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:
- One in six young adults between the ages of 18 to 29 lost work in Latin America since the start of the pandemic after the virus led to interruptions in education, training programs, wage earnings, and more. Latin America is bracing itself for another COVID-19 surge that some experts think could be worse than last year’s due to travel, virus variants, and overwhelmed healthcare systems. [NBC]
- El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele refused to meet with a visiting senior U.S. diplomat this week, citing “a pattern of slights” from the Biden Administration and Democrats, according to two of Bukele’s aides. Bukele told aides he will not meet with Biden officials until the U.S. softens criticisms about Bukele’s commitment to democracy and the rule of law. [AP]
- On Thursday (April 8), Justice Luis Roberto Barroso of the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered the Senate to investigate the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The order came minutes after a court decision to uphold places of worship from opening amid the current pandemic. Brazil accounts for more than one-quarter of the world’s deaths from COVID-19. [NPR]
- The pandemic had a significant impact on Mexico’s economy and piñateros experienced a particularly hard blow with their trade freezing as social gatherings have been put on hold. A piñata store owner reported his regular weekly sales of 20 to 30 piñatas have dwindled to one or two piñatas within a few weeks. [NYT]
- Carlos Doviaza, a 26-year-old cartographer from Panama, has begun creating maps to help Indigenous communities. His aim was to create a platform by and for Indigenous people in which they can easily and visually observe relevant information, particularly COVID-data tracking. Doviaza had previously dropped out of college, where he had been pursuing computer engineering because he could not afford school fees. [NPR]
- Bad Bunny is getting ready to fight The Miz and John Morrison at Wrestlemania, which will take place at Raymond James Stadium this weekend. The event will stream live on NBC’s Peacock service. [Billboard]