Inside the Americas

Some 30 countries around the world have already legalised gay marriage, but just a handful of them are in Latin America. They include Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and now Chile can be added to that list. People there celebrated this week as the Chilean Congress voted to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption. The decision now needs to be signed by the president, who backs the law.

The Empire State building was lit up with the colours of the French flag this week, in honour of the American-French performer Josephine Baker, who was inducted into France's Panthéon mausoleum on Tuesday. In the US, Josephine Baker is just as beloved as she is in France, and nowhere more so than in Harlem, in New York City. Our correspondents Jessica Le Masurier, Yves Schaeffner and Fanny Chauvin met with New Yorkers to explore Baker's legacy.

In the US, more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed and a criminal investigation has been opened after the disaster at the Astroworld festival last week. Eight people died and hundreds were injured at the concert stampede in Houston, Texas. The youngest of those killed was just 14 years old. The lawsuits say Travis Scott and surprise guest Drake incited the crowd and that concert producer Live Nation failed to provide adequate security.

Former police captain Eric Adams is set to become the next mayor of New York City after winning Tuesday's vote. The Democratic candidate has a nuanced stance on law enforcement issues, as both an African American man and a former officer. In his acceptance speech, Adams called for unity, while telling his story of a working-class child who grew up to become mayor.

A Brazilian Senate committee has backed criminal charges against President Jair Bolsonaro over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. A 1,200-page report accuses the president of downplaying the disease and questioning the safety of vaccines, exposing the public to mass infections. However, the Senate committee doesn't have the power to bring charges, and it's unlikely that the attorney general or lower house speaker will open criminal proceedings, since both are Bolsonaro allies.

According to a Senate report out of Brazil, the country's far-right president should face at least 10 charges, including crimes against humanity, for his handling of the pandemic. It paints a damning portrait of Jair Bolsonaro's government: one of corruption, negligence and incompetence. With more than 600,000 deaths, Brazil has the world’s second-highest Covid-19 mortality rate.

The Biden administration is once again urging courts to step in and suspend a new Texas law that bans most abortions. This latest wrangling comes after an appeals court reinstated the law after a brief 48-hour window. The legal showdown between the state of Texas and the Biden administration is likely to wind up in the US Supreme Court. We take a closer look.

It's been a bad week for Facebook. The social media giant saw a six-hour outage of its own site, plus Instagram and WhatsApp. Facebook was also hit with testimony from former employee Frances Haugen, who slammed the company for prioritising profit over protecting its users. Testifying before the US Congress this week, she said the platforms – specifically Instagram – are fuelling eating disorders and body shaming that's particularly dangerous for teenage girls. Haugen also urged the government to regulate social media to help tackle the crisis, with some members of Congress happy to oblige.

Peru has the world's highest number of Covid-19 deaths compared to its population. The figures have kept the country's potential tourists at bay for months. But little by little, travellers are starting to return, attracted by iconic sites like Machu Picchu and the former Inca capital Cusco. Our correspondent Thomas Nicolon reports on how people working in Peru's tourism industry are now hoping for better days.

Autumn in New York is synonymous with the UN General Assembly. This year's event was held mostly in person for the first time in two years. Over 100 world leaders came to town, including US President Joe Biden, who made his debut UN address. It was a chance for Biden to promote America's wins – and dance around some of the country's more controversial diplomatic moves. We take a closer look.