Giant, aging cables that support one of the world’s largest single-dish radio telescopes are slowly unraveling in this U.S. territory, pushing an observatory renowned for its key role in astronomical discoveries to the brink of collapse.The Arecibo Observatory, which is tethered above a sinkhole in Puerto Rico’s lush mountain region, boasts a 1,000-foot-wide (305-meter-wide) dish featured in the Jodie Foster film “Contact” and the James Bond movie “GoldenEye.” The dish and a dome suspended above it have been used to track asteroids headed to Earth, conduct research that led to a Nobel Prize and helped scientists trying to determine if a planet is habitable.”As someone who depends on Arecibo for my science, I’m frightened. It’s a very worrisome situation right now. There’s a possibility of cascading, catastrophic failure,” said astronomer Scott Ransom with the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves, a collaboration of scientists in the United States and Canada.Last week, one of the telescope’s main steel cables that was capable of sustaining 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) snapped under only 624 pounds (283 kilograms). That failure further mangled the reflector dish after an auxiliary cable broke in August, tearing a 100-foot (30-meter) hole and damaging the dome above it.  Officials said they were surprised because they had evaluated the structure in August and believed it could handle the shift in weight based on previous inspections.  It’s a blow for the telescope that more than 250 scientists around the world were using. The facility is also one of Puerto Rico’s main tourist attractions, drawing some 90,000 visitors a year. Research has been suspended since August, including a project aiding scientists in their search for nearby galaxies.The telescope was built in the 1960s and financed by the Defense Department amid a push to develop anti-ballistic missile defenses. It has endured more than a half-century of disasters, including hurricanes and earthquakes. Repairs from Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, were still under way when the first cable snapped.  Some new cables are scheduled to arrive next month, but officials said funding for repairs has not been worked out with federal agencies. Scientists warn that time is running out. Only a handful of cables now support the 900-ton platform.”Each of the structure’s remaining cables is now supporting more weight than before, increasing the likelihood of another cable failure, which would likely result in the collapse of the entire structure,” the University of Central Florida, which manages the facility, said in a statement Friday.University officials say crews have noticed wire breaks on two of the remaining main cables. They warn that employees and contractors are at risk despite relying heavily on drones and remote cameras to assess the damage.  The observatory estimates the damage at more than $12 million and is seeking money from the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency that owns the observatory.  Foundation spokesman Rob Margetta said engineering and cost estimates have not been completed and that funding the repairs would likely involve Congress and discussions with stakeholders. He said the agency is reviewing “all recommendations for action at Arecibo.””NSF is ultimately responsible for decisions regarding the structure’s safety,” he said in an email. “Our top priority is the safety of anyone at the site.”Representatives of the university and the observatory said the telescope’s director, Francisco Córdova, was not available for comment. In a Facebook post, the observatory said maintenance was up to date and the most recent external structural evaluation occurred after Hurricane Maria.The most recent damage was likely the result of the cable degrading over time and carrying extra weight after the auxiliary cable snapped, the university said. In August, the socket holding that cable failed, possibly the result of manufacturing error, the observatory said.The problems have interrupted the work of researchers like Edgard Rivera-Valentín, a Universities Space Research Association scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Texas. He had planned to study Mars in September during its close approach to Earth.”This is the closest Mars was going to be while also being observable from Arecibo until 2067,” he said. “I won’t be around the next time we can get this level of radar data.”The observatory in Puerto Rico is considered crucial for the study of pulsars, which are the remains of stars that can be used to detect gravitational waves, a phenomenon Albert Einstein predicted in his theory of general relativity. The telescope also is used to search for neutral hydrogen, which can reveal how certain cosmic structures are formed.”It’s more than 50 years old, but it remains a very important instrument,” said Alex Wolszczan, a Polish-born astronomer and professor at Pennsylvania State University.He helped discover the first extrasolar and pulsar planets and credited the observatory for having a culture that allowed him to test what he described as wild ideas that sometimes worked.  “Losing it would be a really huge blow to what I think is a very important science,” Wolszczan said.An astronomer at the observatory in the 1980s and early 1990s, Wolszczan still uses the telescope for certain work because it offers an unmatched combination of high frequency range and sensitivity that he said allows for a “huge array” of science projects. Among them: observing molecules of life, detecting radio emission of stars and conducting pulsar work.The telescope also was a training ground for graduate students and widely loved for its educational opportunities, said Carmen Pantoja, an astronomer and professor at the University of Puerto Rico, the island’s largest public university.She relied on it for her doctoral thesis and recalled staring at it in wonder when she was a young girl.”I was struck by how big and mysterious it was,” she said. “The future of the telescope depends greatly on what position the National Science Foundation takes…I hope they can find a way and that there’s goodwill to save it.”
