MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — The Latest on unrest in Nicaragua (all times local):
4:40 a.m.
Pope Francis has expressed deep worry over deadly violence in Nicaragua fueled by protests and he's pressing for a peaceful solution.
Human rights advocates say that since April 18 at least 26 people have been killed in unrest over social security reforms planned by President Daniel Ortega's government. Dozens have been injured or arrested.
Francis told people in St. Peter's Square that he's "very worried" about the situation in the Central American country.
He said he's expressing "closeness in prayer to that beloved country" and joining local bishops in seeking an end to "every violence, that useless bloodshed is avoided and that open issues are resolved peacefully and with a sense of responsibility."
Ortega says his government is willing to enter into talks over the dispute.
10:25 p.m.
In the grainy, nighttime video, journalist Angel Gahona, clad in jeans and a blue shirt, holds up a cellphone and narrates as he approaches the facade of city hall in Bluefields, Nicaragua, reporting live via Facebook on protests that have rocked the Central American nation for four days.
Seconds later a gunshot rings out and Gahona slumps lifeless to the curb. Voices cry his name and someone presses a piece of cloth to his head to try to staunch the stream of blood. Another Bluefields reporter, Ileana Lacayo, confirms that he died before reaching the hospital.
Besides Gahona at least 25 others have been killed since Wednesday in unrest over social security reforms planned by President Daniel Ortega's government, according to a human rights group.
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