Local police detained a national Honduran campesino leader, Juan Ramón Chinchilla, in the western department of Copán and held him almost 21 hours without offering a legal justification.
Hundreds students, professors and staff from the University of El Salvador took to the streets to commemorate of the military regime’s massacre of student protesters on July 30, 1975.
In a decision highlighting the implications of US trade pacts for the national sovereignty of member countries, a World Bank tribunal approved a Canadian mining company’s lawsuit against El Salvador.
Mexico’s Foreign Relations Secretariat announced that the government of President Felipe CalderĂłn is normalizing diplomatic relations with Honduras, broken off after last year’s coup.
Nike, Inc. announced that it is paying $1.54 million to some 1,600 workers laid off in last year’s closure of two Nike subcontractors in the Choloma region of Honduras.
US Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced that the US will file a case against Guatemala for labor rights violations under terms of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega accused Colombia of granting oil exploration permits in waters disputed between the two countries—with a case still pending at the International Court of Justice.
A campaign started by students at North American campuses in 2009 around the labor practices of Oregon-based Nike, Inc. in Honduras appears be on its way to winning several new victories.
Panama’s National Front for the Defense of Social Rights claimed success in a 24-hour national strike that shut down construction work and schools with 95% effectiveness.
Costa Rica has granted the US military a six-month window to bring 7,000 Marines, five planes and 46 warships into its territory to help intercept north-bound narcotics.
About 200 Costa Ricans joined a Pride march along Paseo ColĂłn to the central park in San JosĂ©. “Being gay isn’t a sickness, it’s a sexual preference,” said one participant.
The Guatemalan government agreed to suspend operations at Goldcorp Inc.’s controversial Marlin gold mine, but says there is “no exact day yet” for closure of the facility.
