Zelaya Returns to Honduras

Regime curtails freedoms as Zelaya remains holed up

(NEWSER) - The interim government in Honduras moved to prevent protests late last night, outlawing public assemblies and giving the army broad new arrest powers. Manuel Zelaya, who has been holed up for a week in Tegucigalpa's Brazilian embassy alongside about 65 family members, has called on his supporters to take to the streets today. The de facto regime also expelled international mediators and called on Brazil to kick Zelaya out, but President Lula said he wouldn't respond to "an ultimatum from a government of coup-mongers." More»

(NEWSER) - Honduras' dicey political situation could come to a head this weekend. Ousted President Manuel Zelaya tells Bloomberg he will return to the country in the next few days, and he expects US support when he does. “Their words are strong,” he said. “We’re going to see now if their actions are strong.” More»

Central American nation isolated as OAS sets ultimatum

(NEWSER) - As thousands of Hondurans protested yesterday in dueling rallies backing both ousted President Manuel Zelaya and the military-backed government that came to power last weekend, the Central American nation grows further isolated, reports the AP. The Pentagon yesterday suspended joint US-Honduran military operations and the World Bank said it was freezing loans. France, Spain, and other nations have recalled their ambassadors, and Honduras' three neighbors have suspended trade. More»

President installed by coup says only invasion will depose him

(NEWSER) - If its deposed president isn’t reinstated within 72 hours, Honduras will be kicked out of the Organization of American States, the group’s secretary-general said today, in the latest sign of Manuel Zelaya’s overwhelming international support. Zelaya spoke before the UN yesterday, and the General Assembly voted by acclamation to demand his restoration. But his newly installed replacement, Roberto Micheletti, says only an invasion will unseat him. More»

Plan to reinstate Zelaya falls apart as deadline passes

(NEWSER) - The US-brokered deal to end the political standoff in Honduras has collapsed, says ousted president Manuel Zelaya, although the interim president installed after Zelaya's ouster doesn't agree even on that. "The accord is dead," Zelaya said from the Brazilian Embassy, where he has been holed up since slipping back into the country last month. "There is no sense in deceiving Hondurans." The deal failed because lawmakers couldn't agree on whether to reinstate Zelaya before elections scheduled for later this month, according to a Zelaya aide. More»