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☆ Mexico Joins List of Latin American Nations That Have Elected Female Presidents
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Simon Romero | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The presidential election in the United States this year is, yet again, a contest between two men. But in Latin America, as Mexico’s milestone election showed over the weekend, electing a woman as president has become remarkably routine. Claudia Sheinbaum, who won Mexico’s election in a landslide against another female candidate, Xóchitl Gálvez, joins at least a dozen other women who have served as presidents of Latin American countries since the 1970s. This growing list includes past leaders of two of Latin America’s largest countries, Dilma Rousseff of Brazil and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina, and those in smaller nations like Violeta Chamorro of Nicaragua and Xiomara Castro, the current president of Honduras. The ascension of women to such heights spotlights how some democracies in Latin America that emerged from the ashes of authoritarian rule have proven exceptionally open to tearing down barriers to political representation.

Persons: Claudia Sheinbaum, Xóchitl, Dilma Rousseff, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Violeta Chamorro, Xiomara Castro Locations: United States, Latin America, Brazil, Argentina, Nicaragua, Honduras

☆ 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

☆ Incoming Guatemala President Meets With Taiwanese Officials Ahead of Inauguration
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala's President-elect Bernardo Arevalo met with Taiwan's foreign minister to discuss strengthening commercial ties on Saturday, the Central American nation's incoming government said in a statement. Arevalo has said he aims to expand ties with China while maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The Central American country is one of only 13 nations that maintain diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. Honduras in March ended its decades-long relationship with Taipei in favour of Beijing following the election in late 2021 of Xiomara Castro as president. Herrera met earlier with Wu and Taiwanese Ambassador Miguel Li-jey Tsao to discuss "possibilities of cooperation," according to an earlier statement.

Persons: Bernardo Arevalo, Arevalo, Karin Herrera, Xiomara Castro, Joseph Wu, Arevalo's, Herrera, Wu, Miguel Li, Tsao, Sofia Menchu, Cassandra Garrison, Marguerita Choy, Diane Craft Organizations: GUATEMALA CITY, Central American, The Central, Taiwan's Locations: GUATEMALA, China, Taiwan, Honduras, Taipei, Beijing

☆ 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 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

☆ Conservative women leaders make their entrance at the UN General Assembly
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Stephanie Fillion | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

United Nations CNN —When Jacinda Ardern brought her baby Neve to the United Nations for the 2018 General Assembly, then-New Zealand Prime Minister became an emblematic figure of modern women in politics. But women attending the annual top rendezvous of diplomacy have remained a minority, and the UN General Assembly this year is no different. “This perpetuates the cycle,” Susana Malcorra, a former foreign minister of Argentina and president of Global Women Leaders Voices, said. Of course, not all the women leaders attending UNGA are on the far side of the political spectrum. It was Čaputová’s last General Assembly as president of her country, as she announced a few months ago she won’t seek reelection in 2024 for personal reasons.

Persons: Jacinda Ardern, Neve, ” Susana Malcorra, Katalin Novak, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, “ Meloni, ” Richard Gowan, Katalin Novák, Viktor Orbán, it’s, Novák, Orban, Novak, ”, Mike Segar, Dina Boluarte, Peru’s, Pedro Castillo, Boluarte, UNGA, Zuzana, Maia Sandu, Nataša Pirc Musar, –, Sheikh Hasina, Mia Mottley, Bob Marley, Xiomara Castro, Ursula von der Leyen, Kristalina Georgieva, Ngozi, Natalie Portman Organizations: United Nations CNN, United Nations, Zealand, UN, Assembly, Global, Italian, Ukraine, Crisis, United Nations Security Council, Reuters, Security Council, Slovenia, Big Apple, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization Locations: New York, Argentina, Italy, Ukraine, Slovakia, Moldova, Barbados, New York City, Honduras

☆ 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

☆ Reaction to killing of Ecuador presidential candidate Villavicencio
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

QUITO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - The following are reactions to the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio on Wednesday. Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio speaks during a campaign rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. AMBASSADOR TO ECUADOR MIKE FITZPATRICK"I am deeply dismayed to learn of the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio, presidential candidate and fighter against the corruption and narco-criminals who have done so much damage to Ecuador." PARAGUAY'S PRESIDENT-ELECT SANTIAGO PENA"We repudiate and condemn the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. HONDURAN PRESIDENT XIOMARA CASTRO"We strongly condemn the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, GUILLERMO LASSO, Mayor Intriago, Fernando, RAFAEL CORREA, LUISA GONZALEZ, DANIEL NOBOA AZIN, XAVIER HERVAS, Karen Toro, MIKE FITZPATRICK, SANTIAGO PENA, XIOMARA CASTRO, Alexandra Valencia, Isabel Woodford, Valentine Hilaire, Caroline Pulice, Lincoln Organizations: OF, AMERICAN STATES, REUTERS, U.S, AFFAIRS MINISTRY, Ecuadorian, MINISTRY OF, Thomson Locations: QUITO, OF ECUADOR, Ecuador, Quito, Government, Chile, Ecuadorian Government, Mexico City

