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☆ Several Hundred Honduran Migrants Prepare to Travel North - Local Media
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Several hundred migrants have gathered at a bus terminal in northern Honduras in preparation to head towards the United States, local television reported on Friday, seeking to flee poverty and a lack of jobs in the Central American nation. Hoy Mismo news channel estimated that about 300 people had gathered at the Gran Terminal bus station in the northern city of San Pedro Sula, largely young people and families holding children. The caravan, expected to leave on Saturday, would mark the first such group of Honduran migrants traveling north during the administration of leftist President Xiomara Castro, who took office at the start of 2022. The government of Honduras estimates that about 64% of the country's 10 million inhabitants live in poverty. The Honduras migration and security ministries did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Hoy, San Pedro Sula, Xiomara Castro, Wilfredo Bonilla, Gustavo Palencia, Sarah Morland, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Central, Gran Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, United States, Central American, San Pedro

☆ Thousands in Honduras march in anti-government protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Gustavo Palencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TEGUCIGALPA, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Thousands of people took to the streets of the Honduran capital on Saturday in anti-government protests against leftist President Xiomara Castro, angered by attempts to engineer what they say is an unconstitutional power grab. In a demonstration sponsored by opposition parties, protesters in the Central American country accused the Castro government of seeking to transform Honduras by hand picking public officials. Roughly 10,000 people gathered in Tegucigalpa, the capital, according to a Reuters eyewitness, in a march that ended without incident. The opposition protest was sparked after the ruling party elected a new interim chief prosecutor on November 1, without holding a congressional vote. Castro, who was sworn in as Honduras' first woman president in January 2022 and describes herself as a democratic socialist, has sought to strengthen diplomatic relations with the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Persons: Xiomara Castro, Castro, David Chávez, Gustavo Palencia, Lucinda Elliott, Diane Craft Organizations: Central, National Party, Honduran, Castro's Liberty, Refoundation Party, Thomson Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduran, Central American, Honduras, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Tegucigalpa

☆ Honduras seizes nearly half ton of fentanyl in first opioid bust
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Gustavo Palencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TEGUCIGALPA, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Honduran police discovered nearly half a metric ton of the synthetic drug fentanyl hidden in a shipping container, officials said on Wednesday, in the first such seizure of the opioid in the Central American country. Honduras has for years been a transit point for cocaine trafficked from South American nations including Colombia and Bolivia en route to the United States, but its role in the fentanyl trade is poorly understood. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is estimated to be 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. The United States has an opioid epidemic where the CDC recorded 75% of nearly 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021 involved an opioid. Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Writing by David Alire Garcia; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gustavo Sanchez, Sanchez, Juan Orlando Hernandez, Gustavo Palencia, David Alire Garcia, Grant McCool Organizations: Central American, . Security, Cortes, Twitter, Police, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, United, Thomson Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduran, Britain, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Atlantic, Central America, Colombia, Bolivia, United States

☆ Honduras Seizes Nearly Half Ton of Fentanyl in First Opioid Bust
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Gustavo PalenciaTEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduran police discovered nearly half a metric ton of the synthetic drug fentanyl hidden in a shipping container, officials said on Wednesday, in the first such seizure of the opioid in the Central American country. Police are investigating whether Honduras was the ship's final destination, or if it was only meant to be a stop on its way elsewhere, according to officials. Honduras has for years been a transit point for cocaine trafficked from South American nations including Colombia and Bolivia en route to the United States, but its role in the fentanyl trade is poorly understood. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is estimated to be 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. The United States has an opioid epidemic where the CDC recorded 75% of nearly 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021 involved an opioid.

Persons: Gustavo Palencia, Gustavo Sanchez, Sanchez, Juan Orlando Hernandez, David Alire Garcia, Grant McCool Organizations: Gustavo Palencia TEGUCIGALPA, Central American, . Security, Cortes, Twitter, Police, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, United Locations: Honduran, Britain, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Atlantic, Central America, Colombia, Bolivia, United States

☆ Nicaragua pardons, returns 21 Hondurans, including MS-13 gang leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Ismael Lopez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Mara Salvatrucha leader David Elias Campbell Licona, known as "El Viejo Dan", is escorted by Honduras law enforcement officers before being deported to Nicaragua, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, November 5, 2023. Nicaragua also plans to return prisoners to Costa Rica, the government of its southern neighbor said on Saturday. A similar transfer on Oct. 18 involved 43 Honduran prisoners. Campbell Licona had been wanted by Honduran authorities on money laundering and gang charges since 2016, and was captured in Nicaragua in June 2021. Campbell Licona used businesses the gang owned or controlled to launder drug proceeds, including through U.S. banks, U.S. authorities have said.

