and white crosses mark the dead in mass graves in Manaus a visual reminder of the toll the novel coronavirus has had on the country Brazil now has the second-most COVID-19 cases in the world The same model projects that the US will reach 131,967 deaths by August 4 The US this week passed the grim milestone of 100,000 reported coronavirus deaths and New York by enforcing mandates and measures to gain control of a fast-moving epidemic and reduce transmission of the coronavirus," IHME's director He added that until Brazil imposed lockdowns its daily death count could keep rising into mid-July The country would by then also face a shortage of critical hospital resources According to CNBC while the US registered 620 deaths on Monday As of Wednesday, Brazil had close to 412,000 cases. Russia had a little more than 370,500, according to data from Johns Hopkins University Source: IHME Business Insider previously reported that the death rate among Brazil's indigenous people reached 12.6% with 125 deaths out of the 980 confirmed coronavirus cases in those communities The death rate in the rest of the country is 6.5% The Wall Street Journal reported that at least 116 nurses had died in Brazil Nurses and other healthcare workers in the country often must use "aging equipment and lack enough face shields and gowns to battle a highly contagious disease." the right to abortion is legally guaranteed in specific cases: when the pregnancy is the result of rape; when there is a risk to the life of the pregnant woman and in cases of foetal anencephaly various factors have made access to legal abortion more difficult including local legislation and administrative acts.  Bill 1904/24 is currently being processed in the Chamber of Deputies It proposes to amend the Penal Code to equate abortion with the crime of homicide including in cases of pregnancy resulting from rape the bill will punish women who have an abortion after 22 weeks of gestation and the professionals involved in the procedure with imprisonment for between six and twenty years Conectas and 22 other organisations have appealed to the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) against the bill. In an urgent appeal sent to international entities on June 13 the Brazilian organizations emphasised that criminalising abortion violates women’s sexual and reproductive health rights constituting a form of gender violence that can be considered torture or cruel in accordance with Recommendation 35 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).  Earlier, in March, Brazilian civil society organisations including Conectas had denounced violations of the right to legal abortion in Brazil to the UN human Rights Council.  Conectas lists the obstacles being imposed and highlights the UN’s recommendations for Brazil to ensure this right The Vila Nova Cachoeirinha Hospital and Maternity a leading institution for legal abortion services in São Paulo Out of the five municipal hospitals providing this service in the city Vila Nova Cachoeirinha was the only one performing abortions for pregnancies over 22 weeks It was also the only one in the entire state of São Paulo The cessation of this service in such a crucial hospital represents a major setback that directly threatens established reproductive rights In addition to compromising access to safe and legal abortion girls and pregnant individuals without adequate support in extremely vulnerable situations worsening a national scenario of rights violations Out of more than 5,500 Brazilian municipalities only 200 (3.6%) offer legal abortion services in their healthcare networks leaving over 37.5 million women of childbearing age without access to the service where they live A new law enacted in January 2024 by the government of Goiás calls for pregnant individuals to bebencouraged to undergo an ultrasound to hear the foetal heartbeat before requesting a legal abortion This practice is considered to be a form of psychological torture by human rights and reproductive health specialists The rights of pregnant individuals are further infringed upon by this initiative as the legislation has designated August 8 as the State Day of Awareness Against Abortion and mandates the holding of lectures and seminars on the “rights of the unborn.” The law also encourages private initiatives and NGOs to recommend women seeking an abortion “to preserve the life of the unborn” the law creates an additional and unnecessary barrier to accessing legal abortion in cases of rape turning a guaranteed right into an even more painful and traumatic process The Technical Note from the Ministry of Health which instructed professionals to ensure access to legal abortion regardless of gestational age was suspended by Health Minister Nísia Trindade on 29 February 2024 following significant pressure from conservative parliamentarians This guidance was crucial for ensuring that all women girls and pregnant individuals could access safe and legal abortion at any stage of pregnancy The technical note overturned the Bolsonaro government´s recommendation that only allowed legal abortion before 21 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy and also stated that “any abortion is a crime” This recommendation created situations like that of an 11-year old girl who was raped in Santa Catarina and was prevented from having an abortion by the State Judiciary when it was discovered that she was 22 weeks pregnant Bill 1904/24 proposes amendments to the Penal Code that equate abortion with homicide the bill will impose prison sentences of