Central America
Rains affect more than 4 million people in Guatemala
November 14 |
The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) of Guatemala, said Monday that 67 people died and more than four million people were affected by floods in the most devastating rainy season in recent years.
According to Conred’s report, 15,686 people were at risk due to the intense rains, as well as 23,785 were affected; likewise, 1,717 incidents registered in the national territory were responded to.
The agency’s report also showed that 41,181 people were evacuated and 116,884 were offered assistance, of which 2,108 were taken to State shelters, as well as 13 people were reported missing and seven were reported injured.
According to local reports, rain continued in several Guatemalan states throughout the weekend, following the passage of tropical storm Pilar, and in addition to flooding, landslides were reported.
Conred stated that damages to public infrastructure and housing were reported for a total of 89 schools, 17 bridges totally destroyed and 60 affected, as well as 460 roads affected, five totally destroyed and 29 buildings.
Meanwhile, in the private sector, 1,388 houses are reported to be at risk, 666 with slight damage, 22,570 with moderate damage and 550 with severe damage.
He also indicated in his report that clouds with intermittent rains will prevail during the first days of the week and warned about the approach of a cold front in the Yucatan Peninsula.
For this reason, abundant humidity and cloudiness will enter the northern and central regions of the country, and it is expected that the greatest accumulations of rain will occur in Petén, the Northern Transversal Strip, the Caribbean and the North of the West.
Central America
Guatemala’s President to Hold Private Interviews for Attorney General Candidates
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo de León announced that he will privately interview the six candidates for attorney general this week, breaking with the public format used by former President Alejandro Giammattei.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, Arévalo said the interviews would not be open to the public because he intends to question candidates about their plans to recover the Attorney General’s Office from what he described as “political-criminal networks.”
Under Guatemalan law, the president is responsible for appointing the country’s attorney general.
The position has been held since 2018 by Consuelo Porras, whose term is set to expire on May 16 after two consecutive terms marked by local and international allegations of corruption.
Arévalo is expected to select the new attorney general later this week from a shortlist recently submitted by a nomination commission.
The Guatemalan president has repeatedly criticized the Public Prosecutor’s Office, claiming it has been compromised by corrupt political interests.
Central America
Guatemala Court Voids List of Candidates for Top Prosecutor Position
Constitutional Court of Guatemala on Thursday annulled the shortlist of six candidates for attorney general and head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, ordering authorities to repeat the evaluation phase of the selection process.
The ruling came in response to a legal appeal filed by Raúl Amílcar Falla Ovalle, who challenged the way professional experience had been assessed for some applicants, particularly those with careers in the judiciary.
As a result of the decision, the selection process has been suspended, and the Postulation Commission must return to the stage in which the original 48 applicants were evaluated.
According to the ruling, the commission must reapply the grading criteria without automatically counting years served as judges as equivalent to the professional experience required for the position.
“The Postulation Commission for the election of the Attorney General and Head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office is ordered to reassess the applicants by strictly applying the approved grading table,” the resolution states.
The Constitutional Court also stressed that the process must guarantee merit, competence, and suitability, while ensuring greater transparency in the assignment of scores.
Central America
U.S. extradites Iranian man over alleged sanctions evasion scheme
The United States has extradited from Panama an Iranian national accused of evading economic sanctions against Iran by illegally exporting U.S. technology. He is scheduled to appear this Monday before a court in Seattle.
Reza Dindar, 44, was extradited on April 17 after being detained in Panama since July 2025 on charges related to export control violations between 2011 and 2012, allegedly carried out through companies based in China.
The defendant appeared before a U.S. district court in Seattle, where he faces charges of violating sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran in 1995 during the administration of Bill Clinton. These sanctions prohibit the unauthorized export, re-export, or supply—directly or indirectly—of U.S. goods, technology, or services to Iran or its government.
According to the indictment, between 2010 and 2014, Dindar led the company New Port Sourcing Solutions in Xi’an, China, which allegedly concealed the procurement of U.S. products for shipment to clients in Iran.
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