El Salvador Declares First Environmental State Of Emergency

Years after neighbors of a now defunct battery factory first began airing concerns about toxic lead pollution, the Salvadoran government has finally declared a state of “Environmental Emergency.” Long overdue, the declaration – the first of its kind in El Salvador’s history – is “better late than never” for residents of San Juan Opico, where dangerous levels of the heavy metal have sickened well over 100 children.

Chile’s Piñera Pulls Plug On “Barrancones” Power Plant

Six months into his presidency, Sebastián Piñera – Chile’s first conservative head of state since dictator Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) – continues to prove a penchant for perplexing his more liberal opponents.

Chile: Mapuche Strikers Hungry For Justice

Nearly two months into a dangerous hunger strike, more than 30 indigenous Mapuche prisoners are struggling to gain national attention at a time when all eyes have been focused north, to the desert city of Copiapó, where another group of Chilean men, buried by an Aug. 5 mine collapse, are also struggling for survival. 

Nicaragua Opposition Shuffles Deck Ahead Of 2011 Election

With just over a year to go before the next presidential election, Nicaragua’s deeply divided opposition is scrambling for a viable formula to unseat powerful if not entirely popular President Daniel Ortega of the Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN).