QUITO, Nov 19 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) – An illegal coal mine collapsed in a landslide, in north-western Ecuador, killing at least three people, the country’s disaster relief agency said today.

Three people were rescued, and another two are still missing, said the National Risk and Emergency Management Service.

The collapse happened at around 3.00 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) yesterday, in the Esmeraldas province, near the border with Colombia.

Local media reported that, the accident resulted from excavations in an illegal mine, that caused a landslide.