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Peru’s interim president resigned Sunday, just five days after taking office, sparking celebrations in the capital, Lima.National protests have persisted calling for the removal of Manuel Merino, after parliament ousted relatively popular President Martin Vizcarra last week.Merino stepped down shortly after a congressional session called on him to resign after two people were killed in protests against his appointment.”I want to let the whole country know that I’m resigning,” he said in a televised address.Congress was expected to name another president – the third this week – on Sunday evening.Elections are scheduled for April 2021.Thousands of people have taken to the streets since Merino’s appointment. The Health Ministry said two people were killed Saturday in a large, peaceful march that was met with shotgun pellets and tear gas from police.Congress voted overwhelmingly to oust Vizcarra last week, citing his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic. Peru Lawmakers Set to Swear-in New Leader After Voting to Remove President From Office  Peru president said he will not challenge lawmakers decision to remove him from officeThe legislators initially sought to impeach Vizcarra on an allegation he received more than $630,000 in kickbacks for construction projects while serving as governor in southern Peru from 2011-2014. He denies the allegations.
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The U.S. National Hurricane Center said early Sunday that reconnaissance aircraft had found that Tropical Storm Iota has strengthened into the 13th hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.The meteorologists said Iota is “rapidly strengthening” into a major hurricane as it approaches Central America, a region recently pummeled by Hurricane Eta.The weather forecasters said Iota is moving with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph.The agency has issued hurricane warnings for Providencia, in Colombia, as well as portions of Honduras and Nicaragua.
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As Tropical Storm Iota barreled toward Central America, authorities on Saturday urged communities to evacuate before it unleashed “life-threatening” flooding across a region still recovering from Hurricane Eta’s devastation.Iota was expected to intensify to major hurricane strength or just short of it by the time it smashes into the jungles of the Miskito Coast of Nicaragua and Honduras on Monday.The storm comes as Central America is still coping with the massive destruction wrought by Hurricane Eta, which slammed the region two weeks ago, prompting flooding and mudslides that have killed scores of people across a huge swath stretching from Panama to southern Mexico.On Saturday morning, Guatemalan authorities said a mudslide had buried 10 people in Chiquimula state, near the border with Honduras. Emergency workers rescued two people and recovered three corpses; five people were still missing. Saturday’s mudslide followed last week’s partial collapse of a mountain onto the village of Queja, in the central Guatemalan region of Alta Verapaz, which killed and buried alive dozens of residents.FILE – Guatemala’s president, Alejandro Giammattei, speaks during a news conference in Guatemala City, Feb. 7, 2020.Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei expressed on Saturday his concern about the approach of Iota, saying he had ordered evacuations for areas expected to be affected. “We are concerned about the area of Alta Verapaz and Quiché. We believe that they are the areas where we could have the greatest impact,” said Giammattei. “We hope God helps us.”In Honduras, where Eta killed 64 people and damaged roads, bridges and crops, President Juan Orlando Hernández on Saturday urged people in the path of Iota to evacuate to the nearest shelters. “Iota is going to put our lives and our economy at risk again,” he said.Residents of the community of Cruz de Valencia in northwestern Honduras began evacuating. “We have to get out. We have to save our lives,” said resident Erick Gomez, who said he survived the flooding from the last hurricane by clinging to a tree to avoid being swept away by the rushing water. “We are afraid of what we just suffered with Eta, and we do not want to go through the same thing again.”The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that Iota could bring flash flooding and mudslides across northern Colombia and Central America as early as Monday. It is expected to pack maximum winds of 110 mph (177 kph) as it approaches landfall. 
 
