A group of independent U.N. experts expressed concern Friday over the increased use of mercenaries in Honduras, where a de facto president has been in power since a military-led coup in June. The U.N. panel said it received reports that 40 former Colombian paramilitaries had been hired to protect properties and individuals in Honduras since the June 28 coup that ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya. The panel also heard reports that 120 mercenaries from various Latin American countries had ...

The U.S. State Department is calling on Honduras' de facto president to immediately rescind an emergency decree that limits constitutional rights such as freedoms of expression, travel and public congregation. "The freedoms inherent in the suspended rights are inalienable and cannot be limited or restricted without seriously damaging the democratic aspirations of the Honduran people," said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly in a statement late Monday night. Earlier Monday, Roberto Micheletti announced he would repeal the law, but it would ...

Ousted Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya said he and supporters holed up at the Brazilian Embassy were victims of a "neurotoxic" gas attack Friday morning that caused many people to have nose bleeds and breathing difficulties. An official with Brazil's Foreign Ministry told CNN there was some type of gas used in the area but could not confirm it was a nerve agent. Some embassy employees felt minor symptoms, said the official, who did not want his name used because ...

Former President Carter has contacted the de facto president of Honduras to urge a resolution to the crisis in the Central American country. "President Carter has been in touch with the Honduran government to express his concern about the current situation," spokeswoman Deanna Congileo said via e-mail Thursday. "He is not offering himself as a mediator, but rather supporting the mediation of [Costa Rican] President Oscar Arias and the Organization of American States mission." De facto President ...

Deposed Honduran President Jose Manual Zelaya, holed up in the Brazilian Embassy in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, said Thursday that he would stay there "as long as it takes." In an interview with CNN's Rick Sanchez, Zelaya, who was ousted in a June 28 coup, said he had never lost the title of president. "I am the president of Honduras, and I'll stay here in the Brazilian Embassy as long as it takes," he said without elaborating. Zelaya made ...

Honduran police used tear gas Tuesday to disperse supporters of ousted President Manuel Zelaya outside the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, where Zelaya has sought refuge since secretly returning to the country, TV news reports showed. Zelaya had reported the attack during an interview Tuesday with CNN en Espaol. Zelaya and news reports on Telesur TV said several people have been wounded. Those reports could not be independently verified. The Honduran government also has placed sharpshooters near the ...

Ramping up pressure on Honduras' interim government, the United States has revoked the visa of the beleaguered country's leader, a senior Honduran official told CNN en Espanol on Saturday. De facto President Roberto Micheletti and 14 supreme court judges had their visas revoked, said Honduran Foreign Minister Carlos Lopez. Lopez said he, too, lost his visa privileges. The U.S. State Department recently announced that it would pull the visas of members of Honduras' de facto regime. In recent weeks, the ...

Critics of Hugo Chavez marched in cities across the globe Friday, calling the Venezuelan president a dictator and violator of human rights. The largest crowds were in Venezuela, Colombia and Honduras, according to media reports. Smaller crowds came out in other Latin American nations as well as in Europe and the United States. Organizers for the marches, which fomented on social networking Web sites Facebook and Twitter, said turnout was lower than expected. "We are not interested in quantity but ...

The United States is terminating all non-humanitarian aid to the de facto Honduran government to pressure it to return its ousted president to power, the State Department announced Thursday. The State Department also will revoke visas for a number of members and supporters of the de facto government. The move to cut $30 million came as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met for one hour Thursday with ousted Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya, who was seized by the military ...

Honduras suspended diplomatic relations with Argentina on Tuesday in retaliation for having its ambassador expelled from Argentina last week. The move stems from tensions between the two countries over a June 28 military-led coup in which Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya was replaced by congressional leader Roberto Micheletti. When Honduran Ambassador Carmen Eleonora Ortez Williams, who had been appointed by Zelaya, did not protest the coup, Argentina took exception. Most countries in the world -- as well as the United ...