Central America

Migrant disappearances quadruple in Mexico in 2021

Reported cases of missing migrants in Mexico jumped nearly fourfold in 2021 from 2020, as the country struggles to stem the flow of undocumented people from Central America to the…

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Costa Rica declares national emergency amid ransomware attacks

After a month of crippling ransomware attacks, Costa Rica has declared a state of emergency invoking a measure usually reserved to deal with natural disasters or the Covid-19 pandemic to…

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Nicaragua quietly seeks to re-engage with U.S. -sources

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's son Laureano, an influential figure in the country's leftist government, has reached out quietly to the Biden administration in recent months seeking to re-engage with the…

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Ninth journalist killed in Mexico this year as foreign criticism mounts

MEXICO CITY, May 5 (Reuters) - A Mexican journalist was found dead in the northwestern state of Sinaloa on Thursday, authorities said, marking the ninth death of a media worker in a…

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Panama passes bill to permit use of crypto assets

PANAMA CITY, (Reuters) - Lawmakers in Panama's National Assembly approved a bill to regulate the use and commercialization of crypto assets in the Central American country renowned as a hub of offshore…

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Outrage in Mexico after missing teenager found dead

The body of a Mexican teenager who went missing this month in the northern state of Nuevo Leon has been found submerged in a cistern inside the grounds of a…

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UPDATED: Magnitude 6.7 earthquake strikes near coast of Nicaragua region – USGS

April 21 (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Nicaraguaon Thursday near a fishing village popular as a vacation spot, with no initial reports of damage. The quake's epicenter was at sea, 58 km…

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UPDATED: Costa Rica airport reopens after cargo plane breaks in two

Costa Rica's Juan Santamaria International Airport is functioning normally after a Boeing 757-200 cargo aircraft operated by DHL made an emergency landing and skidded off the runway, separating its tail,…

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Vatican protests over expulsion of its ambassador to Nicaragua

VATICAN CITY, March 12 (Reuters) - The Vatican on Saturday protested to Nicaragua over the effective expulsion of its ambassador to Managua, saying the unilateral action was unjustified and incomprehensible.…

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Mexico declines to impose economic sanctions on Russia

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) - Mexico will not impose any economic sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said. He also criticized what he called censorship of Russian…

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Cuba to deepen ties with Russia as Ukraine tensions mount

Russia and Cuba will deepen ties and explore collaboration in transportation, energy, industry and banking, Cuba's Foreign Ministry said following a visit from Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov. In…

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UPDATED- Guatemala earthquake triggers rockfalls and uproots trees

GUATEMELA CITY, Feb 16 (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck southwestern Guatemala early on Wednesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, uprooting trees and causing landslides. The quake was at a depth of…

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Migrants sew their mouths shut in quest for Mexico passage to U.S. border

A dozen undocumented migrants on Mexico's southern border sewed their mouths shut in a bid to convince the country's immigration authority to grant them passage toward the U.S. border. The…

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Another Mexican journalist killed in latest violent attack on media

A Mexican journalist was shot and killed in the southern state of Oaxaca, police said, the latest in a string of journalist deaths that have prompted U.S. lawmakers to pressure…

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Ex-president heads into Costa Rica run-off, ex-finance minister likely awaits

SAN JOSE (Reuters) - Former president Jose Maria Figueres comfortably led the preliminary vote count in Sunday's Costa Rican presidential election, with former finance minister Rodrigo Chaves poised to defy…

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Mexico tops 5 million total coronavirus cases

MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico topped 5 million total confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, registering 42,181 new cases and 573 new deaths, according to health ministry data. The overall number…

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Magnitude 5.6 earthquake strikes south of Panama –EMSC

Jan 28 (Reuters) - A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck south of Panama on Friday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake had a depth of 15 km (9.32…

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Honduras inaugurates first female president

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Xiomara Castro was sworn in as Honduras' first woman president on Thursday in front of a cheering crowd including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who pledged U.S.…

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Second journalist shot dead in a week in Mexico’s Tijuana

A Mexican journalist was shot dead in the northern border city of Tijuana on Sunday, the state government said, becoming the second killed in the area within a week. Lourdes…