At 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT), Iota was about 780 kilometers (485 miles) east-southeast from the Nicaraguan-Honduran coast, with maximum sustained winds of 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph). It was moving at 8 kph (5 mph) in a west-southwest direction.
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Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua announced evacuations Friday as a second major hurricane in days closed in on Central America with the region still reeling from deadly storm Eta last week.
 
Eta killed more than 200 people across Central America, with heavy rain bursting riverbanks and triggering landslides as far north as Chiapas, Mexico.
 
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami has now confirmed that another major hurricane is approaching Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala, whose populations total more than 30 million.
 
The NHC forecasts Tropical Storm Iota to become a Category 2 or 3 hurricane as it moves into the same shell-shocked countries, hitting Nicaragua and Honduras by late Sunday or early Monday — less than two weeks after Eta hit.
 
Authorities in Honduras on Friday ordered the evacuation by police and the army of people in the area of San Pedro Sula — the country’s second city and industrial capital, located 180 kilometers north of Tegucigalpa.
 
“Our red alert [in Honduras] orders mandatory evacuations,” Julissa Mercado of Honduras’ Emergency Response Agency told AFP.
 
The San Pedro Sula valley was hit hard by Eta and about 40,000 people are still in shelters across the country.
 
In Nicaragua relief agencies began to evacuate some indigenous communities from the Coco River, on the border with Honduras, which could be affected by heavy rains and floods due to the storm.
 
“We are asking you to calmly prepare” for the hurricane that “threatens to cause floods and disasters,” Rose Cunnigham, the mayor of Waspam, on the border with Honduras, urged the community over a local radio station.
 
Waspam authorities on Friday sent boats to evacuate the community in Cabo Gracias a Dios, the cape where the Coco River flows into the Caribbean along the “Mosquito Coast”, and buses to transport people from the village of Bihmuna.
 
Guatemala’s disaster management agency CONRED meanwhile called on residents in the country’s most threatened areas in the north and northeast to voluntarily evacuate to shelters. It also recommended avoiding waterways and other risky areas.  
 
“Our ground is already oversaturated,” said Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei.  
 
“So, it’s to be expected that we will have more farming and infrastructure damage,” he warned after meeting his Honduran counterpart, Juan Orlando Hernandez, in Guatemala City.
 
Eta hit the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua as a Category 4 storm and was one of the strongest November storms ever recorded.
 
Warmer seas caused by climate change are making hurricanes stronger for longer after landfall, increasing the destruction they can wreak, scientists say.
 
Guatemala’s Giammattei on Friday accused industrialized nations of being responsible for the catastrophes caused by climate change that are ravaging the area.
 
“Central America is one of the regions where climate change is felt the most,” he told reporters.
 
The region is hit by “catastrophic floods, extreme droughts and the greatest poverty” but nonetheless receives “the least help on behalf of these industrialized nations”, he said.
 
This year’s hurricane season has seen a record 30 named tropical storms wreak havoc across the southeastern United States, the Caribbean and Central America.
 
The NHC was even forced to switch to the Greek alphabet after 2020’s storms exhausted its list of Latin names.
 
