Each and every year conditions for journalists are getting more dangerous. So far this year, 44 journalists have been killed, making the year of 2012 potentially the deadliest year for journalists since the International Press Institute began tracking such deaths in 1997, according to the Neiman Journalism Lab. As of May 16^th there is one more journalist to be added to that list: Honduran Radio Journalist, Ángel Alfredo Villatoro.

Villatoro was found dead Tuesday night on a sidewalk in the city of Tegucigalpa. He had a red handkerchief covering his face and was dressed as a special operations police officer at the time he was discovered. He had been kidnapped from his car on May 9^th and had been shot in the head twice, according to police reports.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, also known as the CPJ, Honduran President Porfirio Lobo told journalists that the kidnappers had sent a “proof of life” video with images of Villatoro. However, it was later found out that the images were from Saturday, according to news reports. “News accounts said the journalist’s family had received a demand for ransom. Héctor Ivan Mejía, spokesman for the national police, told  journalists there were many possible theories but that nothing was confirmed and that police would continue to investigate.”

Police are suspecting that the murder of Villatoro was a result of a drug gang retaliation on the government from the recent crackdown on drug cartels. Security Minister Pompeyo made a statement to a local TV station saying, “(Drug gangs) are trying to frighten Honduran society.”

There is good reason for the government to be cracking down on local drug gangs  as Honduras is becoming increasingly used as a transit route to smuggle cocaine from South America into the United States. According to Gustavo Palencia, a reporter with the Huffington Post, “Honduras has the world’s highest murder rate – more than 80 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants last year.”

Police are continuing to investigate the murder of the beloved journalist, but have found no leads for a suspect thus far.

Villatoro was a prominent and well-know Director and radio personality for HRN radio, one of Honduras’s oldest and most listened to radio stations. As the investigation continues, those that loved him most, want to see justice served for the sake of Villatoro and his loved ones.

“We are saddened by the death of journalist Ángel Alfredo Villatoro and send our condolences to his friends, family, and colleagues,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “Honduran authorities must fully investigate this crime and bring those responsible to justice. The deadly cycle of violence against journalists and impunity for these crimes is endangering freedom of expression in Honduras.”

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Five of the 10 most dangerous cities in the world are located in Mexico according to a recent study published at the beginning of the year by the Mexican research group Consejo Ciudadano para la Seguridad Pública y la Justicia Penal (Citizen Council for Public Safety and Criminal Justice).

The study shows that 45 of the 50 cities most violent in the world are in South America and 19 between Mexico and Central America. Five Mexican cities, Torreon, Chihuahua, Acapulco, Juarez and Durango, are in the top 10 most dangerous cities in the world. The Honduran city of San Pedro Sula claimed the unfortunate honor as most dangerous on the list. This position is not surprising since Honduras is a transit country for the majority of cocaine smuggled out of South America. The list also includes American cities such as New Orleans (21st), Detroit (30th), and St. Louis (41st).

Kidnapping, killings, rape and armed robberies are common in Latin-America. In many of these countries, public life is almost paralyzing from the fear of being hit by a stray bullet or being kidnapped.

Jose Cunha, a native Brazilian, explained that, compared to Europe, an everyday routine like going to a cash point to withdraw money is seen by many Latin-Americans with envy. “In my country before we withdraw money from a cash point we have to check several times that the street is clear of danger because we are afraid of being kidnapped or assaulted,” he said.

The report Crime and Violence in Central America: a Development challenge pointed out that crime rates and violence is related to drug cartels’ operations such as turf wars and vendettas between rival gangs. The cartels control the trafficking of drugs from South America to the United States especially , a business that is worth an estimated $13billion a year. The Sinaloa and Los Zetas are the two biggest cartels in terms of geographic presence.

United States is responsible for being the main firearms supplier to Latin American countries.  A Senate report in June 2011, Halting US Firearms Trafficking to Mexico, suggested that some 70% of firearms recovered from Mexican crime scenes in 2009 and 2010 and submitted for tracing came from the US.

A top US military official explained in the report that Mexico’s notoriously violent drug cartels get much of their weapons from stockpiles in Central America left over from conflicts in the region. General Douglas Fraser, head of the US Southern Command, said “there were between 45 million and 80 million weapons circulated in Central America, much of those left over from civil wars and other conflicts”.

Crime and violence related with drug trafficking hampers economic progress in Central America, obliging the states to divert their scarce resources to strengthen law enforcement instead of developing economic activity.

Therefore, many foreign companies or local entrepreneurs are put off to invest in Latin America. As a result, there are fewer jobs and more people, especially young teenagers that choose to enroll into drug cartels. According to the report, it is estimated that around 900 gangs are in Central America and most homicide victims are young men between the ages of 15 and 34.

Serrano Berther and Humberto Pérez, authors of the study, claim that weak criminal justice is the main issue regarding Central America drug trafficking. This weakness limits the efficacy of crime and violence punishment and prevention. “There is a vicious circle in the region where the high crime rates are contributing to weakening the criminal justice system,” they said.

