Peru police arrest Chinese man for illegal COVID-19 testing

Yahoo – AFP, April 13, 2020

A Peruvian police photo showing Chinese citizen Zhang Tianxing (R) after his arrest
for the unauthorized use of stolen COVID-19 tests in a street in Lima, on April 12,
2020 (AFP Photo)

Police in Lima on Sunday arrested a Chinese citizen for illegally conducting rapid COVID-19 tests on the public with newly-delivered kits stolen from Peru's health ministry.

Tianxing Zhang, 36, was arrested in the Brena district of Lima as he was about to take samples from two women at the door of their house, police said.

He "was proceeding to carry out rapid tests for COVID-19 that he had stolen" from the Lima Sur health authority where he worked, according to a police statement.

Zhang was wearing a mask and a light blue medical apron at the time of his arrest by the state security police.

Both women had paid him to carry out a rapid home test, without health ministry approval.

"When questioned, he acknowledged he was not authorized to carry out this rapid test and that the Rapid Diagnostic Tests had been stolen from the Directorate of Integrated Health Network of Lima Sur where he had worked," the police said.

According to the police, the bespectacled Zhang confessed to stealing two batches of the test to use, for monetary gain, on people who suspected they were ill with the coronavirus.

Police found a backpack with 25 COVID-19 tests and other medical supplies at his home.

President Martin Vizcarra said on Wednesday that 330,000 rapid tests kits had arrived in Peru and were distributed to all parts of the country.

The health ministry reported it has carried out 45,272 rapid tests to April 12.

The South American country has so far registered 7,519 infections, with 193 deaths.

Chile's president condemns police violence after four weeks of unrest

Yahoo – AFP, November 18, 2019

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera addresses the nation in Santiago (AFP
Photo/CLAUDIO REYES)

Santiago (AFP) - President Sebastian Pinera condemned on Sunday for the first time what he called abuses committed by police in dealing with four weeks of violent unrest that have rocked Chile.

"There was excessive use of force. Abuses and crimes were committed, and the rights of all were not respected," the president said in a speech to the nation as it marked a month of turmoil that has left 22 people dead and more than 2,000 injured.

Furious Chileans have been protesting social and economic inequality, and against an entrenched political elite that comes from a small number of the wealthiest families in the country, among other issues.

Accusations of police brutality and human rights violations have been levelled since the protests broke out, prompting the United Nations to send a team to investigate. Amnesty International has also sent a mission.

"There will be no impunity, not for those who committed acts of unusual violence, nor for those who committed excesses and abuses. We will do what is best for the victims," he said, referring to protesters first and then the security forces.

Pinera also praised an agreement reached last week under which Chile will draft a new constitution to replace the current one that dates back to the rightwing dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, who ruled from 1973 to 1990.

Many in Chile see this step -- getting rid of a charter that smacks of a dark, repressive chapter in the country's past -- as a way to help end the crisis. It is a key demand of the thousands of protesters that have been taking to the streets in Santiago and elsewhere almost daily for a month.

The spasm of anger began with a rise in metro fares but quickly swelled into a broader outcry against the status quo in what is traditionally considered one of South America's most stable countries.

"If the people want it, we will move toward a new constitution, the first under democracy," Pinera said in a speech from the presidential palace.

Bolivia's Morales seeks new election but army calls on him to resign

Yahoo – AFP, Francisco JARA, Raul BURGOA and Francisco JARA, 10 November 2019

Bolivian President Evo Morales, seen here at a news conference
November 10, 2019, calls new elections

President Evo Morales called new elections Sunday but the commander of the armed forces asked him to resign "for the good of our Bolivia" after an OAS audit found serious irregularities in elections last month that gave the leftist leader a fourth term.

Morales, Bolivia's first president of indigenous descent, promised new elections under the direction of a revamped Supreme Electoral Tribunal in a televised address but did not say whether he would run again.

With no sign of violent protests abating, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Williams Kaliman, told reporters he was asking Morales "to resign his presidential mandate to allow for pacification and the maintaining of stability, for the good of our Bolivia."

Kaliman said the armed forces had ordered "military operations in the air and on land to neutralize armed groups that are acting outside the law" by attacking opposition demonstrators.