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Tropical Storm Iota should strengthen into a major hurricane by the time it smashes into the jungles of the Miskito Coast of Nicaragua and Honduras on Monday, a region still recovering from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Eta.Iota formed Friday afternoon, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said it could be blowing winds of up to 193 kph when it collides with Central America, two weeks after Eta battered the area.”Flooding and landslides from heavy rainfall could be significant across Central America given recovery efforts underway after Hurricane Eta,” the NHC said.Eta sparked floods and mudslides that killed scores of people across a huge swath of terrain stretching from Panama to southern Mexico.No area was harder hit than the central Guatemalan region of Alta Verapaz, where a mountain partly collapsed onto the village of Queja, killing and burying dozens of residents alive.At 4 p.m. EST (2100 GMT) Iota was about 539 kilometers south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, packing maximum sustained winds of 64 kph. It was moving at a slow 5 kph in a west-southwest direction.Dangerous winds, rising sea levels and downpours could menace the coast of Nicaragua and Honduras from Sunday night, the Miami-based NHC said.The center expected to issue hurricane watches for portions of those areas by late Friday or early Saturday.Through Wednesday morning, Iota could spark life-threatening flash flooding and cause rivers to burst their banks in parts of Haiti, Jamaica and Central America, the NHC said.In Honduras, evacuations were already under way in Sula Valley, and officials said they would on Saturday start letting water out of a major dam in anticipation of Iota, the record-breaking 30th storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
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Mexican senators on Friday began weighing a sweeping initiative to legalize recreational use and sale of marijuana, a proposal that could create the world’s largest marijuana market in a country battered by a violent war against drug gangs.The Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that recreational marijuana should be permitted, and lawmakers in 2017 legalized the use of medicinal marijuana. But the country has yet to pass laws that would legalize its recreational use or regulations for medicinal marijuana.Lawmakers are now rushing to try to meet a Dec. 15 deadline set by the Supreme Court for legalization, with the support of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who wants to remove the drug as a source of income for violent drug gangs.Discussed by the Senate’s health, justice and legislative studies commissions on Friday, the marijuana bill would allow licensed sale of marijuana, let users carry up to 28 grams of the drug and grow as many as four cannabis plants in their homes.It would also create the Mexican Institute for Regulation and Cannabis Control within the Health Ministry.Among the restrictions, children and teenagers would be prohibited from smoking pot or being involved in its cultivation and sale, and the drug would not be allowed while driving.The possible legalization of hemp, a product derived from marijuana, for industrial use in sectors such as construction or food production, has not yet been hammered out, a legislative staffer told Reuters.However, the bill does propose allowing the sale, import and export of non-psychoactive cannabis products for industrial use.Major companies are positioning themselves for a time when Mexico opens up what would be the world’s biggest legal cannabis market in terms of population, where the drug can be lawfully cultivated and sold.Pro-marijuana activists have called for the passage of the bill in recent weeks with a cannabis “garden” next to the Senate, where police have turned a blind eye to recreational users freely lighting up joints.   
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As the remnants of Hurricane Eta disappear in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, meteorologists say a tropical depression in the southern Caribbean Sea is likely to strengthen into 2020’s 30th named storm.The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tropical Depression 31 was about 500 kilometers south-southeast of Jamaica and was slowly moving to the west-southwest. Forecasters said conditions were right for the system to gradually intensify into Tropical Storm Iota.It was expected to begin moving west-northwest by Saturday and move across the central Caribbean. It could approach the coastlines of Nicaragua and northeast Honduras by late Sunday, by which time it could be a major hurricane.FILE – A rescue dog and his handler search for survivors after a massive, rain-fueled landslide in the village of Queja, Guatemala, Nov. 7, 2020, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta.That is very bad news for the Central American region, which is still trying to recover from powerful Hurricane Eta that brought disastrous flooding and landslides to Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala last week.The storm, which existed for more than 10 days, moved offshore late last week, restrengthened as it crossed the Caribbean, and came ashore twice in the U.S. state of Florida — once in the southern part of the state and, earlier this week, near Tampa on the Gulf Coast — bringing more than 40 centimeters of rain and life-threatening floods.The storm moved east across Florida and north up the U.S. East Coast, where it brought heavy rains and flooding to North Carolina and southern Virginia before moving out to sea.Meanwhile, the season’s 29th named storm, Tropical Storm Theta, continued to spin in the far eastern Atlantic. At last report it had maximum sustained winds of 95 kph, but it posed no threat to land.Theta broke the record for the most named storms in a season, set in 2005.
 
