Central America

Four honduran presidential candidates sign anti-corruption pact ahead of 2025 elections

In a key step toward the November 2025 general elections, four presidential candidates in Honduras signed an agreement on Tuesday pledging to advance a national anti-corruption agenda. The commitments include creating an international commission, reinstating the extradition treaty with the United States, and implementing a comprehensive system for corruption prevention.

The only candidate who did not sign the declaration was Rixi Moncada of the ruling Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre). In contrast, the pact was endorsed by Nasry Asfura (National Party), Salvador Nasralla (Liberal Party), Mario Rivera (Christian Democracy), and Nelson Ávila (PINU-SD). The initiative was spearheaded by the National Anti-Corruption Council (CNA) under the slogan “Honduras First: A Promise That Must Be Kept, A Duty That Must Be Fulfilled.”

During the event, Liberal Party candidate Salvador Nasralla vowed to establish the International Commission Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (CICIH) within his first year in office, ensuring its autonomy and independence. “Honduras loses 100 billion lempiras —$3.81 billion— each year to theft. A single administration can steal up to $15.25 billion. I will put a stop to that,” Nasralla declared.

Mario Rivera of the Christian Democracy Party described the declaration as a “moral pact” and a “declaration of war against the corrupt and shameless individuals who have looted the country.” Nelson Ávila of PINU-SD called for the creation of a national unity government and warned against imposing “dictatorial or exclusionary attitudes.”

The agreement also calls for reactivating the extradition treaty with the U.S., currently suspended, as a key tool in combating drug trafficking and transnational organized crime. It further proposes a national anti-corruption strategy embedded in the state’s structural design, with concrete actions aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability.

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CNA Director Gabriela Castellanos described the commitment as a “turning point,” stressing that the next administration “will have no margin for error or indifference.” She emphasized that leading Honduras will require “moral courage to dismantle power networks that perpetuate looting and impunity,” beyond mere technical capacity.

“The anti-corruption discourse cannot be an excuse for inefficiency in governance,” Castellanos warned, adding that the CNA will continue to expose and monitor “the looting of public resources” with names, faces, and figures.

In the November general elections, Hondurans will elect a president, three vice presidents, 128 members of Congress, 20 representatives to the Central American Parliament, and 298 municipal mayors.

Central America

Panamanian farms take action to reduce jaguar attacks and promote coexistence

A growing number of farms in Panama are taking steps to reduce jaguar attacks on livestock, showing that coexistence between humans and these American felines is possible, a UN agency said on Friday.

The jaguar (Panthera onca) holds a prominent place in Mayan and Aztec mythology, but many farmers kill them after livestock attacks.

Ninety-six percent of jaguar deaths in Panama from 1989 to 2019 occurred following attacks on livestock, according to the NGO Fundación Yaguará. Additionally, the prized jaguar hide made them targets for poachers, causing the population to decline by 20 to 25% since 2000, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

“Conserving the jaguar is not just about protecting an iconic species; it also involves safeguarding and restoring critical ecosystems, and improving water management and biodiversity,” Juan Bello, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), told AFP.

Fundación Yaguará, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and UNEP are running a program to “reduce conflicts between communities and wildlife” in Panama.

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Through this innovative project, many farms have adopted measures to reduce livestock attacks and avoid retaliatory killings of jaguars, demonstrating that coexistence is indeed possible.

Central America

Police confirm multiple victims and fire after church shooting in Grand Blanc, Michigan

A new mass shooting shook the United States this Sunday, this time at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintslocated on McCandlish Rd. in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

The Grand Blanc Township Police Department confirmed that there were multiple victims, though their identities and the extent of their injuries have not yet been disclosed. Authorities have not specified whether there are fatalities.

According to the official report, the attacker “is down” and the threat has been neutralized.

“There are multiple victims, and the shooter is down. There is NO threat to the public at this time. The church is actively on fire,” the department said in a statement.

In addition to the shooting, a fire is consuming the temple, prompting police to urge residents to avoid the area as emergency operations continue.

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Central America

Bukele and Trump highlight joint fight against gangs and terrorism

U.S. President Donald Trump thanked the Government of El Salvador for its collaboration in imprisoning criminals who had entered U.S. territory irregularly. The Republican leader acknowledged the work of his ally during his address at the 80th United Nations General Assembly taking place this week in New York.

“I want to thank El Salvador for the successful and professional work it has done in receiving and imprisoning so many criminals who entered our country. Under the previous administration [of Joe Biden], the numbers reached record levels, and now we are expelling them all,” Trump stated.

For his part, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele expressed his gratitude to the U.S. leader for his remarks and for officially designating the 18th Street gang as a terrorist group.

“In El Salvador, we had already taken that step by formally labeling them terrorists, and although some organizations have criticized us, the majority of their members are currently imprisoned at Cecot, the Terrorism Confinement Center, designed specifically to confront these threats,” Bukele said.

He added that both countries share a common vision in the fight against terrorism. “We are convinced that cooperation between our nations is key to eradicating these criminal structures and ensuring a future of peace and security for our people,” Bukele emphasized.