Axios

The huge informal economy and dependence on tourism in Latin America has made controlling the spread of the coronavirus harder.

Why it matters: Around half the workers in Latin America and the Caribbean depend on the income they make from unregulated, precarious and untaxed jobs and businesses, without the cushion of contracts or social security benefits.

Designers in Denmark this week finished constructing the world's tallest sandcastle, standing approximately 69 feet tall, the Guardian reports.

State of play: The castle — for which designers used close to 5,000 pounds of sand — is more than 9 feet taller than the structure built in Germany in 2019, which previously held the title.

Ethiopia's ruling Prosperity Party has been declared the winner of last month's election, securing another five-year term for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, AP reports.

Why it matters: The vote served as a test for Abiy, who came to power in 2018. Many viewed the election as a chance for him to gain democratic legitimacy and for Ethiopia to hold its first free and fair election, Axios' Dave Lawler writes.

RoseAnne Archibald this week was elected the new national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), CBC reports.

Why it matters: Archibald is the first woman elected to the role. The AFN represents 634 First Nations with 900,000 members.

The U.S. sent 500,000 COVID vaccine doses to Moldova, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced on Friday.

State of play: The U.S. Embassy in Moldova said the country would receive Johnson & Johnson shots, and the first 150,000 are set to arrive on Monday, AP reports.

Long-standing corruption in Latin America has hindered vaccination campaigns and health care responses.

The big picture: These scandals include inflated prices for unusable ventilators purchased by Bolivia, price gouging for N95 masks in Argentina, and a botched acquisition of emergency field hospitals that took over six months to be operational in Honduras.

A "cyber disruption" caused websites of Iran's transport and urbanization ministry to lose service on Saturday, according to AP.

The big picture: This is the second abnormality in computer systems related to the ministry, per AP.

Tokyo reported a total of 950 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the highest daily number since May 7.

The big picture: The world is closely watching Japan's case count, as the summer Olympics are due to begin in Tokyo on July 23. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency in Tokyo following a surge in cases, which will begin on Monday until August 22. Restaurants and bars will be required to suspend alcohol sales during that time.

A suicide car bomb that targeted a government official in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, has left at least nine people dead and another eight injured, AP reports.

State of play: A spokesperson for al-Shabab, an extremist group that has been linked to Al-Qaeda, told Reuters that it was responsible for the attack. A Somali police spokesperson said Mogadishu's police commissioner, Farhan Mohamud Qaroleh, was the target of the attack, adding that he is safe, per AP.

Sunday's snap parliamentary elections in Bulgaria pit the man who has dominated the Balkan country's politics for a decade against an insurgent party led by a popular TV host.

The big picture: Former longtime Prime Minister Boyko Borissov failed to form a government after an inconclusive election in April, which followed massive protests last year over corruption and Borissov's alleged mafia ties.

The Vatican announced Saturday that Pope Francis' recovery from his surgery last week is "satisfactory," adding that he is gradually resuming his responsibilities.

What they're saying: The Pope is "gradually resuming work and continues to stroll in the corridor of the apartment. In the afternoon, he celebrated Holy Mass in the private chapel and in the evening he dined with those who are assisting him during these days," said Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office.