Persons: Mara Salvatrucha, David Elias Campbell Licona, El, Campbell Licona, Ismael Lopez, Gustavo Palencia, Sarah Kinosian, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Secretaria, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Honduran, Thomson Locations: Honduras, Nicaragua, Tegucigalpa, Seguridad del Gobierno de Honduras, Handout, Rights MANAGUA, Honduran, Costa Rica, Los Angeles, United States, Central America, U.S

☆ Honduras Recalls Ambassador to Israel for Consultations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduras' government is recalling its ambassador to Israel for consultations due to the humanitarian situation affecting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the country's top diplomat announced on social media on Friday. "Amid the grave humanitarian situation the Palestinian civilian population suffers in the Gaza Strip, the government of President Xiomara Castro has decided to immediately call Mr. Roberto Martinez, Ambassador of the Republic of Honduras in Israel, to consultations in Tegucigalpa," Foreign Minister Enrique Reina said on X, formerly known as Twitter. The decision from leftist President Castro's government follows similar moves from likeminded peers in the region earlier in the week. Chile's Gabriel Boric and Colombia's Gustavo Petro also recalled their countries' ambassadors to Israel for consultations over events surrounding the conflict in Gaza, while Bolivia moved to sever diplomatic ties to Israel. (Reporting by Valentine Hilaire and Gustavo Palencia; Editing by Kylie Madry)

Persons: Xiomara Castro, Roberto Martinez, Enrique Reina, Castro's, Chile's Gabriel Boric, Colombia's Gustavo Petro, Valentine Hilaire, Gustavo Palencia, Kylie Madry Organizations: Twitter Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Israel, Gaza, Republic of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Bolivia

☆ Costa Rica, Honduras Agree to End Visa Rules and Ease Trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Earlier this month, Costa Rica introduced mandatory visa requirements for Hondurans seeking to enter, saying the measure was needed to boost security, which prompted reciprocal action from Tegucigalpa. Earlier this year, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves proposed a set of security measures in response to surging crime, including a record-setting pace for murders. Costa Rican police have attributed rising violence to an uptick in international criminal groups trafficking drugs to the United States. Specifically, Costa Ricans seeking to enter Honduras will need a certificate showing their criminal records, while Hondurans seeking to enter Costa Rica will need a certificate detailing any police record. (Reporting by Alvaro Murillo in Costa Rica; Additional reporting by Gustavo Palencia in Tegucigalpa; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Leslie Adler)

Persons: Rodrigo Chaves, Chaves, Xiomara Castro, Gerardo Torres, Alvaro Murillo, Gustavo Palencia, Sarah Morland, David Alire Garcia, Leslie Adler Organizations: JOSE, Central, Costa, Honduran Locations: Costa Rica, Honduras, Central American, Tegucigalpa, Costa Rican, Central America, United States, Costa Ricans

☆ Honduras arrests mayor accused of trafficking cocaine to US
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wilmer Wood, mayor of Brus Laguna, sits after being detained by armed forces on drug trafficking charges, in La Ceiba, Honduras in this undated handout photo released August 27, 2023. Public Ministry of Honduras/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsTEGUCIGALPA, Aug 27 (Reuters) - A mayor in Honduras was arrested on Sunday on charges of working with drug cartels to smuggle 90 tons of cocaine to the United States by boat and plane. He is accused of working with three cartels: Los Piningos, Los Yanez and Los Amador. Galindo said that independently of the three cartels, Wood personally received 30 tons of cocaine and moved it through Honduras so it could be transported to the United States. Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez was extradited to the United States on drugs and weapons charges last year.

