Central America
EU sanctions Nicaraguan leader’s wife, son over repression
AFP
The EU imposed sanctions Monday on Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s wife Rosario Murillo, who is his vice president, as well as one of his sons and six more officials.
The measures expand a previous sanctions list to now count a total of 14 individuals held “responsible for serious human rights violations in Nicaragua and/or whose actions undermined democracy or the rule of law” over ongoing repression in the Central American country.
“The detention of a seventh potential presidential candidate… sadly illustrates the magnitude of the repression in Nicaragua and projects a grim picture for the upcoming elections,” the European Council said.
The sanctions prohibit travel and transit in the EU for those targeted, a freeze on any EU-based assets and a ban on EU businesses or citizens from doing business with them.
Ortega, 75, is expected to run for re-election in November 7 polls.
After a first stint as president between 1984 and 1990, he returned to power in 2007 and has stayed in office ever since. He made his wife his vice president in 2017.
In 2018, demonstrations against their rule were brutally put down by government forces, leaving more than 300 dead and pushing thousands into exile according to rights bodies.
In a clampdown that began on June 2, Ortega’s government has rounded up political rivals in a series of house raids and night-time arrests on charges of threatening Nicaragua’s sovereignty.
Ortega has called them seditious “criminals” and “agents of the Yankee empire”.
Seven opposition presidential hopefuls are among 31 people detained. The latest was Noel Vidaurre, seized on July 24 and put under house arrest.
Despite pressure from the European Parliament, EU member states did not add Ortega himself to the growing sanctions list.
“These measures are targeted at individuals and are designed in this way not to harm the Nicaraguan population or the Nicaraguan economy,” the EU statement said.
It added that it “firmly condemned the repression of political opponents, demonstrators, independent media and civil society” continuing in Nicaragua.
In June, the United States announced sanctions against four Nicaraguan officials allied to Ortega, including his daughter.
The EU and US are calling on Ortega to immediately release those arrested and for his government to hold dialogue with the opposition.
Central America
El Niño could intensify global climate risks, warns World Meteorological Organization
Latin American countries, one of the regions in the world most affected by El Niño, must “take extreme precautions” and make use of so-called “climate intelligence” to mitigate the most severe impacts of the phenomenon, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Celeste Saulo, told EFE on Tuesday.
With a 90% probability, El Niño is expected to return in the second half of this year, and a strong intensity cannot be ruled out.
As a result, the phenomenon could trigger intense rainfall and flooding in some areas, while causing droughts in others, leading to direct impacts on communities and a wide range of economic sectors, including fishing and agriculture.
Saulo said countries in the region have improved their scientific and institutional capacity to monitor and respond to El Niño, as well as to understand how it interacts with other climate variables, including those linked to climate change, in order to better forecast “more or less severe impacts.”
When describing likely consequences in South and Central America, the Argentine scientist first referred to the “Coastal El Niño,” as the phenomenon is known in Peru and Ecuador.
She explained that this event brings increased rainfall and ocean warming, which strongly affects the fishing industry.
She added that northern South America, Central America, and northeastern Brazil are typically exposed to below-normal rainfall or drought conditions. In past extreme episodes, El Niño has even affected the operational capacity of the Panama Canal and created serious water access and management challenges during severe droughts.
In contrast, southeastern South America—including southern Brazil, Paraguay, northern and northeastern Argentina, and Uruguay—can expect above-average rainfall, increasing the risk of flooding, severe storms, and landslides.
Given the potential for fear and misinformation among populations, Saulo urged people to “trust the institutions responsible for meteorological information,” stressing that national meteorological services are the official and authoritative sources in each country.
“These are the ultimate responsible authorities and the voices of expertise,” she emphasized.
The most recent El Niño episode occurred between 2023 and 2024 and was among the five strongest ever recorded, contributing to record global temperatures.
The WMO chief noted that climate models remain uncertain about the intensity of the next El Niño, though more accurate forecasts are expected in the coming weeks.
While climate change has not been proven to increase the frequency or intensity of El Niño events, scientists do know that both can interact and amplify extreme weather impacts, potentially leading to natural disasters.
Although Latin America is often heavily affected, El Niño impacts can also be felt in North America, the Caribbean, central and eastern Africa, parts of Asia, and Australia.
Central America
Northern Guatemala community warns of possible famine as dry season intensifies
As drought conditions intensify and the likelihood of an upcoming El Niño weather pattern increases, fear is spreading through an Indigenous village in northern Guatemala: the fear of starvation.
“If there is no rain, the crops will not grow. Whatever little we harvest we will eat, or we will have to buy it—if we have money. But if there is nothing, we will starve,” Cecilia Pasá told AFP.
The 38-year-old Maya woman, dressed in a colorful traditional handwoven outfit, has planted a small plot of corn a few meters from her adobe home, where she also raises small farm animals.
In Cunén, a mountainous and hard-to-reach area in the department of Quiché, nearly all of its approximately 47,000 residents live in poverty. Many communities rely on wells that are increasingly insufficient to meet basic water needs.
The region lies within the so-called Dry Corridor, an arid belt that stretches across parts of Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, and is highly vulnerable to extreme climate events.
It was one of the areas in Guatemala hardest hit by the food crisis triggered by El Niño in 2023, a situation that now threatens to repeat itself amid limited government assistance.
El Niño, which occurs every two to seven years, is part of a natural climate cycle that affects sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and can have significant global weather impacts.
The phenomenon is expected to develop between June and August, with effects likely to be felt worldwide in the following months.
Central America
Thousands of Teachers and Doctors Launch Nationwide Strike in Honduras
Thousands of public school teachers and healthcare workers launched a nationwide strike in Honduras on Monday amid ongoing labor and salary disputes with the government.
The protest action led to the suspension of classes in public schools and disrupted medical services at government-run healthcare facilities across the Central American country.
Union representatives said the strike was called in response to unresolved demands related to working conditions, salary adjustments and other labor concerns affecting employees in the education and health sectors.
As a result of the walkout, thousands of students were unable to attend classes, while patients faced delays and interruptions in medical care at public hospitals and clinics.
The strike represents one of the largest coordinated labor actions in recent months and highlights growing tensions between public sector workers and the Honduran government over employment conditions and compensation.
Authorities have not yet announced when normal operations in schools and healthcare facilities are expected to resume, while negotiations between union leaders and government officials remain ongoing.
ICE to prioritize security over immigration enforcement during 2026 World Cup, says official
Two Police Officers Shot During Road Clearance Operation in Eastern Bolivia
U.S. to invest $700 million in coal plants and mines under Trump initiative
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
-
International3 days agoFour decapitated bodies found in abandoned vehicle near Guerrero state Congress
-
International3 days agoU.S. to invest $700 million in coal plants and mines under Trump initiative
-
International5 days agoEight Bodies Found in Ecuador as Authorities Probe Link to Missing Persons Case
-
International5 days agoForo Penal Reports 404 Political Prisoners Still Held in Venezuela
-
International2 days agoTwo Police Officers Shot During Road Clearance Operation in Eastern Bolivia
-
International1 day agoICE to prioritize security over immigration enforcement during 2026 World Cup, says official