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Guatemalan police arrest 7 accused of trafficking the 53 migrants who asphyxiated in Texas in 2022
Read full article: Guatemalan police arrest 7 accused of trafficking the 53 migrants who asphyxiated in Texas in 2022Guatemalan police have arrested seven Guatemalans accused of having smuggled 53 migrants from Mexico and Central America who died of asphyxiation in 2022 in Texas after being abandoned in a tractor trailer in the scorching summer heat.
Tropical Storm Pilar dumps heavy rains on Central America leaving at least 2 dead
Read full article: Tropical Storm Pilar dumps heavy rains on Central America leaving at least 2 deadTropical Storm Pilar is lashing Central America with heavy rains that have already been blamed for two deaths in El Salvador as it meanders off the Pacific coast.
Tropical Storm Pilar leaves 2 dead in El Salvador as it wanders off Central America's Pacific coast
Read full article: Tropical Storm Pilar leaves 2 dead in El Salvador as it wanders off Central America's Pacific coastHeavy rain from Tropical Storm Pilar has already caused two deaths in El Salvador as it meanders off the Pacific coast.
What is rapid intensification and why did that happen to Hurricane Idalia?
Read full article: What is rapid intensification and why did that happen to Hurricane Idalia?Hurricane Idalia gained strength while moving over the Gulf of Mexico but there is a specific term used for this process, rapid intensification.
Patrick Hamilton, ex-AP and Reuters photographer who covered Central American wars, dies at 74
Read full article: Patrick Hamilton, ex-AP and Reuters photographer who covered Central American wars, dies at 74Patrick Hamilton, a combat veteran of the Vietnam War who covered civil wars in Central America as a photojournalist for The Associated Press,and later worked at Reuters covering the first Gulf War in Iraq, has died after a long struggle with cancer.
Before Texas mass shooting, locals felt abandoned by police
Read full article: Before Texas mass shooting, locals felt abandoned by policeThe end of a manhunt in Texas for a gunman accused of killing five Honduran neighbors hasn't quieted anger in the rural community where the April 28 shooting took place.
Presidents of Taiwan, Guatemala visit Mayan pyramid
Read full article: Presidents of Taiwan, Guatemala visit Mayan pyramidTaiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and the Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei have toured the archaeological site of Tikal during a trip by Tsai that aims to shore up the self-governing island’s ties with its remaining allies in Central America.
US releases Guantanamo prisoner once tortured at CIA sites
Read full article: US releases Guantanamo prisoner once tortured at CIA sitesA onetime al-Qaida courier has been released after serving more than 16 years at the Guantanamo Bay detention center and enduring torture at clandestine overseas CIA sites.
Pricey pants from 1857 go for $114k, raise Levi’s questions
Read full article: Pricey pants from 1857 go for $114k, raise Levi’s questionsPulled from a sunken trunk at an 1857 shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina, work pants that auction officials describe as the oldest known pair of jeans in the world have sold for $114,000.
Climate Questions: How much has the climate changed already?
Read full article: Climate Questions: How much has the climate changed already?From incrementally rising temperatures and seas to an influx of natural disasters, the climate right now certainly isn't the same as it was before the industrial era.
Tropical Storm Colin brings rain to Carolinas, weakens
Read full article: Tropical Storm Colin brings rain to Carolinas, weakensTropical Storm Colin has brought rain and winds to parts of North and South Carolina, though the storm has weakened and conditions are expected to improve by Monday's July Fourth celebrations.
Caribbean storm likely to gain force, hit Central America
Read full article: Caribbean storm likely to gain force, hit Central AmericaThe U.S. National Hurricane Center says a storm that has hurled rain on the southern Caribbean and the northern shoulder of South America is expected to hit Central America as a tropical storm over the weekend and eventually develop into a hurricane over the Pacific.
Ex-Honduran leader placed on US list of corrupt officials
Read full article: Ex-Honduran leader placed on US list of corrupt officialsThe Biden administration last year quietly placed former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández on a classified list of officials suspected of corruption or undermining democracy in Central America.