The commander of the police, General Vladimir Yuri Calderon, also called on Morales to step down.

There were signs of disarray among Morales supporters, with the head of the lower house of parliament and the ministers of mines and of hydrocarbons announcing their resignations.

Two of those resigning cited risks to their families after mobs attacked their respective houses in the city of Potosi.

The opposition runner-up in Bolivia's recent polls, Carlos 

Mesa, has called for President Evo Morales to resign

Protests have flared across Bolivia since Morales was declared the winner of the October 20 election, beating his nearest rival, centrist Carlos Mesa, by just enough to avoid a second round.

An audit of the election by the Organization of American States, however, found "irregularities that range from serious to indicative," in virtually every area reviewed -- in the technology used, the chain of custody of ballots, the integrity of the count, and statistical projections.

"This leads the technical auditing team to question the integrity of the election results," the report on their preliminary findings said.

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro said the results giving the leftist leader a fourth term in office "must be annulled and the electoral process must begin again."

Calls for resignation

Opposition leaders were not appeased, however.

Mesa said Morales should resign "if he has a speck of patriotism left."

The leader of a protest movement, Luis Fernando Camacho, said Morales "has fractured the constitutional order and must resign."

In Washington, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the OAS to send a full mission to Bolivia to ensure free and fair new elections.

"In order to restore credibility to the electoral process, all government officials and officials of any political organizations implicated in the flawed October 20 elections should step aside from the electoral process," Pompeo added.

Police officers march with protesters against Bolivian President 

Evo Morales in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on November 9, 2019

The October 20 results showed Morales, in office since 2006, defeating Mesa by slightly over 10 points, just enough to ensure an outright first-round victory.

It is possible that Morales came in first place in the first round but "statistically improbable" that he obtained the 10 percent margin of victory needed to avoid a second round, the OAS report said.

It said "the manipulations of the informatic system are of such magnitude that they should be thoroughly investigated by the Bolivian state to get to the bottom of them and determine responsibilities in this serious case."

Police rebellion

The dramatic turnabout came two days after police in three cities joined anti-government protests and a day after the opposition rejected Morales' appeal for urgent, open-ended dialogue.

Three people have died and more than 350 were injured in three weeks of often violent protests calling for new elections and Morales' resignation.

On Sunday, three people were injured, one with a gunshot wound, after a bus carrying miners to La Paz to join opposition protesters outside the presidential palace came under attack.

On Saturday, demonstrators overran two state-run media outlets and forced them off the air, while some police stopped guarding the square where Morales' presidential palace is located.

Profile of Evo Morales, who called Sunday for 

new elections after violent protests and claims 

of electoral fraud in the first-round presidential 

vote, which he claimed to have won

In announcing the new elections, Morales said, "I want to lower the tension. Everyone has an obligation to bring peace to Bolivia."

Morales said that in the new elections "the Bolivian people will be able to democratically elect new authorities, incorporating new political actors."

That begged the question whether Morales would stand again for re-election, a source of controversy because Bolivia's constitution, which he promulgated himself a decade ago, limits presidents to two terms.

Morales said Bolivia's bicameral legislature, which his party controls, would meet in the coming hours for the parties to work out procedures for changing out the electoral tribunal.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis on Sunday exhorted Bolivians to await the full results of the OAS audit with "peace and serenity."

Cuba called on the international community to condemn the protests against its close ally Morales as an attempted coup by "imperialism and the oligarchy."

Related Article:

Bolivia President Evo Morales announces resignation - New

Chileans go on strike as protest death toll hits 18

Yahoo – AFP, Miguel SANCHEZ, October 23, 2019

Riot police use water cannons on demonstrators in Santiago, on the sixth straight
day of street violence in Chile, which has left at least 18 people dead (AFP Photo/
Javier TORRES)

Santiago (AFP) - Thousands of Chileans flooded the streets of Santiago and other cities Wednesday on day one of a general strike, upping the pressure on President Sebastien Pinera after days of social unrest that have left at least 18 dead.

Students, professors and state workers walked off the job at the urging of the country's largest union, ignoring a package of measures announced by Pinera aimed at quelling the violence.

