EL SALVADOR: Grenade Blast Kills 1, Injures 17 In San Salvador Video Parlor.

LAHT/ 

    Police report that one was killed and at least 17 others were wounded after a grenade blast at a video-game parlor in downtown San Salvador.
   “Apparently, it has to do with a problem between the (Mara) 18 and the MS (Mara Salvatrucha) gangs,”a spokesman said.
    Gangs are blamed for many rapes, robberies and for  protection rackets that extort “taxes” from bus companies and small businesses.
      Police estimate that some 10,000 gang members operate in El Salvador, most either Mara 18 or Mara Salvatrucha.

EL SALVADOR: Gangs Impose A 72-Hour Bus Shut Down After Law Makes Them Illegal.

BLOG/Jenny Hess/ 1st Person Account:
On transport chaos:
"Fear... it is something I hate but also something that I have yet to overcome in many areas. Today I am seeing how fear reigns in El Salvador in so many ways. I have gleaned a few more facts of what has been going on with the gangs and the buses not running (for 72 hours). This week the government issued a new law making it illegal to be a part of a gang. A person can now be arrested just for being a part of a gang, even if they have never committed a known crime. In response to this ruling, the two dominant gangs in El Salvador (the MS and 18 -- who are stark enemies) have come together and announced that they would not permit buses to circulate for 72 hours. They also warned people to stay off of the roads after 6:30PM."
AND: "Hopefully tomorrow the halt on the buses and the curfew threats will be over and the government will have control over the gangs. I am not sure that the solution will be so easy though and so I continue to pray for peace. For many who lived through the war in El Salvador in the 80's, the curfew is bringing flashbacks of life back then."
For BBC NEWS Account: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11253408

HONDURAS: 1ST UPDATE:Massacre In San Pedro Sula Factory Kills 17, Wounds 3.

LINK CHANGE/LAHT With More Details/ 9 Sept/    
    Three gunmen toting assault rifles invaded a shoe factory in San Pedro Sula killing 17 and wounding 3. An official reported that “No one came out unscathed,” adding that all 20 workers in the factory at the time of the assault were hit. "Apparently the massacre was carried out as part of a turf battle between small-scale drug gangs, given that that neighborhood has conflicts because of the presence of gang members," said a police official.
    Gun battles between drug traffickers and Mara street gangs have been common recently in San Pedro Sula.