South America

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Unemployment in Brazil fell to 8.9 percent in the quarter ending in August, the lowest level in seven years, the state-run Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) said Friday.

From June through August, the unemployment rate in the South American country dropped 0.9 percentage points compared to the March-to-May period, and decreased by 4.2 percentage points year on year.

According to the IBGE, the drop of the unemployment rate means that the number of unemployed people in August were 937,000 fewer than that in May.

CARACAS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan Culture Minister Ernesto Villegas on Thursday called on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to adopt measures to protect the cultural rights of peoples from the harmful impact of sanctions imposed by other countries.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilians were voting on Sunday in a highly polarized election that could determine if the country returns a leftist to the helm of the world’s fourth-largest democracy or keeps the far-right incumbent in office for another four years.

The race pits incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro against his political nemesis, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. There are nine other candidates, but their support pales to that for Bolsonaro and da Silva.

CARACAS, Oct 1 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Venezuela’s military strength in the northernmost Paraguaná peninsula on the Caribbean seashore has been upped as President Nicolás Maduro urged authorities from the Dutch territories of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao to join efforts against drug trafficking in the area.

BRASILIA, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva maintains a solid lead going into Sunday's presidential race against far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and is within sight of an outright victory, a fresh poll showed on Saturday.

Brazil's most polarized election in decades will decide whether to return to power a former president who spent time in jail on corruption convictions or a right-wing populist who has attacked the voting system and threatened to contest defeat.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — September has come and gone, marking another painful milestone for the world’s largest rainforest. It’s the worst month for fire in the Amazon in over a decade.

Satellite sensors detected over 42,000 fires in 30 days according to Brazil’s national space institute. It is the first time since 2010 that fires in the Amazon surpassed 40,000 in a single month.

This September was two and a half times worse than last. Coming at the peak of the dry season, it’s usually the worst month not only for fire but also for deforestation.

LA PAZ, Sept 30 (NNN-Prensa Latina) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta agreed to strengthen diplomatic ties at the highest level during talks held in Caracas, the Bolivian Foreign Ministry’s web portal reported.

During his stay in Venezuela, Mayta met with the Executive Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, with whom he evaluated the strategic cooperation agenda with issues of common interest.

The two countries have strategic alliances in the commercial, energy, agri-food and science and technology spheres.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil held its final presidential debate before Sunday’s elections with tens of millions watching, and what it lacked in substance it made up for in fireworks.

Far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro needed a strong performance Thursday night to ensure a runoff against leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the front-runner in the polls, and the two let loose. The president called da Silva a “traitor” and the challenger accused Bolsonaro of ties to corruption and threatened to reveal information has tried to hide.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s presidential election will be decided by tens of millions of poor people, and they look set to eject incumbent Jair Bolsonaro from office — either in Sunday’s first round or in a runoff..

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 29 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — A federal judge in Argentina has dismissed all charges against 14 of the 19 crew members of the Emtrasur Boeing 747-300 freighter aircraft seized at Buenos Aires Ezeiza international airport. They were all given their passports back and cleared to leave the country at will.

Judge Federico Villena then summoned for questioning 5 of the 7 crew members remaining in Buenos Aires. After the new statements, Villena will have to decide on their fate.