El Salvador Rings Off Entire Region to Battle Gangs El Salvador's security forces have surrounded the rural Cabañas department, adjacent to Honduras, to block gangs from leaving the region and to disrupt their supply chains following an attack over the weekend that injured two police officers. Politics
Panama: Record Number of Migrants Cross Treacherous Darién Gap Panamanian authorities on Monday announced that nearly 250K people have crossed the treacherous Darién Gap — a dense jungle area separating South and Central America — in the first seven months of 2023. Social issues
Nicaragua Frees Hundreds of Prisoners, Deports Them to US Nicaragua's government on Thursday freed 222 dissident prisoners and deported them to the US in an unexpected operation that reportedly came as they were stripped of their political rights and citizenship after being declared 'traitors.'... Nicaragua
Guantánamo Detainee Freed to Belize Majid Khan, a former al-Qaeda courier turned US government witness, has been transferred from the US-run detention facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to Belize, nearly a year after he finished his sentence. Cuba
Sons of Ex-Panamanian President Released from Prison Two sons of former Panamanian Pres. Ricardo Martinell on Wednesday returned to Panama after serving three years in prison in the US for money laundering in a case related to the Odebrecht construction firm scandal. Panama
Attorneys: Usain Bolt Lost $12M In Alleged Scam On Wednesday, lawyers for world-record sprinter Usain Bolt revealed that more than $12.7M is missing from his account with Jamaican private investment firm Stocks & Securities Limited (SSL), threatening civil and criminal action if the money isn't returned within 10 days. Sports
Sint Maarten to Cull Entire Vervet Monkeys Population In the eastern Caribbean, the government of Sint Maarten has approved a plan to exterminate its entire population of vervet monkeys, a species deemed invasive on the Dutch territorial island. Social issues
FTX's Bankman-Fried Released on $250M Bond After agreeing to be extradited from the Bahamas, Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder and former CEO of crypto firm FTX, was released on a $250M bond in his first US court appearance in New York on Thursday. United States
Haiti Prepares Rollout of First Cholera Vaccines The World Health Organization (WHO) and Haitian officials reported on Tuesday that the Haitian government is preparing to initiate a cholera vaccination program this week following the arrival of the initial shipment of vaccines. Health
Report: FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Facing Market Manipulation Inquiry Federal prosecutors in NY are probing FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) over potential market manipulation leading to the collapse of Terraform Lab's cryptocurrencies, TerraUSD and Luna, to benefit FTX and its hedge fund Alameda Research. United States
Haiti: PM Sacks Top Govt. Officials Documents obtained by the Associated Press on Monday have revealed that Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry ordered Justice Minister Berto Dorcé to fire Government Commissioner Jacques Lafontant, and then sacked Dorcé along with Interior Minister Liszt Quitel days later. World
Haitian Party Leader and Lottery Magnate Eric Jean Baptiste Assassinated On Friday, Eric Jean Baptiste, a Haitian center-left party leader and lottery business magnate, was shot and killed when his armored vehicle was ambushed in a suspected gang attack in Port-au-Prince. A bodyguard was also killed in the attack. World
UN: 'Armed Action’ Needed In Haiti Amid Growing Crisis On Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for "armed action" in Haiti, as a weeks-long gang blockade of the Varreaux terminal in Port-au-Prince continues. Guterres said intervention is needed to, "release the port and to allow for a humanitarian corridor to be established." World
Anti-Government Protests Erupt Across Haiti On Monday, at least one person was reportedly killed as anti-government protests and looting erupted throughout Haiti. This comes amid escalating gang violence that has disrupted food and fuel shipments and a burgeoning cholera public health crisis. World
Nicaragua: Catholics Proceed with Mass Despite Government Ban On Sat., Catholics in Nicaragua congregated to celebrate a large-scale mass in the nation's capital, Managua, after the government banned a religious procession meant to mark the closing of the national Marian Congress. Social issues
