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SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AFP) — Tropical Storm Bonnie was upgraded to a category one hurricane on Sunday as it swept towards Mexico after killing three people in El Salvador and Nicaragua, the US National Hurricane Center said. The hurricane, the third of the season off Mexico’s coast, is carrying maximum sustained winds of 80 miles (125 kilometers) per hour “with higher gusts,” the NHC said, citing satellite images. “The core of Bonnie is expected […]
LEON, Nicaragua (AFP) – It took Ana Muller half an hour to trek to the peak of the Cerro Negro volcano, a small effort given the reward on offer at Nicaragua’s top tourist attraction: volcano boarding. The active Cerro Negro is just 728 meters (2,400 feet) high, but sliding down its ash-covered slopes on a board is a 40-second thrill that allows participants to say they have surfed a volcano. “It is a unique experience,” […]
by Julia Rios with Sean Chang in Taipei MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AFP) — Nicaragua switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China on Thursday, meaning just 14 nations now recognize the democratic island that Beijing has vowed to one day seize. The announcement is a diplomatic coup for China as it tries to keep Taiwan isolated on the world stage and as Taipei strengthens ties with multiple unofficial Western friends such as the United States. China has […]
SAN JUAN DEL SUR, Nicaragua (AFP) — Thousands of sea turtles laid their eggs on Nicaragua’s coast over the weekend under the watchful eye of the army, which protects the nests from possible predators — including humans. The olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) migrate for long distances to spawn between July and January in the Pacific coast wildlife refuges of La Flor and Chacocente, areas where the endangered species is protected against predators that […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Tuesday imposed an entry ban on Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, his vice-president wife and his government, after elections that were internationally dismissed as illegitimate. Before the November 7 vote, Nicaraguan authorities detained nearly 40 opposition figures, including seven would-be presidential challengers, assuring victory for long-time ruler Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo. “The repressive and abusive acts of the Ortega government and those who support it […]
A shallow 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Nicaragua early Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, but there was no risk of a tsunami. The quake hit 48 miles (78 kilometers) southwest of Jiquilillo, the USGS said, revising down its initial measurement of 6.7 magnitude. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that “based on all available data there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.” In its preliminary assessment, the USGS said: […]
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AFP) — The San Cristobal volcano, the highest in Nicaragua and one of its most active, spewed a cloud of ash Tuesday that blanketed the city of Chinandega and surrounding communities, a local journalist told AFP. The surprise eruption ejected a column of smoke and ash that was dumped as far as 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) from the volcano’s foot, Nicaragua journalist Carol Altamirano said. The INETER territorial studies institute has not issued […]
by Noe LEIVA TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AFP) — The death toll from hurricane Eta rose to at least 12 Thursday as it spun itself out into a tropical depression in Central America, while rising floodwaters and a wake of destruction in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala left thousands without shelter and at risk of landslides. Four people died in landslides in Guatemala, including two children whose fragile family dwelling was swept away. Landslides also claimed the lives […]
by Inti OCON BILWI, Nicaragua (AFP) — Hurricane Eta slowed to tropical storm speeds on Wednesday morning even as it pummeled Nicaragua, killing two people there and one in neighboring Honduras, while unleashing fierce winds and heavy downpours. The storm had hammered impoverished indigenous communities along the coast when it made landfall a day earlier and caused heavy rains throughout much of Central America. “Quite a lot of trees have fallen and traffic has been […]
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AFP )– American daredevil Nik Wallenda walked a tightrope across the crater of an active volcano in Nicaragua Wednesday, taking half an hour to traverse the boiling lake of lava spewing toxic gases. Masaya, 635 meters (2,083 feet) high and 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Managua, is one of only eight volcanoes in the world with an active lava lake. Wallenda started his 550 meters (1,800 feet) walk across the crater known as […]
MASAYA, Nicaragua (AFP) — Two white tiger cubs have been taken to their new home at the Nicaragua National Zoo, where the playful pair will join a menagerie of rare big cat species. The siblings, named Osman and Halime, are both five months old and the only animals of their kind in Central America, zoo director Eduardo Sacasa said on Monday. They were donated from a Mexican zoo, home to their parents, and are the […]
by Julia RIOS Agence France Presse MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AFP) – The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega expelled two expert missions from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Wednesday, accusing them of meddling and bias in evaluating the crisis-hit country. A letter to Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Luis Almagro said the suspension of the Special Follow-up Mechanism for Nicaragua (MESENI) and the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) would remain “until conditions of […]
