Latin America in Short: US in Technical Recession | Luis Suarez to the National of Uruguay

USA in technical recession. This can already be confirmed after a new drop in quarterly GDP. In global news, Iraqi protesters take over parliament. In terms of health, despite the WHO warning, PAHO still does not recommend mass vaccination against monkeypox. In more friendly news, Colombia and the Dominican Republic launch a protected marine area. In sports, Luis Suárez returns to the National of Uruguay.

The United States enters a technical recession

For the second time in a row, the US GDP recorded a quarterly drop, which immediately classifies the US economy as in technical recession. The superpower had already registered an economic contraction in the first 3 months of 2022 of 0.4% and now the latest reports give a decline of 0.2%. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the American Government (BEA), this was due to a reduction in private investment in inventories, fixed residential investment, Government spending and non-residential fixed.

However, not everything is alarmist data for the country of stars and stripes. There was also a rise in exports and consumer spending, which gives an air of optimism within the global fear of a global recession. Despite the fact that for many economists, this is clear evidence that the world's main economy is in recession, the White House insists that it is too early for such an assertion. This has obviously fueled the political debate within the country, in which opponents insist that the current president is denying reality and intends to cover the sun with a finger. However, the one thing that is not debatable is that the US economy is in difficult times, fueled by historic inflation and rising oil prices, plus the specters of a direct conflict with Russia or the return of the Coronavirus.

Iraqi protesters take over parliament

The Arab country is experiencing moments of political tension, after hundreds of supporters of the cleric Muqtada al-Sadr protested the nomination of a rival candidate as prime minister. This, after the coalition led by al-Sadr obtained the largest number of seats in parliament in the general elections of October 2021. Despite being the most powerful political force in the Iraqi legislature, it has not managed to overcome the political impasse which followed the vote. The events of this week are a consequence of the impossibility of forming a government after 9 months of voting due to how divided the parliament has become and the differences between the different political groups.

New marine protected area between Colombia and the Dominican Republic

Colombia and the Dominican Republic declared the Cordillera Beata a protected area in the Caribbean Sea. During the Fifth Session of the Intersectoral Commission of the Presidential Cabinet for Climate Action, which took place in Leticia, Amazonas, President Duque announced that a binational agreement had been made to protect this underwater area of vital importance for millions of species. According to official sources, the area will be called the Orlando Jorge Mera Marine Sanctuary, in honor of the former Minister of the Environment of the Dominican Republic who was assassinated. President Duque affirmed that this will allow “cartographic surveys, geographic surveys and also joint biology work to analyze endemic species of that mountain range.”

PAHO does not recommend mass vaccination in the region for monkeypox

Although the World Health Organization has declared monkeypox an international emergency, PAHO said at a press conference last Wednesday that it does not recommend mass vaccination in the region. The reason is that the risk of contagion is low at the moment. To date, there have been 5,300 cases in the Americas, the majority in North America. In Latin America, at least 10 countries have already reported the presence of the virus. At this time, it is a priority for people to be alert to symptoms, such as a rash anywhere on the body, fever or swollen glands, to report it to the authorities and isolate themselves to avoid transmitting it to other people.

Also read: Monkeypox is an international emergency. What can you expect?

Luis Suárez, officially in the National of Uruguay

The talented Luis Suárez was officially presented at Nacional de Uruguay, the club with which he began his career in 2005. The striker decided to return to his country after 16 prolific years abroad and despite having offers to play for various clubs of Europe. It is an important return, which was largely due to the pressure exerted by their fans on the networks with the #SuarezANacional. The player himself said: “All the videos and messages that have reached us are very exciting. That touched our hearts a lot in this situation that we had to decide”.