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Peruvian President Manuel Merino called Thursday for calm and unity following three days of protest against his new government, after the opposition-led Congress ousted popular ex-president Martin Vizcarra over unverified bribery allegations.Peru’s state run Andina news agency reported Merino attempted to quell tensions Thursday by saying he respects those with opposing views.Speaking after a swearing-in ceremony of a Ministerial Cabinet in Lima, Merino, who was a member of the Congress, also said his transitional government will respect the schedule of the general elections to determine who will guide the country starting July 28.Merino was sworn in as the interim president Tuesday after his colleagues voted overwhelmingly to impeach Vizcarra, who reportedly went to the Special Prosecutor’s office Thursday to offer testimony and respond to the charges against him.Vizcarra is accused of taking kickbacks from construction companies worth $630,000 while serving as governor in southern Peru from 2011-14. 
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The first cruise ship to resume sailing in the Caribbean since the coronavirus outbreak expanded in March, is idled again after five passengers tested positive for the coronavirus.SeaDream, a Norway-based luxury cruise liner, issued a statement Thursday that all crew members had tested negative for the coronavirus and that the ship’s medical staff was in the process of re-testing passengers.SeaDream says it began strict safety protocols following a Norwegian cruise this summer, although passengers were not immediately required to wear masks when boarding the SeaDream.The 53 passengers and 66 crew members are reportedly self-quarantining aboard the ship docked at the Port of Bridgetown in Barbados.The cruise ship industry has been hard hit by the pandemic, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issuing an order banning sailing in March, citing cruise ship travel would worsen the global spread of COVID-19.
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This year’s edition of the Landmine Monitor finds civilian casualties are rising because of the new use of improvised landmines by rebel groups in conflict areas and from explosive remnants of war.Despite several setbacks, authors of the Landmine Monitor proclaim the 1999 landmine treaty an ongoing success. They note 164 countries, or 80 percent of the world’s nations, have signed on to the treaty, which bans the use, production, stockpiling and trade in this lethal weapon. And, they note, most of the 33 countries outside the treaty are in ad hoc compliance.The Monitor reports only one state, Myanmar, which is not party to the treaty, used antipersonnel landmines from mid-2019 through October 2020. During the same period, however, it reports the use of improvised landmines by rebel groups increased in a number of countries.  FILE – Britain’s Prince Harry walks through a minefield in Dirico, Angola, during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust, on day five of the royal tour of Africa, Sept. 27, 2019.The report says improvised landmines account for over half of the more than 5,550 civilian casualties recorded last year in countries of conflict including Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Mali, Niger, Ukraine and Yemen. It says children represent nearly half of all civilian casualties.Of the estimated 5,500 casualties, Landmine Monitor research team leader Loren Persi tells VOA around 2,200 were killed and 3,357 injured.“This ratio of people killed to injured indicates very clearly to us that there were many, many more casualties and that people who were injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war are not being recorded adequately in many countries where there are conflicts,” said Persi.Since the treaty came into force, the Monitor reports parties have destroyed 55 million stockpiles of antipersonnel landmines, including 269,000 in the past year. It says progress is being made in clearing contaminated areas of landmines.The monitor lists 12 countries as producers of landmines but reports only a handful are actively producing them. The director of Human Rights Watch’s Arms Division, Stephen Goose, says a decision by the Trump administration to reverse the Obama administration’s policy on ending production of landmines was a major setback to achieving the goal of a mine-free world.“The U.S. as it stands now is declaring itself eligible to produce the weapon again as it pleases, to trade the weapon as it pleases, to use it anywhere in the world,” said Goose.  
When it announced the move in January, the Trump administration said the restrictions could place American forces “at a severe disadvantage during a conflict against our adversaries,” and that “the President is unwilling to accept this risk to our troops.”Goose says he is pleased to report that back in February, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden declared that he would reverse the Trump policy if elected. Goose says activists are looking forward to the U.S. once again joining those countries that are in favor of banning this weapon. 
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Police in Lima, Peru, on Wednesday confronted protesters demonstrating against the new president, Manuel Merino, following the impeachment of former President Martin Vizcarra.Merino, who was a member of Congress, was sworn in Tuesday after his colleagues on Monday voted overwhelmingly to remove Vizcarra from office following an impeachment trial on allegations of bribery.The legislators initially sought to impeach Vizcarra on an allegation he received more than $630,000 in kickbacks for construction projects while serving as governor in southern Peru from 2011 to 2014.So far, the corruption allegations under investigation have not been verified.Merino is expected to serve as interim president until July, even though elections are   already set for April 11.