Persons: Wilmer Wood, Wilmer Manolo Wood, Jorge Galindo, Los Yanez, Los, Wood, Galindo, Juan Orlando Hernandez, Xiomara Castro, Gustavo Palencia, Sarah Morland Organizations: Public Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Brus Laguna, La Ceiba, Honduras, Handout, Rights TEGUCIGALPA, United States, Nicaragua, Los Amador, Colombia, Central America, Mexico, Atlantic, Tegucigalpa

☆ BRICS expansion hopefuls seek to rebalance world order
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Joe Bavier | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/6] People walk past the Sandton Convention Centre, which will host the upcoming BRICS Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa August 19, 2023. The wealthy West's domination of international bodies, such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank. DEVELOPING WORLD DISCONTENTWhile BRICS has not divulged a full list of expansion candidates, a number of governments have publicly stated their interest. Others want changes at the World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Its BRICS trade has indeed increased steadily since it joined, according to an analysis by the country's Industrial Development Corporation.

Persons: James Oatway, Rob Davies, South, bode, Vladimir Putin, Steven Gruzd, BRICS, Ramón Lobo, Gruzd, Lucinda Elliott, Deisy, Yousef Saba, Gustavo Palencia, Lamine Chikhi, Ahmed Eljechtimi, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Sandton, REUTERS, United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, BRICS, Observers, South African Institute of International Affairs, U.S ., Reuters, United, Emirates, World Trade Organization, Argentine, New Development Bank, Russia, Industrial Development Corporation, South, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, JOHANNESBURG, Iran, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, India, China, Ukraine, Venezuela, Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, United Nations, United States, Montevideo, Caracas, Dubai, Tegucigalpa, Lamine, Algiers, Rabat

But some of its beans, known as unwashed or 'natural' arabicas, have not previously been used for high-end benchmark coffee contracts around the world. Unwashed coffee is so-called because its fruit is left to dry whole before the bean is extracted. He added that relatively little Brazilian coffee ends up in ICE warehouses because it usually fetches higher prices in the physical markets. The two companies declined to comment on whether they had got a mix of semi-washed and unwashed beans certified by ICE. Zooming out to inflation adjusted terms however, coffee prices in 1980 were equivalent to about $8 per lb - a whopping 500% higher than they are today, according to Reuters calculations.

Persons: Juan Carlos Ulate, Dagoberto Suazo, unwashed, Marcio Ferreira, Cecafe, Ferreira, Louis Dreyfus, Pedro Mendoza, Maytaal Angel, Gustavo Palencia, Marcelo Teixeira, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Workers, REUTERS, LONDON, Agricultural, Intercontinental Exchange, Reuters, Producers, IF IT, ICE, Central, Thomson Locations: Grecia, Costa Rica, TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Brazil, America, Africa, Cafetaleras, Colombia, Central America, Peru, Europe, Swiss, Sucafina, U.S, London, Tegucigalpa, New York

☆ US adds Central American ex-presidents, judges, lawmakers to corruption list
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Raul Cortes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Two former Salvadoran presidents - Mauricio Funes, who served from 2009 to 2014, and his successor Salvador Sanchez, whom Washington links to corruption, money laundering and embezzlement of public funds - were added to the list. Guatemala's government meanwhile rejected the accusations on Wednesday, labeling the report "used by the United States to impose its jurisdiction on people abroad, as despicable." It includes ex-officials from the government of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was extradited to the United States over drug trafficking links. Politicians from Honduras' opposition Liberal Party also appear, including Liberal leader Yani Rosenthal, previously convicted of money laundering in the United States. The Nicaraguan section includes all of the country's parliamentary leaders, barring its president, who Washington has already sanctioned, and several judges and directors of Nicaragua's money laundering watchdog.