☆ 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 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

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

☆ China's Xi says willing to begin free trade talks with Honduras
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Honduran President Xiomara Castro and Chinese President Xi Jinping inspect Chinese honor guards during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 12, 2023. Wang Zhao/Pool via REUTERSBEIJING, June 12 (Reuters) - China is willing to begin talks on a free trade agreement with Honduras "as soon as possible", Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday, during the first visit by the Central American country's president since forming diplomatic ties in March. Honduras' President Xiomara Castro is on a six-day official visit to China. Xi said China will unswervingly develop the friendly relations between the two nations and firmly support Honduras' economic and social development. "One-China principle is the primary premise and political foundation for the establishment of loyal diplomatic relations and the development of bilateral relations," Xi said.

Persons: Xiomara Castro, Xi Jinping, Wang Zhao, Xi, China's, Ella Cao, Liz Lee, Robert Birsel, Sharon Singleton Organizations: of, People, REUTERS, Central American, Central, Thomson Locations: Beijing, REUTERS BEIJING, China, Honduras, Taiwan, Honduran, Taipei, People's Republic of China, United States

☆ Honduras opens embassy in China after cutting ties to Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Lintao Zhang/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoBEIJING, June 11 (Reuters) - Honduras opened an embassy in China on Sunday, Chinese state media reported, after the Central American nation cut diplomatic relations with Taiwan earlier this year. The embassy in Beijing was opened by foreign ministers from the two countries, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Tegucigalpa in March ended its decades-long relationship with Taipei and established diplomatic ties with Beijing. China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory with no right to state-to-state relations, a position Taipei strongly rejects. Taiwan now has formal diplomatic relations with only 13 countries, mostly poor and developing countries in Central America, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Persons: Qin Gang, Eduardo Enrique Reina, Lintao Zhang, Xiomara Castro, Xi, Ellen Zhang, Martin Quin Pollard, William Mallard Organizations: Foreign, Honduras Foreign, Central, CCTV, Pacific, Thomson Locations: Honduras, Diaoyutai, Beijing, China, BEIJING, Central American, Taiwan, Tegucigalpa, Taipei, Central America, Caribbean

☆ Honduras will 'soon' launch trade talks with China as ties deepen
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TEGUCIGALPA, May 12 (Reuters) - Honduras will soon begin talks toward a trade deal with China, the Central American country's top diplomat said on Friday, marking the latest step toward stronger bilateral ties between the two nations after Honduras broke off relations with Taiwan. Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina told reporters at a press conference that the goal is to launch talks "soon" and eventually ink a "free trade" agreement with the Asian giant, the world's second-largest economy. "It will be good news and (offer) opportunities for access to our products to China," said Reina. Reina said that China has also expressed interest in buying Honduran beef and bananas, among other products. In April, the diplomat said Honduras also hopes to reach agreements with China to lighten the nation's debt burden with the support of financial organizations from its new partner.

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.

☆ 33 Democrats urge ban on investor-state dispute provisions in all US trade deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-RhoadesWASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday urged the U.S. Trade Representative and State Department to eliminate investor-state dispute settlement provisions from current and future trade deals and to intervene on behalf of Honduras against a U.S. company's nearly $11 billion claim against the country. In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Trade Representative Katherine Tai seen by Reuters, 33 lawmakers said that investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) systems in trade deals constitute a "problematic corporate handout" that violates countries' sovereignty and democracy rights. The Democrats signing the letter said the case could require impoverished Honduras to pay billions of taxpayer dollars to a company that has "weaponized" the dispute settlement provisions. The dispute settlement provisions had been a way to protect U.S. firms from abrupt changes in trading partners' government policies by providing recourse through arbitration. The letter cited Georgetown University research tallying $27.8 billion in ISDS settlement orders against Latin American governments, with Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, Mexico and Ecuador the worst hit.

☆ 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.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington called self-ruled Taiwan "an inalienable part of China" and said the one-China principle was an "overwhelming trend" internationally. When Taiwan temporarily averted a split with Honduras after President Xiomara Castro took office in January 2022, U.S. State Department officials remained wary. The Biden administration is also keeping a close eye on tiny Belize for any cracks in its Taiwan relationship. Two U.S. officials said Washington was putting less stock in Taiwan maintaining its diplomatic allies in favor of efforts to increase its participation in international organizations. While denied a seat in the United Nations, Taiwan is a member of the WTO and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

☆ 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 'pack up and leave' Honduras after ties severed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Gustavo Palencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 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. China has long argued that democratically ruled Taiwan is part of its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taipei strongly rejects. In his remarks, Garcia said 30 days "is more than enough time to pack up and leave," adding that officials aim for an "orderly, friendly" exit. Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu said 30 days was an "international norm", and that they would comment further later. In its own statement on Monday, the conservative National Party pledged to re-establish ties with Taiwan if it can retake the Honduran presidency in 2026.

☆ 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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