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Guatemala on Wednesday requested that the United States allow Guatemalans in the country to remain on humanitarian grounds following the devastation caused by storm Eta last week.”The Guatemalan government reiterates the necessity that Guatemalans who are currently in the United States can remain, and will not be deported, under this temporary protection mechanism,” Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo wrote in a letter.Brolo handed U.S. Ambassador William Popp official correspondence in which President Alejandro Giammattei requested so-called temporary protected status (TPS) for its citizens, the statement said.TPS allows foreigners whose home countries experience a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event to remain in the United States and apply for work permits. The status must be renewed periodically by the secretary of Homeland Security, who can extend it for six- to 18-month intervals.In Guatemala, the confirmed death toll from Eta stood at 46, and there were 96 people missing, according to CONRED figures.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that his country would not cave to pressure from China over the case of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Canada on a U.S. warrant almost two years ago. The case has caused a diplomatic chill between Canada and China, which soon after Meng’s arrest detained two Canadian citizens, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, on espionage charges. “We don’t believe in coercive diplomacy and … we actually deeply believe that if you start giving into that kind of pressure, you’ll leave yourself worse off for the long term,” Trudeau said Wednesday in an interview during an online conference hosted by the Financial Times. “China continues to think that they can just put enough pressure on us, and we will … give in. But that’s exactly the opposite of our position,” he said. Meng has denied charges brought against her in the United States and is fighting extradition from house arrest in Vancouver. 
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Bolivia’s new president, Luis Arce, has moved swiftly to restore ties with Iran and Venezuela, receiving the credentials of ambassadors from the two countries on Wednesday, just three days after his socialist party retook the reins of power.Bolivia’s government said in a statement it wanted to “reestablish diplomatic relations damaged by the previous de facto government” led by conservative interim President Jeanine Anez.Writing on Twitter, Arce said he was restoring bilateral relations with Venezuela “to strengthen strategic ties for the good of our peoples.”He said the same was being done with Iran and that “they are always welcome in Bolivia. We will continue to strengthen common projects.”Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif attended Arce’s swearing-in ceremony in La Paz on Sunday as part of a tour of leftist Latin American nations that included Venezuela and Cuba.Venezuela and Iran were key allies for former Bolivian President Evo Morales, an Arce ally who swept into office as the country’s first indigenous president in 2006 and resigned under pressure over disputed elections last year.Former Bolivian President Evo Morales attends a rally to welcome him to Chimore, Bolivia, Nov. 11, 2020, from where he flew into exile one year ago.Morales had planned to make Iran a partner in the exploitation of its bountiful lithium reserves, while he and longtime ally President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela frequently sympathized publicly over what they called U.S. “meddling” in the region.But days after Anez took power last November, Venezuelan diplomats and Cuban doctors were expelled amid accusations by the interim government that they had fomented unrest following Morales’ departure.Now, with the return to power of Morales’ socialist MAS Party — with Arce at the helm following elections in October — Bolivia is resetting its foreign policy again.On Monday, Morales returned to Bolivia from exile in Argentina and on Wednesday was feted in a ceremony in Chimore, a town in his native Chapare province, a central coca-growing region.In a speech, Morales urged Latin American nations to maintain their sovereignty over natural resources.”The West, that is the industrialized countries, only want us Latin Americans so that we can guarantee them raw material,” he said in a broadcast speech.Arce did not attend the event and has not yet referred publicly to the return of Morales, who he has said will play no role in his government.
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The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is appealing for $22 million to help 75,000 people worst affected by Hurricane Eta which tore through Central America with devastating force, ravaging seven countries in its path.  Hurricane Eta is emerging as a major humanitarian crisis in Central America.  More than 2.5 million people from Panama to Belize are affected.  The most severe impacts are being felt in Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala.The International Red Cross Federation says Honduras is hardest hit of all with 1.7 million people or 20 percent of its population severely affected.  IFRC spokesman, Matthew Cochrane, says women, children and members of indigenous and African communities who have lost everything are among the most vulnerable.“These are areas that were already hit very hard by COVID and its economic repercussions,” said Cochrane. “And, obviously these are areas that were homes of pre-existing vulnerabilities.  Some of the countries affected are home to some of the largest economic inequalities in the world as well as high rates of crime and violence.” WATCH: Hurricane Eta’s devastation in Nicaragua Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 7 MB480p | 10 MB540p | 15 MB720p | 39 MB1080p | 63 MBOriginal | 157 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioCochrane says assessment missions to know the full extent of needs are still underway in Nicaragua and Honduras.   He tells VOA one of the biggest challenges following a disaster such as this is accessing affected areas cut off by flooding and mudslides.“We know that roads and infrastructure have been damaged and destroyed,” said Cochrane. “We know that water systems have been washed away or completely inundated.  We know that health systems have also taken a real blow…We have not yet had reports of disease outbreaks.  That is not to say there have not been localized disease outbreaks in many of the areas we have not reached.” Tropical Storm Eta Hits Florida Keys Storm has spread devastating rains from Nicaragua to Cuba Cochrane says measures must be taken to prevent an outbreak of water-borne diseases from stagnant water.   Over the next 18 months, the Red Cross says its multi-country operation will focus on rebuilding and repairing damaged shelters, improving access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation and addressing health care needs.  Other critical areas include COVID-19 prevention and providing mental health support to the many traumatized victims of this disaster.
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One week after the devastation caused by Hurricane Eta in the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, hundreds of families are struggling to get back on their feet. Donaldo Hernandez in Nicaragua has this report for VOA, narrated by Cristina Smit.   
Camera: Houston Castillo  
 