Still building home-field advantage, US stumbles on road
Read full article: Still building home-field advantage, US stumbles on roadA 1-0 loss to Panama again highlighted the United States' disadvantage on the road in Central America and put pressure on the Americans to win at home against Costa Rica on Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio.
US gives 1st public look inside base housing Afghans
Read full article: US gives 1st public look inside base housing AfghansThe Biden administration is giving the first public look inside a U.S. military base housing Afghans airlifted out of Afghanistan, amid questions about how the government is caring for the refugees and vetting them.
Asylum seekers rush to register for US border processing
Read full article: Asylum seekers rush to register for US border processingAsylum seekers wait for news of policy changes at the border, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Tijuana, Mexico. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)MEXICO CITY – In the first five days since the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden began to process the thousands of asylum seekers waiting in Mexico, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees registered 12,000 people. Instituted by the Trump administration in January 2019, the program sought to discourage asylum seekers by making them wait in Mexico rather than releasing them with orders to appear for future court dates in the U.S. AdOn Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it would begin processing asylum seekers with registered cases who have been living in a tent encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico. Last week, the U.S. government began processing a small number of asylum seekers with active cases in San Diego.
Birth on a riverbank: Woman's ordeal shows risks at border
Read full article: Birth on a riverbank: Woman's ordeal shows risks at borderMerín gave birth to her daughter next to the Rio Grande, attended to by two Border Patrol agents, showing how lives routinely end up at risk at the U.S.-Mexico border. Mother and child were hospitalized for three days, then processed at a Border Patrol station before being released to Catholic Charities. “There’s so many women in great danger,” said Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. The Border Patrol blames smugglers for using people in medical distress as decoys, drawing attention from others trying to sneak into the country. The Border Patrol defends how it treats immigrants and the medical care they receive.
Federal judge blocks new criminal disqualifiers to asylum
Read full article: Federal judge blocks new criminal disqualifiers to asylumA judge on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020 has blocked a Trump administration rule that would have put up new roadblocks for asylum-seekers convicted of a variety of crimes. The federal judge in San Francisco says current federal law already includes plenty of disqualifying crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering and counterfeiting. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)LOS ANGELES – A federal judge on Thursday blocked a Trump administration rule about to take effect that would have put up new roadblocks for asylum-seekers convicted of a variety of crimes. The rule would have also denied asylum to people convicted of crimes that an adjudicator “knows or has reason to believe” was committed to supporting a criminal street gang. Asylum is for people fleeing persecution for their race, religion, nationality, political beliefs or membership in a social group.
US Hurricane Center says Iota makes landfall on Nicaragua coast as dangerous Category 4 storm
Read full article: US Hurricane Center says Iota makes landfall on Nicaragua coast as dangerous Category 4 stormMANAGUA – Powerful Hurricane Iota made landfall on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast late Monday, threatening catastrophic damage to the same part of Central America already battered by equally strong Hurricane Eta less than two weeks ago. Iota had intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm early in the day, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center said it weakened slightly to Category 4, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (250 kph). Iota already had been hitting the Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras with torrential rains and strong winds. Iota came ashore just 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall Nov. 3, also as a Category 4 storm. It also sets the record for the latest Category 5 hurricane on record, beating the record set by the Nov. 8, 1932, Cuba Hurricane.
Iota strengthens into 13th hurricane of the season
Read full article: Iota strengthens into 13th hurricane of the seasonORLANDO, Fla. – Early Sunday morning, Iota strengthened into a hurricane in the Caribbean becoming the 13th hurricane of the extremely busy Atlantic hurricane season. The record for most hurricanes in one season is 15, which was set in 2005 -- the only other season to have more than 12 hurricanes. As of the 7 a.m. advisory, Iota is an 85 mph storm moving west at 6 mph. The storm is expected to hit some of the same areas devastated by Hurricane Eta. Iota is the 30th named storm of the record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season.
