Tag: Guatemala

• Tuesday, March 14th 2017 - 21:08 UTC

  Death toll in girls shelter in Guatemala rises to 40; allegedly they were locked in by officials

  

  The death toll from the fire at Guatemala's Virgen de la Asunción shelter for girls in the municipality of San José Pinula has risen to 40, officials said. Four of the girls hospitalized after the fire last Wednesday were flown on an airplane ambulance to the United States for treatment at the Shriners Hospital for Children of Galveston, Texas, Saturday night.

• Tuesday, August 16th 2016 - 11:03 UTC

  Guatemalan government makes a call to Apple asking to rename iconic ringtone.

  

  The movement made up of artists and local authorities has now 7000 signatures of support. The “ Marimba ” ringtone is the classic iPhone ringtone and probably one of the most recognizable ringtones in the world. What most people around the globe don’t know is that the Marimba is the national instrument of Guatemala and one of it’s national symbols.

• Thursday, April 28th 2016 - 06:24 UTC

  OAS will lead independent investigation into Belize-Guatemala border incident

  

  The Organization of American States (OAS) will conduct, at the request of the governments of Belize and Guatemala, an independent investigation of the April 20 border incident that led to the death of the Guatemalan minor Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano and in which his father and brother were wounded.

• Monday, April 25th 2016 - 05:30 UTC

  Belize-Guatemala incident reignites standing border dispute; OAS calls for a 'lasting peace'

  

  The Organization of American States, OAS, has called on the governments of Belize and Guatemala to avoid an escalation of tensions, and renew efforts to establish a lasting peace. The OAS statement follows a previous repudiating “the death of a Guatemalan minor [Julio Alvarado, 13] at the hands of a Belizean patrol”.

• Saturday, January 16th 2016 - 10:42 UTC

  Guatemalan president Morales tells the military he wants “justice, not revenge”

  

  Guatemala's new president, Jimmy Morales, said on Friday he wants “justice, not revenge” in reference to ex-army personnel accused of atrocities during his country's 1960-1996 civil war. Following an armed forces ceremony recognizing him as commander-in-chief just one day after he was sworn in, Morales added that he did not want to see action that would “prejudice” the country's values.

• Tuesday, October 27th 2015 - 07:55 UTC

  Comedian cowboy who wanted to become president, finally makes it in Guatemala

  

  Comedian Jimmy Morales won a landslide victory in Guatemala's presidential race Sunday despite having no political experience, after a campaign upended by a corruption scandal that felled the outgoing president. Morales, a comic actor and TV personality, declared victory after election officials released the resounding results: 68% of the vote for the conservative candidate to 32% for former first lady Sandra Torres.

• Wednesday, September 16th 2015 - 09:09 UTC

  Guatemalan runoff on 25 October between a comedian and a former first lady

  

  Guatemalan officials confirmed Tuesday that comedian and surprise presidential frontrunner Jimmy Morales will face former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off on October 25. The announcement capped a dramatic first-round vote rocked by the outgoing president's resignation and arrest on corruption charges, and a down-to-the-wire battle for the second spot in the run-off.

• Wednesday, September 9th 2015 - 07:18 UTC

  Guatemala former president to face prosecution for a customs fraud scandal

  

  Former Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina will face prosecution for his alleged role in a customs fraud scandal that has rocked the country for months, a federal judge announced on Tuesday. The decision comes just days after Perez Molina resigned from office amid growing national outrage over corruption in the government.

• Tuesday, September 8th 2015 - 05:39 UTC

  Guatemala: Cowboy “Neto” leads on promises to clean the town of corruption

  

  A comedian who played a simpleton cowboy who almost became president emerged Monday as the man to beat in Guatemala's presidential race amid disgust over a corruption scandal that felled the outgoing incumbent.

• Monday, September 7th 2015 - 09:25 UTC

  Guatemala first results indicate a presidential run-off next October 25

  

  A former television comic, a wealthy businessman and a former first lady were ahead in early returns in voting for Guatemala's next leader, days after the Central American nation's president resigned over a corruption scandal. With about 51% percent of polling stations reporting early Monday, TV comedian Jimmy Morales, who has never held elective office, was leading with 26.5% of the vote.