Persecution of Catholics in Nicaragua worsens, activists say. Here is a timeline:
The persecution of Roman Catholics in Nicaragua under the administration of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, includes the detentions of two bishops, 15 priests, and two seminarians, according to activists who are tracking the cases.
Judges to decide if 300 possible victims of trafficking from India should remain grounded in France
Judges in France are expected to decide Sunday whether about 300 Indian citizens who are suspected of being victims of human trafficking should continue to be sequestered in a small airport in Champagne country.
Patrick Hamilton, ex-AP and Reuters photographer who covered Central American wars, dies at 74
Patrick Hamilton, a combat veteran of the Vietnam War who covered civil wars in Central America as a photojournalist for The Associated Press,and later worked at Reuters covering the first Gulf War in Iraq, has died after a long struggle with cancer.
Immigration parole program: Cuban mother dreams of family reunion in Miami-Dade
Odamyis Gomez, a married mother of two in Cuba, said she dreams of a family reunion in Miami-Dade County, and she had put her hope on President Joe Biden’s parole program. But in January, a group of 20 states challenged the case-by-case basis program to help Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.
South Florida sponsor helping Venezuelan migrants with Biden parole program
As President Joe Biden announced the recent expansion of an immigration policy for migrants coming from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, sponsors in South Florida are stepping up to help people who might not even know about the program.
Julia stays intact across Central America, may spawn new systems
Julia, which made landfall early Sunday on the Caribbean side of Nicaragua, scooted quickly across the rugged terrain of Central America Sunday, emerging over Pacific waters by Sunday night largely intact as a tropical storm, becoming only the third Atlantic-Pacific crossover storm to keep its name on both sides since the tropical cyclone naming rule took effect in 2000.
Julia strengthening on approach to Central America
The disturbance we’ve been following in the Caribbean – dubbed Invest 91L – is taking a familiar track south along South America’s northern shoreline like other systems we’ve tracked this season, including the disturbance that became Bonnie back in June and more recently the tropical wave that later became Hurricane Ian.
Cubans flee island’s economic woes by air, land and sea
Cubans are fleeing their country in the largest numbers in more than four decades. The migrants choose to stake their lives and futures on a dangerous journey to the United States by air, land and sea to escape the island’s political and economic woes.
Caribbean storm likely to gain force, hit Central America
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says a storm that has hurled rain on the southern Caribbean and the northern shoulder of South America is expected to hit Central America as a tropical storm over the weekend and eventually develop into a hurricane over the Pacific.
Nicaraguans will head to the polls Sunday, in what the international community is calling a ‘sham’ election
On Sunday millions of Nicaraguans will head to the polls in what the international community is calling a "sham" election, following several arrests of potential political opponents, carried out by longtime President Daniel Ortega's government.
Miami officials say outdoor venue, sanitation stations will help keep people safe during ‘Down With the Chains’ event
City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Commissioner Joe Carollo held a news conference Friday to announce new details regarding the Call for Freedom of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua event.
MyFuture MyChoice: Nicaraguan-American teen from Miami-Dade County heads to MIT
Giuliana Cabrera moved to the United States from Nicaragua when she was seven. More than a decade later, her hard work paid off. She plans to be the first in her family to get a college degree and she will be doing so at one of the most prestigious schools in the world.
EEUU cuestiona “represión” en Nicaragua y pide cambiar rumbo
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. Este material no puede ser publicado, difundido, reescrito o redistribuido sin permiso. El gobierno de Nicaragua no reaccionó de inmediato a la declaración del Departamento de Estado. La AP solicitó un comentario oficial sobre el tema, pero no obtuvo respuesta. (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press.
Nicaragua approves Russian COVID-19 vaccine
A nurse shows to the press a vial of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine for COVID-19 during a vaccination campaign inside River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)MANAGUA – Nicaragua’s government said Wednesday that it had approved Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. “Nicaragua is advancing in its negotiations with Russia to supply” the vaccine, said the government outlet El 19 Digital. It was the first vaccine approved in Nicaragua, which still awaits its first doses. Argentina, Bolivia and Venezuela are among other left-leaning governments in the hemisphere that have approved the vaccine.