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A Canadian man charged with killing 10 people and the attempted murder of 16 in a 2018 van attack in Toronto told a court he should not be held “criminally responsible” as the five-week trial kicked off on Tuesday. Alek Minassian, 28, rented a van and drove it onto the sidewalk along Yonge Street in North York, a suburb just north of Toronto, striking passersby. He later told police detectives he was motivated by a desire to punish society for his perceived status as an “incel” — short for involuntary celibate — because he believed women would not have sex with him. Minassian has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder. He has not denied his role but told the court via Zoom that he was entering a plea of “not criminally responsible” on all counts. “On a warm spring afternoon … numerous pedestrians were out along Yonge Street enjoying the sun when their worlds were shattered by the actions of Mr. Minassian,” prosecutor Joe Callaghan told the court. “Mr. Minassian will be admitting that he intended to kill the 10 people who died, the murders were planned and deliberate, and that he in fact did cause the death of those people.” Callaghan added that psychological and psychiatric experts will be called to present evidence. The trial began with a reading of the agreed statement of facts — a chronological timeline of the events, including Minassian’s conversations with police detectives after he admitted his guilt. The hearings are scheduled to finish on December 18. The trial is being livestreamed in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the public to attend, with social distancing and mask requirements in place. 
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Peruvian legislators are set to swear-in a new leader Tuesday, a day after voting overwhelmingly to oust the country’s popular president, Martin Vizcarra.  During a national address Monday evening, Vizcarra said he would not put up a legal battle to keep his job after lawmakers took action to remove him from office, citing his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. A large number of legislators said they voted against Vizcarra on behalf of loved ones who died.  Vizcarra also said during his address that his conscious is at peace and that he has fulfilled his duty, adding he hopes to find out what the background motives were that resulted in lawmakers voting to remove him from office. Large crowds gathered Monday in Peru’s capital, Lima, chanting slogans denouncing the action by the Congress. The legislators initially sought to impeach Vizcarra on an allegation he received more than $630,000 in kickbacks for construction projects while serving as governor in southern Peru from 2011-2014.  So far, the corruption allegations under investigation have not been verified. 
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Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa suspended clinical trials of a Chinese firm’s coronavirus vaccine after an unspecified “adverse incident” involving a volunteer recipient late last month. Anvisa would only say such incidents could involve a death or serious disability resulting in hospitalization.  Anvisa’s action with the CoronaVac vaccine occurred the same day a rival, U.S. pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, announced its vaccine has shown 90 percent effectiveness. Word of Pfizer’s vaccine success sent global financial markets soaring. Both the Pfizer and the Chinese Sinovac vaccine are in Phase III trials, the last stage of testing before regulators give it clearance for public use. Brazil has the highest coronavirus tally in Latin America, with more than 5,664,000 confirmed cases and 162,397 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University and Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. 
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U.N. and international aid agencies are gearing up to mount a massive relief operation for Central American countries battered by Hurricane Eta, one of the fiercest storms seen in decades.Eta has lost much of its power as it heads toward the southern state of Florida in the United States. However, Jens Laerke, spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, says the storm remains a threatening and potent force.“It continues to cause rains throughout much of Central America. It is causing rising rivers.  It causes high risk of flooding and landslides in parts of Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. U.N. teams and humanitarian partners are working with national authorities as well……to prepare response efforts and support assessments and other response mechanisms when Eta clears the area.”The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says the situation in Honduras is especially critical. It reports flooding has caused widespread damage to homes and other infrastructure. It says an estimated 400,000 people have been directly affected by the storm, a figure that could double in the coming days.Honduran authorities have issued a red alert, as have the governments of Nicaragua and Guatemala. The Red Cross has released half a million dollars from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to bolster relief efforts in Nicaragua.  It says it expects to launch emergency appeals soon for Honduras and Nicaragua.Garbage and debris are seen in the Masachapa river after Hurricane Eta swept the Nicaraguan Caribbean coast in Masachapa, Nov. 4, 2020.Meanwhile, the World Food Program had pre-positioned 80 metric tons of food in Bilwi in the Autonomous Region of the Northern Caribbean in Nicaragua at the request of the government. WFP spokesman, Tomson Phiri says his agency also is providing telecommunications support in areas affected by Hurricane Eta.“Thanks to that early preparedness, we have managed to support the national government and local authorities to respond to the affected areas, at least within the first 24 hours after the disaster.  We continue to provide support.  We are in touch with the government and we will make sure that those in need will receive assistance as soon as possible.”Weather forecasters warn Eta remains a danger and is expected to cause more life-threatening floods in parts of Central America. 
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The U.S. National Hurricane Center said early Sunday that Tropical Storm Eta has made landfall along the South-Central coast of Cuba and is moving to the north, across the island. The meteorologists forecast Eta, moving with maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometer per hour, will produce “dangerous storm surge, flash floods and strong winds over portions of Cuba and Florida.”  Early Sunday Eta was 450 kilometers south-southeast of Miami, Florida. There is a storm surge watch, as well as a hurricane watch, for portions of Florida’s coast and Keys, including Florida Bay.  FILE – Residents walk past inundated vehicles in the flooded streets of Planeta, Honduras, Nov. 6, 2020, in the aftermath of Hurricane Eta.A tropical storm warning, meanwhile, is also in effect for several Cuban provinces, the northwestern Bahamas, and other sections of Florida’s coast and Keys.     
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Tropical depression Eta is expected to strengthen as it moves toward the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and Florida as rescue crews in Guatemala search for about 100 people believed buried in landslides triggered by heavy rains from then-Hurricane Eta.
 
