Central America & the Caribbean

"On Monday authorities in Honduras arrested four people in connection with the murder of influential environmental activist Berta Cáceres two months ago."

"Gustavo Castro was the sole witness to the murder on March 3 of Honduran activist Berta Cáceres. ... Last week he spoke by phone to The Intercept about the night of the murder and the reasons why environmental activism in Latin America is so dangerous."

"AES Corp. settled a lawsuit accusing the power-generating company of allowing one of its units to dump coal ash on beaches in the Dominican Republic, which allegedly caused a spate of birth defects in children."

"Four men have been found guilty in Costa Rica for the killing of a sea turtle conservationist in 2013. The chief of a three-judge panel said the slaying of Jairo Mora Sandoval, who worked for a green group called Widecast, was tied to his activism in a war 'between poachers and environmentalists on the beach.'"

"The Panama Canal will next month impose new draft restrictions on ships due to falling water levels at nearby lakes that form part of the waterway, the authority that administers the canal said in a statement on Monday."

"When will it stop? Nelson Garcia, a member of the same Indigenous rights group as murdered activist Berta Caceres, has been assassinated in Honduras, local media reported Tuesday."

"Honduran environmentalist leader and winner of the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize Berta Caceres has been shot dead at her home in the town of La Esperanza. Caceres was killed early on Thursday by two assailants who broke into her home, a member of her group, the Indian Council of People's Organizations of Honduras, said."

"The World Health Organization says it expects the Zika virus to spread to every country in the Western Hemisphere except Canada."

"Construction work on a controversial canal that would link the Pacific Ocean with the Caribbean via an overland route across Nicaragua and through Central America’s largest lake has been postponed until late 2016, says the company behind the project."

"The United States and Cuba signed an agreement Wednesday to join forces and protect the vast array of fish and corals they share as countries separated by just 90 miles (140 kilometers), the first environmental accord since announcing plans to renew diplomatic relations."