The Latest: Mexico sees near-record daily coronavirus deaths
(AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)MEXICO CITY — Mexico reported a near-record 1,707 confirmed coronavirus deaths Wednesday, as the country runs out of vaccines. Ad___THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:Spain surpasses 60,000 confirmed virus deaths. British officials say Oxford study backs up their decision to delay second vaccine shot for up to 12 weeks. Ad___OKLAHOMA CITY -- About 11,500 doses of the coronavirus vaccine will be shipped to pharmacies across Oklahoma next week, state health officials said. ___MANAGUA, Nicaragua — Nicaragua’s government says it has approved Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for emergency use.
Nicaragua: ley impide participación de oposición en comicios
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. “Esos no son nicaragüenses, no sé cómo se les ocurre pensar que con esa actitud van a participar en una elección”, insistió. “Son terroristas, son criminales y vendepatria, porque siguen pidiendo más sanciones”, agregó. “Aquí el que no defiende a Nicaragua y pide sanciones... perdió el derecho de optar a cargos públicos cuando vengan elecciones. (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press.
Thousands want out of hurricane-ravaged Colombian island
ISLA DE LA PROVIDENCIA, Colombia – Thousands of homeless Colombians are trying to find their way out of a remote hurricane-ravaged island off the coast of Nicaragua. Eight days ago, Category 5 Hurricane Iota destroyed Providencia, a mountainous Colombian island in the Caribbean. Colombian authorities set up a temporary hospital with limited resources on the island of some 5,000 residents. The Colombian government released this picture of Providencia, Colombia after Hurricane Iota on Nov. 17, 2020. Colombian President Ivan Duque promised humanitarian aid and tasked a Colombian Navy team to assist with the Herculean task of rebuilding the island.
Life-threatening flooding continues in Central America from Iota while a cold front protects Florida
The center of what’s left of Hurricane Iota is dying out over El Salvador, but moisture continues to be pulled into the mountainous areas in Central America, especially in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala. But the flash flooding at high elevations continues, and that water cascades down the mountains in the gullies, valleys, and rivers. Conditions will slowly ease as what’s left of Iota drifts toward the Pacific Ocean and dies out tomorrow. It would have very little time to organize before it moved across Central America late this week or over the weekend. An upper-level disturbance that is helping to drive the cool air south might kick off a non-tropical system east of the Bahamas.
Lluvias provocadas por Iota dejan 16 muertos en Nicaragua
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. Los periodistas de The Associated Press Christopher Sherman en la Ciudad de México, Marlos González en Tegucigalpa y Manuel Rueda en Bogotá contribuyeron en este despacho. En Nicaragua el alcance total de los daños no estaba claro porque gran parte de la región afectada no tenía electricidad ni servicio de teléfono o internet, y los fuertes vientos obstaculizaron las transmisiones por radio. Iota tocó tierra a apenas 25 kilómetros (15 millas) al sur del lugar donde lo hizo Eta, también de categoría 4, el 3 de noviembre. El campesino Miguel Rodríguez, trabajador de la finca San Martín, dijo a The Associated Press que él vio al menos “siete cadáveres regados” en la zona.
Nicaragua, Honduras need help after 2nd hurricane blow in 2 weeks
A woman standing near a fallen house, brought down by the winds of Hurricane Iota in Siuna, Nicaragua, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. That was just 15 miles south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall on Nov. 3, also as a Category 4 storm. Fallen tree branches cover a house after the passage of Hurricane Iota in Siuna, Nicaragua, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Hurricane Iota tore across Nicaragua, hours after roaring ashore as a Category 4 storm along almost exactly the same stretch of the Caribbean coast that was recently devastated by an equally powerful hurricane. SOUTH FLORIDAHow to help as need for emergency relief grows in Nicaragua, HondurasThere is a need for non-perishable food, over-the-counter medications, first-aid kits, sleeping bags.
Hurricane Iota heads for already battered Central America
Iota became a Category 2 hurricane late Sunday afternoon, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned it would likely be an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm when it approached the Central America mainland late Monday. It was already a record-breaking system, being the 30th named storm of this year’s extraordinarily busy Atlantic hurricane season. It hit Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane, killing at least 120 people as torrential rains caused flash floods and mudslides in parts of Central America and Mexico. Eta was the 28th named storm of this year’s hurricane season, tying the 2005 record for named storms. The official end of hurricane season is Nov. 30.
