QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuadorean banker Guillermo Lasso has won Sunday’s presidential runoff vote against leftist economist Andres Arauz, putting the country on track to maintain open market policies rather than return to socialism.Slideshow ( 5 images )Arauz conceded his defeat after receiving 47.5% of the votes compared with Lasso’s 52.5%, with 97% of poll statements processed, according to figures published […]

QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador’s elections council on Sunday counted votes in an unexpectedly tight presidential runoff that has hinged on whether to maintain the pro-market policies of the last four years or return to the socialism of the preceding decade.People count votes at May 24th school during the second round of presidential election, in Quito, Ecuador April 11, 2021. REUTERS/Santiago […]

SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chilean authorities on Sunday backed the country’s widespread use of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Chinese firm Sinovac after China’s top disease official appeared to make conflicting statements about its efficacy.Workers unload containers transporting a batch of the Sinovac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the international airport of Santiago, Chile, January 28, 2021. Picture taken January 28, […]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China’s failure to provide access to global health experts made the COVID-19 pandemic worse than it had to be, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Sunday, and it was important to “get to the bottom” of the origin of the novel coronavirus.Slideshow ( 3 images )The top U.S. diplomat’s sharp words underscored criticism from other […]

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -The coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa may evade the protection provided by Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine to some extent, a real-world data study in Israel found, though its prevalence in the country is very low and the research has not been peer reviewed. The study, released on Saturday, compared almost 400 people who had tested positive for COVID-19, […]

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel’s defence minister pledged on Sunday to cooperate with the United States on Iran, voicing hope that Israeli security would be safeguarded under any renewed Iranian nuclear deal that Washington reaches.FILE PHOTO: Retired General Lloyd Austin testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing to be the next Secretary of Defense in the Dirksen Senate […]

FILE PHOTO: Argentina’s Economy Minister Martin Guzman poses for a picture before an interview with Reuters at the Economy Ministry, in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 10, 2020. REUTERS/Agustin MarcarianBUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentine Economy Minister Martin Guzman will travel to Europe on Sunday to build support among G7 and G40 nations for a renegotiation of its multibillion-dollar debts to the International […]

FILE PHOTO: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stands as European Council President Charles Michel and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan take seats in Ankara, Turkey April 6, 2021, in this screengrab obtained by Reuters. European Union/via REUTERS TV BERLIN (Reuters) – European Council President Charles Michel is suffering from bad nights due to his embarrassment over a seating arrangement […]