Umaro Sissoco Embalo, the country’s ambassador to Senegal, has arrived in Senegal, the ministry of foreign affairs reported the day after a group of military officers in Guinea-Bissau seized control in a coup.
Embalo arrived in Senegal after authorities engaged with actors in Guinea-Bissau in an effort to extort him, according to a statement released on Thursday night by the country’s foreign ministry.
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Embalo boarded an aircraft that the Senegalese government had authorized, according to the statement.
The Republic of Senegal’s government reiterates its commitment to working with ECOWAS, the African Union, and all relevant partners to promote dialogue, stability, and the establishment of a peaceful, brotherly nation, according to the statement.
After military personnel announced their seizure of “total control” of Guinea-Bissau ahead of the anticipated release of the results of the West African nation’s presidential election, Embalo was removed from office on Wednesday.
Embalo and Fernando Dias, his main rival, had been vying for re-election. Both candidates had won before the preliminary results were released.
Civil society organizations, which claimed the election was unlawful, criticized the main opposition party PAIGC, which was barred from presenting a presidential candidate.
The military officers issued a statement on Wednesday, calling themselves the “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order,” informing viewers that they had ordered the immediate suspension of the electoral process “until further notice.”
Additionally, they mandated an overnight curfew and the closure of Guinea-Bissau’s borders.
General Horta Inta-A, who defended the military takeover, sworn in as the nation’s transitional president on Thursday, claiming that the operation had received “sufficient] evidence to support it.”
However, the coup, one of several that has affected Guinea-Bissau since it seceded from Portugal in 1974, has sparked widespread concern, including from regional bodies.
The African Union Commission’s chair earlier on Thursday urged Embalo and all other detained officials to be released immediately and without condition.
Voters in Honduras, a central American nation, are scheduled to cast ballots for Sunday’s general election because they weigh issues ranging from corruption to national and economic security.
The left-wing Liberty and Refoundation (LIBRE) party’s Xiomara Castro is currently in office for a term, according to law.
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However, it’s anticipated that Castro’s election will be a nail-biter. None of the candidates have a clear lead in the polls despite having swept to the front of the race with a decisive lead.
Rixi Moncada from the LIBRE party, Nasry Asfura from the center-right National Party, and Salvador Nasralla from the center-right Liberal Party.
However, allegations of fraud, election tampering, and andnbsp have jeopardized the election.
Honduras’ political system is still recovering from the effects of a US-backed 2009 military coup that followed a period of repression and contestable elections, according to those allegations.
As a result of mounting political pressure on electoral authorities, widespread allegations of fraud from all political parties, and paralysis in key electoral bodies, according to Juanita Goebertus, director of Human Rights Watch’s Americas division.
“The integrity of the process is genuinely uncertain because of these dynamics.”
What will the results of voting be like, who are the candidates, and what are the election’s stakes? In this brief explanation, we answer all of these questions.
The election will take place when?
On November 30th, a single round of voting will be held for the election. The winner will be announced as the winner on January 25, 2026, with the election date set for January 25.
What is the presidential term?
Each president has the right to hold office for a single four-year term.
Who is able to cast ballots?
About 400, 000 people who live abroad in the United States are eligible to cast a ballot out of about 6.5 million Hondurans. However, that group is only allowed to cast ballots for the president’s nominees.
Hondurans must cast ballots, but those who do not vote are not subject to any fines.
The candidates are who?
The primary rivals in the race have been three of the five presidential candidates.
Rixi Moncada, a close friend of President Castro, who served from 2022 to 2024 as her finance minister and then as her defense secretary, is competing for the left-leaning LIBRE Party.
In May, Moncada resigned to pursue her presidential bid.
She has pledged to “democratize the economy,” fighting against attempts to privatize public services if elected. Her platform also promises stronger corporate corruption protection and greater credit access for small businesses.
Salvador Nasralla, a well-known figure in Honduran politics, is a potential rival. He is running for president for the fourth time as the centrist Liberal Party candidate.
Before resigning in April 2024, Nasralla, a 72-year-old civil engineer, previously held the position of Castro’s vice president.
Nasralla has stated that he will streamline government functions while attempting to integrate informal workers, who make up the majority of the workforce, into the formal sector.
Finally, Nasry “Tito” Asfura is vying to represent the left-leaning National Party.
Asfura, who was previously a mayor and representative for Tegucigalpa’s capital, has stated that he will lead the nation as an “administrator” and “executor” while supporting pro-business initiatives to draw in investors.
Salvador Nasralla’s supporters cheer him at the Liberal Party’s final campaign event on November 23 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
What role did foreign relations play in the election?
Moncada is anticipated to continue her predecessor’s efforts to build stronger ties with nations like China and to support other left-wing figures in the area in terms of international relations.
Both Nasralla and Asfura have pledged to help Honduras stand out from the US and its allies, including Taiwan and Israel.
US President Donald Trump endorsed Asfura on Wednesday, in the waning days of the election.
Trump also criticized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for his role in the establishment of left-wing governments in the region and for his wider campaign against the country’s leader. Trump’s claims have no basis, and the US president has a history of interfering with international politics for the benefit of right-wing allies.
On November 30th, the enchanting country of Honduras will hold its election results. Will Maduro and his Narcoterrorists “take control of another country” like they have done with Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba? Trump’s platform, Truth Social, contained his writings.
Tito Asfura is the man who is fighting Maduro and standing up for democracy.
The polls’ answers: what are they?
No clear frontrunner has emerged despite pre-election surveys indicating that Moncada, Nasralla, and Asfura are in the lead.
According to a survey conducted by the company CID Gallup in September, Nasralla received 27%, Moncada 26%, and Asfura 24. The poll’s margin of error allowed the three candidates to separate their percentages.
In addition, 18% of the survey’s respondents said they were unsure.
Why is it important to maintain election integrity?
Honduras’ fragile democracy has long been plagued by corruption-related issues, and this election season has reinforced those concerns.
For instance, there were “irregularities” in the distribution of election materials during the March primaries, and some polling stations reported long lines, delays, and staff shortages that made the vote last into the night.
The Electoral Justice Tribunal and the National Electoral Council, two of which control the country’s elections, have also been at odds with one another.
For each of the two organizations, Congress chooses the main figures. However, recent investigations have focused on the CNE and the tribunal.
Cossette Lopez, the CNE leader, allegedly planned for an “electoral coup,” and prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into her in October.
Concerns about potential interference by the armed forces have also been raised by the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces asking for a copy of the presidential race’s vote tally sheet.
While the Electoral Justice Tribunal is currently being investigated for voting absent of its members,
The potential for fraud in Sunday’s vote has been raised by both President Castro and opposition figures, thereby heightened scrutiny.
Organizations like Human Rights Watch and the Organization of American States (OAS) have expressed concern about the pressure employed by election officials.
Former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo was given an 11-year, 5-month, and 15-day prison sentence for his efforts to dissolve Congress.
As he battled a third set of impeachment hearings on December 7, 2022, Castillo made the decision on Thursday.
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The first two attempts to remove Castillo from office failed. However, Congress quickly approved his removal after he appeared on television to declare a state of emergency and suspend the legislature because it undermined the rule of law. The following day, he was detained.
Former teacher and union leader Castillo was accused of stoking the state’s accusation of rebellion and conspiracy to attack it for his alleged “self-coup”
Castillo, a left-leaning, socially conservative politician from Peru’s rural north, was sentenced to a maximum sentence of 34 years in prison.
Castillo’s actions were alleged to have been intended to undermine Peru’s Constitution. Castillo, however, refuted the accusations made against him at trial last week. He claimed in his 2022 televised speech that he had simply read out “a document without consequence.”
In recent years, Castillo is one of several presidents who has faced criminal charges and investigations in Peru. In just ten years, the nation has had eight presidents.
Given his working-class roots in Puna, the capital city, he was dubbed the nation’s first “president of the poor” after his surprise victory in the 2021 presidential election. He had never previously held office as president.
His brief, only 16-month tenure was defined by frequent altercations between his top ministers and opposition-led Congress.
Castillo’s arrest in 2022 sparked protests from his rural base, which frequently blocked roads in Peru’s south, especially among his own.
The country’s years-long protests were fueled by the unrest. Former Vice President Dina Boluarte, his successor, oversaw a brutal crackdown on the demonstrations that resulted in the deaths of at least 50 people.
The government is accused of using “disproportionate, indiscriminate, and lethal use of force” in response to the protests by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
In October, Boluarte, the nation’s first female president, was impeached over concerns about rising crime and her behavior-related investigations. Right-wing activist Jose Jeri, who formerly oversaw Peru’s Congress, has taken her place.