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Murders in Mexico fall 3.6% in 2021, but femicides rise

Murders in Mexico slightly dropped in 2021, falling 3.6% from the previous year, though femicides rose, according to preliminary government data just released. The drop in murders is a win…

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Guatemala’s president seeks jail terms of up to 30 years for people smugglers

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei presented an initiative to Congress to drastically increase jail terms for people smugglers, with sentences of up to 30 years for the worst offenders. For many…

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Mexico hits record in new COVID-19 cases, more than 30,000

MEXICO CITY(Reuters) - Mexico hit a record in confirmed daily COVID-19 cases on Saturday, according to official data, posting more than 30,000 additional infections as the highly contagious respiratory disease…

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Mexico nears 300,000 deaths from COVID-19 as cases surge after holidays

MEXICO CITY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Mexico is likely to surpass 300,000 deaths from COVID-19 this week - the fifth highest death toll worldwide - as infections rise after the…

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Panama makes record seizures of drugs in 2021

PANAMA CITY, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Panama made record drugs seizures in 2021, confiscating some 126 tonnes of contraband, chiefly cocaine, the security ministry of the Central American country said…

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Mexico’s confirmed coronavirus death toll nears 299,000

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's health ministry reported 3,719 additional cases of coronavirus infections and 107 more fatalities, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3,951,003 and the death…

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EP calls for sanctions against Nicaraguan regime as country turns to China for help

The EU should consider introducing additional sanctions against the Nicaraguan regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, MEPs said in a resolution. In a harshly-worded statement, MEPs have demanded that…

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Photo Story: Luztopia lights festival in Monterrey, Mexico

Visitors attend the Luztopia lights festival, in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state, Mexico. The festival runs until 16 January 2022. Photo - EPA-EFE/Miguel Sierra

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Migrant truck crashes in Mexico killing 54

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico (Reuters) -Fifty-four mostly Central Americans were killed on Thursday when the truck they were in flipped over in southern Mexico, in one of the worst accidents involving…

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Honduras set for first woman president as ruling party concedes election defeat

Honduras' conservative ruling party candidate late on Tuesday conceded defeat in the presidential election, paving the way for his leftist rival Xiomara Castro to become the first female leader of…

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Wife of Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’ to face sentencing in U.S. court

U.S. prosecutors will ask a judge on Tuesday to sentence the wife of imprisoned Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to four years in prison after she pleaded guilty to…

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Curbing travel over Omicron coronavirus variant of little use -Mexican health official

MEXICO CITY, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Mexico's deputy health secretary said measures such as restricting travel or closing borders are of little use in response to the emergence of the…

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Honduras votes to replace controversial leader

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Warnings of potential foul play are flying from all sides ahead of Sunday’s presidential election in Honduras, raising fears of possible disputes and unrest if leading challenger…

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At least 19 killed in bus crash in central Mexico

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - At least 19 people were killed and 20 more injured on Friday when a passenger bus traveling on a highway in central Mexico crashed into a…

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Photo Story: Volcanic eruption in Alotenango, Guatemala

A view of the eruption of the Fuego volcano, captured from the municipality of Alotenango, Guatemala. Via EPA-EFE/Esteban Biba

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Biden seeks common ground with Mexico, Canada at summit but tensions remain

WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden hosted Canadian and Mexican leaders on Thursday for the first North American summit in five years in a bid to revitalize…

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Cuba reopens doors to tourism as threat of protests looms

Cuba reopened schools and its borders to international tourism on Monday as opposition groups urged supporters to protest for greater political freedoms, setting up a tense showdown between the government and…

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Nicaragua’s Ortega secures fourth term, U.S. threatens sanctions

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega clinched a fourth consecutive term, results showed on Monday, after jailing political rivals ahead of a vote that prompted threats of sanctions from the United States and international…

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U.S.-Mexico border reopens after 20 months of COVID disruption

TIJUANA, Mexico, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Dozens of crossings at the Mexico-United States border reopened to non-essential travel on Monday after a 20-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though…

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UPDATED: Nicaragua’s Ortega coasting to victory after contentious election