Hurricane Iota heads for already battered Central America
Read full article: Hurricane Iota heads for already battered Central AmericaIota became a Category 2 hurricane late Sunday afternoon, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned it would likely be an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm when it approached the Central America mainland late Monday. It was already a record-breaking system, being the 30th named storm of this year’s extraordinarily busy Atlantic hurricane season. It hit Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane, killing at least 120 people as torrential rains caused flash floods and mudslides in parts of Central America and Mexico. Eta was the 28th named storm of this year’s hurricane season, tying the 2005 record for named storms. The official end of hurricane season is Nov. 30.
Iota Dissipates Over Central America
Read full article: Iota Dissipates Over Central AmericaThe remnants are moving toward the west near 12 mph (19 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue today. Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph (45 km/h) with higher gusts. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 mb (29.71 inches). Portions of Nicaragua and El Salvador: 2 to 4 inches (50 to 100 mm), with isolated maximum totals of 6 inches (150 mm). SURF: Swells generated by Iota will affect much of the coast of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula during the next day or so.
TD 31 strengthens into Tropical Storm Iota in Caribbean
Read full article: TD 31 strengthens into Tropical Storm Iota in CaribbeanORLANDO, Fla. – Just as the remnants of Eta finally blew out to sea on Friday, Tropical Storm Iota could follow its path of death and destruction into Central America this weekend, and Tropical Storm Theta was moving closer to Europe. Iota is not expected to turn north toward Florida like its predecessor. Here is the 4 a.m. advisory and forecast track from the National Hurricane Center. For more head to https://t.co/El9j1kWdef pic.twitter.com/m7LzET5ZuP — Samara Cokinos (@CokinosSamaraWx) November 14, 2020The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Eta’s remnants would pick up forward speed in the next day or so as it pulls away from the Southeast seaboard. Latest models released on Tropical Storm Iota (WKMG)Earlier, firefighters in Tampa had to rescue around a dozen people who got stuck in storm surge flooding on a boulevard adjacent to the bay.
Hurricane Center: An Iota could follow Eta’s deadly path
Read full article: Hurricane Center: An Iota could follow Eta’s deadly pathHurricane experts were closely watching the Caribbean, where Tropical Storm Iota formed Friday afternoon. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Iota could bring dangerous wind, storm surge and as much as 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rainfall to northern Nicaragua and Honduras. The storm was located about 350 miles (560 kilometers) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica and had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph). Iota is a record-setting 30th named storm of this year’s extraordinarily busy Atlantic hurricane season. I want to be back on the water, (my dog) wants to be back on the water.”Eta was the 28th named storm of this year's hurricane season, tying the 2005 record for named storms.
British queen offers condolences to Eta storm victims
Read full article: British queen offers condolences to Eta storm victimsBritain's Queen Elizabeth II stands on the balcolny of the Foreign Office, during the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph, in Whitehall, London, Sunday Nov. 8, 2020. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)LONDON – Queen Elizabeth II on Monday sent her condolences to people in Mexico and Central America affected by “the tragic loss of life and destruction” caused by the devastating storm Eta. In a message to leaders in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua, the queen lamented the destruction caused by the storm. “Prince Philip and I were deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life,'' caused by the storm, the queen's message said. Official death tolls put the number of dead at least 68 people, but hundreds more are missing.
Eta strikes Florida Keys; expected to become hurricane
Read full article: Eta strikes Florida Keys; expected to become hurricaneA strengthening Tropical Storm Eta cut across Cuba on Sunday, and forecasters say it's likely to be a hurricane before hitting the Florida Keys Sunday night or Monday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami declared hurricane and storm surge warnings for the Keys from Ocean Reef to the Dry Tortugas, including Florida Bay. Several shelters also opened in Miami and the Florida Keys for residents in mobile homes and low lying areas. On Sunday night, authorities in Lauderhill, Florida, responded to a report of a car that had driven into a canal. South Florida started emptying ports and a small number of shelters opened in Miami and the Florida Keys for residents in mobile homes and low-lying areas.
