New Nicaraguan Gold Rush Sparks Local Opposition, State Repression

A recent police crackdown on protesting “guiriseros” (artisan miners) in the central Nicaraguan town of Santo Domingo has raised new questions about the government’s ‘come-on-down’ approach to foreign gold mining firms, which have been raking in riches of late thanks to increased production and soaring prices.

Former Salvadoran President Tony Saca Hoping To Wedge His Way Back Into Power

Ex-President Antonio “Tony” Saca (Wikipedia)

Ex-President Antonio Saca (2004-2009) has maneuvered his way back into political relevancy as head of a new “movement” bent on breaking the duopoly of El Salvador’s primary parties.

During a rally held Feb. 25 in San Salvador, Saca announced plans to represent the nascent Movimiento Unidad in next February’s presidential election, when he will test his luck against popular San Salvador Mayor Norman Quijano of the far-right Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (ARENA) and current Vice-President Salvador Sánchez Cerén of the left-wing Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN). Quijano, who enjoys an early lead in the polls, and Sánchez Cerén, were selected to represent their respective parties late last year.

Calls For “Re-Nationalization” Of Chile’s Privately-Controlled Water Resources

Millions of residents in Santiago were left high and quite literally dry in recent weeks by a series of water service cuts that some Chilean citizens groups and politicians are calling a wakeup call to the perils of privatization.

The first of the disruptions hit the Chilean capital between Jan. 21-22 after flooding from a heavy rainstorm flushed copious amounts of sediment into the Río Maipo, Santiago’s principal source of drinking water. The event forced Aguas Andinas, the city’s primary waterworks company, to temporarily shut three of its treatment plants and thus cut the water supply to an estimated 2 million residents. Complicating matters was the timing of the problem – at the height of the southern summer. Between December and March, daytime temperatures in Santiago regularly top 30˚C (86˚F).

Chile: Breakthrough In Decades-Old Víctor Jara Murder Case

Protected for nearly four decades by a thick wall of military secrecy, a handful of former Chilean soldiers – including a retired army lieutenant currently living in the US – are finally being called to answer for the 1973 torture and murder of famed folk singer Víctor Jara.

Nicaragua’s ‘Femicide Law’ Slow To Produce Results

A gruesome murder case in Nicaragua’s Matagalpa department has brought new attention to what – despite the implementation last year of a much-heralded “femicide law” – remains a serious problem for the Central America nation: violence against women and girls.

El Salvador Continues To Sound The Alarm Over Guatemalan Gold Mine

Desperate to ward off what they claim is a “slow and sure danger” to residents in El Salvador, frustrated opponents of “Cerro Blanco” – a Canadian-owned gold and silver mine under preparation just over the border in Guatemala – are now hoping for help from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

Inter-American Human Rights Court Takes El Salvador To Task Over El Mozote Massacre

An international court ruling on the infamous “El Mozote massacre” of 1981 has put new pressure on Salvadoran authorities to stop turning a blind eye to widespread human rights violations committed during the country’s dozen-year civil war (1980-1992).

Mixed Marks For Nicaragua’s Public Education System

When Nicaragua’s public schools open their doors next month for the new academic year, 2,500 students and an equal number of teachers will show up for their first day of class on shiny new mountain bikes.

Is Piñera, Chile’s First Conservative Leader In Two Decades, Also Its Most Gay-Friendly?

President Sebastián Piñera has proven to be an unlikely ally for Chile’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, most notably by overseeing passage last year of the “Ley Zamudio,” an equal rights law that had been promised – but never delivered – by his more left-wing predecessors. The conservative leader could cement his legacy as a gay rights pioneer by making good on a campaign pledge to legalize same-sex civil unions. With just a year remaining in his term, however, time is running out.

Chile Divided Over Corporate-Friendly Fisheries Bill

Against the objections of artisan fishers, environmental groups and some opposition lawmakers, Chile’s Congress is inching closer toward approving a controversial government-backed overhaul of the country’s fisheries regulations.