NICARAGUA: At-Risk Pregnancy Means Death or Prison

Nearly 90 women have died in Nicaragua as a direct or indirect result of the repeal, one year ago, of the legislation permitting abortion in cases of risk to the mother’s health, according to women’s and human rights groups.

NICARAGUA: Of Forests, Floods, Fatalities and Famine

The forces of nature are giving Nicaragua no respite. After the hurricane that devastated the country’s northeastern Caribbean coast in September, weeks of torrential rains have claimed lives and caused economic damages, and now the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is warning of famine.

NICARAGUA: ‘Invisible’ Victims of Pesticide Protest Government Neglect

For months, more than 3,000 Nicaraguans in a makeshift camp in the centre of Managua have been demanding a government response to their health needs and legal backing for their cause. They have been poisoned by the pesticide Nemagon, but in spite of their protests they are apparently invisible to those in power.

NICARAGUA: A Green Crusade for Water

The Nicaraguan government launched a national campaign to reforest 60,000 hectares per year as part of an effort to recover 18 rivers lost as a result of uncontrolled logging.

A Green Crusade in Nicaragua

Nicaragua is attempting to reverse the loss of water resources with a massive planting of trees, which are essential to capture rainfall in areas that recharge rivers and lakes.

EDUCATION-NICARAGUA: Down, Down with Adult Illiteracy

An adult education programme beginning this month in Nicaragua is part of one of the Sandinista government's most ambitious social projects: to declare this country free from illiteracy in 2009.

NICARAGUA: Plant Trees, Harvest Water

More than six years ago, the residents of the rural community of Lomas del Viento, on Nicaragua's Pacific coast, took up the task of recuperating the 10 flowing springs that were drying up as a result of logging in the surrounding forests. And they succeeded.

Nicaraguans Plant Trees and Harvest Water

A small Nicaraguan village has recovered its once bountiful water supplies by changing their harmful land-use methods.

MEDIA-NICARAGUA: Government’s Press Policy Comes Under Fire

The communication strategy of the Nicaraguan government of Daniel Ortega, which consists of getting information out "directly and uncontaminated" through friendly media outlets, has drawn fire and complaints about possible threats to freedom of speech.

NICARAGUA: Sandinistas Wage a New War – Against Hunger

With the support of international cooperation, the Nicaraguan government is preparing to launch an all-out offensive against hunger, as part of an ambitious plan to help the rural poor achieve food sufficiency.

POLITICS-NICARAGUA: The Second Ortega Era

Seventeen years after he lost through the ballot boxes the power he had gained by bullets in 1979, Daniel Ortega is returning to office Wednesday as president of Nicaragua, with the staunch support of reelected Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, but the blessing of the United States as well.

NICARAGUA: The Big Question – What Will Ortega Do?

In the transition period between his electoral victory and his investiture as president of Nicaragua on Jan. 10, 2007, Daniel Ortega is making decisions about the direction his new government will take. He needs to secure a majority in parliament, but so far he has forged alliances only with business chambers.

ELECTIONS-NICARAGUA: The Sandinistas Are Back

They swore they would return. And today, 16 years after losing their grip on power in national elections, Nicaragua's Sandinistas appear to have made it back, according to the preliminary results from Sunday's elections.

ELECTIONS-NICARAGUA: Cold War Spooks and Chills

Nicaraguans will cast their votes on Sunday under the scrutiny of a multitude of observers, and amid intense interest in the elections that has extended far beyond the country's borders to Caracas, Washington and even Moscow.

NICARAGUA: Therapeutic Abortion Banned in Pre-Election Frenzy

Latin America is not the most liberal region in the world when it comes to abortion. But the decision by Nicaraguan legislators to hand down eight-year prison sentences to those who terminate a pregnancy to save a mother's life has astounded doctors, feminists, activists, diplomats and government officials alike.

ELECTIONS-NICARAGUA: And It’s Everyone Against Daniel Ortega

The possibility of a victory for the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in Nicaragua's Nov. 5 elections has unleashed what is virtually an all-out political war against its presidential candidate, Daniel Ortega.

NICARAGUA: It’s Always Greener on the Other Side of the Border

Some 20 percent of the Nicaraguan population have left the country over the last 16 years, most in search of work and better pay. The youth are the ones who are leaving, in a trend that separates families in exchange for remittances..

POLITICS-NICARAGUA: Sandinistas and Somocistas Are Now Pals

With the Nicaraguan elections due in November, the left-wing Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) has forged alliances with political forces that it has been fighting for decades. Observers and opponents are warning that the move could turn out to be counterproductive.

NICARAGUA: Thirsty and in the Dark

A severe drought is preventing Nicaragua's electric companies from operating at capacity. The energy crisis triggered protests recently when the period of electricity rationing reached 15 hours a day.

Thirsty and in the Dark

The current drought -- worsened by deforestation -- is the culprit behind the blackouts hitting Nicaragua during the past four months. If it doesn't rain soon, public discontent could boil over, warns the nation's president.

POLITICS-NICARAGUA: Stumping for Development

A recent United Nations initiative is aiming to plant the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) firmly on the platforms of the campaign for Nicaragua's Nov. 5 elections. The idea is to encourage candidates to build commitment towards a better future for the country, one of Latin America' poorest.