The report suggests setting measures such as more transparent accusatory mechanisms, giving more power to prosecutors, strengthening public defense and changing sentencing mechanisms.

Image Courtesy of   Frontpage / Shutterstock.com

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On February 22, Globeleq Generation Limited (Globeleq), the emerging markets power company, celebrated the inauguration of Honduras’ first wind farm and the largest in the Central American region. The 102 MW Cerro de Hula (CdH) facility started commercial operation in December 2011.

The project was implemented by Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy (GME) which is 70% owned by Globeleq and 30% owned by Mesoamerica Power, a group of Central American investors managed by Mesoamerica. Globeleq is owned by Actis, the leading pan-emerging market private equity firm.

Hosted by GME, the leading renewable energy company in Central America, together with its locally owned entity, Energia Eolica de Honduras, S.A. (EEHSA), the event was attended by the Honduran President Porfirio Lobo, embassy officials from the UK, US, Spain, Costa Rica and Guatemala, key government officials, executive management from international and local organisations involved in the project, contractors, employees and members of the local community in the project area.

Located 24 kms south of the capital, the wind farm supplies the national utility, Empresa Nacional de Energia Electrica (ENEE) through a 100 MW, 20 year power purchase agreement.  CdH will produce more than 360 GWh/year – enough to supply power to 150,000 Honduran households using clean and renewable power.

Mikael Karlsson, Globeleq’s CEO noted:  “Adding clean and renewable wind energy has reduced the country’s reliance on expensive fossil fuels for electricity generation.  The environmental and economic benefits are realised immediately, continuing to reinforce Globeleq’s commitment to sustainable development and lower greenhouse gas emissions.”

CdH is in the final stages of its submission as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol which will enable it to earn carbon credits to sell into the international carbon trading markets. CdH will be the first of wind CDM project in Honduras.

The wind farm was constructed in less than one year and well within budget. “Despite significant logistical and geographical challenges, completion of CdH was due to incredible team work, dedication and commitment by all partners involved in the project,” said Jay Gallegos, Managing Director for Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy.

He added, “The successful commissioning of this project would not have been possible without the strong support and cooperation we’ve received from our contractors, the local communities, ENEE and key members of the government of Honduras.”

Being the first wind park in Honduras, the team can appreciate the pioneering spirit and ingenuity required to reach this significant milestone.  Mikael Karlsson added: “It truly has been a remarkable adventure with many obstacles and challenges overcome to reach commercial operation. Building a large infrastructure project for the first time in an area with extremely difficult terrain certainly brought out the best in the team’s resolve and dedication.”

Commenting on the inauguration, Torbjorn Caesar, Co-Head of Energy at Actis and Chairman of Globeleq said, “Actis is excited to support Globeleq’s efforts in the region and through GME, the company has unrivalled access to investment opportunities in the renewables sector. CdH is a key asset in the region, generating around six per cent of Honduras’ power.”

Using the technology and expertise of the Gamesa Wind US LLC and Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construccion Mexico consortium, crews erected 51 x Gamesa G87 2.0 MW turbines over a project area of 6,500 hectares.

During construction, 650 additional jobs were created and local businesses benefited from the increased activity. Going forward, the local communities and municipalities will receive a package of benefits valued at more than $20 million over the lifetime of the farm due to construction and operation permits and lease agreements with landowners.

Beyond the obvious economic and environmental benefits of the project, the Cerro de Hula wind project has also undertaken many social, environmental and health and safety procedures that have set the standard for the country’s future construction projects.

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Jurgen Klinsmann finally got his first victory as head coach for the United States in a 1-0 win over Honduras, his fourth appearance as head coach for the team. Since taking over from Bob Bradley in July right after the Gold Cup, the United States has tied with Mexico, and lost to Costa Rica and Belgium.

Since these international friendlies are meant to give the crew a chance to experiment with what works and what doesn’t, we saw many positive and negative aspects in the USA-Honduras match that will greatly impact the way the United States national team is shaped in upcoming matches. A list of what worked and did not work with the club includes:

Pros

One thing is for certain about the U.S. team: Clint Dempsey is a key figure and has one of the biggest impacts on the match whenever he is on the field. Dempsey scored his 23^rd international goal late into the first half of the match against Honduras, providing the only goal of the match and victory for the U.S. team.

Being able to work with newcomers such as Brek Shea, along with veterans to international soccer such as Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore, shows his versatility to whatever Klinsmann has in mind for the U.S. national team.

Another thing is for certain about U.S. soccer: our young talent, even though a good amount are coming from the German Bundesliga, is quite effective on the pitch and will grow into formidable players in the years to come. Along with the upcoming stars in the MLS like Brek Shea and Juan Agueldo, four German-American players have been given looks and playing time on the national team.