Persons: Mauricio Funes, Salvador Sanchez, Funes, Sanchez, Daniel Ortega, Brian Nichols, Fredy Orellana, Bernardo Arevalo, Engel, Juan Orlando Hernandez, Yani Rosenthal, Rosenthal, Washington, Raul Cortes, Sofia Menchu, Gustavo Palencia, Nelson Renteria, Sarah Morland, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S . State Department, Salvadoran, Western Hemisphere, Liberal Party, Liberal, Thomson Locations: El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Washington, United States, Mexico City, Sofia, Guatemala City, Tegucigalpa, Nelson, San Salvador

☆ UN experts arrive in Honduras to explore anti-corruption mission installation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TEGUCIGALPA, July 9 (Reuters) - A UN mission of experts arrived in Honduras to examine the establishment of an international anti-corruption mission in the Central American nation, which is plagued by widespread corruption that exacerbates poverty and immigration, Honduran authorities announced Sunday. Leftist President Xiomara Castro pledged during her campaign to install an anti-corruption commission known as the International Commission Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (CICIH). The length of the mission's stay in Honduras to meet with various sectors was not specified. The CICIH would be the second anti-corruption commission to operate in Honduras. The mission left Honduras in 2020 after the OAS failed to reach an agreement with the Hernandez government to extend its stay.

Persons: Xiomara Castro, Eduardo Enrique Reina, Obama, Juan Orlando Hernandez, Hernandez, Gustavo Palencia, Anna, Catherine Brigida, Leslie Adler Organizations: UN, Central, Honduran, International, Corruption, United Nations, Honduran Foreign, Organization of American States, Thomson Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Central American, Honduran, United States

☆ Honduras probes Chinese interest in investing in $20 billion rail line
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Honduras and China have been negotiating a first-ever free trade pact linking their economies. Fredy Cerrato, the Honduran economic development minister, told reporters officials from both countries also discussed infrastructure projects relating to dams and power generation. "We presented (Chinese officials) with the projects that Honduras is interested in getting financed, that are vital for the development of our country," said Cerrato. He added that officials in China, the world's second largest economy, have shown interest in projects developed using both public and private funds. The minister added that proposed train line could be ready in about 15 years.

Persons: Commerce Wang Shouwen, Melvin Redondo, Cerrato, Gustavo Palencia, Kylie Madry, Isabel Woodford, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Commerce, Economic, Palmerola, Foreign Ministry, Central, Thomson Locations: Honduras, Comayagua, TEGUCIGALPA, Honduran, Pacific, China, Central American, Taiwan

☆ Honduras military takes over prisons after dozens die in riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Fredy... Read moreTEGUCIGALPA, June 26 (Reuters) - Honduras' military began taking control of the country's violent prisons on Monday, following a gang dispute that left 46 inmates dead at a women's detention center last week, officials said. Official video showed hundreds of shirtless male inmates, many tattooed and with their heads shaved, arranged on the floor of Honduras' high-security Tamara prison with their arms over their heads, guarded by heavily armed soldiers. In Honduras, some 20,000 inmates coexist in 26 overcrowded prisons, with a United Nations report saying that the country's prisons are 34.2% over capacity. Military police on Monday seized pistols, machine guns, ammunition, magazines and grenades from an area of the Tamara prison occupied by the Barrio 18 gang, Colonel Fernando Munoz told reporters. Reporting by Gustavo Palencia in Tegucigalpa Writing by Valentine Hilaire Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tamara, Xiomara Castro, Jose Manuel Zelaya, Antonio Coello, Fernando Munoz, Gustavo Palencia, Valentine Hilaire, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Military Police, Honduras Armed Forces, REUTERS, El, Defense, Armed Forces, United, Military, Thomson Locations: Honduras, Esperanza, Tegucigalpa, TEGUCIGALPA, United Nations

☆ Curfews imposed after more than 20 killed in north Honduras
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TEGUCIGALPA, June 25 (Reuters) - The Honduran government announced curfews on Sunday in two northern cities after more than 20 people were killed overnight in separate attacks amid escalating violence in the country. President Xiomara Castro announced a 15-day curfew in Choloma between 9 pm and 4 am, effective immediately, and another in San Pedro Sula, effective July 4. There has been a partial state of emergency in parts of Honduras since December in a bid to confront violent gangs and turf wars. The minister, speaking at a press conference, added that 1,000 additional police and military are being sent to the Sula Valley, where Choloma and San Pedro Sul are located. Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Chris Reese and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: curfews, Edgardo Barahona, San Pedro Sulay, Xiomara Castro, Castro, Gustavo Sanchez, San Pedro Sul, Gustavo Palencia, Isabel Woodford, Chris Reese, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Twitter, Security, Thomson Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduran, Choloma, Valle, Sula, San Pedro, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Tegucigalpa