Guatemala searches, Eta regains storm status, heads to Cuba
Read full article: Guatemala searches, Eta regains storm status, heads to CubaMembers of search and recovery teams search for survivors in the debris of a massive, rain-fueled landslide in the village of Queja, in Guatemala, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta. The storm was expected to hit Cuba by early Sunday, and approach the Florida Keys and south Florida late Sunday or Monday. Tropical storm warnings were issued for central Cuba, southern Florida and the Florida Keys. South Florida started emptying ports and a small number of shelters opened in Miami and the Florida Keys for residents in mobile homes and low lying areas. The storms’ threat comes as many streets across South Florida have been inundated by heavy rains and unusual King Tides.
Guatemala digs through landslide where 100 believed buried
Read full article: Guatemala digs through landslide where 100 believed buriedA barefooted woman makes her way around debris brought on by a landslide on a road blocking traffic, in the aftermath of Hurricane Eta, in Purulha, northern Guatemala Friday, Nov. 6, 2020. In a news conference, President Alejandro Giammattei said he believed there were at least 100 dead there in San Cristobal Verapaz, but noted that was still unconfirmed. Her home in La Lima, a San Pedro Sula suburb, is 150 feet from the roiling Chamelecon river and only a short way from the international airport’s runway. It said rescues were happening Friday in San Pedro Sula and La Lima, but the need was great and resources limited. The U.S. State Department said in a statement Friday that four U.S. helicopters from the Soto Cano Air Base near Tegucigalpa had flown to San Pedro Sula to participate in rescue operations.
OFFICIAL TRACK: Latest models show Eta possibly brushing Florida
Read full article: OFFICIAL TRACK: Latest models show Eta possibly brushing FloridaAs of 11 p.m. on Thursday, Eta had sustained winds of 35 mph and was moving northeast at 12 mph. The latest models are beginning to agree on the storm’s long-term path, which could bring it toward the Sunshine State. (WKMG)As of 11 p.m. on Thursday, Eta had sustained winds of 35 mph and was moving northeast at 12 mph. The latest models are beginning to agree on the storm’s long-term path, which could bring it toward the Sunshine State. As of 11 p.m. on Thursday, Eta had sustained winds of 35 mph and was moving northeast at 12 mph.
Tropical Tracker: Weakened Eta could approach Florida early next week
Read full article: Tropical Tracker: Weakened Eta could approach Florida early next weekThe storm is a shell of itself now, but is still bringing heavy rain to the mountainous regions of Central America. Regardless of where it goes, rain chances go up and the wind increases for Central Florida as onshore flow brings in tropical moisture to the state. Current forecasts have a tropical storm moving near Florida early next week. Impacts will be possible in Central Florida, but it’s too early to just what those impacts will be at this time. A similar stormHurricane Mitch in 1998In 1998, Hurricane Mitch devastated parts of Central America before re-emerging in the Gulf of Mexico.
Weakened Eta drenches Central America; at least 57 dead
Read full article: Weakened Eta drenches Central America; at least 57 deadA pregnant woman is carried out of an area flooded by water brought by Hurricane Eta in Planeta, Honduras, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Delmer Martinez)TEGUCIGALPA – The rain-heavy remnants of Hurricane Eta flooded homes from Panama to Guatemala Thursday as the death toll across Central America rose to at least 57, and aid organizations warned the flooding and mudslides were creating a slow-moving humanitarian disaster across the region. Eta had sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) and was moving north at 8 mph (13 kph) Thursday. When what’s left of the storm wobbles back into the Caribbean it will regain some strength and become a tropical storm again, forecasts show. “Whatever comes out (of Central America) is going to linger awhile,” said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.
TRACK, MODELS, MORE: Fast-growing Hurricane Eta threatens flooding in Central America
Read full article: TRACK, MODELS, MORE: Fast-growing Hurricane Eta threatens flooding in Central AmericaMEXICO CITY – Hurricane Eta erupted quickly into a potentially catastrophic major hurricane Monday as it headed for Central America, where forecasters warned of massive flooding and landslides across a vulnerable region. Eta was a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 kph) late Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It was centered about 45 miles (75 kilometers) east of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, and moving west-southwest at 7 mph (11 kph). Eta tripled in strength in about 24 hours, rapidly intensifying from a 40 mph (65 kph) storm Sunday morning to a 120 mph (190 kph) hurricane around midday Monday, and continued gain power throughout the rest of the day. Hurricane season still has a month to go, ending Nov. 30.