Such players include Danny Williams from Hoffenheim, Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones, Nuremberg defender Timmy Chandler, and Hoffenheim midfielder Fabian Johnson, sidelined by a neck injury, has been approved by FIFA last month for a switch from Germany to the U.S.

Cons

One of the main concerns with the U.S. national team is their defense. No matter the situation, whether the team is in form or not, the defensive back line is always struggling to keep the opposing team out of their half of the field.

Veteran defenders like Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundalo, who have made close to 100 appearances for their national team, have been through many tactical changes throughout the years. However, the ineffective changes that have happened in the past couple of years have been changes that the defensive line has, so far, been unable to recover from.

Probably the biggest problem that will need to be fixed for the next international friendly is whether the tactics and changes that have been made will be effective once the stars from the starting roster come off the injury list and are inevitable thrown back into the mix up.

MLS star Landon Donovan has been on the injury list due to a sprained right quadriceps, and it is not entirely sure whether or not the tactics that were used in the match against Honduras will be as effective with the top American players in the squad.

Only time will tell if changes in the pros and the cons will help or hinder the U.S. national team in the near future.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/babasteve/

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The CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament wrapped up their quarterfinal matches Sunday and are one step closer to the finals match-up everyone has been looking forward to: United States vs. Mexico.

These two teams were undoubtedly the best in the field coming into the group stage, and are keeping up their reputation as the tournament moves forward. Fans on either side of the border have been patiently waiting for this blockbuster match-up since both teams met their unfortunate fates in the world cup last year.

The United States made their way out of group play, even after a stumble in their 2-1 loss to Panama. The went on to face Jamaica in the quarterfinals, but a solid defensive effort and another good day in net from goalkeeper Tim Howard pushed them on to a semi-finals rematch with Panama. Onlookers believe the U.S. Will bring a better effort this time and prove to be very tough to deal with. They have their eyes fixed on the favorites: Mexico.

Mexico, behind star Manchester United striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, blasted their way through group play with a +13 goal differential. Though Guatemala kept it close in the semi-finals, they were quick work for the Mexican nationals as well. Mexico will match up with Honduras in the next round, but their potent attack should most definitely be enough to put them over the top and into the finals.

If there’s one thing fans must know about tournament soccer, it is in fact that any team can put on a spectacular effort for 90 minutes to beat any other, no matter how improbable it may seem. Panama is the key example. They have already beaten the United States in this very tournament, so obviously there is no guarantee there. In fact, it is tough to even consider the U.S. As a heavy favorite in the match, as they have not looked quite as sharp as they did in 2010.

The favorites do not always win in any sport, but this match-up just seems to want to happen. Hopefully for fans sake, the stars will align, and this heavyweight bout will indeed take place. If both teams can take care of business, expect some serious action on the pitch at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on June 25^th.

dalayo / Shutterstock.com

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Honduras can be categorized as one of the most dangerous countries in Latin American in regards of performing a Journalist career. Since March 2010, eleven journalists have been murdered, and no justice has been made in order to fight against violence and corruption that the country is suffering.

The past Tuesday, journalist Héctor Medina Polanco, was shot to death while he was going to his home. He was a journalist form the Morazán province in Honduras. Two men followed him on a motorcycle, which shot him few meters away from his house. He received four shots, one in his arm and three in his back. With his death, Honduras has summed up to eleven murders to journalist, since the president Porfirio Lobo Sosa assumed his position the 27^th of January 2010.

Honduras is facing a lot of instability and impunity. The death of several journalists leaves the impression of insecurity and corruption. Where the truth wants to be hidden. The violence started to have severe repercussions since 2009, when the president at that time, Manuel Zelaya was thrown out of power threatened with guns.

The family of the reporter claimed that Medina was threatened several times. His figure as a journalist was known nationally. He was the coordinator from the news local channel Omega Visión. He denounced several corruption cases where many functionaries of the town hall were involved. As well as irregularities committed by farmers, who were having land disputes, and also the alleged abuses made by mafias.

Mauricio Handal, the mayor of Morazán, claimed: “It is Illogical”. He assured that he had a friend relationship with the reporter, and he affirmed that he would insist the authorities to investigate the case.

On the other hand, the family just asks that the crime follows consequences and that the investigations do not stop. The reporter brother, Carlos Medina has asked the Presidential Government for some protection, safeness and security for the family.  He also notified that the family has also made a denounced to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Juan Darte, the local police official claimed: “There is nothing clear, about this murdered, there are several versions”.

The director of Reveistazo.com, Claudia Mendoza expressed her position toward these cases of impunity, where several colleges of her have been murdered, and no justice has been made. Her disappointment, and helpless feeling were emitted though these words: “ The impunity is the perfect ally for both authorities: the entrepreneurs and the politics, whom form part of the powerful groups that manage, in any way they please, the justice, the country’s finances, and allow the violation of human rights in Honduras, as well as the liberty of expression and press”.  She also stated that Medina had previously made denounces  in regard of harassment to the authorities, but he continued without any response.

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