"THE STRIKE IS ON! We say it loud and clear: enough of the increases and abuses," said the Workers' United Center of Chile (CUT), which organized the two-day action with about 20 other groups.

In the capital Santiago, police used water cannons to dispel protesters.

"Chile has awakened," read the sign of one protester.

The country, usually one of the most stable in Latin America, has experienced its worst violence in decades since protests against a now-scrapped hike in metro fares escalated dramatically on Friday.

Demonstrators have decried social and economic woes, including a yawning gap between rich and poor.

A demonstrator in Santiago holds a sign reading 'Chile has awakened' (AFP Photo/

Martin BERNETTI)

A four-year-child and a man were killed in the latest protests when a drunk driver rammed into a crowd of demonstrators, Interior Undersecretary Rodrigo Ubilla said.

A third person died after being beaten by police, according to the victim's family.

In an address to the nation late Tuesday, Pinera apologized for failing to anticipate the outbreak of social unrest.

"I recognize this lack of vision," Pinera said after a meeting with some of Chile's opposition leaders.

Beyond the dead, another 269 people have been injured and about 1,900 have been arrested, according to the National Institute for Human Rights (INDH).

Pinera's proposals

Having initially taken a confrontational line -- declaring that Chile was "at war against a powerful, implacable enemy," and imposing a state of emergency in Santiago and most of Chile's 16 regions -- Pinera has rapidly changed tack and sought cross-party support to find a solution.

He says he will increase the universal basic pension by 20 percent, cancel a recent 9.2 percent increase in electricity bills and propose a law that would see the state cover the costs of expensive medical treatment.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera apologized in an address to the nation for 

failing to anticipate the outbreak of social unrest (AFP Photo/HO)

He also pledged a state subsidy to increase the minimum wage from 301,000 to 350,000 pesos ($482) a month and said the government would introduce health insurance for medication, which is among the most expensive in the region.

Chileans were unconvinced by the promises.

"I don't think that what Pinera said is all that useful," said 38-year-old Karla Araneda, who works near the seat of government.

"Today, even more people are going to be in the streets and the problems are going to continue."

After widespread scenes of violence, destruction, arson and looting last week, protests have become more peaceful this week, particularly in Santiago.

But it's the worst violence to hit Chile since the country returned to democracy after the 1973-1990 right-wing dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet.

Some 20,000 police and troops have been deployed while a nighttime curfew was announced on each of the last four days.

After widespread scenes of violence, destruction, arson and looting last week, 

protests have become more peaceful this week, particularly in Santiago (AFP Photo/

Martin BERNETTI )

Strike organizers issued a statement demanding that the government end the state of emergency and send troops back to their barracks.

The country's powerful copper mine workers' unions have joined the strike movement.

Chile is the largest producer of copper in the world, much of which is sold to China.

But despite 2.5 percent growth, ordinary Chileans are deeply unhappy about low salaries and pensions, as well as health and education systems that are unaffordable for most.

"Pinera has always been a liar and now... he is asking for forgiveness," said 23-year-old Carlos Morales.

Another resident, Ximena Gutierrez, told AFP: "We will not be silent."

Before Pinera's announcement, one of Chile's largest conglomerates, Quinenco, promised to increase its minimum salaries to 500,000 pesos a month from January 1 -- 60 percent more than the current minimum wage.

Map of Latin America showing countries where major protests 

have occurred in recent months (AFP Photo)

Chile's big business conglomerates are one of the major factors in the huge wealth disparity that has angered protesters.

Nine dead in fires

The strike will put Santiago to the test. Life in the capital has been returning to normal, with three of seven metro lines due to be open Wednesday and buses back on the road.

More than half of Santiago's 136 metro stations suffered heavy damage during last week's protests and remained guarded by soldiers.

Shops and businesses -- even banks -- appeared to be reopening, but some Santiago-area schools were still closed.

Chile president seeks cross-party help to end street violence

Yahoo – AFP, Barnaby CHESTERMAN, 22 October 2019

Demonstrators clash against soldiers during a protest in Valparaiso, Chile,
on October 21, 2019

President Sebastian Pinera convened a meeting with leaders of Chile's political parties on Tuesday in the hope of finding a way to end street violence that has claimed 15 lives, as anti-government campaigners threatened new protests.

