Honduras News - Daily News about Honduras

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has lent US$57mn to Honduras’ Marena program, for priority management of river basins, the director of Marena, Gilberto Guifarro was quoted saying.

The sum will finance the second stage of the country’s hydrographic basin protection program. The stage includes forestry protection and decreasing negative environmental impact on basins, including those on rivers Ulúa, Chamelecón and Golfo de Fonseca, as well as Nacaome river basin, lake Yojoa and El Cajón dam, among others.

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The president of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, said Saturday he had secured the necessary votes from bank governors to approve $37 million in debt relief to 17 poor countries.

“Countries will now be able to put more resources into programs that directly help those who need it most_ the poor who need better education, better health services and great access to clean water, for example,” he said.

Wolfowitz said he needed approval from two–thirds of the members of the 184 nation organization so that the International Development Association, the arm of the bank that makes low interest rate loans, can begin debt relief July 1.

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TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras

The presidents of Honduras and El Salvador stood on their border and shook hands on Tuesday, formally burying a boundary squabble that dates back to a short but bloody 1969 conflict dubbed “The Soccer War.”

Presidents Manuel Zelaya of Honduras and Tony Saca of El Salvador met at the tiny border town of El Poy to ratify their 233 mile border, which had been in dispute since the 1969 “Soccer War” killed some 5,000 people in brief but bloody army skirmishes. Neither side gained a decisive military victory.

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TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras

Honduras led Central America over the last few years in its tough policies against the gangs Mara Salvatrucha and Mara 18, born among Central American immigrants in Los Angeles, but now spread throughout the region. Anyone with a tattoo risked going to jail, and just associating with a gang was a crime.

Newely elected President Manuel Zelaya says he wants to narrowly focus the attack on violent gang leaders, arguing that Mano Dura - Hard Hand - gave rise to death squads, imprisoned countless innocent youths and caused hysteria while doing little to lower the crime rate.

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