Iota is forecast to become a powerful hurricane in the Caribbean
Tropical Storm Iota formed a bit ahead of schedule yesterday under a supportive upper-level pattern and warm Caribbean water. The official forecast is for Iota to be at Category 3 strength when it makes landfall. It’s hard to believe that another intense hurricane is forecast to head in that same direction. This fall weather pattern will push the tropical moisture well to the south with a major dose of dry northern air covering the entire state. Long-range computer models maintain the fall weather pattern over Florida for the foreseeable future, which will be hostile to tropical systems.
Iota threatens 2nd hurricane strike for Nicaragua, Honduras
Eta weakened from the Category 4 hurricane to a tropical storm after lashing Nicaragua's Caribbean coast for much of Tuesday, its floodwaters isolating already remote communities and setting off deadly landslides. (AP Photo/Carlos Herrera)ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Tropical Storm Iota was strengthening in the Caribbean Sea on Saturday, threatening a second major hurricane strike for Nicaragua and Honduras, countries recently clobbered by a Category 4 Hurricane Eta. The Caribbean island of Providencia and parts of Nicaragua and Honduras were under hurricane warnings. Iota is already a record-setting system, being the 30th named storm of this year’s extraordinarily busy Atlantic hurricane season. Eta was the 28th named storm of this year’s hurricane season, tying the 2005 record for named storms.
Iota Dissipates Over Central America
The remnants are moving toward the west near 12 mph (19 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue today. Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph (45 km/h) with higher gusts. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 mb (29.71 inches). Portions of Nicaragua and El Salvador: 2 to 4 inches (50 to 100 mm), with isolated maximum totals of 6 inches (150 mm). SURF: Swells generated by Iota will affect much of the coast of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula during the next day or so.
What can South Florida expect from Eta?
PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – There is “sloppy, sloppy weather” in the South Florida forecast as Tropical Depression Eta moves north, Local 10 Chief Certified Meteorologist Betty Davis says. Eta is the storm that slammed Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday before weakening to now a depression. The National Hurricane Center projects it to strengthen into a tropical storm again heading into the weekend. Click here to read more analysis on Eta from Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross. You can also get the latest information on Local 10′s Weather Authority Page.
Weakened Eta drenches Central America; at least 57 dead
A pregnant woman is carried out of an area flooded by water brought by Hurricane Eta in Planeta, Honduras, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Delmer Martinez)TEGUCIGALPA – The rain-heavy remnants of Hurricane Eta flooded homes from Panama to Guatemala Thursday as the death toll across Central America rose to at least 57, and aid organizations warned the flooding and mudslides were creating a slow-moving humanitarian disaster across the region. Eta had sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) and was moving north at 8 mph (13 kph) Thursday. When what’s left of the storm wobbles back into the Caribbean it will regain some strength and become a tropical storm again, forecasts show. “Whatever comes out (of Central America) is going to linger awhile,” said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.
Eta brings heavy rains, deadly mudslides to Honduras
(AP Photo/Delmer Martinez)MANAGUA – Eta moved into Honduras on Wednesday as a weakened tropical depression but still bringing the heavy rains that have drenched and caused deadly landslides in the country's east and in northern Nicaragua. Before the center of Eta had even reached Honduras, hundreds of people had been forced from their homes by floodwaters. Eta left a path of destruction across northern Nicaragua starting with the coastal city of Bilwi. Northern Nicaragua is home to most of the country’s production of coffee, a critical export. In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Odalys continued to move across the open ocean and posed no threat to land.
Hurricane Eta has South Florida in the cone of uncertainty
Hurricane Eta is on track to be a catastrophic event in Central America — especially Nicaragua and Honduras. About Friday, what’s left of Eta is forecast to move north into the Caribbean Sea south of Cuba. The National Hurricane Center will make the call based on what they are able to track of Eta’s original center. The consensus of the afternoon computer forecast models is that that dip will scoop up the disturbance, whatever shape it’s in, and lift it toward South Florida. A satellite look at Hurricane Eta on Tuesday evening, Nov. 3.
Hurricane Eta grinds inland into Nicaragua; at least 3 dead
MANAGUA – Hurricane Eta churned inland through northeast Nicaragua Tuesday night with devastating winds and rains that destroyed rooftops, caused rivers to overflow and left at least three people dead in the region. The hurricane had sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, down from an overnight peak of 150 mph (240 kph). Even before it made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, Honduras reported the first death after a mudslide trapped a 12-year-old girl in San Pedro Sula and two miners were killed in a mudslide in Bonanza, Nicaragua. Eta tripled in strength in about 24 hours, rapidly intensifying from a 40 mph (65 kph) storm Sunday morning to a 120 mph (190 kph) hurricane around midday Monday, and continuing to gain power throughout the day. Hurricane season still has a month to go, ending Nov. 30.