The country's worst violence in decades erupted on Friday, initially triggered by an increase in metro fares. But it has mushroomed into a broader outcry against social and economic woes, including a yawning gap between rich and poor, in a country normally considered one of the most stable in Latin America.

The conservative Pinera declared over the weekend that the country was "at war against a powerful, implacable enemy," and imposed a state of emergency on Santiago and most of Chile's 16 regions.

Army General Javier Iturriaga announced curfews in effect for the last three nights.

On Monday, Pinera adopted a more conciliatory tone, saying he wanted to address people's grievances.

He said the meeting with political parties was to work on "a social agreement that will allow us all together to rapidly, efficiently and responsibly approach better solutions to the problems afflicting Chileans."

But Chile's largest union, the Workers' United Center of Chile (CUT) called strikes and protests for Thursday and Friday, alongside 18 other social organizations.

The public health sector workers' union also announced plans to strike and demonstrate.

Almost 1,500 people have been detained since Chile's outbreak of social unrest began

Death toll rise

The violence -- with widespread looting, arson and clashes with security forces -- is the worst to hit Chile since it returned to democracy after the 1973-1990 rightwing dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet.

Some 20,000 police and military troops have been providing security.

"This is not happening because they raised the metro fare by 30 pesos," said a man who gave his name only as Orlando, taking part in Monday's protests. He cited gripes including low salaries and pensions, waiting lists at hospitals and high prices for medicine.

"This has been going on for 30 years," the 55-year-old said.

The metro fare increase has been suspended but that has not stopped the violence.

The government raised the death toll on Tuesday to 15.

Eleven of the fatalities were in the Santiago region and caused by looting and arson, mainly targeting supermarkets and shopping centers, Deputy Interior Minister Rodrigo Ubilla told a news conference.

Three of the deaths outside the capital were from gunshots, he said.

In central Santiago, many shops and businesses that were closed on Monday had reopened. People returning to work or daily life waited patiently as long queues formed at bus stops and supermarkets.

Only one of the Santiago metro's seven lines -- which normally carry three million people a day -- was operational, although a fleet of 4,300 public busses took up much of strain.

More than half of Santiago's 136 metro stations suffered heavy damage on Friday, the first day of riots.

Around 50 schools and 10 universities in the capital remained closed but hospitals and clinics operated normally.

Chile's security forces have used tear gas and water cannons on the most 

unruly demonstrators

Relative calm

Monday night saw a marked drop in violence. A drive through Santiago in the early hours of Tuesday showed it largely deserted except for military vehicles and police patrols.

Earlier in several parts of the capital, a handful of peaceful protesters defiantly ignored the curfew order and faced off with security forces.

A young man died after being hit by a military truck during the looting of a fishing company in the southern city of Talcahuano, the prosecutor's office said on Monday.

Since the unrest began more than 2,600 people have been detained.

Chile's human rights institute said more than 200 people had been taken to hospital, almost half with gunshot wounds, while many others suffered eye injuries from pellets.

Once again on Monday, security forces used tear gas and water cannon on stone-throwing demonstrators who set up street barricades and lit fires.

Thousands of protesters gathered peacefully in the main Plaza Italia square in the capital on Monday, chanting "Pinera Out!" and "Get out military!"

Art teacher Camila Rojas, 29, said protesters had many demands, but "Pinera's resignation is the first thing."

#Pineradictador -- Pinera dictator -- was trending on social media as users denounced violence by security forces.

While some protesters broke up curbs to throw stones, smashed bus shelters or looted shops the vast majority in the capital were in festive mood, chanting, banging drums, playing music and dancing.

"We have to have a party to cancel out in a way those who are doing the excesses," Marcelo Gonzalez, 25, an engineering student carrying a drum, told AFP.

At Santiago's international airport, airline giant LATAM brought out deck chairs for passengers stranded by flight cancellations caused by the protests.

Brazil police probe tribal leader's killing, village invasion

Yahoo – AFP, Allison JACKSON, July 28, 2019

The Waiapi people inhabit territory rich in minerals and deep inside the Amazon
that's seen as desirable by miners (AFP Photo/Apu Gomes)

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Brazil deployed police to a remote Amazon village on Sunday after reports it had been overrun by armed miners following the murder of an indigenous leader, officials and tribal chiefs said.