between six and twenty years on pregnant individuals and healthcare professionals involved in abortions performed after 22 weeks of gestation the Chamber of Deputies approved an urgent request on June 12 to accelerate the processing of the bill the bill could be voted on in the plenary of the Chamber without going through the relevant committees More than 12,500 girls between 8 and 14 years old became mothers in Brazil in 2023. Every 8 minutes, a girl or woman is raped. According to the 2023 Brazilian Public Security Yearbook 61.4% of rape victims in Brazil are up to 13 years old (10.4% are under 4 years old) and about 70% of the perpetrators are known to the victims These data highlight the extent of violence against girls in the country this legislative proposal represents a direct threat to reproductive rights in addition to criminalising victims of sexual violence In May 2024, Brazil underwent a review by the UN Committee that monitors the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) The Committee assessed the state of women’s rights in Brazil and made significant recommendations to safeguard and promote these rights Among them was the legalisation and decriminalisation of abortion submitted reports highlighting violations of sexual and reproductive rights in Brazil The reports address reduced access to contraception and testing for sexually transmitted infections the worsening of maternal mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic and barriers to accessing legal abortion Another report focuses on forced pregnancies in childhood and adolescence emphasizing the alarming number of rapes of vulnerable individuals and births to mothers aged 10 to 14 2025 - Conectas Human Rights - Postal Code 47 - São Paulo (SP) Brazil - ZIP: 01032-970 - Phone: +55 (11) 3884-7440 World Health Organization experts warn multiple states in ‘critical condition’ See all our coronavirus coverage See all our coronavirus coverage The Brazilian city of São Paulo has sped up efforts to empty old graves to make room for a soaring number of Covid deaths as the sprawling metropolis registered record daily burials this week As the World Health Organization warned that the pandemic has put a number of Brazilian states in “critical condition”, gravediggers worked on Thursday to open the tombs of people buried years ago, bagging decomposed remains for removal to another location. Relocating remains is standard in cemetery operations, said the municipal secretary responsible for funeral services. But it has taken on renewed urgency as Brazil suffers its worse coronavirus wave since the pandemic began over a year ago. On Wednesday, Brazil’s health ministry registered its highest daily Covid death toll for the second day in a row, with 3,869 people succumbing to the virus. Read moreBrazil’s outbreak is the second-deadliest in the world after the United States, averaging about 3,000 deaths and 75,500 new cases a day over the past week – a rate that has climbed steadily since February. Van Kerkhove, infectious disease epidemiologist at the WHO, warned that the increased transmissibility of new variants was among the many challenges faced by the country. A number of states are in “critical condition” she said, and hospitals are overwhelmed. WHO assistant director-general, Mariangela Batista Galvão Simão, stressed the importance of domestic vaccine production to relieve pressure. São Paulo has also resorted to late-night burials to keep up with demand, with some cemeteries authorised to stay open until 10 pm. In the Vila Formosa cemetery, workers in masks and full protective gear have been digging rows of graves under flood lights and a full moon. The coffins have followed: a 32-year-old man was lowered down in a plain wooden box. The workers buried a 77-year-old woman, whose masked relatives gathered near the grave. The city of São Paulo registered 419 burials on Tuesday, the most since the pandemic began. If burials continue at that pace, city hall said it will need to take more contingency measures, without specifying. Brazil now accounts for about a quarter of Covid daily deaths worldwide, more than any other country. Infectious disease experts warn that it will only get worse, given president Jair Bolsonaro’s attacks on efforts to restrict movement and a slow rollout of vaccines. Reporting by Marcela Ayres; editing by Jason Neely Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Developed by Vico Rock Media 43,000+ global companies doing business in the region. 102,000+ key contacts related to companies and projects Analysis, reports, news and interviews about your industry in English, Spanish and Portuguese. making room for a soaring number of COVID-19 deaths as Sao Paulo city hall registered record daily burials this week.Gravediggers in the Vila Nova Cachoeirinha cemetery in the city's northern reaches worked in white hazmat suits to open the tombs of people buried years ago bagging decomposed remains for removal to another location.Relocating remains is standard in cemetery operations said the municipal secretary responsible for funeral services But it has taken on new urgency as Brazil suffers its worse coronavirus wave since the pandemic began over a year ago.Brazil's Health Ministry reported 3,769 new COVID-19 deaths on Thursday narrowly missing a daily record for a third straight day.Bolivia announced on Thursday that it would shut its borders to Brazil citing concerns over a new variant of the disease detected in its larger neighbor.A day earlier Brazilian biomedical institute Butantan said