Latest news with #CostaRica
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Outspoken Nicaraguan opposition figure shot to death at his home in Costa Rica
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — A retired Nicaraguan military officer turned outspoken critic of President Daniel Ortega was shot to death Thursday at his home in Costa Rica, authorities said. Roberto Samcam, 67, had been living in exile since July 2018 when paramilitaries assaulted his home in Nicaragua. Police say a man entered the condominium complex where Samcam lived northeast of the Costa Rican capital of San Jose and went directly to the retired major's home around 7:30 a.m.
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Outspoken Nicaraguan opposition figure shot to death at his home in Costa Rica
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — A retired Nicaraguan military officer turned outspoken critic of President Daniel Ortega was shot to death Thursday at his home in Costa Rica, authorities said. Roberto Samcam, 67, had been living in exile since July 2018 when paramilitaries assaulted his home in Nicaragua. Police say a man entered the condominium complex where Samcam lived northeast of the Costa Rican capital of San Jose and went directly to the retired major's home around 7:30 a.m. Without saying a word, the man shot Samcam multiple times with a 9mm pistol, according to Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Organization. The shooter escaped. Word of Samcam's killing spread rapidly among the hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans who have sought refuge in Costa Rica since Ortega cracked down on widespread protests in 2018. In 2020, Samcam served as chain-of-command expert for the Court of Conscience, organized by Costa Rica's Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress, to collect testimony of those who suffered torture and other abuses at the hands of the government. The exercise was in part to build cases to eventually take to regional and international human rights bodies. 'We are documenting each case so that it can move on to a trial, possibly before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights,' Samcam said at the time. He said government officials were involved in the abuses. In 2022, Samcam published a book titled 'Ortega: El calvario de Nicaragua' roughly 'Ortega: Nicaragua's torment.' Last year, he published another text describing in detail how he watched Ortega build a dictatorship. In January 2024, another Nicaraguan exile, Joao Maldonado, was shot seven times in the street outside Costa Rica's capital. He survived and accused a cell of Nicaragua's Sandinista National Liberation Front of responsibility for the attack. Ortega and his wife and Co-president Rosario Murillo have driven hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans into exile and imprisoned then stripped hundreds more of their citizenship. Murillo who is also the Nicaraguan government's spokesperson did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment about Samcam's killing. Since crushing the 2018 protests, the government has systematically pursued any voice of opposition. The government has shuttered hundreds of nongovernmental organizations and persecuted religious groups, including the Catholic church.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Paula Dinamarca of Cannes Un Certain Regard Winner ‘The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo' Joins Buzz Pic ‘A Decorous Woman' (EXCLUSIVE)
Chilean trans actress-activist Paula Dinamarca, who starred in Cannes' Un Certain Regard Grand Prix winner, 'The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo,' has joined the stellar cast of the upcoming 'A Decorous Woman.' Pic was one of the more anticipated projects to be showcased at the 2025 Malaga Festival Fund & Co-Production event (MAFF). Dinamarca also starred in 'Flamingo' director Diego Céspedes' acclaimed short film 'The Melting Creatures,' which Rodrigo Díaz of Parina Films produced. More from Variety 'The King's Speech' Exec Producer Deepak Sikka Boards U.K.-Costa Rica Co-Production Starring 'The Liberator's' Jose Palma (EXCLUSIVE) Francisca Alegría's 'Nativity' Sees Chile's Madre Content Join Quijote Films on the Magical Realist Fable of a Violent Man's Rebirth (EXCLUSIVE) Rai Cinema Celebrates 'Heads or Tails?' at Cannes and Readies for More Hits: 'Cinema Without Audience Doesn't Exist' News of Dinamarca's casting comes as Díaz is presenting a new project, 'Don't Let Me Die Alone,' participating in the Costa Rica Tres Puertos Lab, which runs June 18-23 in the build-up to the Costa Rica Media Market, which takes place June 24-25. 'Paula has a presence that resonates on and off screen. She brought depth, sensitivity and a powerful emotional honesty to her role in 'The Melting Creatures,'' said Díaz. 'Paula doesn't perform emotions – she channels experiences in a way that feels immediate and fully lived. Her work is guided by an acute awareness of the character's internal world, as she engages with the material from a place of truth. Watching her inhabit moments of joy or sorrow with such openness reveals the kind of presence that gives real meaning to her performance,' he added. Dinamarca will play opposite lead Catalina Saavedra, best known for her lauded career-launching performance in Sundance Grand Jury prizewinner, 'The Maid.' The debut feature of Chilean-Spanish director Natalia Luque, 'A Decorous Woman' melds drama and comedy, reality and imagination through the point of view of a recent empty nester hairdresser. Set in present-day downtown Santiago, in a shopping mall seemingly frozen in time, the film centers on Marta María (Saavedra), a 55-year-old hairdresser facing an empty nest after her only daughter departs for a year in France. To cope with the loneliness, she immerses herself in her work, finding solace and connection by living vicariously through her clients' stories. 'I have followed Paula Dinamarca's trajectory and I've always been fascinated by her capacity for conveying deep emotions through her gaze. Her acting is impressive – she can achieve deep layers of characterization. In this film, she plays Lola, a numerologist and client of the protagonist, who, just by looking at you, knows what you are feeling and has a special gift for telling stories,' said Luque, adding: 'I think Paula is perfect for this role, not only because of her presence in the scene but also because her connection to the audience is moving' The co-production, involving Parina Films (Chile), France's Tomsa Films and Madre Content from the U.S., is set to start filming by April next year, with its debut targeted for the first semester of 2027. Madre Content, a Latinx company launched in 2023 by Chilean filmmaker Francisca Alegría ('The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future'), was able to tap a grant from the Chilean Audiovisual Fund 2024 in its Feature Film Production category, securing 30% of its budget. In her previous work, Luque has often explored underrepresented spaces and nuanced characters, often delving into the intimate worlds of middle-class women in their workplaces. Her most recent short film, 'So They Say,' premiered at the 2023 Palm Springs ShortFest and was also selected at Telluride and POFF Shorts, among others. 