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Mexico City is banning stores from packaging goods in plastic non-biodegradable bags. They passed the law in March and signed it in August giving the remainder of retailers who haven't already responded to this new act a year to abide by it. Mexico city is striving for an ambitious recycling program in their fairly new act towards going green. Mexico city has joined other cities around the world by restricting what is said to be one of the most omnipresent types of ocean litter killing marine life. There is some talk by officials that the city may even elect a "bag fee" stating that people could still get the old plastic bag only is they pay for them. Mexico City is trying to make a huge effort to abide by this law of banning bags especially in restaurants, stores and dry cleaners.

This article is about Gen. Sergio Aponte Polito of Mexico, who accused his colleagues of corruption. Aponte heads the anti-drug offensive in Baja California, a state in Mexico. He offered details of specific cases to a local newspaper and named more than one dozen officers, some of them high-ranking officials. The article suggest that there are a countless number of corruptions taking place in Mexico.

In June 2009, Latin American health officials and United Nations bureaucrats agreed to continue implementing "comprehensive sexuality education starting in early childhood" throughout the region, including instruction in the use of condoms and anti-"homophobia" training, at a meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in Jamaica. Their goal is also to fight against sexual discrimination.

The United States Department of State summarizes the international recognition of the problem of narcotics trafficking. In the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report Argentina has become the transit for cocaine and heroin being produced in Colombia, Brazil, and Peru. Although Argentina itself is not a large producer of narcotics it has advanced chemical production facilities that produce the precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit drugs. Since 2005, there has been an increase in seizures, by the Argentinean government, of heroin, coca leaf, chemicals for cocaine production and a drop in marijuana seizures. Political turmoil is brewing at the border of Brazil and Argentina, which threatens the efforts of the international community to combat narcotics trafficking. In addition to the conflict, Argentina is fighting corruption within their government, which enables the large drug cartels mobility to avoid investigation by law enforcement officials.

This article article talks about the uncertain future adoptions from Guatemala have. Nowadays the adoption system is very corrupt and in many cases mothers are forced and bribed to give up her children, rather than needing to give them up. Guatemala is the second largest popular country for adoption, just below China. So, if Guatemala were to discontinue adoptions from the U.S., it would change the structure of the U.S. as well. So, although adoption is not yet closed, officials are advising people to be cautious when planning to adopt from Guatemala.

This is a very recent news about ousted president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya. Honduran lawmakers will not decide whether to restore Zelaya until after upcoming presidential elections, which is on Nov. 29th, the congressional leader said Tuesday, a decision that could undermine international support for the vote. Some say the result of this upcoming election should not be accepted officially because it is held under the interim government.

The United Nations commission issued a summary in 1999 summarizing the claim made by the Guatemalan government that the atrocities committed during the Guatemalan civil wars were carried out by subordinate soldiers; this claim was without foundation. The statements made in the commission's conclusion advocates for a restructuring of the Guatemalan military system as well as the establishment of a commission that is under the president's authority for the purpose of maintaining a just military and observational component that monitors military officials conduct during periods of armed conflict. According to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan the restructuring of the Guatemalan government and military systems is a milestone for Guatemala. Annan further emphasizes the usage of Guatemala as an example for the world as it highlights the importance of nations and governments to recognize history plagued with violence and flagrant violations of human rights because in doing so it will guarantees a smoother path towards peace and stability.

This article is about the possibility of the Vatican getting involved in the Honduran government crisis as a third-party negotiator between ex-Presiden Manuel Zelaya and the current ruling group. The Church in Honduras is seen as a powerful political entity, with graasroots support and a powerful media outlet.

The number of escapes at the Zacatecas prison in Mexico has increased over the past few years to an astronomical number thanks to the escape plans of Zetas, a paramilitary group. By paying off the prison guards, the inmates have been able to smuggle everything from cell phones and designer clothes to prostitutes in and bribe their way to larger cell blocks. The close knit relationship the drug cartel have formed with prison guards and federal officers begs the question: who in Mexico is actually fulfilling their duty to serve the public and protect?

A bolivian man who hijacked a Mexican flight last month claimed to do so in order to deliver Gods message. He claimed that the date 9/9/09 was symbolic of the feared 666, and had to warn the Mexican people.

The article entitled "Guatemala's 'Femicide' Crisis" seeks to explain the implications of the unnecessary and brutal mass killings occurring amongst women in Guatemala mostly by male gangs. Because the killings have exceeded such an unusual extent, it has been deemed a "Femicide", otherwise known as a "Gendercide" or a genocide directed mainly against females. The ages of girls or women discussed in this article being raped, beaten, and murdered range from three year old toddlers to middle aged women. Not only do gangs of men perform these acts for no reason other to establish masculinity within their affinity groups. Moreover, the law enforcement agencies are so corrupt that it was said, "justice imposed by the state is non-existent" and "only two per cent of crimes against women are solved." This article seeks to establish the problem that is still going on even after the forty-year civil war while other chosen articles are determined to look for solutions.

In this video, the author of Reckoning makes a comparison between opening up a mass grave in Guatemala and charging 6 American Bush-era officials for torture. They are both ways of dealing with a recent violent past that and changing the possibilities for the futures of both countries. She also describes the snake dance that she wrote about in Chapter 1 of the book.

This is a good summary of the controversy surrounding Rigoberta Menchu and her influential book that won her a Nobel Peace Prize and made many people aware of the struggle of the Mayan people and the atrocities committed against them by the Guatemalan government. The anthropologist David Stoll challenged Menchu's story, that some parts were fabricated or embellished, and did not match up with other testimonials and official documents. Many supporters of Menchu said that her testimonio is still powerful and true, even if it combines other people's stories with her own life experiences.

In Guatemala City during the weekend of October 19, 2009, vicious attacks were carried out against prison guards that left two officers dead and one wounded. Five suspects have already been detained, however, there have been at least 10 other attacks since September that has left 7 people dead and 8 wounded. It is evident that this violence will continue unless there are drastic changes made. Samuel Logan, an expert on Lain American gangs, says that this prison, which holds some of the worst criminals of their time, can be broken up into two criminal elements: drug lords that deal with large exports and street gangs that sell drugs on a local level. However, these problems exist because the drug trades that did on the outside continue once they are put into prison. The attacks are a result of finding the corrupted officers as well as the intensified rules of what privileges well-behaved inmates are able to achieve, such as cell phone use. Officials continue to try and cut down the attacks and violence that happens against prison guards.

This is a link to former Guatemalan president, Efrain Rios Montt Christian faith organization. He is an official minister of this California based Evangelical church. Montt is former dictator of Guatemala and regarded as one of the country's most brutal leaders, ever. Perhaps his faith shows his humane side or maybe the man is just ashamed of his past and covers it up by being active in the church he found.

This article describes Guatemala's recent election where Alvaro Colom defeated former military general Otto Pérez Molina. He was said to have won because his soft stance on public security in comparison with his opponents.