Recently crowned Miss Universe, Sheynnis Palacios has become a symbol of resistance, triggering the government to accuse the pageant and Palacios of an "anti-patriotic conspiracy," resulting in arrests and a crackdown on the competition

The UN tribunal has rejected Nicaragua's request to order Germany to suspend aid to Israel, ruling 15 to 1 against issuing such an order

Nicaragua is facing frozen relations with Brazil as President Lula da Silva suspends ties upon government's resistance to releasing imprisoned Catholic priests; Lula expressed dissatisfaction with Ortega's failure to respond to his calls for their release

Nicaragua's government sentenced 11 Christian leaders to 12-15 years in prison and fined them US$880 million for "money laundering" charges after they organized public prayer gatherings deemed threatening by the Sandinista regime

A specialized Nuclear Medicine Center for cancer treatment and professional training in the field will be built in Managua with Russian support