Major Hurricane Eta threatens to bring flooding, storm surge
MEXICO CITY – Hurricane Eta erupted quickly into a potentially catastrophic major hurricane Monday as it headed for Central America, where forecasters warned of massive flooding and landslides across a vulnerable region. Eta was a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 kph) late Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Storm surge up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) above normal tides was possible for the coast of Nicaragua. Eta tripled in strength in about 24 hours, rapidly intensifying from a 40 mph (65 kph) storm Sunday morning to a 120 mph (190 kph) hurricane around midday Monday, and continued gain power throughout the rest of the day. Hurricane season still has a month to go, ending Nov. 30.
Eta Becomes An Extratropical Low
Location 85 miles SE of Wilmington North Carolina Wind 45 mph Heading ENE at 21 mph Pressure 29.65 Coordinates 76.8W, 33.3NDiscussionAt 400 AM EST (0900 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Eta was located near latitude 33.3 North, longitude 76.8 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the east-northeast near 21 mph (33 km/h) and this motion is expected to continue with an increase in forward speed through Saturday. On the forecast track, Eta is expected to gradually pull away from the southeast U.S. Coast today. Eta could intensify a little as an non-tropical cyclone during the next day or so before it becomes absorbed by a larger non-tropical cyclone on Saturday or Saturday night. Tropics Models at 3:34 Friday Night, November 13thLand HazardsSURF: Swells generated by Eta will affect portions of the southeastern United States coast today.
Nicaragua approves “cybercrimes” law, alarming rights groups
MANAGUA – Nicaragua’s unicameral legislature approved legislation on Tuesday mandating prison sentences for those who use online platforms to spread false information or information that could raise alarm among people. The bill had been pushed by President Daniel Ortega’s ruling Sandinista Front party and had raised alarm among opposition and human rights groups, who described it as a threat to free speech. Azucena Castillo, a legislator from the conservative Liberal Constitutionalist Party called the law “an attack on freedom of expression." “This law seeks to control and censor information on the internet, which is the only space that dictators cannot control,” the country's Independent Press Forum, a media group, said in a statement earlier this month. The other new law will monitor and control those who receive funding from abroad, including nongovernmental organizations and those working for foreign media outlets, by making them register as “foreign agents” and tracking the money they receive.
Court: Trump can end temporary legal status for 4 countries
PASADENA, Calif. – The Trump administration can end humanitarian protections that have allowed hundreds of thousands of people from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti and Sudan to remain in the United States, a divided appeals court ruled Monday. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a preliminary injunction that blocked the government from ending Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for people from those four countries that are affected by natural disasters and civil conflict. Since 1990, the policy has granted temporary legal status, which is often extended. But the Trump administration decided to end it for several countries, saying the conditions that justified protections in America no longer exist. More than 400,000 people from 10 countries have the protected status, including some 250,000 from El Salvador, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Latin America's evangelical churches hard hit by pandemic
Throughout Latin America, a traditionally Catholic region with a surging evangelical presence in nearly every country, evangelical churches have kept spreading the Gospel despite government measures meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In at least two countries, evangelical pastors have died in alarming numbers during the pandemic. Some have attended evangelical services in the city of Atalaia do Norte and then brought the virus to our lands," he said. In Nicaragua, evangelical churches large and small stayed open too at least at first. Back in Nicaragua, many evangelical churches have reopened, some with health precautions, like Bethel where congregants are asked to bring their own hand sanitizer.
Virtual preparation allows Miss Nicaragua amid pandemic
Ana Marcelo, an agroindustrial engineer from the city of Esteli, poses with the crown after being chosen Miss Nicaragua, in Managua, Nicaragua, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. Marcelo was crowned in front of a limited audience (two people per contestant spaced safely) plus a production crew of 85. The masks were off the contestants, but the judges wore them and were spaced at a safe distance. And when eight contestants vying to be Miss Nicaragua did finally start in-person practices, they did so with masks covering their faces. On Saturday night, 23-year-old Ana Marcelo, an agroindustrial engineer from Estel, was crowned Miss Nicaragua in front of a limited audience (two people per contestant spaced safely) plus a production crew of 85.