Supporters of ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya planned mass protests to mark the 90th day since his ouster yesterday, as hopes sunk of a rapid solution to the crisis.
The deposed president remained holed up in the Brazilian embassy, along with around 60 people including supporters, journalists and diplomats, in increasingly uncomfortable conditions and surrounded by soldiers.
The UN Security Council on Friday warned the rebel authorities not to harass the embassy, as Zelaya claimed toxic gases had been pumped inside, causing people to vomit.
PHOTO: EPA
Chances for either side to change their positions looked increasingly slim.
Tensions rose after former rancher Zelaya made a surprise return on Monday, almost three months after soldiers sent him away at gunpoint amid a dispute over his plans to change the Constitution.
About 6,000 frustrated Zelaya supporters spilled onto the streets on Friday, passing by rows of soldiers in front of the Brazilian embassy, ahead of larger demonstrations planned yesterday.
“Thanks, Brazil!” shouted some of the red-clad protesters.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday, speaking at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that Zelaya “could stay as long as necessary for his safety in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa.”
Zelaya claimed on Friday that noxious gases were being pumped into the embassy and called on the Red Cross for assistance.
“We have here some 60 people who are trying to breathe in the courtyard. There are people who are vomiting blood. A toxic gas has been disseminated,” he said in a telephone interview.
A police spokesman categorically denied the use of gas.
In New York, the UN Security Council called for the protection of the Brazilian embassy at an emergency meeting.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said the embassy was “virtually under siege.”
The de facto Honduran leaders have insisted the compound will not be taken by force and denied they were responsible for initial power and water cuts.
They also underlined on Friday that they were not ready to meet with a delegation of diplomats hoping to help mediate the crisis.
“Honduran politics are not a threat to international peace and security, and, as a consequence, there should be a Honduran solution” to the stalemate, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The previous day they said they would accept a visit by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias and Panama’s Vice President Juan Carlos Varela as part of a mediation effort.
But Arias told Costa Rican radio on Friday that he was not planning “for the moment” to go to Honduras.
“The preliminary work needs to be done by the [foreign] ministers” of regional countries and representatives of the Organization of American States (OAS), Arias said.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
Two people died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said yesterday. The ship snapped all three of its masts as it collided with the New York City landmark late on Saturday, while onlookers enjoying the balmy spring evening watched in horror. “At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries,” Adams posted on X. Footage shared online showed the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtemoc, its sails furled