Brazil

President Jair Bolsanaro's latest pick for education minister has been forced to step down after rising controversies about his credentials.

Speculations ran amok after since Bolsonaro engaged in an arduous court battle to stop a hospital from releasing his health reports, despite the president reiterating that he was tested negative on two occasions in the past.  

The past couple of weeks have been particularly disastrous for Central America as well, in keeping with a surge in the infections. Guatemala logged in 700 new cases on Tuesday, along with 35 fresh deaths, bringing the fatality rate to 582.

Throngs of Brazilians swarmed the beaches of Rio de Janeiro over the weekend. This shocked the World Health Organization who warned of a consequential surge in its already bloated number of coronavirus cases and deaths.

Hunger, poverty and unemployment continue to plague Brazil. So much so, a lot of state governors who initially pushed for a total lockdown are now loosening restrictions.

Bernart accused Bolsonaro of having downhearted scores of people like her who vested him with power to a great deal by not taking accountability for the large-scale deaths in the country.

“Your presence in the square is a sign that in Italy the acute phase of the epidemic is over,” said Pope Francis on Sunday, as he addressed a group of Catholics in Saint Peter’s Square for the first time since the outbreak.

On Friday, Brazil surpassed Italy after recording a single-day death toll of 1,473, bringing up its total death toll to 34,000.

A Brazil official was recorded making appalling comments about the black rights movement.

This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Latin America is now the coronavirus epicenter as it has surpassed Europe and the United States in the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths.

Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has embarked on a six-state tour and has expressed that Mexico needs to “little by little normalize economic, social and cultural activities”.

However, 16 new cases were logged in Mainland China, out of which 11 were from Sichuan province, three in Inner Mongolia, and two in Guangdong

Lobão, a rightwing rockstar, has also signed the manifesto as he knows that this “genocidal fiasco” caused by Bolsonaro, his “mockery” of the coronavirus crisis, and “utter negligence towards public health to continue” cannot be allowed to go on.

A statement released by one of Brazil’s most prominent media organizations, read: “The lack of security for its journalists outside the Palácio da Alvorada has led Grupo Globo to decide that its professionals will no longer work there.”

The ban, which has kept the concerns of the permanent U.S. citizens in mind, does not restrict travel to permanent U.S. residents, their spouses, and legal guardians.

As of now, interim Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello is likely to sign the new hydroxychloroquine guidelines on Wednesday.

With things seeming to go into a downward spiral, Bolsonaro amassed severe backlash with protestors and his opposition accusing the leader of choosing politics over the health of his people.

Of course, more than a dozen deaths doesn’t make anyone happy. But we didn’t choose this outcome,” said Marcus Amim, the operation’s commanding officer to a media outlet, taking pride in the fact that the incursion led to the seizing of deadly weapons—eight rifles and 85 hand grenades.

Not too long ago, Bolsonaro touched a raw nerve owing to its visible indifference to the lives lost in the pandemic. On being prodded about the same, the president angrily retorted, “So, What?” to the press, inciting nation-wide fury, and his opposers pushing for impeachment.

As Brazil’s coronavirus death toll crossed 14,000, the nation’s Health Minister Nelson Teich resigned on May 15 just weeks after he was appointed by right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. 

Despite 27 governors of the country have expressed disapproval in their president’s ineptitude, they haven’t gone ahead with imposing restrictions.

Brazilians ushered in an era of equal rights for the LGBT community, as soon as the ban was lifted. The country, despite having legalized same-sex marriages, continues to subject LGBT+ people with its discriminatory government policies.

The latest developments arose amid speculations surrounding Bolsonaro’s agenda—the president reportedly harbored a deep desire to meddle with sensitive investigations.

A recent report argued that Bolsonaro’s Trump card is the growing economic insecurity among Brazilians.I t’s evident that Brazilians will get infuriated by the consequences that the lockdown will have on their survival...

 “Here we work in the morning to eat in the afternoon. They can’t close,” said Christiane Mendes to a media outlet, who works for an education association that delivers essential supplies to the needy and low-income groups of Brazil.

Columnist Merval Pereira slammed Bolsonaro’s acts and termed his questionable leadership as “a mystical leader leading his followers to collective suicide.”

Add to it, the pitiable conditions of São Gabriel da Cachoeira's hospital aren’t helping either—with no ventilators and testing kits, the medical experts are grappling under the pressure of treating cases from villages with zero resources.

The President's attempt to get the businesses running and overlooking the consequences of the outbreak has led to citizens getting mixed signals.

Despite the statistics, Bolsonaro refuses to be bogged down by the current scenario. In addition to predicting that the tough times will pass shortly, Bolsonaro opined that “Our lives have to continue; jobs should be maintained.”

Leaders of Brazil, Mexico, and Nicaragua have opted for a rather light-hearted attitude towards the deathly pandemic as they call it a "little flu”, while encouraging families to go out and eat.