isery means "what's new" in garífuna

Honduran daily El Heraldo has published photos of Isery, the brand-new, recently inaugurated, ship-shaped nightclub that has now been closed and confiscated by Honduran and U.S. government authorities. Isery means "what's new" in the Garífuna language. Amazing creativity (and deep pockets) are on display here. This enterprise and all the jobs it would have represented for island people are yet another casualty of the infamous U.S. "war on drugs." I'm not sure if demolishing an allegedly cartel-financed business in a country that desperately needs jobs and development is a "good" thing or a "bad" thing. It is what it is. Perhaps, however, certain Americans (see Donald Trump and his ilk, for example) should not get so upset when demoralized Central Americans migrate illegally to North America in search of opportunities and a better future; when, as can be observed in this instance, the U.S. federal government's own controversial policies are destroying job opportunities down here in Banana Land. Just saying.

Photos: El Heraldo (Spanish)

roatan developer arrested

Honduran authorities say an Italian-Argentine man suspected of running a Mexican drug cartel's local finances has been arrested in the Central American nation. Police spokesman Leonel Sauceda calls Franco Daniel Lombardi the Sinaloa cartel's "financial arm" in Honduras. He adds that U.S. anti-drug agents participated in the "important capture." Sauceda says Lombardi was arrested on the Caribbean island of Roatan on an international warrant. He is suspected of drug trafficking and money laundering.

- New Zealand Herald

roatan's efficient airport

Roatán's Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport ranks 14 in the world for on-time departures, a very important indicator of efficiency in the aviation industry in the country, according to a study published by Flight View in May this year. As a result of the delivery of real-time flight information in Honduras, Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport appears with 85.7% efficiency in on-time departures of its total number of flights per month.

The study includes 860 airports worldwide. Importantly, the first 13 places in this ranking are occupied by European airports, the Honduran airport being the first in the Americas to excel in that category. Aeropuertos de Honduras executives highlighted the fact that the Roatan International Airport appears in the top 14 places in this table, since such recognition improves operational and marketing capabilities.

"Appearing in this global ranking is a recognition of the efforts of Aeropuertos de Honduras in the availability of resources and infrastructure; additionally it is evidence of planning, organization and coordination between Roatan airport and various operational managers,” said Shanna Ebanks, airport manager.

- translated from Diario La Prensa [en español]