SAN JOSE, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Early voting results in Nicaragua on Monday showed President Daniel Ortega securing a fourth straight term in office by a landslide in what Washington…

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Nicaraguan exiles urge election boycott as Ortega seeks fourth term

Groups representing Nicaraguans in exile urged their compatriots to abstain from voting in Sunday's elections to avoid legitimizing what they consider a ploy by President Daniel Ortega to remain in…

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Photo Story: The Day of the Dead in Mexico

A man passes next to a traditional shrine in Mexico City, Mexico. Mexico prepares to celebrate the Day of the Dead on the upcoming 02 November 2021. Via EPA-EFE/Sashenka Gutierrez

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Flow of goods through Panama Canal hits record

The Panama Canal moved more than a half a billion tonnes of goods over the last year, the canal's top official said on Thursday, marking a record high for the…

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Conviction of Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’ should be thrown out, lawyer argues

A lawyer for Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman urged a U.S. appeals court on Monday to overturn the Mexican drug kingpin's conviction, citing juror misconduct and the jail conditions that Guzman experienced.…

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Photo Story: Giant skulls honour Frida Kahlo for the Day of the Dead in Mexico

People attend the 'Fridacraneos' exhibition, at the Monument to the Revolution, in Mexico City, Mexico. The life and work of Frida Kahlo, one of the most beloved Mexican artists in…

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Mexico denies permit for new GMO corn variety, first time ever

Mexican health safety regulators have rejected a new variety of GMO corn for the first time, according to German conglomerate Bayer which makes the grain and blasted the decision, saying…

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UPDATED: Some leaders react as Pandora Papers document dump allegedly links them to secret wealth

A massive leak of financial documents was published by several major news organizations on Sunday that allegedly tie world leaders to secret stores of wealth, including King Abdullah of Jordan,…

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Key findings of leaked Pandora Papers on offshore wealth

A group of news organisations has released the following main findings after reviewing what it describes as a massive leak of confidential financial records revealing assets held offshore by politicians…

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Photo Story: Hot air balloons flood the sky of the Mexican city of Puebla

A view of hot air balloons in the municipality of Atlixco in the state of Puebla, Mexico. More than 20 hot air balloons took to the sky on 02 October…

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Photo Story: Feminist and trans collectives protest in Mexico City over attacks

Members of feminist and Trans collectives protest in Mexico City, Mexico. Feminist and trans groups protested this Friday in the capital after the attacks suffered the day before in the…

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Regular power cuts plague island of Cuba

Cuban state media said on Friday that the intermittent blackouts that have plagued the island since June are caused by an aging power infrastructure and lack of proper maintenance and…

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Venezuelan leader Maduro lands in Mexico ahead of Latin American leaders’ summit

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived in Mexico City on Friday, Mexico's foreign ministry said, ahead of a summit of a recently elected "pink tide" of leftist…

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Panama to hand out AstraZeneca vaccines to visitors in tourism push

Panama approved a plan to vaccinate visitors in a bid to boost a tourism industry badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, becoming the first Central American nation to offer vaccine…

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Photo Story: The Anniversary of El Grito in Mexico

A general view of the Zocalo Square during the ceremony for the 211th anniversary of the 'Cry of Independence' (El Grito) in Mexico City, Mexico, 15 September 2021, marking the…

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Mexican authorities rescue 22 foreigners kidnapped in a hotel

Mexican authorities rescued 22 foreigners, most of them Cuban and Haitian, who were earlier in the day kidnapped when gunmen stormed a hotel in the central state of San Luis…

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‘Apocalypse’: rare lightning adds to quake awe in Mexico

A rare natural light show flashed across the night sky during a powerful earthquake that shook Mexico City and beach resort Acapulco late on Tuesday, adding to a sense of…

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Mexico’s top court decriminalizes abortion

Mexico's Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Tuesday that penalizing abortion is unconstitutional, a major victory for advocates of women's health and human rights, just as parts of the United States…

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UPDATED: Strong Acapulco quake aftershocks unnerve Mexican resort’s residents

Shaken residents slept in cars and on the streets of Mexico's famed Acapulco beach resort early on Wednesday, as a series of strong aftershocks rippled through the city after a…

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