Central America
Nicaragua’s Ortega will seek fourth consecutive term: ally
AFP
Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega, under fire internationally over the detention of opposition figures ahead of elections, will seek a fourth consecutive term in the November poll, a senior ally said Monday.
Ortega, 75, will be the candidate for the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in the November 7 presidential vote, Gustavo Porras, the speaker of Nicaragua’s parliament, told public television.
He predicted victory was “indisputable.”
Ortega, who was widely expected to seek a renewal of his mandate, has not yet made an announcement.
Presidential candidates can officially register from July 28 to August 2, though those under arrest will not be allowed to run under Nicaraguan law.
Ortega’s government has since June arrested six presidential hopefuls and 20 other opposition figures on charges of threatening Nicaragua’s “sovereignty.”
The charges are rooted in a law initiated by Ortega and approved by parliament in December, widely criticized as a means of freezing out challengers and silencing opponents ahead of the election.
Ortega insists those detained are “criminals” seeking to overthrow him with US backing, but the clampdown has drawn international condemnation and fresh sanctions, with the United States branding the long-term leader a “dictator.”
The European Union has said it was “inconceivable” the November elections “will be anything remotely approaching a democratic competition.”
A firebrand Marxist in his younger days, Ortega and his Sandinistas toppled a corrupt autocratic regime to popular applause and seized control of the country in 1979.
He ruled until 1990, returned to power in 2007 and has won two successive reelections. His vice president since 2017 is his wife, Rosario Murillo.
Ortega has been accused of authoritarianism by the opposition and international community following the brutal repression of demonstrations against his administration in 2018, which left more than 300 dead and thousands in exile, according to human rights organizations.
Central America
U.S. and El Salvador maintain close partnership, embassy says
The Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in El Salvador, Naomi Fellows, said on Monday that relations between the two countries remain “very close” and that both governments continue to work together in several areas of shared interest.
Speaking at a press conference, Fellows highlighted the longstanding friendship between the United States and El Salvador, as well as the achievements reached through bilateral agreements.
“In terms of our relationship with El Salvador, it continues to be very strong, very close. We are partners on security issues, on economic development; partners on migration, and on many other matters,” she said.
Fellows added that the relationship remains solid and is expected to continue strengthening through joint actions and cooperation initiatives.
On security, she noted that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has underscored the results of the measures implemented by the government of President Nayib Bukele to improve public safety in the country.
Senior U.S. officials have visited El Salvador to observe firsthand the impact of the Territorial Control Plan, including tours of the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).
Fellows also emphasized the strong personal ties between the two nations, pointing to family and friendship connections that link Salvadorans and Americans.
Central America
Taiwan’s $10 million donation after 2001 earthquakes allegedly diverted in El Salvador
Amid the national tragedy left by the earthquakes of January 13 and February 13, 2001, a controversial corruption scandal emerged that later implicated former presidents Francisco Flores and Elías Antonio Saca, as well as senior executives of the ARENA party.
Although there were efforts to conceal a scheme involving the misuse of public funds, subsequent investigations revealed that between October 2003 and April 2004 the government of Taiwan, led at the time by President Chen Shui-bian, delivered at least three checks totaling $10 million in donations to El Salvador. The funds were diverted and never recorded by the Technical Secretariat for External Financing, the government body responsible for coordinating and monitoring international cooperation resources.
The plight of more than 1.5 million earthquake victims prompted an outpouring of international solidarity. However, it also fueled ambitions among sectors that allegedly took advantage of the emergency to improperly appropriate resources intended to ease the suffering of those affected.
Part of the $10 million donation was earmarked for the construction of housing for residents of Las Colinas, one of the communities hardest hit by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck on January 13, 2001, at 11:35 a.m. Plans also included the creation of a memorial park to honor the 525 victims buried by landslides.
At a press conference in January 2014, Alejandro Flores, president of the Las Colinas community board, stated that residents received some assistance from Taiwanese cooperation funds. However, he clarified that this support came from different resources and that the destination of the $10 million donation was never known to them.
Central America
El Salvador reports safest year in its history, security cabinet says
Officials from the institutions that make up El Salvador’s Expanded Security Cabinet on Monday, January 5, presented the results achieved through the country’s security strategies during 2025.
Authorities highlighted a significant reduction in homicides, the arrest of all perpetrators involved in killings, and the seizure of millions of dollars’ worth of illegal drugs throughout the past year.
“We have reached the day when, as the Expanded Security Cabinet, we present the national security report,” said Minister of Security Gustavo Villatoro.
Villatoro detailed the number of days with zero homicides recorded during the administration of President Nayib Bukele, as well as during the state of exception in 2025.
“We have accumulated 1,102 days without homicides during President Nayib Bukele’s administration, of which 988 occurred during the state of exception,” Villatoro explained.
The security minister underscored the government’s fight against impunity, noting that in 2025 authorities arrested those responsible for every homicide reported during the year.
“We closed 2025 with 82 homicides, all of which have been solved. That means we achieved a 100% homicide clearance rate and 0% impunity in homicide cases,” Villatoro said.
“These figures clearly show that the security measures promoted by the government were exactly what the country needed, and today we can say with full authority that we are the safest country in the entire Western Hemisphere,” he added.
Villatoro also reported the homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants at the end of the year.
“In 2024, we closed with a homicide rate of 1.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2025, we reduced it to 1.3, which represents 32 fewer homicides compared to the previous year,” he said.
According to official data, of the 82 homicides recorded in 2025, 43 were linked to social intolerance, 31 to family-related disputes, and eight to criminal activity. Villatoro emphasized that El Salvador is the only country able to report a reduction of more than 50% in street and violent crimes, including theft, assault, rape, extortion, vehicle theft and robbery.
“2025 represents the safest year in our national history, and all of this is due to the daily efforts of thousands of men and women in uniform and in public service,” Villatoro stated.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister René Francis Merino Monroy noted that another key factor behind the country’s low crime figures has been the strengthened security shield implemented by authorities in the fight against drug trafficking.
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
Venezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump
Police hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International5 days agoPetro and Trump Agree on Joint Action Against ELN Guerrillas After Tense Diplomacy
-
International5 days agoTrump Signals Extended U.S. Influence Over Venezuela Following Military Operation
-
International3 days agoU.S. strike in Caracas killed 32 cuban security officers, experts say surprise was crucial
-
International5 days agoSenate Bipartisan Vote Moves Measure to Block Further U.S. Military Action in Venezuela
-
International4 days agoOne Dead and Nine Injured After Explosion in Southwest Madrid
-
International5 days agoLula Vetoes Bill That Would Have Shortened Bolsonaro’s Prison Sentence
-
International2 days ago
U.S. Issues Urgent Evacuation Call for Citizens in Venezuela
-
International4 days agoPope Leo XIV warns of rising “war enthusiasm” in global politics
-
International4 days agoReport: Vatican mediation included russian asylum offer ahead of Maduro’s capture
-
Central America1 hour agoU.S. and El Salvador maintain close partnership, embassy says
-
Central America1 hour agoTaiwan’s $10 million donation after 2001 earthquakes allegedly diverted in El Salvador
-
International45 minutes agoDominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
-
International54 minutes agoDeadly van accident near Brazil border leaves 11 dead in Bolivia
-
International49 minutes agoPolice hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica
-
International59 minutes agoU.S. to host Danish and Greenlandic Foreign Ministers at the White House
-
International47 minutes agoVenezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump
-
International1 hour agoEx-President accused of bid to establish dictatorship as verdict nears in South Korea