Central America

Xiomara Castro becomes first woman president of Honduras

AFP

Leftist Xiomara Castro was sworn in Thursday as the first woman president of Honduras, vowing to reform the crime- and poverty-stricken nation into a “socialist and democratic state.”

Castro, 62, took the oath at a massive ceremony attended by international dignitaries after an embarrassing week of fighting within her party that challenged her authority.

In her first official address at the Tegucigalpa National Stadium, Castro denounced “the social and economic tragedy confronting Honduras” and promised to make work of improving education, healthcare, security and employment.

She said she was inheriting a “bankrupt” country which she intended to reshape into a “socialist and democratic state.”

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Honduras’s public debt is about $17 billion.

The oath was sworn before Judge Karla Romero, flanked by Castro’s choice of Congress president, Luis Redondo, who draped the presidential sash over his new boss before a crowd of about 29,000.

The guests included US Vice President Kamala Harris, King Felipe VI of Spain and Taiwan Vice President William Lai.

– ’12 years of struggle’ –

Castro’s election last November brought an end to 12 years of right-wing National Party (PN) rule that followed the ousting of her husband Manuel Zelaya as president in a 2009 coup.

“Twelve years of struggle, 12 years of resistance. Today the people’s government begins,” Castro said on Twitter Thursday.

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But the lead-up to the swearing-in was marred by a disruptive rivalry within her Libre party, which is in a majority alliance in Congress.

Libre factions split on who should be the legislature’s new president, coming to blows in the Congress chamber and then holding rival inaugural sittings.

Castro accused supporters of Redondo’s rival for the Congress presidency, Jorge Calix, of being in cahoots with the PN and other forces she said wanted to undermine her anti-corruption drive.

Juan Orlando Hernandez of the PN, her predecessor, is accused by US prosecutors of protecting drug traffickers in exchange for bribes.

– ‘Everyone wants to leave’ –

Castro assumes office with a full load of tasks ahead of her.

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Hondurans are fleeing the country in droves, often to the United States, in search of work and a better life.

Castro spoke of a poverty rate of 74 percent, a figure she said “in itself explains the caravans of thousands of people of all ages fleeing to the north — Mexico and the United States — looking for a place and a way to survive in spite of the risk to their lives” from gangs and smugglers along the way.

“Everyone wants to leave because there’s no work. If there were more job opportunities here, there would be no need to look for another country,” university student Jensi Davila told AFP in Tegucigalpa.

Adding to the exodus, Honduras’s murder rate is nearly 40 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Among the crowd celebrating Castro’s inauguration, seamstress Esther Lopez expressed hope that the situation “is going to change, because Xiomara has been supporting the cause of the poor for many years and because of ‘Mel’ Zelaya, who was a good president.”

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– Migration talks –

Harris urged Castro to fight corruption, seen as a root cause of Central American migration, in talks after the inauguration ceremony.

The first foreign official to have a bilateral meeting with Castro, Harris welcomed the priority the new president had placed “on countering corruption and impunity, including her intent to request the assistance of the United Nations in establishing an international anti-corruption commission,” a readout from Harris’s office said.

Castro needs international support to renegotiate foreign debt of $11 billion.

It is an issue, according to former prime minister Edgardo Paz, which requires agreement “with the multilateral institutions where Washington has a lot of influence.”

Castro also held a meeting with Lai, who conveyed Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s congratulations to Castro on becoming Honduras’s first woman leader, according to a statement from Tsai’s office.

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Honduras is one of just 14 countries to recognize Taiwan.

China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, has spent decades encouraging the island’s allies to switch sides, with much success.

On the election campaign, Castro vowed to “immediately open diplomatic and commercial relations with mainland China” if she won.

According to the presidential statement, Lai — who came bearing a consignment of Covid-19 prevention supplies — said he invited Castro to visit the self-ruled island, adding that a meeting between Taiwan and Honduras’s first woman presidents would be a historic moment.

Separately, Harris and Lai had a brief exchange at the inauguration, Taiwan’s Central News Agency said, an encounter that will likely stoke US-China tensions.

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They shared “a simple greeting” in which both “spoke briefly,” the agency said.

Their conversation was the first public interaction between US and Taiwanese vice presidents since Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, according to Fan Shih-ping, a political analyst at Taiwan’s National Normal University.