that it had detected a new variant that shared similarities with one first seen in South Africa which appears more resistant to existing vaccines The South African variant is more contagious as is an earlier variant discovered in Brazil.Chile also closed its borders to all foreigners on Thursday as it surpassed 1 million cases recorded since the start of the pandemic."What is happening in Brazil is a global menace," said José Miguel Bernucci secretary of Chile's National Medical Association "Closing the borders won't help us so much with the variants that we already have here but with the new variants that can continue to be created."Countries around the region have expressed concern that Brazil is a breeding ground for new variants as cases surge and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro refuses to support masks and lockdowns.Brazil's outbreak is the second-deadliest in the world after the United States averaging about 3,100 deaths and 74,000 new cases per day over the past week - a rate that has climbed steadily since February.Sao Paulo has also resorted to late-night burials to keep up with demand with cemeteries authorized to stay open to 10 p.m.In the Vila Formosa cemetery workers in masks and full protective gear have been digging rows of graves under flood lights and a full moon this week.The coffins have followed A 32-year-old man lowered down in a plain wooden box whose masked relatives gathered near the grave.The city of Sao Paulo registered 419 burials on Tuesday city hall said it will need to take more contingency measures without specifying.Brazil currently accounts for about a quarter of COVID-19 daily deaths worldwide more than any other country.Infectious disease experts warn that it will only get worse given weak restrictions on movement and a slow rollout of vaccines.The World Health Organization on Thursday said Brazilian hospitals were in critical condition with many intensive care units 90% full."Indeed there is a very serious situation going on in Brazil right now where we have a number of states in critical condition," WHO epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove told a briefing.Reporting by Eduardo Simoes and Amanda PerobelliWriting by Jake SpringEditing by Brad Haynes « Back Gravediggers wearing protective suits close bags with bones during exhumations to open space on cement graves as new burials are suspended at Vila Nova Cachoeirinha cemetery amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disea SAO PAULO - Brazil's biggest city on Thursday sped up efforts to empty old graves making room for a soaring number of COVID-19 deaths as Sao Paulo city hall registered record daily burials this week Gravediggers in the Vila New Cachoeirinha cemetery in the city's northern reaches worked in white hazmat suits to open the tombs of people buried years ago bagging decomposed remains for removal to another location Relocating remains is standard in cemetery operations But it has taken on renewed urgency as Brazil suffers its worse coronavirus wave since the pandemic began over a year ago Brazil's health ministry registered its highest daily COVID-19 death toll for the second day in a row Brazil's outbreak is the second-deadliest in the world after the United States averaging about 3,000 deaths and 75,500 new cases per day over the past week - a rate that has climbed steadily since February Sao Paulo has also resorted to late-night burials to keep up with demand with some cemeteries authorized to stay open until 10 p.m. workers in masks and full protective gear have been digging rows of graves under flood lights and a full moon this week whose masked relatives gathered near the grave The city of Sao Paulo registered 419 burials on Tuesday Brazil currently accounts for about a quarter of COVID-19 daily deaths worldwide Infectious disease experts warn that it will only get worse given President Jair Bolsonaro's attacks on efforts to restrict movement and a slow rollout of vaccines Amcor Tobacco Packaging has completed the acquisition of Souza Cruz’s internal tobacco packaging in Brazil Souza Cruz is majority-owned by British American Tobacco and is thought of as the market leader in the Brazilian cigarette market The $30m (£20m) agreement is supported by a long-term supply contract between Amcor and Souza Cruz and the business is expected to achieve annual sales of approximately $56m (£36m) The deal adds a third plant to the company Latin American footprint boosting its credentials as a global packaging supplier for the tobacco industry said: “We are extremely happy to welcome our new team members who bring with them great knowledge and experience from the industry Together with our global innovation platforms and exceptional operational capabilities we are excited by the opportunities our growing footprint presents our customers.” Amcor also recently purchased South African flexible packaging giant Nampak Flexibles in a $22m (£14.7m) deal International Paper to sell five plants to comply with regulators for purchase of DS Smith Antalis acquires The Packaging Company (Midlands) ULMA Packaging acquires 40% stake of Italian machinery firm RAMA Medical technology firm invests in Blue Ocean Closures With over 25 years’ experience in flexible packaging The UK Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy sets out how the country will preserve material .. Is the government right to delay EPR to 2024 View results of this poll The UK Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy sets out how the country will preserve material ...