The National Hurricane Center said early Saturday that Eta is expected to become a tropical storm again later Saturday and continue to strengthen through Sunday.  
 
The NHC has issued tropical storm warnings for the Cayman Islands, Northwestern Bahamas and the Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, and Matanzas.
 
Tropical storm watches have been issued for the east coast of Florida to the Sebastian Inlet, the Florida Keys and the Cuban provinces of La Habana, Artemisa y Mayabeque, Pinar delRio, and the Isle of Youth.
 
A tropical storm warning means storm conditions are expected within 36 hours, while a tropical storm watch means the storm conditions could appear within 48 hours.  
 
Eta has ravaged Central America over the past few days with heavy rains that caused flooding and landslides that killed at least 100 people in Guatemala and dozens of others elsewhere in Central America and Mexico.
 
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Friday that Eta has forced thousands of people to leave their homes and has caused “significant damage” to buildings and homes in Central America, including in Honduras, Guatemala and Panama.    
 
In its latest report, the NHC said Eta was about 305 kilometers west-southwest of Grand Cayman and is moving with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour.  
 
Eta came ashore Tuesday in Nicaragua as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, bringing high winds, heavy rain, flooding and landslides in higher elevations.  
 
Eta is the 28th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, tying a record for the busiest storm season. 
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Rescue teams in Guatemala searched for some 100 people thought to have been buried by a massive landslide sparked by downpours from Hurricane Eta, as remnants of the storm moved toward Cuba, gaining strength. Guatemalan soldiers arrived Friday at the remote mountainous village of Queja in the central region of Alta Verapaz, where many people were killed after the mudslides buried about 150 homes, according to army spokesman Ruben Tellez.They pulled the first bodies from the landslide after fighting through subsequent  landslides and deep mud to reach the site.The army estimated about 100 people died in Queja alone, while President Alejandro Giammattei suggested the number of dead and missing could be about 150.People walk around a road blocked by a landslide in San Cristobal Verapaz, Nov. 7, 2020, in the aftermath of Hurricane Eta. Searchers in Guatemala were digging through mud and debris looking for an estimated 100 people believed buried by a landslide.Rescue operations across Guatemala have been hindered by more bad weather and destroyed roads and bridges. This has forced authorities to request help from the military and use helicopters and speedboats to rescue people from the roofs of their homes.Eta, which hit Central America as a Category 4 hurricane Tuesday before weakening to a tropical depression, was one of the most powerful storms to hit the region in years.Eta also inflicted damage from Panama to Honduras and Mexico. Authorities have estimated there were more than 50 flood-related deaths in those countries.The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that flooding could continue in the region and predicted that Tropical Depression Eta would become a tropical storm again later Saturday as it churned toward Cuba and the U.S. state of Florida.
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