Castro announced part of her cabinet Thursday, with her son Hector Zelaya as private secretary and Jose Manuel Zelaya — her husband’s nephew — as defense minister.

Central America

Panama and Costa Rica strengthen border alliance to combat organized crime

Panama and Costa Rica strengthened a strategic alliance on Saturday aimed at enhancing border security and jointly tackling transnational organized crime, following a high-level bilateral meeting held in Paso Canoas, in Panama’s Chiriquí province, according to Panama’s Ministry of Public Security.

“The effort strengthens digital border control and enables a more effective response to organized crime,” said Frank Abrego, Panama’s Minister of Public Security. He added that “operational integration between both countries increases anticipation and response capacity to threats.”

During the meeting, Abrego and his Costa Rican counterpart, Mario Zamora Cordero, reaffirmed their commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation, particularly in territorial protection and citizen security.

Paso Canoas is a key customs hub in the region, handling goods arriving in Panama through the Panama Canal and the Colón Free Zone, which are then distributed across Central America, as well as regional exports.

Zamora described the meeting as “effective and productive,” emphasizing the importance of sustained police cooperation to confront criminal structures operating in the region.

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As part of the agenda, authorities inaugurated a new operations center for the National Border Service in the Progreso sector. The facility is designed to strengthen monitoring and control through surveillance technologies such as cameras and drones, as well as real-time information sharing between both countries.

Authorities also announced the delivery of eight vehicles to reinforce patrol operations, along with intensified joint operations at key border points.

Officials stated that these measures will increase operational presence, improve response capabilities, and enhance security for border communities.

Both ministers agreed that coordination between Panama and Costa Rica has helped maintain a “calm, stable, and developing” border, and announced further meetings, including one in San José, to advance new security agreements.

In this context, in February 2024, both countries inaugurated the Paso Canoas Integrated Control Center on the Costa Rican side, a 14,000-square-meter facility designed to streamline procedures and manage the daily flow of around 200 cargo trucks and 800 people crossing from Panama.

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The meeting brought together senior officials from both nations’ security forces, who advanced joint strategies to combat threats such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, and smuggling, through coordinated action and intelligence sharing.

This bilateral effort underscores both countries’ commitment to ensuring citizen security and sends a clear message of joint action against organized crime.

Sports

Ancelotti leaves door open for Neymar’s return to Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad

Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, current manager of the Brazil national football team, has opened the door to the possibility of Neymar being included in the final squad for the 2026 World Cup, according to an interview published Saturday by L’Equipe.

“At the moment, he is being evaluated by the Brazilian Football Confederation and by me. He still has two months to prove he has the conditions to play in the next World Cup,” Ancelotti said.

Neymar, 34, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances, was left out of the most recent national team call-up for friendlies against France and Croatia. He is also still working to regain full fitness with Santos FC.

Since returning to his club, Neymar has played only a handful of matches in the Brasileirão and the Copa Sudamericana, including an upcoming match against San Lorenzo on April 28. These games could be key for him to convince Ancelotti ahead of the final squad announcement on May 19.

“Neymar has made and continues to make history in Brazilian football. He is a great talent, and it is normal for people to believe he can help us win the next World Cup,” the Italian coach added.

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When asked whether the former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player must be at full fitness to earn a call-up, Ancelotti admitted he does not have a definitive answer but believes Neymar “is capable of returning to 100%.”

Central America

Seven arrested in Guatemala over disappearance of six near Mexico border

Authorities in Guatemala arrested seven individuals allegedly linked to the disappearance of six Guatemalans, including a 16-year-old minor, according to a police statement.

The arrests took place in the border city of Malacatán, near the nearly 1,000-kilometer frontier shared with Mexico, a region increasingly affected by criminal activity.

Police reported that ten firearms were seized from the suspects, who are believed to be connected to the disappearance of the six victims. According to witness accounts, the missing individuals worked on a farm in Malacatán and were taken away in a vehicle whose license plate matches that of the one used by those detained.

The border area has seen escalating violence involving organized crime groups. In August 2024, following the unprecedented displacement of Mexican farmers into Guatemala to escape clashes between rival drug cartels, both countries agreed to carry out joint security operations along the shared border.

Despite this cooperation, tensions have arisen. On June 8, security forces from the Mexican state of Chiapas crossed into Guatemalan territory during an anti-crime operation that left four suspected criminals dead. The incident prompted a formal protest from Guatemala, after which Mexico issued an apology.