Nayib Bukele

8 Stories

After Arresting 1% of Nation, He Easily Wins Reelection

Nayib Bukele, who calls himself the 'world's coolest dictator,' cruises in El Salvador

(Newser) - Voters in El Salvador appeared to give Nayib Bukele a second term as president, putting him well on his way to a landslide victory in an election that for many hinged on the tradeoff of curtailed civil liberties for security in a country once terrorized by gangs . The Supreme Electoral...

Troops Seal Off Town, Looking for Gang Members

El Salvador granted president emergency powers

(Newser) - The government of El Salvador sent 10,000 soldiers and police to seal off a town on the outskirts of the nation's capital Saturday to search for gang members. The operation was one of the largest mobilizations yet in President Nayib Bukele's nine-month-old crackdown on street gangs that...

El Salvador Has Deadliest Day in 30 Years

After 62 murders on Saturday, nation declares a state of emergency

(Newser) - El Salvador is now under a state of emergency after racking up a staggering 62 murders in a single day on Saturday. The killings are blamed on gangs, particularly MS-13 and Barrio 18, but the victims weren't necessarily gang members: The New York Times reports that gunmen were "...

Happy 'B-Day,' El Salvador
Happy 'B-Day,' El Salvador
Sep 7, 2021 8:19 AM CDT

Happy 'B-Day,' El Salvador

Starting Tuesday, bitcoin can be used as legal tender nationwide

(Newser) - Earlier this year, El Salvador became the first country to give bitcoin the green light as legal tender. And Tuesday is "B-day," the day that legislation goes into effect, with Salvadorans now able to use the cryptocurrency in any transaction. Residents in the country—which has had the...

First Country Makes Bitcoin Legal Tender

'Nobody can refuse payment,' says El Salvador President Nayib Bukele

(Newser) - El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly has approved legislation making the cryptocurrency Bitcoin legal tender in the country, the first country to do so, just days after President Nayib Bukele made the proposal at a Bitcoin conference. The digital currency can be used in any transaction and any business will have...

A Selfie, Then the UN Speech
Selfie
Holds Up
UN Speech
Sep 27, 2019 3:55 PM CDT

Selfie Holds Up UN Speech

Salvadoran president talks technology after a demonstration

(Newser) - For the 38-year-old president of El Salvador, his first speech to the UN was a big deal. Nayib Bukele's wife, Gabriela, was there to hear it, as was their infant daughter, Layla. So Bukele pulled out his smartphone, asked the world's diplomats to hold on for a second,...

Gauge of a 'Political Mood': a Teen Rape Victim's Retrial

Evelyn Hernandez, jailed in El Salvador after a stillbirth, will get a new day in court

(Newser) - A teen rape victim in El Salvador convicted in 2017 of murder and sentenced to 30 years in jail after a stillbirth will face a new day in court Monday. Reuters reports Evelyn Beatriz Hernandez, now 21, will be retried, and this time advocates are hoping she'll be acquitted....

The Photo Rocked Us. He Just Took Responsibility

President Nayib Bukele says migrants' deaths in Rio Grande is on El Salvador

(Newser) - Oscar Martinez and his 23-month-old daughter drowned in the Rio Grande while trying to reach the US. Now, a country's leader has taken the blame for the incident, a photograph of which was shared far and wide . The president of El Salvador on Sunday said the fault lies with...

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