Central America

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Pentagon Cuts Ties With Honduras

Central American nation isolated as OAS sets ultimatum

(Newser) - As thousands of Hondurans protested yesterday in dueling rallies backing both ousted President Manuel Zelaya and the military-backed government that came to power last weekend, the Central American nation grows further isolated, reports the AP. The Pentagon yesterday suspended joint US-Honduran military operations and the World Bank said it was...

Honduras Plunges Into Crisis
 Honduras Plunges Into Crisis 

Honduras Plunges Into Crisis

Leftist prez clashes with army over referendum on term limits

(Newser) - An escalating political crisis in Honduras is threatening to turn violent, the Wall Street Journal reports. President Manuel Zelaya fired the nation's army chief after he refused to allow the military to distribute ballots for a referendum on changing the constitution to let the leftist leader serve a second term....

Mexico Kidnappers Snatched 10K US-Bound Migrants

Human rights commission estimates 10K migrants seized over 6 months

(Newser) - Mexican gangs preying on Central American migrants headed for the US kidnapped almost 10,000 people between September 2008 and February 2009, according to a new report from Mexico's national human rights commission. The average ransom paid was $2,500, according to the report, which said Mexican authorities participated in...

El Salvador's 1st Leftist President Sworn In

Vows to transform nation, praises Obama in inaugural speech

(Newser) - A former TV journalist representing a party founded by Marxist guerrillas has been sworn in as El Salvador's first leftist president. Mauricio Funes, who ran on a center-left, pro-America platform, called Barack Obama an inspiration in his inauguration speech and singled out Hillary Clinton, who attended the ceremony, as "...

5 Dead in Honduras Quake; Toll Expected to Rise
5 Dead in Honduras Quake; Toll Expected to Rise
UPDATED

5 Dead in Honduras Quake; Toll Expected to Rise

Tsunami warning has been called off

(Newser) - Five deaths have been confirmed after the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that rocked Honduras and Guatemala early today. Four victims were children between 3 and 15, crushed under their collapsed home, Reuters reports. "There will be many more dead," said a Honduran official. Buildings in both Central American states...

7.1 Quake Strikes Off Honduras
 7.1 Quake Strikes Off Honduras 



7.1 Quake Strikes Off Honduras

Tsunami watch in effect for 3 Central American countries

(Newser) - A powerful earthquake struck early this morning about 40 miles northeast of an island off the coast of Honduras, Reuters reports. No injuries have been reported, but the 7.1 magnitude quake triggered a tsunami watch for Honduras, Belize and Guatemala. The quake's epicenter is nearest to Roatan, an island...

Nicaragua's Ortega to US: Now Bail Out Central America

(Newser) - Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega says the US should extend its zeal for bailouts south of the border, the Miami Herald reports. Ortega says Central America is reeling from the downturn as US manufacturing and textile plants shut down or downsize. It’s only fair, then, that the US offer a...

Jewel of Maya Art Unearthed in Guatemala

Rare panels found in jungle city depict ancient legend of creation

(Newser) - Archaeologists reclaiming the Mayans' biggest city from the Guatemalan jungle have uncovered the oldest known depiction of the ancient civilization's creation myth, reports Reuters. The carvings depict the heroic twins of Maya legend emerging from the underworld surrounded by cosmic monsters. They appear on a pair of 26-foot-long panels at...

Coffee Nations Eye Shares in Starbucks

Colombia may buy stock, at bargain prices, in first quarter of 2009

(Newser) - The world’s coffee growing nations may swoop in to grab cheap Starbucks shares as the ailing company shutters stores and battles declining demand for premium beverages, Reuters reports. Colombia—the third-largest producer—could buy more control over the supply chain by nabbing “an important share” of the Seattle...

Honduras Plane Crash Kills 4
 Honduras Plane Crash Kills 4 

Honduras Plane Crash Kills 4

TACA jet overshot the runway and crashed into city street

(Newser) - A passenger plane overshot a runway and crashed into a busy street in the Honduran capital yesterday, reports the AP, killing the pilot, two passengers, and a taxi driver. Some 65 others were injured. The Miami-bound Airbus ran out of runway in wet conditions. Tegucigalpa's main airport, considered by pilots...

Wal-Mart Helps Farmers Grow, American Style

But Central American stores may ruin them first, critics say

(Newser) - Wal-Mart is helping Central American farmers even as the chain threatens to render their mom-and-pop ways outdated, the Los Angeles Times reports. Thousands of small farmers are financially at risk, unable to grow produce that fits the US giant's supply chain—so Wal-Mart, Washington, and a Portland, Ore., relief group...

Before It Was Chocolate, It Was Beer

Sweet treat traced to celebratory Honduran brew 3,100 years ago

(Newser) - Chocolate had its origins at least 3,100 years ago in Central America not as a sweet treat but as a celebratory beer-like beverage, reported scientists yesterday after analyzing residues from ancient pottery vessels. The earliest beverages made from cacao—the source of chocolate—likely were produced by fermenting the...

As Felix Fizzles, Another Round of Floods Likely

Nicaragua, Honduras at risk from rain-laden remnants of hurricane

(Newser) - Heavy rain from what's left of Hurricane Felix continues to fall in Honduras and Nicaragua, the BBC reports, and residents are struggling to prepare for "life-threatening" flash floods and mudslides. "Here it rains for two hours and the city floods," said the mayor of Tegucigalpa. "They're...

Felix Reaches Category 5
Felix Reaches Category 5

Felix Reaches Category 5

Storm Heads for Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula

(Newser) - Hurricane Felix grew into a Category 5—the most dangerous—storm last night, packing winds of 127 mph as it roared west across the southern Caribbean, heading for Central America. Felix is predicted to brush the Honduras coastline tomorrow, and hit Belize on Wednesday, the AP reports.

Huge Earthquake Rattles Peru
Huge Earthquake
Rattles Peru

Huge Earthquake Rattles Peru

Tsunami warning after 7.9 hits off coast; at least 15 dead

(Newser) - A massive earthquake shook central Peru tonight, raising fears of a tsunami along the Pacific coast of Central and South America. The quake hit about 90 miles southeast of the capital of Lima, but witnesses felt it deep into the hinterlands. The country has been put on alert for deadly...

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