'Don't Let Me Die Alone' ('No me dejen morir solo') is set to be directed and produced by Francisco Rodríguez Teare ('Otro Sol') of Axolotls Cine, where Diaz is a minority shareholding partner. Rodriguez Teare's second feature centers on Mamani, a miserable delivery boy in the northern coastal city of Iquique, Chile who survives his own suicide attempt and meets Jordi, a retired thief, and Sofía, his niece. Drawn into mummy trafficking, Mamani unexpectedly finds purpose and the possibility of belonging to a family. 'Don't Let Me Die Alone' is lead produced by Axolotls Cine alongside co-producers Michigan Films (Belgium), co-producers of Rodríguez Teare's docu-fiction hybrid 'Otro Sol,' and by Chile-based Mimbre Films. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Nicaraguan ex-military officer killed in exile, wife and party say
SAN JOSE, June 19 (Reuters) - Former Nicaraguan military officer Roberto Samcam was killed on Thursday in Costa Rica, where he was living in exile, his wife and the UNAMOS political party said. Samcam, a retired Sandinista major, was a vocal critic of the Nicaraguan government led by President Daniel Ortega. Costa Rica's national police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Nicaraguan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Officials step up plans to combat flesh-eating screwworm
Texas officials are stepping up their plans to stop the spread of a flesh-eating parasite, [Reuters reports]( The parasite, known as the New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax), has triggered a public health emergency in Costa Rica, prompting experts to warn Canadian travellers to take precautions. State-side, Texas officials said Wednesday they are building a sterile fly dispersal facility. The Department of Agriculture also announced plans for a sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base, which could take two to three years to construct. New World screwworm (NWS) was eradicated from the U.S. in 1966, but the current health emergencies in central America and Mexico have seen the parasite moving northward. On its website, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) says it has been partnering with other USDA agencies, including the U.S. Department of State, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and affected countries to combat the outbreak. "APHIS is investing $109.8 million to combat new NWS detections in Central America and Mexico to keep the pest from spreading into North America," the agency's website reads. "With this funding, APHIS aims to eradicate NWS in Central America and Mexico and re-establish the biological barrier." On Wednesday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the USDA is also working with state animal health officials to draft an emergency response and stockpile medications in case NWS breaches the border, according to Reuters. In March, infectious disease specialist Dr. Issac Bogoch took to X to spread awareness and warn Canadians, especially those travelling to destinations like the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Mexico. "The "barrier" preventing New world screwworm flies (Cochliomyia hominivorax) from spreading north of Panama has been breached," The Toronto-based doctor said on social media. "We recently cared for a patient who contracted this infestation on a trip to Costa Rica." Despite what its name suggests, the New World screwworm is not a worm at all—it is a species of parasitic fly. Female screwworm flies lay their eggs in open wounds, scrapes, or insect bites on people and animals. When the eggs hatch, the larvae burrow into the flesh, feeding on living tissue and potentially causing serious wounds, infections, and even death if left untreated. Infections occur primarily in livestock but people can and do get infected, including an 80-year-old Canadian male traveller who went to a Toronto hospital with an NWS infection (also called myiasis) after visiting Costa Rica. Speaking with CP24, Dr. Bogoch said NWS is a public health issue that can also impact food security. 'This infection can decimate wildlife and livestock,' he told the news outlet. NWS is commonly found in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and South American countries but (APHIS) says cases are spreading to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Mexico, beyond a biological border that had previously contained the spread. The agency says there has been an "explosion" in NWS detections in Panama. In 2023 cases went up from an average of 25 cases annually to more than 6,500 cases in one year. (APHIS/ APHIS and Panama co-managed the biological border that "successfully" contained the pest in South America for "decades," APHIS says on its website. The now-breached barrier resides in the eastern portion of Panama. The outbreak declarations in Costa Rica and Mexico have triggered emergency responses in the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica, which first declared an NWS emergency in February. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you can become infected if: You travel to affected areas (like Costa Rica, Nicaragua, or Mexico); You have open cuts, sores, or scratches; You come into contact with livestock or wildlife carrying the parasite. Canadian travellers can protect themselves by: Covering any cuts or scratches with clean, dry bandages; Using insect repellent, especially on exposed skin; Wearing long sleeves and pants in rural areas or places with plants and trees; Avoiding close contact with stray animals or livestock; Consulting a travel health clinic and a medical professional before travelling. There are no vaccines or medications that prevent infection. If you suspect infection: Seek medical attention immediately. Do not attempt to remove larvae yourself. Treatment usually involves the extraction of the larvae and prescription antibiotics. The parasite typically needs warm conditions to survive and Canada's cooler climate acts as a natural barrier. This parasite is not currently found in Canada, but with travel-related cases increasing and the barrier that once stopped its spread now breached, Canadians heading south should be on alert. Always check travel health advisories and when in doubt, speak to a medical professional before travel. Header image: File photo of new age screwworm larvae (CDC].
