TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AFP)– Soldiers and police on Monday moved to clear roads across Honduras of demonstrators protesting alleged fraud in a presidential election held two weeks ago, which they said was won by leftist opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla. The action was taken as the country is stuck in a political impasse and amid unrest after President Juan Orlando Hernandez claimed victory in the November 26 poll. Electoral authorities have not yet declared a winner from the election, despite full […]
South America
Venezuelan leader says no to opposition in presidential race
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro announced Sunday that leading opposition parties will be barred from taking part in next year’s presidential vote after they boycotted mayoral polls, in a move set to further consolidate his grip on power. That includes the groups of key figures who have led street protests against his rule such as Henrique Capriles, Leopoldo Lopez and others, Maduro told reporters after casting his vote in the municipal polls. “That’s what […]
Argentina judge orders arrest of ex-president Cristina Kirchner: source
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — An Argentine judge on Thursday ordered the arrest of former president Cristina Kirchner for allegedly covering up Iranian involvement in a 1994 bombing at a Buenos Aires Jewish center that left 85 people dead, according to a judicial source. The order also removes the judicial immunity of Kirchner, who served as president from 2007-2015 and is now a senator. She has previously called the case an “absurdity.”
Two sentenced in Costa Rica for organ trafficking
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AFP)– A doctor and a pizzeria owner were sentenced by a Costa Rican court Monday for recruiting poor people to sell their kidneys for transplants to foreigners, mainly Israelis. The Costa Rican doctor found guilty of conducting illegal transplants, Francisco Mora Palma was jailed for 12 years under the verdict reached by a panel of three judges in the capital San Jose. A Greek businessman, Dimostenes Katsigiannis, was ordered imprisoned for eight […]
6.0-magnitude quake causes light damage, power outages in Ecuador
QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) — A 6.0-magnitude earthquake shook coastal Ecuador Sunday, opening cracks in walls and cutting electricity in the province of Manabi, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The quake occurred at 6:19 am local time (1139 GMT) some 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the coastal town of San Vicente, Ecuador’s Geophysical Institute reported on Twitter. “For the moment we have no victims to lament, nor significant material damage,” President Lenin […]
Venezuela arrests former oil bosses in corruption purge
by Alexander Martinez Agence France-Presse CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s military on Thursday arrested the country’s former oil minister and the ex-chief of state oil company PDVSA after both men were sacked as part of an anti-corruption crackdown. Attorney General Tarek William Saab told journalists that the former minister Eulogio del Pino and ex-PDVSA boss Nelson Martinez were picked up in a dawn operation by the country’s Military Counterintelligence Unit. Both former officials were arrested at their […]
No trace of Argentina sub, 12 days after it vanished
by Carlos Reyes Agence France Presse BAHIA BLANCA, Argentina (AFP) — An international flotilla backed by aircraft on Monday again probed the South Atlantic for signs of an Argentine submarine missing for 12 days, targeting an area near the vessel’s last known position where an explosion was detected. A total of 15 countries, including the United States, Britain, Russia and France, are helping to search for the ARA San Juan, which has 44 crew members […]
‘Explosion’ heard near sub’s last known position: navy
by Liliana Samuel, Carlos Reyes and Eitan Abramovich Agence France Presse MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (AFP) — Argentina’s navy confirmed Thursday that an unusual noise heard in the ocean near the last known position of a submarine appeared to be an explosion, dashing the last hopes of finding the vessel and its 44 crewmembers. Concern for the missing submarine and its crew has gripped Argentina since it was reported overdue at its Mar del Plata […]
Noise heard hours after sub’s last contact: Argentine navy
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Argentina’s navy said Wednesday it is investigating a noise detected in the South Atlantic hours after it last communicated with a missing submarine and its 44-member crew. Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi told reporters the “hydro-acoustic anomaly” was detected in the ocean almost three hours after the last communication with the San Juan on November 15, 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of its last known position. Asked if the noise could […]
Odds stack up against Argentine submarine survival
by Liliana Samuel, Carlos Reyes and Eitan Abramovich Agence France-Presse MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (AFP) — The clock ticked down Wednesday on hopes of finding alive the 44 crew members of an Argentine submarine missing for a week despite a massive search of surface and seabed, amid fears their oxygen had run out. The ARA San Juan would have had enough oxygen for its crew to survive underwater in the South Atlantic for seven days since its last […]
Worries over oxygen supply on missing Argentina submarine
by Liliana Samuel, Carlos Reyes and Eitan Abramovich Agence France Presse MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (AFP) — An international search mission for a missing Argentine submarine entered a critical phase Tuesday after nearly a week without signs of life — as the vessel risked running out of oxygen after being submerged for so long. The ARA San Juan would have enough oxygen for its crew to survive underwater for seven days, if there was no […]
UPDATED: Missing Argentine submarine remains out of contact
MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (Reuters) — Missing Argentine submarine ARA San Juan still has not sent any signals back and remains out of contact, according to Gabriel Galeazzi, spokesman for the Argentine Navy. The search for the missing submarine has not gone well, said Galeazzi, as he confirmed that all seven formerly-received signals were not in fact from ASA San Juan. “Communication satellite companies analyzed a spectrum of more than 400 satellite calls’ signals, and […]
