News from California, the nation and world

Bustling activity alongside the Amazon river ports of Belen in the Iquitos region of Peru, practically ceased in 2020 .Now some Residents from hamlets and villages deep in the jungle travel again to the river port like Belen to sell their produce, including bananas, yucca and fish. Canoes line up along the docks to take people back and forth to jungle settlements. Belen is on the Itaya River, a major tributary of the Amazon. Belen, with its many canals and Houses in built on stilts or, in some cases, float on the river,but frequently floods. It suffers from extreme poverty and, even before the pandemic struck, its residents were subjected to unsanitary conditions and many water-borne and mosquito-transmitted diseases, including dengue fever. People bathe and fish in the murky, polluted water of the Itaya River. The pandemic battered Belen and it resulted not only in many being sick or dying but forcing many to leave to survive . Many residents of Belen returned to their native villages in the jungle since many lost their jobs and income during the lockdown they knew there would always be fish, fruit to eat in their home villages. . The entire Iquitos region is only reachable by plane or boat.

Inequality, despair, upheaval: Why a pandemic-era Latin America could see a lost generation of youth

The coronavirus has plunged millions in the region into poverty and reversed halting progress toward equality — dealing an especially callous blow to young people.

Guerrero: How Border Patrol helped cause the ‘browning’ of America

Black and Latino L.A. firefighters call for investigation of alleged racial bias, other wrongdoing

The demand comes after allegations that a white official received preferential treatment after he was reported to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs while on duty.

Guides & Advice: