A U.S. oil executive jailed for three years in Venezuela said all he hopes for is a fair trial so that he can walk free with his name cleared and go home to his family in the United States.In a letter from prison provided exclusively to The Associated Press, Tomeu Vadell said it’s especially painful to be separated during the Thanksgiving season from his wife, three adult children and a newborn grandson he’s never held.”Before living this tragedy, these celebrations were very special times for our family,” Vadell wrote, saying he embraced the traditional American holiday after moving in 1999 from Caracas to Lake Charles, Louisiana, for a job with Venezuelan-owned Citgo. “Now, they bring me a lot of sadness.”It’s the first time Vadell or any of the other so-called Citgo 6 have spoken publicly since being arrested and charged with a massive corruption scheme. He’s held at a feared Caracas jail called El Helicoide.Despite his circumstances, Vadell held out hope for a brighter future.”During the trial, the truth has proven undeniable,” Vadell said in the four-page handwritten letter. “It proves that I am innocent.”2017 meetingVadell, 61, and the five other Citgo executives were summoned to the headquarters of the Venezuelan state-run oil firm PDVSA, the parent company of the Houston-based Citgo, for what they had been told was a budget meeting on November 21, 2017. A corporate jet shuttled them to Caracas, and they were told they’d be home for Thanksgiving.Instead, a cadre of military intelligence officers swarmed the boardroom, taking them to jail.Their trial started four months ago and closing arguments took place Thursday. That began a wait for the judge’s verdict.With their arrests, President Nicolás Maduro’s government launched a purge inside Venezuela’s once-thriving oil industry, built on the world’s largest crude reserves. It later arrested the head of PDVSA, a former oil minister and dozens of others.FILE – This undated photo posted on Twitter on June 18, 2020, by Venezuela’s foreign minister shows, from left, CITGO executives Jose Angel Pereira, Gustavo Cardenas, Jorge Toledo, Jose Luis Zambrano, Tomeu Vadell and Alirio Jose Zambrano in Caracas.The men accused along with Vadell are Gustavo Cárdenas, Jorge Toledo, brothers Jose Luis Zambrano and Alirio Zambrano, all now U.S. citizens, and Jose Pereira, a permanent resident.They’re charged with embezzlement stemming from a never-executed proposal to refinance $4 billion in Citgo bonds by offering a 50% stake in the company as collateral. Maduro at the time accused them of “treason.” They all have said they are not guilty.The trial has played out one day a week in a downtown Caracas court. Because of the pandemic, sessions are held in front of a bank of dormant elevators in a hallway, apparently to take advantage of air flowing through open windows.Reporters and rights groups have been denied access to the hearings. There was no response to a letter addressed to Judge Lorena Cornielles seeking permission for The Associated Press to observe.The office of Venezuela’s chief prosecutor said in a statement to the AP that investigators found “serious evidence” that corroborates financial crimes potentially damaging to the state-run company.”The Citgo case has developed normally during all the stages established by the Venezuelan criminal process,” the statement said. “In the next few days, we’ll know the verdict.”Held for ‘all the wrong reasons’Vadell’s attorney, Jesus Loreto, said his client appears to have been caught up in a “geopolitical conflict” of which he’s not a part. He said Vadell’s name never appeared on any of the documents prosecutors read into evidence.”There’s nothing that refers to Tomeu in any way — directly or indirectly,” he said. “This is the story of a good guy being held against his will for all the wrong reasons.”Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who has negotiated the release of other Americans held by hostile governments, traveled to Caracas in July and met with Maduro.He didn’t win their freedom, but days later two of them — Cárdenas and Toledo — were freed from jail and put in house detention. Two weeks later, the long-delayed trial began.Richardson told The Associated Press that conversations with the Venezuelan government continue, despite his meeting with Maduro being “a little stormy.”Jesus Loreto, an attorney representing Tomeu Vadell, one of six U.S. oil executives jailed in Venezuela, shows a letter written by Vadell, in Caracas, Venezuela, Nov. 25, 2020.Richardson said he believes there’s an opening tied to President-elect Joe Biden’s election and a desire by Maduro to improve relations with Washington.”I think the Venezuelans have been straight with me, but more progress needs to be made,” he said. “My hope is to have something positive by Christmas.”It’s not clear what approach Biden will take toward Maduro. Trump aggressively pressed to remove Maduro through sweeping financial sanctions, and the U.S. Justice Department has indicted Maduro as a “narcoterrorist,” offering a $15 million reward for his arrest.Vadell’s letter steered clear of politics. He didn’t mention Maduro or speak about his jailers, though he did express concern about the “consequences” of speaking out.With encouragement from his family, Vadell broke his silence, taking a risk relatives said was necessary.’Light of hope illuminates us'”I believe it’s more important that the light of hope illuminates us,” Vadell wrote. “May the light of hope put an end to the sadness of my family.”The five other men did not respond to invitations The Associated Press made through their lawyers to comment.Vadell’s daughter, Cristina Vadell, 29, said in a phone interview from Lake Charles that her father isn’t the kind of person who seeks attention. Rather, he prefers to focus on work and his family.During his 35-year career with PDVSA and Citgo, Vadell ended up running a massive refinery in Lake Charles and then became vice president of refining. The letter attempts to expose this side of his life, she said.”I think he was willing to take some risks and open some hearts to allow him to come home,” she said. “I think he’s still wondering, ‘What happened?’ He went to a work meeting and never came home.”She shared photos of the family with her father, standing around a Thanksgiving turkey. Each year, they would give it a name, something like Charlie or Phillip. The past three Thanksgivings just haven’t been the same without him, she said.Vadell wrote that he’s proud to be the son of Spanish immigrants to Venezuela, where he was educated as an engineer. He brought his family to the U.S., bringing the best of the two countries together, he said.”I’m now reaching an intersection where if justice is done, I will be able to rebuild my life and try to compensate my family for all the lost moments,” Vadell wrote. “The light is intense — the hope is great — give me freedom.”
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Argentines crowded near the presidential mansion Thursday where football star Diego Maradona’s funeral is being held.Thousands of Argentines faced police officers and long lines to pay their respects to the legendary midfielder, who died of a cardiorespiratory issue at the age of 60 a day earlier.EN VIVO | Despedida a Diego Armando Maradona https://t.co/5o3InKTY5D— Casa Rosada (@CasaRosada) November 26, 2020Maradona lay in state, his casket draped in an Argentine flag and his number 10 jersey, at the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires Thursday. Open visitation began at 6:15am local time, after a few private hours for family and close friends.The star’s family was hoping to bury Maradona Thursday evening in the Bella Vista cemetery on the outskirts of Buenos Aires where his parents are also interred, Reuters reported.Tributes to Maradona flooded social media Wednesday and Thursday, with many of his old teams including FC Barcelona posting videos of his old plays with captions like “Thank you for everything, Diego” and “we’ll never forget you”. 💙❤ Always in our memory pic.twitter.com/FM2qPkekuI— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 25, 2020″He was someone who touched the sky with his hands but never took his feet off the ground,” President Alberto Fernandez said on Wednesday.In 1986, Maradona, who came from humble roots, led the Argentine side to a World Cup title in Mexico. During the tournament, he scored what many consider one of the all-time greatest goals against England when he sliced through the English defense. In that same game, he scored the controversial “hand of God” goal when he got away with what appeared to be a handball leading to a score.  Playing for his home country, he scored 34 goals in 91 appearances. He appeared in four World Cups. During the peak of his club career, he played for European powerhouses Barcelona and Napoli, during which he helped the Italian side win two Serie A titles. 
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Impatient fans were confronting police as thousands lined up to say goodbye to Diego Maradona on Thursday at the Argentine presidential mansion staging the funeral of one of football’s greatest stars.  
Fans threw bottles and metal fences at police near the Casa Rosada in the heart of Buenos Aires.
Open visitation started at 6:15 a.m. local time (0915 GMT) after a few hours of privacy for family and close friends.
Maradona’s wooden casket was in the main lobby of the presidential office, covered in an Argentine flag and a No. 10 shirt of the national team. Dozens of other shirts of different soccer teams were thrown in by visitors who passed by in tears.
Maradona died on Wednesday of a heart attack in a house outside Buenos Aires where he recovered from a brain operation on Nov. 3.  
The first to bid farewell were his daughters and close family members. Then came former teammates of the 1986 World Cup-winning squad including Oscar Ruggeri. Other Argentine footballers, such as Boca Juniors’ Carlos Tévez, showed up, too.
The lines started outside the Casa Rosada only hours after Maradona’s death was confirmed. Among those present were the renowned barrabravas fans of Boca Juniors, one of his former clubs.
The first fan to visit was Nahuel de Lima, using crutches to move because of a disability. At the same time, a wave of people tried to get ahead and confronted police, who used tear gas to contain them.  
Bodyguards were stopping fans from taking pictures and controlling access to the building. Many fans were breaking down as soon as they left.
Fans who walked past the casket blew kisses into the air, struck their chests with closed fists, and shouted “Let’s go Diego.” Most, but not all, wore masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  
A giant black screen in front of the Casa Rosada is showing historic photos of Maradona as fans go.
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Soccer legend Diego Maradona died Wednesday less than a month after celebrating his 60th birthday. Although worshipped by many for his soccer prowess, it was his personal demons that grabbed headlines later in life. VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo reports.
Producer: Robert Raffaele 
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Diego Maradona was football’s archetypal troubled genius, a world-beating player whose life and career scaled the most dazzling heights but also plumbed the darkest depths. Maradona, who died Wednesday at the age of 60, became a global icon after leading Argentina to the 1986 World Cup, but he was not a squeaky-clean idol like Pele, and made little attempt to hide his fiery personality and many vices. “I am black or white, I’ll never be gray in my life,” he once said. Maradona was short, powerful and quick. He was also a ferocious and astute competitor who refused to be intimidated even though many opponents tried. Above all, he was sublimely and imaginatively skillful. “No ball ever had a better experience than when it was at his left foot,” said his Argentina teammate Jorge Valdano. Fans of Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona wave an Argentina flag as they gather to mourn his death, at the Obelisk of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 25, 2020.However, while Maradona is remembered for his masterly composure on the ball, he was also famous for his frequent lack of control both on the field and off. He struggled with addiction, notably to cocaine, and with his weight. Diego Armando Maradona was born on Oct. 30, 1960, in Lanus, just outside Buenos Aires, and grew up in one of the poorest areas of the Argentine capital. He made his debut for Argentinos Juniors just before his 16th birthday and his debut for Argentina at age 16 in February 1977. His career is defined by the World Cup, the four he played in and the one he missed. “I have two dreams,” Maradona told Argentine television at the age of 17. “My first dream is to play in the World Cup. And the second dream is to win it.” Manager Cesar Luis Menotti omitted “El Pibe de Oro” (the golden kid) from his squad in 1978. Argentina, the hosts, went on to win the competition for the first time. The following year, under Menotti, Maradona led Argentina to victory in the under-20 World Cup in Japan, winning the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player. His senior World Cup debut in 1982 in Spain went badly. Maradona was treated brutally by defenders and ended his tournament with a red card for retaliation as Argentina, already eliminated, lost to Brazil. ‘Hand of God’ He atoned four years later, propelling his country to victory in Mexico and making the tournament his own.    In the final, Maradona set up the 86th-minute winner against West Germany. He scored twice in the semi-final against Belgium, beating four defenders for the second. FILE – Argentina’s Diego Maradona scores against England in the quarter final of the FIFA World Cup, Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, June 22, 1986. (Action Images via Reuters)But the match that defined his tournament, and possibly his international career, was the 2-1 quarter-final win over England, in which he scored two goals that will be remembered forever – for very different reasons. In the 51st minute, as Peter Shilton reached to catch the ball, Maradona, some seven inches shorter, jumped alongside him and with a deftness that fooled the eye, flicked the ball through the England goalkeeper’s arms and into the net. After the game, Maradona said he scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.” Four minutes later, Maradona picked up the ball in his own half, beat six England players, including Shilton, before squeezing home. FIFA later named it the “Goal of the Century.” In 1990 in Italy, almost immobile because of an injury to his much-kicked left ankle, Maradona steered a defensive and limited Argentine team back to the final even though they won just two games and scored only five goals. In a dire final, it took Andreas Brehme’s 85th-minute penalty for West Germany to this time get the better of Maradona.  Four years later in the United States, Maradona seemed restored to health. He scored against Greece and celebrated by racing to scream into a TV camera, a disturbing mixture of joy, relief and rage. But he ended his last World Cup like his first, prematurely. After Argentina beat Nigeria in their second group game, Maradona failed a test for ephedrine and was thrown out of the tournament. A similar pattern of wild highs and lows marked Maradona’s club career. A fan reacts while mourning the death of soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona, outside the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 25, 2020.Maradona moved to the club he supported, Boca Juniors, in 1981 and won his sole Argentine league title the following season. He left for Barcelona for a world record fee in 1982. He won the Copa Del Rey in his first season, but the club finished only fourth in the league. He missed much of the following campaign after Athletic Bilbao’s Andoni Goikoetxea broke his ankle, and when Barca lost to Bilbao in that year’s cup final, Maradona started a spectacular mass brawl, flooring four opponents. Facing a ban in Spain, Maradona moved to Napoli, becoming the first player to break the world transfer record twice. His dazzling play transformed a club from a poor, much-mocked city and led them to their only two Serie A titles. In a whirlwind seven years he fathered an illegitimate child, made friends with the local mafia and enemies of the tax collectors. He also fell deep into cocaine addiction. His tempestuous time in Italy effectively ended in April 1991 when he tested positive for cocaine and was banned for 15 months. He wound down his playing career with one season at Sevilla, one at Newell’s Old Boys and two at his beloved Boca. Player of the Century Over the next two and a half decades he had six short and unsuccessful stints managing clubs in Argentina, the United Arab Emirates and Mexico, and also two fiery years as Argentina coach, 2008-10. Even though Argentina suffered a record 6-1 defeat by humble Bolivia in qualifying, and Maradona was banned for two months at the end of 2009 for an obscene tirade at journalists, he still led the team to the World Cup in South Africa where they won their group before being thrashed 4-0 by Germany in the quarter-finals. All the while, Maradona’s off-field problems continued. He went into drug rehab on several occasions. When he quit cocaine, he binged instead on drink, cigars and food and ended up in hospital in 2007.  He was a strident supporter of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, whose image he had tattooed on his leg, and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. FILE – Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona, then in Cuba undergoing rehabilitation for cocaine abuse, shows Cuban President Fidel Castro a tattoo on his leg, inside Revolution Palace in Havana, Oct. 29, 2001.In 2000, FIFA ran an online Player of the Century poll. Maradona received 54% of the vote, Pele was second with 18%. FIFA declared them joint winners. Maradona married his longtime girlfriend, Claudia Villafane, in 1984. They had two daughters, Dalma and Gianinna, and divorced in 2004. He also had a son, Diego Junior, born in Naples in 1986, although he only acknowledged paternity in 2004. 
  
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Argentina’s Diego Maradona, one of the greatest football (soccer) players of all time, has died at the age of 60. The attacking midfielder died of a cardiorespiratory issue, according to reports in the Argentine press.  The legend underwent what was described as successful surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain earlier this month, according to the BBC. Maradona had long battled alcohol and drug addiction. In 1986, Maradona, who came from humble roots, led the Argentine side to a World Cup title in Mexico.During the tournament, he scored what many consider one of the all-time greatest goals against England when he sliced through the English defense. In that same game, he scored the controversial “hand of God” goal when he got away with what appeared to be a handball leading to a score. In 1990, he led his team to the final, but lost to West Germany. He was set to captain the Argentine team in the 1994 World Cup, but failed drug tests. Playing for his home country, he scored 34 goals in 91 appearances. He appeared in four World Cups. During the peak of his club career, he played for European powerhouses Barcelona and Napoli, during which he helped the Italian side win two Serie A titles. Maradona retired from professional soccer in 1997 after a stint with Argentine club team Boca Juniors. In 2008, he was named head coach of the Argentine national team but left after the team was beaten in the quarter finals by Germany in the 2010 World Cup.  
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Hundreds of protesters broke into Guatemala’s Congress and burned part of the building Saturday amid growing demonstrations against President Alejandro Giammattei and the legislature for approving a budget that cut educational and health spending.The protest came as about 7,000 people were demonstrating in front of the National Palace in Guatemala City against the budget, which protesters say was negotiated and passed by legislators in secret while the Central American country was distracted by the fallout of back-to-back hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic.Video on social media showed flames shooting out a window in the legislative building. According to media reports, security agents fired tear gas at protesters and there were people injured.Giammattei condemned the fires in his Twitter account Saturday.Guatemala City Guatemala”Anyone who is proven to have participated in the criminal acts will be punished with the full force of the law.” He wrote that he defended people’s right to protest, “but neither can we allow people to vandalize public or private property.”The president said he had been meeting with various groups to present changes to the controversial budget.Discontent had been building over the 2021 budget on social media and clashes erupted during demonstrations on Friday. Guatemalans were angered because lawmakers approved $65,000 to pay for meals for themselves but cut funding for coronavirus patients and human rights agencies.Vice President Guillermo Castillo has offered to resign, telling Giammattei that both men should resign their positions “for the good of the country.” He also suggested vetoing the approved budget, firing government officials and attempting more outreach to various sectors around the country.Giammattei had not responded publicly to that proposal, and Castillo did not share the president’s reaction to his proposal. Castillo said he would not resign alone.The spending plan was negotiated in secret and approved by the congress before dawn Wednesday. It also passed in the days following the destruction and deaths caused by Hurricanes Eta and Iota, which brought torrential rains to much of Central America.The Roman Catholic Church leadership in Guatemala also called on Giammattei to veto the budget Friday.”It was a devious blow to the people because Guatemala was between natural disasters, there are signs of government corruption, clientelism in the humanitarian aid,” said Jordan Rodas, the country’s human rights prosecutor.He said the budget appeared to favor ministries that have historically been hot spots of corruption.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday urged Canadians to stay home, avoid contact with others and follow public health rules to help slow the spread of COVID-19, after health officials warned of a possible explosive surge in virus cases.
 
In a televised news conference outside his residence at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Trudeau asked Canadians to resist the temptation to let their guard down after 10 months of making sacrifices.  
 
Trudeau said, “We are facing [a] winter that’s going to drive people inside more and more, and we’re really at risk of seeing caseloads go up, and hospitals get overwhelmed, and more loved ones dying.” He said people must do everything they can to slow the spread of the virus.
 
The prime minister’s plea follows grim news earlier Friday from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said she expects the number of new daily cases to reach 20,000 per day — up from just under 5,000 per day currently — if Canadians maintain their current number of personal contacts.
 
But she warned that number could spike to 60,000 a day by the end of December if Canadians increase their current level of contact with other people, a possible scenario with the Christmas holiday season looming.  
 
Tam said if people limit their interactions to essential activities while maintaining physical distancing and adhering to other public health guidelines, the number could be reduced to less than 10,000 daily.
 
Trudeau said “a normal Christmas is quite frankly right out of the question.”
 
As of Friday, Canada had recorded a total of 319,229 cases and 11,314 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
 
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Mexico is a step closer to becoming one of the world’s largest legal marijuana markets.Senators voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve a marijuana legalization bill.The bill’s next challenge is clearing the lower house of Congress.The legislation is supported by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s Morena party, which holds a majority in both chambers of Congress.The legislation would become law only if it’s signed by Lopez Obrador, who has not spoken openly about his position on legalizing marijuana.The movement to decriminalize marijuana in Mexico comes after lawmakers approved its use for medicinal purposes last year, and the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 recreational marijuana should be allowed.Under the legislation adults would be allowed to possess no more than 28 grams, grow up to four plants and purchase marijuana from authorized businesses.Children would be banned from any use, sale or taking part in growing the drug.
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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is blaming his rival, opposition leader Juan Guaido, for U.S. President Donald Trump’s apparent reelection defeat.Maduro said Thursday, he received a message from someone in the United States he refused to identify, that if Trump had trusted Maduro instead of Guaido, the election result would have been different.Maduro seemed to mock Trump for recognizing Guaido as Venezuela’s self-proclaimed interim president saying, “You preferred to bet on an imbecile and that imbecile led you to defeat.”Maduro’s comments might also be a public rebuke of Trump and his administration, which has long favored Guaido, who was also backed by some other Western leaders.Thursday a team of Trump campaign lawyers claimed nationwide vote fraud is resulting from what they characterized as a conspiracy among Democrats, a voting machine company in Canada, Venezuelan socialist leaders, Cuban and Chinese communists, antifa and philanthropist George Soros.
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International humanitarian teams in Central America need nearly $43 million to provide critical relief to some 646,000 people who were pummeled by two hurricanes, floods and landslides, UNICEF said in a statement Thursday. Back-to-back Hurricanes Eta and Iota ravaged several Central American countries this month, causing flash floods and mudslides.”We thought Hurricane Eta was bad, but Hurricane Iota may end up being even worse for children in Central America,” said Bernt Aasen, UNICEF regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Eta was the first to hit Central America, causing damage impacting some 4.6 million people in Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama. Vehicles are submerged at a plot flooded by the Chamelecon River due to heavy rain caused by Storm Iota, in La Lima, Honduras, Nov. 19, 2020.Hurricane Iota followed a week later, inflicting more devastation. UNICEF says it fears for the health and well-being of nearly 2 million children across the region. “It’s one hurricane after the other, but stronger each time,” said Aasen, who warned the worst is yet to come as the “water has yet to recede,” but the “humanitarian needs of families and children are immense and keep growing day by day.” Iota, a Category 4 hurricane on a 1-5 scale, leveled entire communities and pulled down trees and electricity poles. So far, 26 deaths have been reported, including 16 in Nicaragua where about 114,000 homes have no power and 47,000 are without water.  UNICEF warned that “children who survived both hurricanes are now at risk of dying from waterborne and other infectious diseases.” In a statement, it noted that “cases of hepatitis and malaria have already been reported in some shelters.”  UNICEF says it is working to provide humanitarian support to more than 600,000 people in Nicaragua, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. The organization says continuing rainfall and pandemic-related limitations have hindered access to some affected areas.
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Police in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, clashed Wednesday with protesters calling for President Jovenel Moise to step down amid corruption allegations.Demonstrators set up burning barricades and disrupted traffic.  Police responded by firing teargas at the demonstrators.The Associated Press reports one person was shot in the head as demonstrators attempted to reach an area where the heavily guarded Moise was placing a wreath at the National Mausoleum commemorating the 217th anniversary of the Haitian Revolution, when local forces defeated Napoleon’s French expeditionary forces.Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise (R) and First Lady Martine Moise attend celebrations for the 217th anniversary of the Battle of Vertieres, the last major battle of Haitian independence from France, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Nov. 18, 2020.It was not immediately clear who fired the shot.Haitian opposition leader André Michel said, “Haitian people are tired of Jovenel Moïse; he will no longer be able to govern the country.”Demonstrators are venting at Moise, who is leading the impoverished country without the input of a parliament, which was dissolved in January after failed elections in October.Protestors run past burning tires during a march demanding the resignation of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise, at the 217th anniversary of the Battle of Vertieres, the last major battle of Haitian independence from France, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.The political situation in Haiti has not helped the country generate donations from the international community, hampering its ability to respond to a lingering economic struggle, including food shortages.
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Three days after then-Hurricane Iota struck Nicaragua, the storm’s overall toll on Central America is mounting, with more than 30 deaths, and authorities fear there could be more casualties as the search continues for the missing.Iota’s torrential rains caused flooding and landslides forcing more than 200,000 people to flee their homes across Nicaragua and Honduras.The U.S. National Hurricane Center said lingering rain from Iota could trigger more life-threatening floods across Central America through Thursday as the storm moves west toward the Pacific Ocean.The record rainfall is causing flood threats and setting off mudslides in villages from northern Colombia to southern Mexico.Officials in Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia, El Salvador and Panama confirmed deaths as a result of Iota, which first hit coastal Nicaragua on Monday, nearly two weeks after Hurricane Eta devastated the same area of the country with flooding and landslides.Eta is blamed for more than 100 deaths across Central America.
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Peru’s new president, Francisco Sagasti, has a cabinet in place to help him begin stabilizing the government, which has been the target of angry street protests.A day after the liberal centrist became Peru’s third president within a week, Sagasti appointed Violeta Bermúdez, a legal expert, to lead the 18 cabinet ministers sworn in Wednesday.Sagasti, who will serve as interim president until next July, replaced former Congress speaker Manuel Merino, who resigned Sunday after days of street protests ended with the deaths of two people.Merino became president by default after the opposition led Congress impeached popular president Martin Vizcarra over unverified bribery allegations, setting off protests and creating a leadership crisis.Peruvians will head to the polls next April to choose the country’s permanent president.
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The remnants of Hurricane Iota moved into El Salvador Wednesday, as the storm continues to pound Nicaragua with strong winds and heavy rains even after weakening from a hurricane to a tropical storm.At last report, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said the system was moving to the west of the city of San Salvador and was now a tropical depression. But the remnants of the most powerful storm ever to hit Nicaragua in the month of November are still likely to produce rainfall capable of mudslides and flash floods across portions of Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala through Thursday.A man watches the rising water of the Rio Bermejo in the wake of Hurricane Iota in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Nov. 17, 2020.The storm came ashore late Monday on the northeastern coast of Nicaragua, just kilometers from where Hurricane Eta had struck two weeks earlier. At its strongest, Iota was a Category 5 storm — the top level on the five-level scale that measures a storm’s potential destructiveness.It left scores of communities cut off from the outside world and forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.At least nine people across the region have been killed, including two children who reportedly drowned while trying to cross a flooded river in Nicaragua.Iota was the 30th named storm of the record-breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which, according to the U.S. National Weather Service, is due to end November 30.  Forecasters are now watching two systems – one in the southern Caribbean and another just south of Bermuda – which each have a 20 percent chance of becoming named storms in the next five days. 
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A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to stop expelling immigrant children who cross the southern border alone, halting a policy that has resulted in thousands of rapid deportations of minors during the coronavirus pandemic.U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan issued a preliminary injunction sought by legal groups suing on behalf of children whom the government sought to expel before they could request asylum or other protections under federal law.The Trump administration has expelled at least 8,800 unaccompanied children since March, when it issued an emergency declaration citing the coronavirus as grounds for barring most people crossing the border from remaining in the United States.Border agents have forced many people to return to Mexico right away, while detaining others in holding facilities or hotels, sometimes for days or weeks. Meanwhile, government-funded facilities meant to hold children while they are placed with sponsors have thousands of unused beds.Sullivan’s order bars only the expulsion of children who cross the border unaccompanied by a parent. The government has expelled more than 147,000 people since March, including adults, and parents and children traveling together.”This policy was sending thousands of young children back to danger without any hearing,” said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union. “Like so many other Trump administration policies, it was gratuitously cruel and unlawful.”The Justice Department did not immediately say whether it would appeal. It has appealed another federal judge’s order barring the use of hotels to detain children.The incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden has not directly said whether it will keep trying to expel immigrants under public-health authority. Biden is expected to roll back several Trump administration policies restricting asylum as part of a broader shift on immigration.The Trump administration has argued in court that it must expel children who have recently crossed the border — whether they had authorization or not — to prevent the infection of border agents and others in immigration custody. The emergency declaration was made by Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Justice Department on Oct. 2 cited the judgment of “the nation’s top public health official” in urging Sullivan not to stop the expulsion of children.The Associated Press reported on Oct. 3  that top CDC officials resisted issuing the declaration because it lacked a public health basis, but that Vice President Mike Pence ordered Redfield to move forward anyway.Opponents of the policy accuse the administration of using the pandemic as a pretext to restrict immigration and say agents can safely screen minors for COVID-19 without denying protections under federal anti-trafficking law and a court settlement that governs the treatment of children.U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey recommended on Sept. 25 that Sullivan grant an injunction barring expulsions of children, saying the government was claiming power that was “breathtakingly broad.”Children and parents who have been expelled have reported believing they would be allowed to reunite with family in the U.S., only to instead be deported to their countries of origin.One mother of 12- and 9-year-olds found out her children had been expelled when she received a call from an official in Honduras asking her to send a relative to collect them.The father of a 1-year-old girl alleged that agents told him and his wife to feed the girl ice in case their temperatures were checked before boarding a flight. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has denied using ice as an artificial cooling measure. 
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Iota continues to pound Nicaragua with strong winds and heavy rains even after weakening from a hurricane to a tropical storm. As of late Tuesday night, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Iota was carrying maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers an hour on a path towards Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  Forecasters say Tropical Storm Iota will dump between 7 to 20 kilometers of rain on a stretch of Central America from southern Nicaragua to southern Belize overnight, leading to “significant, life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding,” along with mudslides in higher areas. The storm is expected to weaken to a tropical depression through the night before dissipating sometime Wednesday.A woman sits near her house damaged the passing of Hurricane Iota, in Puerto Cabezas, Nov. 18, 2020.Iota made landfall Monday on the northeastern coast of Nicaragua Monday carrying maximum winds of 210 kilometers an hour, then grew in speed to 250 kilometers an hour, becoming a Category 5 storm — the top level on the five-level scale that measures a storm’s potential destructiveness.   The storm left scores of communities cut off from the outside world and forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.  At least eight people across the region have been killed, including two children who reportedly drowned while trying to cross a flooded river in Nicaragua. At least one person died in Providencia island, located in Colombia’s Caribbean archipelago, while another person was killed in Panama’s western Ngabe Bugle indigenous community.Iota is the 30th named storm of this year’s record-setting Atlantic hurricane season.  It struck just south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall on November 3 as a Category 4 storm, triggering flash flooding and landslides over parts of Central America and killing more than 130 people. 
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The U.S. Justice Department is dropping its drug trafficking and money laundering case against former Mexican defense secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday. Barr said the department would drop its case so Cienfuegos “may be investigated and, if appropriate, charged, under Mexican law.” Cienfuegos, who was charged in federal court in Brooklyn, was arrested in Los Angeles last month.  Cienfuegos, who led Mexico’s army for six years under ex-President Enrique Peña Nieto, was the highest-ranking former Cabinet official arrested since the top Mexican security official Genaro Garcia Luna was arrested in Texas in 2019. Cienfuegos was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York in 2019 and accused of conspiring to participate in an international drug distribution and money laundering scheme. Prosecutors alleged he helped the H-2 cartel smuggle thousands of kilos of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana while he was defense secretary from 2012 to 2018.  Prosecutors said intercepted messages showed Cienfuegos worked to ensure that the military did not take action against the cartel and that operations were initiated against rivals in exchange for bribes. He was also accused of introducing cartel leaders to other corrupt Mexican officials.  In court papers last month, U.S. prosecutors had argued Cienfuegos was a significant flight risk and said he would “likely seek to leverage his connections to high level H-2 Cartel members in Mexico, as well as former high-level corrupt government officials, to assist him in fleeing from U.S. law enforcement and shelter him in Mexico.” Had he been convicted of the charges in the U.S., he would’ve faced at least 10 years in federal prison.  Under Cienfuegos, the Mexican army was accused of frequent human rights abuses, but that was true of both his predecessors and his successor in the post. The worst scandal in Cienfuegos’ tenure involved the 2014 army killings of suspects in a grain warehouse. FILE – Blood is seen on the wall of a building in the Tlatlaya community after 22 people, alleged members of the drug cartel, were killed in a confrontation with soldiers of the Mexican Army, in Tlatlaya, Mexico, June 30, 2014.The June 2014 massacre involved soldiers who killed 22 suspects at the warehouse in the town of Tlatlaya. While some died in an initial shootout with the army patrol — in which one soldier was wounded — a human rights investigation later showed that at least eight and perhaps as many as a dozen suspects were executed after they surrendered. Barr said in a joint statement with Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero that the U.S. Justice Department had made the decision to drop the U.S. case in recognition “of the strong law enforcement partnership between Mexico and the United States, and in the interests of demonstrating our united front against all forms of criminality.”  The Justice Department said it has provided Mexico with evidence collected in the case. 
 
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People in Central America and the aid agencies lining up to help them are bracing for the potentially catastrophic consequences of Hurricane Iota, just two weeks after Hurricane Eta made landfall in the region, causing death and destruction and affecting nearly five million people.  World Meteorological Organization spokeswoman Claire Nullis said that, for the first time on record, the Atlantic has had two major hurricanes in November — a time of year when the season is normally winding down. Nicaragua, Honduras and other parts of Central America have not recovered from Hurricane Eta, yet are being slammed by Iota, with risks of flooding, mudslides and landslides, Nullis warned.  Honduran soldiers hold a baby as they evacuate residents in anticipation of heavy rains as Hurricane Iota approaches, in Marcovia, Honduras, Nov. 17, 2020.In anticipation of Hurricane Iota, International Red Cross Federation volunteers have been positioning basic relief items in Nicaragua, IFRC spokesman Matthew Cochrane said. In addition, he said, the Red Cross has positioned rescue boats in Honduras, in anticipation of launching major search-and-rescue operations once the storm passes.  The Red Cross also was involved in preventative evacuations over the past few days.   Spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Jens Laerke, told VOA it is too soon to know the extent of damage caused by Iota, but said the impact is likely to be worse than that from Hurricane Eta, which is growing in severity.  “For example, Honduras authorities now report that three million people are affected. That is one million more than the figure that they reported last week,” Laerke said. “In Guatemala, we are talking about 900,000 people directly affected by Eta. That is nearly triple the figure from the previous weeks.”   Eta is still a developing emergency made far worse by Hurricane Iota, Laerke said.    
 
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Hurricane Iota continued to lash strong winds and rain on northeast Nicaragua on Tuesday after having made landfall late Monday. Iota weakened from a Category 5 to a Category 4 before making landfall, packing winds of 210 kilometers per hour. Iota is now categorized as a tropical storm as it moves to Honduras, according to the National Hurricane Center, which warned that much of Central America must be prepared for possible mudslides through Thursday. Many people hunkered down in shelters, while the Nicaraguan government evacuated thousands of residents in low-lying coastal areas ahead of the storm. One resident in the seaside town of Bilwi, business owner Adán Artola Schultz, told the Associated Press that metal structures banging and buckling in the wind sounded “like bullets.”  Jason Bermudez, a university student from Bilwi, told AP that several houses lost their roofs, with fences and fruit trees knocked down. “(We) will never forget this year,” Bermudez said. According to witnesses and Nicaraguan officials, many roofs were blown off buildings and power lines had fallen, with some reported cuts in phone and internet service. No deaths in Nicaragua were confirmed so far on Tuesday, said Guillermo Gonzalez, head of Nicaragua’s disaster management agency SINAPRED.“The situation is exacerbated by the fact that Iota is making landfall in almost the exact same location that Category 4 Hurricane Eta did a little less than two weeks ago,” the National Hurricane Center said in a statement. Iota came ashore south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall on November 3, also as a Category 4 storm. Hurricane Eta killed more than 130 people, as the heavy rains caused flash flooding and landslides over parts of Central America. 
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Hurricane Iota made landfall along the northeastern coast of Nicaragua late Monday night and flash flooding and landslides are expected across Central America. The National Hurricane Center said Iota struck Nicaragua as a Category 4 storm, with winds of 210 kilometers per hour. Many people hunkered down in shelters while the Nicaraguan government evacuated thousands of residents in low lying coastal areas ahead of the storm. One resident in the seaside town of Bilwi, business owner Business owner Adán Artola Schultz, described the sound of metal structures banging and buckling in the wind as “like bullets” to the Associated Press.  Jason Bermúdez, a university student from Bilwi, told AP a lot of houses have lost their roofs, fences and fruit trees that got knocked down. Bermúdez said “(W)e will never forget this year.” “The situation is exacerbated by the fact that Iota is making landfall in almost the exact same location that category 4 Hurricane Eta did a little less than two weeks ago,” the Hurricane Center said in a statement. Iota came ashore south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall Nov. 3, also as a Category 4 storm. Hurricane Eta killed more than 130 people as the heavy rains caused flash flooding and landslides over parts of Central America. 
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Francisco Sagasti of Peru’s centrist Purple Party is set to become the country’s third president in the span of a week after most of the Congress voted him chairman of the legislative body.Sagasti became interim president by congressional action Monday because Peru currently has no president or vice president and the head of Congress is the next in line.Peru’s state-run Adina news agency reports once Sagasti rises to leader of the country, Mirtha Vasque, who was chosen Vice Chairwoman, will become head of the Congress.Sagasti will be charged with trying to begin reconciliation in the country following a week of turmoil over the Congressional ouster of popular ex-President Martín Vizcarra.Manuel Merino, who was sworn in as the interim president last Tuesday after his colleagues voted to impeach Vizcarra, abruptly resigned on Sunday, leaving Peru without a leader.Many Peruvians are hopeful Sagasti’s appointment will mark the end to a week of protests, which left two young men dead and dozens of others injured.