☆ Honduras hands prison control to military police, expands emergency powers after deadly riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TEGUCIGALPA, June 21 (Reuters) - Honduras will return control of most of the country's penal system to the military police for the next year, the Central American country's presidential office said late on Wednesday, a day after a prison riot claimed nearly 50 lives. Honduras will also turn islands hundreds of kilometers off the coast into a penal colony for "highly dangerous" gang leaders, the presidental office said. Castro had promised "drastic measures" to address the deaths at a women's prison, which she attributed to an organized attack by gang members conducted with guards' knowledge. Tuesday's riot likely began in retaliation to recent government measures cracking down on corruption and gang control from within prison walls, authorities said. It also returned control of 21 of the country's 26 prisons to the military police.

Persons: Castro, Mara Salvatrucha, Castro's, Gustavo Palencia, Kylie Madry, Lincoln Organizations: Central American, Police, Thomson Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, United States, El Salvador

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 21 (Reuters) - The death toll from a riot at a women's prison in Honduras rose to 46, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday, as anxious relatives demanded information about the fate of incarcerated family members. Relatives of inmates gathered at the Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social, the 900-person women's penitentiary around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the capital city Tegucigalpa, where gang violence erupted a day earlier. Identifying victims is a challenge, as many of which were "charred or reduced" to ash, according to Yuri Mora, spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office. The riot had been planned by gang members with guards' knowledge, Honduran President Xiomara Castro said on Twitter on Tuesday, saying she would take "drastic measures" to address the deaths. [1/5]Security forces operate outside the Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social (CEFAS) women prison following a deadly riot in Tamara, on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 20, 2023.

Persons: Yuri Mora, Xiomara Castro, Angel Garcia, Fredy Rodriguez, Garcia, Mara Salvatrucha, Miguel Martinez, Julissa Villanueva, El, Gustavo Palencia, Brendan O'Boyle, Valentine Hillaire, Daina Beth Solomon, Alistair Bell Organizations: Centro Femenino de, Twitter, Security, REUTERS, Central America, Thomson Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Tamara, Los Angeles, Central, El Salvador

☆ 25 dead following reported riot in women's prison in Honduras
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Security forces operate outside the Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social (CEFAS) women prison following a deadly riot in Tamara, on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 20, 2023. REUTERS/Fredy RodriguezTEGUCIGALPA, June 20 (Reuters) - Honduran authorities have discovered 25 charred bodies in a women's prison, a spokesperson from the public prosecutors' office said on Tuesday after a reported prison riot. Authorities are working to identify the bodies, spokesperson Yuri Mora said, amid local media reports that a riot had broken out in the Centro Femenino de Adaptación Social (CEFAS) prison, a women's penitentiary around 20 kilometers from the capital city Tegucigalpa. There is a history of deadly prison incidents in Honduras, with 18 inmates reportedly killed in a gang fight in a penitentiary in 2019, and over 350 dying in a fire in 2012. Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Writing by Isabel Woodford; editing by Stephen EisenhammerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fredy Rodriguez, Yuri Mora, Gustavo Palencia, Isabel Woodford, Stephen Eisenhammer Organizations: Security, Centro Femenino de, REUTERS, Fredy, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Tamara, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Fredy Rodriguez TEGUCIGALPA

☆ IMF sees Honduran economic growth slowing to about 3% in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TEGUCIGALPA, June 16 (Reuters) - Honduran economic growth is seen slowing to about 3% in 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated in a statement issued on Friday, pointing to fewer remittances and pressures on the energy and farm sectors stemming from drought conditions. Honduran authorities said earlier this week they would begin rationing electricity due to the drought's impact on the country's hydroelectric plants. A drought linked to El Nino weather phenomenon is affecting much of Central America and is expected to cut into the region's harvests. "Honduras remains one of the world's most vulnerable countries to climate disasters, with sizeable adaptation investment needs," the IMF statement said. Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by David Alire GarciaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gustavo Palencia, Valentine Hilaire, David Alire Garcia Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Central, IMF, Thomson Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduran, Nino, Central America, Honduras