Report: US knew of problems family separation would cause
Read full article: Report: US knew of problems family separation would causeDocuments in the report suggest Health and Human Services officials weren't told by the Department of Homeland Security why shelters were receiving more children taken from their parents in late 2017. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee released the report Thursday with emails obtained from government agencies. The report outlines discussions since the start of the Trump administration of family separation as a law enforcement tactic. Documents in the new report suggest CBP did not communicate with HHS about why shelters were receiving more separated children. The email notes “the increase in referrals” of children unaccompanied by a parent “resulting from separation of children from parents.” White sent McAleenan a chart of all the children HHS had received.
Tropical Tracker: A hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico to remember, or forget
Read full article: Tropical Tracker: A hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico to remember, or forgetA whopping five named storms -- three hurricanes, two tropical storms -- have made landfall in Louisiana. In 2004, four storms (three hurricanes, one tropical storm) made landfall in Florida. A fifth storm, Hurricane Ivan, brought devastating impacts to the Florida panhandle, but officially made landfall in Alabama. The peak of hurricane season occurs September 10. Hurricane season officially runs through Nov. 30.
Final debate could thrust foreign policy back into campaign
Read full article: Final debate could thrust foreign policy back into campaignBiden's foreign policy credentials have largely been overshadowed by questions about how he would lead the U.S. through the worst pandemic in a century. But the issue could reemerge Thursday as Trump and Biden take the stage for a final debate, with a topic list including national security. But, Biden said, the president still has “no coherent plan for foreign policy” beyond “America alone.”Trump counters that “America First” is more than sloganeering. Yet heading into the final debate, Trump's loudest foreign policy pitch isn't about his record. Once the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden hails from the bipartisan establishment that shaped U.S. international policy from World War II's end until Trump's election.
Tropical Storm Nana to become hurricane before making landfall in Belize
Read full article: Tropical Storm Nana to become hurricane before making landfall in BelizeMEXICO CITY A strengthening Tropical Storm Nana was expected to become a hurricane before striking Belize before dawn Thursday and drenching a good part of Central America with dangerously heavy rainfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Forecasters put the entire coast of Belize under hurricane watch and warned that people in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula should closely monitor the storms progress. It said Nana is expected to pass near but north of the coast of Honduras on Wednesday and likely reach Belize early Thursday. Nana was moving west at 18 mph (30 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph). Meanwhile Tropical Storm Omar formed off the U.S. East Coast on Tuesday and was moving away from land.
Tropical Storm Cristobal advances toward US Gulf Coast
Read full article: Tropical Storm Cristobal advances toward US Gulf CoastMIAMI A re-energized Tropical Storm Cristobal advanced toward the U.S. Gulf Coast early Saturday, bringing with it the heavy rains that already caused flooding and mudslides in Mexico and Central America. After weakening to a tropical depression while moving over land in Mexico's Gulf coast, Cristobal headed back into the southern Gulf of Mexico from the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday and powered back up into a tropical storm. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 7 a.m. advisory Saturday that the storm was expected to slowly strengthen until it makes landfall, expected Sunday night along the U.S. Gulf Coast. A tropical storm watch was posted for the northern Gulf of Mexico coast from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border. Cristobal formed this week in the Bay of Campeche from the remnants of Tropical Storm Amanda, which had sprung up last weekend in the eastern Pacific and hit Central America.
Another area to watch in the tropics as hurricane season begins Monday
Read full article: Another area to watch in the tropics as hurricane season begins MondayThe area of low pressure east of the Bahamas is not expected to develop as it meets up with a cold front and gets torn apart. Another, new area has been highlighted by the National Hurricane Center as an area to watch for possible tropical development over the next five days. The National Hurricane Center currently gives this entity a 50 percent chance for development over the next 5 days. Climatologically speaking, this is the main area we watch for tropical development in June. Tune into News 6 on June 1, the official start of hurricane season, for a full day of storm-prep coverage.