Central America

Six officials detained for misusing municipal funds in Honduras, luxury goods found

The Honduran Public Prosecutor’s Office reported on Tuesday the arrest of six individuals accused of being part of a network led from prison by a former mayor of San Marcos, in the department of Santa Bárbara, who allegedly diverted millions in public funds for personal enrichment.

The arrests were carried out by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Transparency and Combating Public Corruption (FETCCOP) Northern Region, with support from the Technical Agency for Criminal Investigation (ATIC) and the Military Police for Public Order (PMOP), during raids linked to an investigation into the embezzlement of public funds, according to a statement from the Honduran Prosecutor’s Office.

Those arrested include:

Jesús Alberto Hernández, Head of Municipal Development and San Marcos mayoral candidate
Sandra Perdomo, councilwoman and wife of former mayor Pedro Aguilar
Dania Iveth Villalvir, municipal treasurer
Ada Lizeth Pineda, municipal auditor
Lourdes Borjas Maldonado, head of personnel
Elisa Castellanos, municipal accountant

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the network manipulated municipal documents and accounts, authorized irregular payments, acquired luxury goods, and collected bribes in exchange for inflated contracts.

The operation was directed from prison by former mayor Pedro Aguilar, of the minor party Alianza Patriótica, who is currently under investigation for alleged ties to drug traffickers convicted in the United States.

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250901_vacunacion_vsr-728x90

20250901_minsal_tetra_-728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

Since 2023, the former mayor managed the organization by phone, despite being legally barred from public office and incarcerated at the Támara Penal Center, north of Tegucigalpa.

Investigations reveal that the network planned and used millions from the municipal budget to benefit Hernández, as well as acquiring two luxury vehicles, a home, firearms, and making a fake purchase of backpacks for social projects that were never delivered to the community.

All those involved face charges of abuse of functions, criminal association, money laundering, and complicity in embezzlement for the mismanagement of public assets, according to the Honduran Prosecutor’s Office.

Central America

Panamanian farms take action to reduce jaguar attacks and promote coexistence

A growing number of farms in Panama are taking steps to reduce jaguar attacks on livestock, showing that coexistence between humans and these American felines is possible, a UN agency said on Friday.

The jaguar (Panthera onca) holds a prominent place in Mayan and Aztec mythology, but many farmers kill them after livestock attacks.

Ninety-six percent of jaguar deaths in Panama from 1989 to 2019 occurred following attacks on livestock, according to the NGO Fundación Yaguará. Additionally, the prized jaguar hide made them targets for poachers, causing the population to decline by 20 to 25% since 2000, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

“Conserving the jaguar is not just about protecting an iconic species; it also involves safeguarding and restoring critical ecosystems, and improving water management and biodiversity,” Juan Bello, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), told AFP.

Fundación Yaguará, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and UNEP are running a program to “reduce conflicts between communities and wildlife” in Panama.

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250901_vacunacion_vsr-728x90

20250901_minsal_tetra_-728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

Through this innovative project, many farms have adopted measures to reduce livestock attacks and avoid retaliatory killings of jaguars, demonstrating that coexistence is indeed possible.

Central America

Police confirm multiple victims and fire after church shooting in Grand Blanc, Michigan

A new mass shooting shook the United States this Sunday, this time at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintslocated on McCandlish Rd. in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

The Grand Blanc Township Police Department confirmed that there were multiple victims, though their identities and the extent of their injuries have not yet been disclosed. Authorities have not specified whether there are fatalities.

According to the official report, the attacker “is down” and the threat has been neutralized.

“There are multiple victims, and the shooter is down. There is NO threat to the public at this time. The church is actively on fire,” the department said in a statement.

In addition to the shooting, a fire is consuming the temple, prompting police to urge residents to avoid the area as emergency operations continue.

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250901_vacunacion_vsr-728x90

20250901_minsal_tetra_-728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

Central America

Bukele and Trump highlight joint fight against gangs and terrorism

U.S. President Donald Trump thanked the Government of El Salvador for its collaboration in imprisoning criminals who had entered U.S. territory irregularly. The Republican leader acknowledged the work of his ally during his address at the 80th United Nations General Assembly taking place this week in New York.

“I want to thank El Salvador for the successful and professional work it has done in receiving and imprisoning so many criminals who entered our country. Under the previous administration [of Joe Biden], the numbers reached record levels, and now we are expelling them all,” Trump stated.

For his part, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele expressed his gratitude to the U.S. leader for his remarks and for officially designating the 18th Street gang as a terrorist group.

“In El Salvador, we had already taken that step by formally labeling them terrorists, and although some organizations have criticized us, the majority of their members are currently imprisoned at Cecot, the Terrorism Confinement Center, designed specifically to confront these threats,” Bukele said.

He added that both countries share a common vision in the fight against terrorism. “We are convinced that cooperation between our nations is key to eradicating these criminal structures and ensuring a future of peace and security for our people,” Bukele emphasized.