by the El Reportero’s news services
Latin News report – Soldiers surrounded the national congress in Tegucigalpa on Dec. 11 and well into the small hours of the next day. Inside a decisive majority of legislators voted to dismiss four supreme court (CSJ) magistrates who had ruled two weeks earlier that a law designed to purge the police of corrupt elements was unconstitutional.
In so doing congress, with the tacit approval of President Porfirio Lobo, flouted the Constitution which nowhere confers upon it the power to dismiss CSJ magistrates. Unravelling the twisted skein of Honduran politics suggests that there was far more at play than just this law, and that the inter-institutional tension which resulted in the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya in June 2009 remains unresolved.
Nicaragua plans more investments in main port
Prensa Latina – The Porto of Corinto, the main point where merchandise enter or leave Nicaragua, will undergo improvement worth 2.5 million USD to increase the country’s competitiveness, it was reported today.
According to Executive President of the National Port Business, Virgilio Silva, infrastructure work in 2013 will reach at least 60 million cordobas (some 2.5 million USD).
Investments respond to the purpose of the government of President Daniel Ortega to turn Corinto, in the Pacific Ocean, into one of the best infrastructures for maritime trade in Central America.
We’re (nearly) all middle class now Latin News report – Latin America’s middle class numbered 152 million people as of 2009, up 50 percent from 103 million in 2003, according to a new World Bank report.
Defined in income terms as anyone making between US$10 and US$50 per day, the middle class made up 30 percent of the region’s population in 2009.
Moderate poverty fell from more than 40 percent in 2000 to less than 30 percent in 2010, meaning that 50m Latin Americans escaped poverty over the decade.
More foreigners arrive in Guatemala to celebrate end of Baktun
Prensa Latina – Guatemala is awaiting the arrival today of even more foreigners, here to celebrate the change of calendars on Friday, according to the Mayan calendar, while indigenous organizations have announced they will celebrate this event separately from the government.
According to the estimate provided by Pedro Duchez, director of the Guatemalen Institute of Tourism (Inguat), this country expects nearly 200,000 foreigners to visit in order to celebrate the end of the 13th Baktun.
Some months ago, different indigenous groups expressed their nonconformity with the preparations promoted by the Guatemalan government to celebrate the event. The National Indigenous Observatory criticized the Executive´s multi-million expenditure to promote the celebrations.
According to a government accounting in September, the Ministry of Culture and Sports had spent 26 million quetzals ($3,270,440 USD), while Inguat spent 40 million quetzals ($5,031,446 USD) to prepare the celebration activities.
The 13th Baktun will end on December 21, while many have speculated that date marks the end of the world, according to an apocalyptic interpretation of the Mayan scriptures.
Each Baktun is equivalent to 144,000 days, so in other words, 13 cycles of that type total 1,872,000 days (5,125 years).