The violence in an area of the northern Amapa state controlled by the Waiapi tribe comes as Brazil's indigenous people face growing pressures from miners, ranchers and loggers under pro-business President Jair Bolsonaro, who on Saturday called for the "first world" to help exploit the "absurd quantity of minerals" in the Amazon rainforest.

Last Monday, a Waiapi indigenous leader was killed and his body found the following day in a river, the Amapa attorney general's office (AGO) said in a statement.

While none of the Waiapi witnessed the "violent" killing, a council of village chiefs said on Facebook a search of the area found "trails and other signs that the death was caused by non-indigenous people."

On Friday, a group of "armed non-indigenous" overran the nearby village of Yvytoto, prompting residents to flee, the council said. Local media called them "garimpeiros," a term for armed miners active in the Amazon, and said they numbered 50.

After reports of the attacks emerged Saturday, members of the federal police and a military police special forces unit were dispatched, the AGO said, arriving in the village some 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the state capital Macapa on Sunday.

The indigenous affairs agency FUNAI said its officers were also on the ground monitoring the police investigation.

"Law enforcement officials have reported that no hypothesis for the murder has been ruled out, nor can they can say at this time who carried out the crime," the AGO said, as it announced the establishment of a crisis management group to oversee the investigation.

"The alleged presence of garimpeiros and other groups in the region is being investigated."

'Environmental psychosis'

Rich in gold, manganese, iron and copper, the Waiapi's territory is deep inside the Amazon, making communication difficult, police said.

The Waiapi council said some of the tribe's fighters had stationed themselves near the village occupied by the miners.

"The situation is urgent," said Randolfe Rodrigues, an opposition senator from Amapa, on his official Facebook page.

The Brazilian Bar Association issued a statement calling on the government to protect the Waiapi's land and ensure perpetrators of criminal offenses were "punished."

The tribe's territory is one of hundreds Brazil's government demarcated in the 1980s for the exclusive use of its 800,000 indigenous inhabitants. Access by outsiders is strictly regulated.

Since taking office in January, Bolsonaro has been accused of harming the Amazon and indigenous tribes in order to benefit his supporters in the logging, mining and farming industries.

"We are experiencing a real environmental psychosis," Bolsonaro said recently.

He's also pledged to crackdown on what he's called radical environmental activism, and also questioned the latest official figures showing deforestation increasing by 88 percent in June compared with the same period last year.

Latin America braces for 'Bolsonaro effect'

Yahoo - AFP, Denis BARNETT, October 29, 2018

Police officers patrol the streets after the far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro won
Brazil's presidential election, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 28, 2018 (AFP
Photo/DANIEL RAMALHO)

Montevideo (AFP) - Brazil's Latin American neighbors are bracing for a regional "Bolsonaro effect" after the far-right leader's crushing victory in presidential elections.

The knock-on effect will be felt across the region in foreign policy, trade, policing and even in how political campaigns are waged, analysts said.

Bolsonaro's win perpetuates electoral routs for right-wing presidents against leftist governments hostile to the United States, said Argentine commentator Pablo Seman -- citing recent victories for Mauricio Macri in Argentina, Sebastian Pinera in Chile and Mario Abdo Benitez in Paraguay.

"The US is taking possession of what has been lost in Latin America, in a context of global struggle with China for natural resources, markets, political support. There is no place in Latin America where Washington has not regained the position it lost" in the 2000s, Seman added.

With President Donald Trump in the White House, "strongmen have the edge" in US foreign policy, said US analyst Michael Shifter.

Bolsonaro's triumph however raises fears of a return to authoritarian rule in a region which has suffered under a string of military dictatorships.

The shift will be stark, according to Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington.

"This is a guy who said the Brazilian dictatorship didn't kill enough people, that they need to kill another 30,000 people, that the police should be able to kill suspects, that the left will have a choice of going to jail or leaving the country.

"Will he do these things? I think he will implement as many of these threats as he can get away with," said Weisbrot.

'Not so extreme'

However, "the shift towards authoritarian rule may not be as extreme as many fear," according to Shifter, head of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank -- because traditional parties in Congress could yet provide checks and balances.

There could be a "modest Bolsonaro effect" in neighboring countries, especially those that experienced military rule, "but each country has its own particular dynamics that shape its political direction. Any contagion would be limited."

Ivan Briscoe, Latin America director of the International Crisis Group, said the ex-soldier's rise is part of a gradual "winnowing of democracy" in the region, the most notable examples being Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Police officers patrol the streets after the far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro won 

Brazil's presidential election, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 28, 2018 (AFP

Photo/DANIEL RAMALHO)

Bolsonaro wielding power in the volatile social context of Brazil is alarming.

"When you have a populist authoritarian, militaristic ruler in that context, he isn't just a laughing stock -- as Trump often is -- he is actually a very serious challenger to civil rights, and human rights and basic freedoms."

Bolsonaro has much in common with Mexico's president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said Briscoe.

"It's the appeal of the strong leader, it's the slightly vague political program, it's the promise of 'trust me, I will do the job' - it's the style. So we might see similar campaigning in Latin America."

Bolsonaro's trade choices

Bolsonaro has vowed to implement free-market reforms in the region's biggest economy and recently accused China -- its largest trading partner -- of "buying Brazil."

Beijing is set to build on its aggressive strategy in the region in recent years, analysts agree, with a style that appeals to Latin American leaders.

"It provides much more direct investment, loans, and aid to developing countries than the US does, and has a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of the recipients," Weisbrot pointed out.

Regardless of his China trade policy, it's an anxious moment for the struggling regional MERCOSUR bloc -- Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

"If Bolsonaro follows through on his idea of allowing members to pursue bilateral trade agreements, and not as a bloc, that would be a big blow," noted Shifter.

According to Weisbrot, Bolsonaro will "follow Macri and the other right-wing governments in pursuing commercial policies that the Trump administration favors." ​

Briscoe agrees that a leader with a "Brazil First" approach "is possibly not going to do wonders for MERCOSUR."

Worst case scenario

Regardless of Bolsonaro's appeal to the markets, Shifter says that based on his campaign rhetoric and background, we can expect "considerable erosion of democratic norms and institutions".

That means Bolsonaro supporting "right-wing and fascist movements everywhere, and also (being) a strong supporter of the Trump administration's foreign policy, which seeks to get rid of the remaining left governments," said Weisbrot.

The worst case scenario is that he could become South America's answer to the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, whose war on drugs has been credited with killing some 20,000 people since July 2016.

In a country where police killings number around 5,000 a year, "if Bolsonaro and all his deputies are saying 'the gloves are off, you can do what you want, we'll protect you, the courts won't prosecute you,' the signal which will be given in that context could lead to appalling violence," said Briscoe.

"In Brazil it really is a risk."

More than 20 dead in Nicaragua protests: rights group

Yahoo – AFP, April 22, 2018

Violent protests against a proposed change to Nicaragua's pension system
 have left at least 20 people dead, a rights group says (AFP Photo/INTI OCON)

Managua (AFP) - More than 20 people have been killed in a clashes between Nicaraguan police and demonstrators in a wave of protests over pension reform, a local human rights body said Sunday.

The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights said it was still trying to verify figures, but that at least 20 people had been killed since protests erupted in the central American country on Wednesday over plans by President Daniel Ortega to reform the nation's pension system.

"We are dealing with more than 20 dead, but we are verifying because there is a lot of misinformation, the situation is really serious and beyond our possibilities to confirm," the Center's director Vilma Nunez told AFP.

On Friday, the government put the number of people killed in two days of protests in the capital Managua and other cities at 10, the last official figure.

The streets of Managua were rubble-strewn early Saturday after a night of clashes between police and demonstrators.

Nicabus, an international bus line with links to Costa Rica and Honduras, said it has been forced to suspend services due to the violence.

Protest groups on Sunday announced a march to the Polytechnic University in the capital where hundreds of students have been holed up since Thursday.

In a bid to calm the protests -- the biggest of his 11-year presidency -- Ortega agreed Saturday to speak with the private sector about social security reforms, only to be rebuffed by Nicaragua's top private-sector business union.