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - A Miami-based digital marketing firm was behind a series of covert political influence operations in Latin America over the last year, Facebook-owner Meta (META.O) said this week, a rare exposé of an apparent U.S.-based misinformation-for-hire outfit. "It's a classic pattern that you tend to see with for-hire influence operations," said Ben Nimmo, Meta's Global Threat Intelligence Lead. Meta says it regularly takes down disinformation and misinformation operations in order to maintain the integrity of its platform. Twitter said in a September 2022 blog that it had shared datasets about influence operations with Cazadores. Former Twitter employees told Reuters in January that most of the staff involved in the TMRC had since left and Reuters could not determine if it was still operational.

☆ Exclusive: Mexican firm seeks $380 million from Honduras over blocked unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Valentine Hilaire | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MEXICO CITY, April 14 (Reuters) - Mexican investment firm JLL Capital, whose Honduran operation has been blocked since 2018 in a local dispute, is seeking some $380 million from the Central American country in arbitration proceedings, claiming that it violated foreign investment protections, documents reviewed by Reuters show. The invitations were properly handled, countered Daniel Garcia Barragan of the law firm Garcia Barragan Abogados representing JLL last week. This is the second claim against Honduras submitted to World Bank's ICSID this year, its website shows. Some analysts say this casts doubt on the Central American nation's ability to attract foreign investment. Executives had planned to expand operations to Guatemala, but pulled the plug due to its legal troubles in Honduras.

☆ Honduras again extends emergency powers to fight violent gangs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TEGUCIGALPA, April 7 (Reuters) - Honduras' government on Friday extended until late May emergency powers that suspend some constitutional rights, part of an anti-gang push implemented by leftist President Xiomara Castro in the Central American country's largest cities. Earlier this week, Castro's government deployed soldiers across the nation to fight violent criminal groups. This is the third extension - this time by another 45 days - of the so-called state of exception that is now set to expire on May 21, the government said in a statement. "This legal measure has made it possible for security authorities to capture more than a hundred members of criminal organizations," the statement added. Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Honduras deploys hundreds of military agents to fight crime
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TEGUCIGALPA, April 3 (Reuters) - Honduras' government deployed soldiers across the country as part of a plan to fight criminal groups, authorities said Monday, with official images showing hundreds of soldiers being commissioned for the project. "In this new stage we have the task of ending drug trafficking, crime and also capturing the leaders of maras (violent street gangs) and gangs. We will guarantee peace for the life of the Honduran people," Defense Minister Jose Manuel Zelaya said at a ceremony. The state of emergency, which suspends some constitutional rights, is set to last until April 20. Honduras registers an average of 10 homicides a day, according to security authorities.

☆ Honduras President Castro to visit China after cutting Taiwan ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TEGUCIGALPA, March 29 (Reuters) - Honduran President Xiomara Castro will travel to China "soon," the Honduran foreign ministry said on Twitter on Wednesday, without providing a date for the trip. The announcement came days after China established diplomatic ties with Honduras as the Central American country ended its decades-long relationship with Taiwan. Honduras' foreign minister traveled to China last week, days after Castro tweeted her government would seek to open relations with Beijing, which officially established ties with Honduras on Sunday. Taiwan, left with diplomatic relations with only 13 countries, accused Honduras of demanding exorbitant sums before severing ties. Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan told to vacate embassy in Honduras after ties severed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A vehicle leaves the Taiwan Embassy after Honduras has given Taiwan 30 days to vacate its embassy after severing relations with Taiwan in favor of China, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras March 26, 2023. REUTERS/Fredy RodriguezTEGUCIGALPA , March 27 (Reuters) - Taiwan must vacate its embassy in Honduras' capital Tegucigalpa in 30 days, a senior Honduran official said on Monday, after President Xiomara Castro severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China in a bid for more assistance from the Asian giant. China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taipei strongly rejects. Taipei's embassy in the leafy Palmira neighborhood was for years one of the Central American capital's most prominent foreign outposts, as well as the country's second-biggest embassy after the U.S. embassy. The move left Taiwan with only 13 formal allies, mostly poor and developing countries in Central America, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

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