The Economist Latin America May 22, 2021

India recorded 4,529 deaths for May 19th, the most of any country during the pandemic. Recorded cases fell, although infections are thought to be surging in the hinterland. America’s Centres for Disease Control said that people who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear a mask in most situations. Some health professionals criticised the CDC for causing confusion. States decide on mask mandates. Maryland and Virginia immediately ended the requirement to mask up; California and New Jersey are delaying their dates to go maskless. An easing of lockdown measures in France allowed bars and restaurants to offer outside dining and non-essential shops to open. New York City also returned to a sense of normality as many businesses were allowed to reopen. And the unlocking of pubs and restaurants for inside drinking…

Politics The fighting in Israel and Gaza ebbed, as international pressure for a ceasefire grew. More than 230 people have been killed, most of them Palestinian. Israel said the toll included 150 militants. The violence spilled into the West Bank, where at least 20 Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli forces. The Israeli army also exchanged fire with militants in Lebanon. Ebrahim Raisi and Ali Larijani, two leading conservative candidates, filed their papers to run in next month’s presidential election in Iran. All 300 candidates will be vetted by the theologians on the Guardian Council. Spain deployed troops in its enclave of Ceuta, on the Moroccan coast, when 8,000 migrants breached border fences. Morocco did little to stop the influx. It is upset with Spain for accepting Brahim Ghali…

Politics The fighting in Israel and Gaza ebbed, as international pressure for a ceasefire grew. More than 230 people have been killed, most of them Palestinian. Israel said the toll included 150 militants. The violence spilled into the West Bank, where at least 20 Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli forces. The Israeli army also exchanged fire with militants in Lebanon. Ebrahim Raisi and Ali Larijani, two leading conservative candidates, filed their papers to run in next month’s presidential election in Iran. All 300 candidates will be vetted by the theologians on the Guardian Council. Spain deployed troops in its enclave of Ceuta, on the Moroccan coast, when 8,000 migrants breached border fences. Morocco did little to stop the influx. It is upset with Spain for accepting Brahim Ghali for covid-19 treatment.…

WHEN GEORGE FLOYD was killed by Derek Chauvin a year ago, the sense of injustice was tinged with despair. Why, many Americans asked, is this still happening in our country? Why, many foreigners asked, does the story of race in America never seem to change? Except this time was different. Mr Floyd’s death prompted the biggest civil-rights protests in American history. Mr Chauvin, unusually, was convicted of murder. And institutions in America and beyond looked at themselves in a different light. Something needed to change. But what exactly? The Biden administration and the Democratic Party have made reducing racial disparities an organising principle of government. That sounds straightforward, but it is not. Despite the gains in legal and political rights made by African-Americans since the civil-rights era, measures of relative poverty…

India recorded 4,529 deaths for May 19th, the most of any country during the pandemic. Recorded cases fell, although infections are thought to be surging in the hinterland. America’s Centres for Disease Control said that people who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear a mask in most situations. Some health professionals criticised the CDC for causing confusion. States decide on mask mandates. Maryland and Virginia immediately ended the requirement to mask up; California and New Jersey are delaying their dates to go maskless. An easing of lockdown measures in France allowed bars and restaurants to offer outside dining and non-essential shops to open. New York City also returned to a sense of normality as many businesses were allowed to reopen. And the unlocking of pubs and restaurants for…

WHEN GEORGE FLOYD was killed by Derek Chauvin a year ago, the sense of injustice was tinged with despair. Why, many Americans asked, is this still happening in our country? Why, many foreigners asked, does the story of race in America never seem to change? Except this time was different. Mr Floyd’s death prompted the biggest civil-rights protests in American history. Mr Chauvin, unusually, was convicted of murder. And institutions in America and beyond looked at themselves in a different light. Something needed to change. But what exactly? The Biden administration and the Democratic Party have made reducing racial disparities an organising principle of government. That sounds straightforward, but it is not. Despite the gains in legal and political rights made by African-Americans since the civil-rights era, measures of relative…