They said there could be no dialogue unless the government "immediately ceases police repression."

On Saturday local media reported that journalist Miguel Angel Gahona was shot dead by a suspected sniper in the city of Bluefields, on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast.

Journalists have reportedly faced attacks, been temporarily detained and had their work equipment stolen since the start of the protests. Meanwhile, four independent television outlets were taken off air on Thursday, although only one currently remains closed.

Mexico agrees to extradite drug boss Chapo to US: govt

Yahoo – AFP, Leticia Pineda, May 20, 2016

Drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted into a helicopter at Mexico
City's airport on January 8, 2016 following his recapture during an intense military
operation in Los Mochis, in Sinaloa State (AFP Photo/Alfredo Estrella)

Mexico City (AFP) - Mexico on Friday agreed to extradite drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States where he faces narcotics and murder charges, the foreign ministry said.

The announcement follows a series of dramatic escapades by El Chapo or "Shorty" Guzman, 59, considered the world's most wanted drug boss as leader of the Sinaloa cartel.

This police handout photo taken on 

January 8, 2016 shows Joaquin Guzman Loera 

aka "El Chapo" as he is imprisoned in Almoloya 

de Juarez, Mexico State (AFP Photo/HO)

"The Mexican government grants his international extradition to the government of the United States of America for him to be tried," the ministry said in a statement.

Guzman escaped from a top-security jail in July 2015 and was recaptured in January.

Police caught him after a colorful episode involving a US-Mexican soap opera actress and the Hollywood star Sean Penn, who met with Guzman in hiding.

The ministry said it had approved the extradition after receiving assurances from the US government that Guzman would not face the death penalty if convicted, since he could not receive such a punishment under Mexican law.

It said it had notified the suspect's lawyers of the agreement to extradite Guzman, who is wanted by courts in California and Texas.

Guzman's legal team has a month to appeal against the decision before it is carried out.

Jail conditions

A Mexican judge on Monday ruled that Guzman could be extradited to face drug trafficking, money laundering and murder charges in a US federal court in Texas.

Previously a judge had also endorsed an extradition request based on cocaine-smuggling charges filed at a court in California.

Guzman's lawyer, Jorge Refugio Rodriguez, told AFP after those rulings that he would appeal if the foreign ministry decided to extradite his client.

Refugio has vowed to fight extradition. He said Guzman has hired a US lawyer and would be willing to plead guilty in return for good US prison conditions.

A US government official who asked not to be named told AFP on May 9 that the United States would not negotiate with Guzman over his plea or conditions.

The official expected Guzman to be extradited by the end of this year.

President Enrique Pena Nieto's government had previously balked at sending Guzman to the United States.

But after Guzman was recaptured in January, Pena Nieto asked the attorney general's office to expedite the extradition process.

Federal police block a road as authorities transfer drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" 

Guzman to a prison in Ciudad Juarez from his maximum-security jail near Mexico

City (AFP Photo/Gerardo Macias)

Hollywood tale

The government was embarrassed by last year's escape, when Guzman tunneled out of what was supposed to be one of Mexico's most secure prisons.

It was one of two dramatic prison breaks the cartel boss has staged.

In 2001, he hid in a laundry cart to sneak out of a maximum-security lockup in western Mexico. He was detained in February 2014 after a long manhunt.

In July 2015 he escaped again, this time from the Altiplano prison, sneaking out through a 1.5-kilometer (one-mile) tunnel leading to his cell's shower.

He was recaptured in January and sent back to Altiplano near the capital, which is still considered the highest security prison despite his escape.

As the extradition drive gathered speed, Guzman was abruptly transferred last week from Altiplano to a jail in Ciudad Juarez, at the US border.

His lawyers have complained about conditions in the Juarez jail. Refugio said Guzman is isolated and had complained his cell was dirty.

The drama of Chapo's recapture was enhanced by the role of US-Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo, who played a drug boss in a popular soap opera.

She admitted arranging a meeting between herself, Guzman and Penn three months before the capture, in which she wanted to discuss making a film about the drug lord.

Penn wrote about the meeting in Rolling Stone magazine.

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