Las Notis is a daily news column that gets you up to speed on the political, media + other going ons in Latin America and the diaspora—all in one quick digest.
- Here’s your glimpse at what’s going on today:
- Pfizer and BioNTech are the first companies to apply for full FDA approval of their COVID-19 vaccines for those ages 16 and up. In a statement on Friday, the companies stated they had submitted their clinical data on the vaccine’s safety and efficiency. Next week, the FDA is also expected to issue an emergency authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in ages 12 to 15 and has plans to file for emergency authorization in ages two to 11 in September. [NYT]
- A drug raid in Jacarezinho, Brazil, one of the city’s largest favelas, left 25 dead on Thursday. Officers are being criticized by locals and the United Nations Human Rights office for abuses and extrajudicial executions. The area is controlled by one of Brazil’s largest criminal organizations, the Comando Vermelho (Red Command). The raid was carried out by about 200 police officers and an armoured helicopter, armed with a sniper. [BBC]
- In an open letter, nearly 40 food businesses from the UK are threatening to refuse sourcing products from Brazil, in response to proposed land reforms that would further legalize the private occupation of public land. The letter cites accelerated deforestation in the Amazon as a major concern. A vote on the bill is expected within days, just months after Brazil pledged to end illegal logging. Roughly 430,000 acres of the Amazon have been logged or burned just this year, according to the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project. [BBC]
- COVID-19 deaths continue to climb in Argentina, but private health clinics are struggling to stay afloat. About 10 private clinics in the greater Buenos Aires area have closed over the past year due to financial issues, eliminating capacity for roughly 700 patients. Hospital occupancy rates were at 90% as of Wednesday, with COVID-19 deaths reaching a new high of 660. [AP]
- Sony’s live-action ‘Cinderella’ starring Camilla Cabella is heading straight to Amazon Prime later this year. Initially set to release on the big screen in June, the musical adaptation is the latest major studio film to bypass a theatrical run. Sony has sold a number of its movies to streamers throughout the pandemic. [Billboard]
