Managua - Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin Wednesday thanked Nicaragua for recognizing the breakaway Georgian provinces South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The leftist Sandinista government of President Manuel Ortega was the second country after Russia to recognize the two provinces' independence.

Sechin, who earlier this week visited Cuba and Venezuela, said Moscow wanted to renew political and economic ties with Managua after more than 20 years' interruption.

Managua, Nicaragua - A huge fire destroyed Managua's landmark Oriental Market, wiping out 1,500 vendor stalls and causing an estimated 100 million dollars in damage, local media reported early Satu

Miami/Managua, Nicaragua - Tropical Storm Alma made landfall Thursday on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast and blew through to Nicaragua, where 35,000 people were being evacuated.