Central America

Costa Rica: Bridges Collapse After Study Shows Dozens Are Dangerous

Date: November 12th, 2009 |

Two bridges have collapsed since Oct. 22, one from lack of maintenance, the other under the weight of a 95-ton crane crossing a span that was designed 50 years ago to support just 35 tons. The latter bridge crossed the Rio Rincon in Puerto Jimenez, a fishing community and popular tourist destination on the Osa [read more]

Nicaragua: Court Drops Presidential Term Limits, Tempers Flare

Date: November 5th, 2009 |

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Political maneuvering by President Daniel Ortega and six Sandinista judges on the Supreme Court to eliminate a constitutional term limit created a political crisis that opposition leaders and the U.S. ambassador said was undermining the country’s democracy. According to opposition judges on the Supreme Court, only the legislature has the authority to change the constitution, [read more]

Nicaragua: Dengue Fever Outbreak in Managua, Elsewhere

Date: October 21st, 2009 |

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The Nicaraguan health ministry reported 1,752 confirmed cases of dengue fever since July, with the majority of cases in Managua and the department of Masaya, and some reported in other areas. Eight people have died from dengue hemorrhagic fever, a rare and more severe form of the disease. Preventing mosquito bites is the only sure [read more]

Nicaragua: Santo Domingo Festival Could Get Rowdy

Date: August 5th, 2009 |

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The Santo Domingo festival, which runs through Aug. 10 in Managua, can become unruly, especially on the final night, when crowds of drunken revelers carry on into the wee hours. Traffic jams usually occur and gangs of pick-pockets often work the crowds. The 10-day festival celebrates the patron saint of Managua and is marked on [read more]

Honduras: Curfew Extended in Aftermath of Coup

Date: July 1st, 2009 |

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Congress extended a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew July 1 that had been imposed throughout the country June 29-30 in the wake of the military removing President Manuel Zelaya from power and sending him into exile. Demonstrations both for and against the coup occurred in Tegucigalpa and elsewhere, and tensions remained high. The U.S. [read more]

El Salvador: Heavy Rains Washed Out Roads, Bridges, Phones, Power

Date: November 12th, 2009 |

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Floods and mudslides caused by heavy rains washed out roads and bridges around the country Nov. 8. Power and phone lines were knocked out in some places and cell phone coverage was sporadic. The regions hardest hit were San Salvador, San Vicente, La Libertad, La Paz and Cuscatlan. The government declared a national emergency and [read more]

El Salvador: Email Hoaxes Raise Dark Memories of Civil War

Date: October 29th, 2009 |

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The U.S. Embassy in San Salvador reported that an email hoax that threatened increased gang activity circulated around the country and “caused a significant disruption of normal activities.” A follow-up email hoax also circulated with a message supposedly from a death squad from the civil war years (1980-92) saying it was reforming to exterminate [read more]

Honduras: Tensions High as Zelaya Returns

Date: September 24th, 2009 |

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Deposed and exiled President Manuel Zelaya snuck back into the country and took shelter in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, where thousands of supporters rallied Sept. 22 and were dispersed by soldiers firing tear gas. The airport was closed, a curfew was imposed, and one person was killed in the violence. Neither Zelaya nor the [read more]

Guatemala: Armed Robberies of Tourists on Acatenango Volcano

Date: July 30th, 2009 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City reported that two separate tourist groups hiking the Acatenango Volcano in Chimaltenango in July were attacked under similar circumstances. As many as six gunmen robbed both groups. In at least one incident the gunmen attempted a sexual assault, and in the other they shot the armed escorts accompanying the [read more]

Nicaragua: Crime Up in Managua and Other Cities

Date: June 24th, 2009 |

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Express kidnappings have increased in the past year, with incidents involving Americans in several cities. In many cases the victims accepted assistance to find or share a taxi and then were held at knife point until they surrendered their cash and valuables. Some victims were assaulted this way, then driven to ATMs to withdraw cash. [read more]

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