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Peru’s political crisis appeared on the verge of resolution Monday as Congress cleared the way for an elder statesman and consensus candidate to become the country’s third president in a week. Jubilant people waved the nation’s red-and-white flag and blared horns on the streets of Peru’s capital as Francisco Sagasti of the centrist Purple Party was selected as the new president of Congress. The 76-year-old engineer has not yet been sworn into office, but as head of Congress he becomes the nation’s chief of state by default. Peru currently has no president or vice president, making him next in line. It will now fall on Sagasti to heal a nation bruised by a week of upheaval.  Peru’s new interim President Francisco Sagasti takes off his mask after he was designated by Congress to lead the nation, in Lima, Peru, Nov. 16, 2020.”What’s at stake is taking a first step toward rebuilding confidence between the people and the state,” said Samuel Rotta, president of the Peruvian chapter of Transparency International. Applause erupted in the legislative palace as Sagasti clinched the required majority vote. A respected academic, he has also spent decades consulting government institutions and held a post at the World Bank. Shortly after the vote, he took an oath to become Congress’ president. “We will do everything possible to return hope to the people and show them they can trust in us,” he said in his first remarks. Many in the Latin American nation are hopeful Sagasti’s appointment will mark the end of a tumultuous week in which thousands took to the streets outraged by Congress’ decision to oust popular ex-President Martín Vizcarra. During the upheaval, two young men died and dozens were injured. Peru also spent more than 24 hours with no designated chief of state. Sagasti could steer the country back toward stability because he is in a position to win the support of both Congress and demonstrators. He and his Purple Party bloc were among 19 of 130 lawmakers to vote against Vizcarra’s removal. That will earn him credibility among protesters who condemned the ouster as a power grab. Unlike Vizcarra, he also has a party in Congress representing him. “Sagasti is someone who inspired confidence among a lot of people,” said Jo-Marie Burt, a senior fellow with the Washington Office on Latin America. “He’s an accidental president — but I wouldn’t say he’s someone without a plan.” Peru has much on the line: The country is in the throes of one of the world’s most lethal coronavirus outbreaks, and political analysts say the constitutional crisis cast the country’s democracy into jeopardy. Deadly protestsThe protests that rocked Peru were unlike any seen in recent years, fueled largely by young people typically apathetic to the country’s notoriously erratic politics. They came a year after a wave of anti-government demonstrations around Latin America demanding better conditions for the poor and working class. FILE – People who are refusing to recognize Peru’s new government gather to protest in Lima, Nov. 14, 2020.Human rights groups accused police of mounting an excessive response to the protests, lashing out at demonstrators with batons, rubber bullets and tear gas. The two protesters who died suffered multiple wounds — Jack Pintado, 22, was shot 11 times, including in the head, and Jordan Sotelo, 24, was hit four times in the chest near his heart, according to authorities.  “People on the streets, in their homes, on their balconies and on social media are very, very upset,” Rotta said. “Peru is a country with high levels of mistrust. Politicians profoundly aggravated that.” Widespread corruptionAt the crux of the unrest are long-simmering tensions over corruption in Peru. Every living former president has been accused or charged — most in the massive Odebrecht graft scandal in which the Brazilian construction giant admitted to doling out millions to politicians in exchange for lucrative public works contracts. Meanwhile, half of Congress is also under investigation for crimes ranging from money laundering to homicide. Vizcarra attracted legions of supporters for his efforts to change that. He dissolved Congress last year, reformed how judges are chosen and tried to get rid of the prosecutorial immunity granted to lawmakers. But he had no party backing him in Congress and sparred with legislators constantly. Lawmakers ousted him using a 19th-century-era clause claiming he showed “permanent moral incapacity.” They accused him of taking more than $630,000 in bribes in exchange for two construction contracts while governor of a small province years ago. Prosecutors are investigating the accusations, but Vizcarra has not been charged. He vehemently denies any wrongdoing. The country’s highest court is currently evaluating whether Congress broke the law in removing him from office — a decision that experts said would not be retroactive but could have implications going forward. Some analysts said the ordeal shows Peru’s political system needs reform so that no one branch of government has outsized power.  FILE – People react after Peru’s interim President Manuel Merino announced his resignation, in Lima, Peru, Nov. 15, 2020.After Vizcarra was removed, then-Congress president Manuel Merino became president. The little-known politician and rice farmer faced daily protests. He promised to keep in place a scheduled presidential election in April. But his conservative Cabinet appointments irked many. He resigned Sunday, just five days after being sworn into office. 
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U.S. forecasters says Hurricane Iota has strengthened to a “catastrophic” Category 5 storm — the latest in the year such a storm has formed — and is likely to bring catastrophic winds, life-threatening storm surges and torrential rainfall to Central America, still trying to recover from Hurricane Eta.In its latest report, the National Hurricane Center says Iota is about 160 kilometers east-southeast of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, with maximum sustained winds of 260 kilometers per hour, making it the strongest storm of the 2020 season. It is moving to the west at about 15 kilometers per hour.Forecasters say on its current track, the core of Iota will make landfall within the hurricane warning area in northeastern Nicaragua Monday night, in almost the exact location Hurricane Eta came ashore two weeks ago.That storm killed at least 50 people, destroyed buildings, knocked out power, and led to flooding and landslides.Workers of banana fields evacuate the area in El Progreso, Yoro department, Honduras, on Nov.14, 2020, before the arrival of tropical storm Iota.Iota is the record-breaking 30th named storm of the 2020 season and, along with Eta, marks the first time two major hurricanes have formed in the month of November.It is also the tenth named storm to “rapidly” intensify — that is, strengthen by more than 55.5 kph in a 24-hour period. Meteorologists attribute the effect to warm waters in the southern Caribbean. 
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