The nine-month trial, which was puncted by a diplomatic rift, comes to an end on Thursday with a sentencing.
Betssy Chavel, the former prime minister of Castillo and the former president’s attempt to consolidate power, was granted asylum by the Mexican embassy during the court proceedings.
After that, Peru’s government declared Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum a “persona non grata,” a vocal supporter of Castillo.
Under house arrest, Castillo’s release is a possibility of his sentence. He will remain in Lima’s capital Barbadillo Prison along with several other former presidents. Located next to a police academy, the prison houses convicted leaders who might encounter safety issues in other detention facilities.
Ollanta Humala, who presided over the Barbadillo from 2011 to 2016, was given a 15-year prison sentence this year for money laundering.
Alejandro Toledo, who served between 2001 and 2006, received a 20-year prison sentence last year for accepting bribes. He is also incarcerated.
Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, and Alberta’s premier have reached an agreement that will support the construction of a new oil pipeline to the West Coast while reversing some climate regulations.
In exchange for a commitment by Canada’s top oil-producing province to improve industrial carbon pricing and support a carbon capture and storage project, the federal government will abandon a planned emissions cap on the oil and gas sector and abolish rules on clean electricity.
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Carney is attempting to diversify from the US market, which currently accounts for 90% of Canada’s oil exports, and is counting on the energy sector to help the country weather uncertainty caused by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
He has eased some environmental restrictions that his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, put in place while reaffirming his commitment to achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050.
No private-sector company has committed to building a new pipeline, despite Alberta’s ongoing investigation into the viability of a new crude oil pipeline to British Columbia’s northwest coast in an effort to boost exports to Asia.
Before a private company would consider proposing a new pipeline, pipeline companies and the Alberta government have stated on numerous occasions that significant federal and legislative changes, including removing a federal cap on oil and gas sector emissions and ending a ban on oil tankers off British Columbia’s northern coast, would be necessary.
The federal government has agreed to modify the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act in order to facilitate oil exports to Asia as part of the agreement on Thursday.
David Eby, the premier of British Columbia and a proponent of a new pipeline through his province, said the legislation should continue.
Other pipeline opponents are also making their voices heard. The pipeline project will “never happen,” according to a coalition of indigenous groups in British Columbia this week.
The Trans Mountain pipeline, which is owned by the Canadian government and is currently the only option for delivering Canadian oil directly to Asian markets, tripled last year’s capacity with a 34 billion Canadian dollar ($24.2) expansion.
By April 1st, the federal government and Alberta’s government also announced that they would reach a deal on industrial carbon pricing.
The two also agreed to work together on the development of Canada’s Oil Sands’ Pathways Plus project, which is anticipated to be the largest carbon capture project in the world.
Two Palestinians were filmed shooting them while holding their hands in the air while Israeli soldiers were filming them. During Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank, the men were shot dead. The incident is being investigated by the Israeli army. Nour Odeh of Al Jazeera explains.
According to officials, Sri Lanka’s authorities have stopped passenger trains and closed roads in some areas of the country, resulting in more than 40 deaths.
About 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Colombo, the government’s Disaster Management Center reported on Thursday that 25 of the reported deaths occurred in Badulla and Nuwara Eliya, central Sri Lanka, where tea is grown in a region known as the “mountain valley.”
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The center reported that 10 people had been hurt in the same areas as another 21 people had gone missing as a result of landslides, and that 21 more had gone missing.
Last week, downpours over the weekend, which wreaked havoc by flooding homes, fields, and roads, made the situation worse in Sri Lanka.
Roads have been blocked because reservoirs and rivers have overflowed. According to officials, some important roads connecting the provinces have been closed.
In Badulla, Sri Lanka, people pass a section of a highway that has been severely impacted by a landslide.
After rocks, mud, and trees fell onto railroad tracks in some mountain regions, authorities temporarily suspended trains. Workers were demonstrating how to remove the debris on local television. The tracks have been flooded in some places.
While navy and police used boats to transport residents, local television footage showed an air force helicopter rescuing three people who had been stranded on the roof of a damaged house.
Three people were killed when a car was swept away by floodwaters near the eastern town of Ampara, which was located about 410 kilometers (256 miles) east of Colombo, according to footage from the incident.
The weather-related death toll for this week is highest since June last year, when 26 people died as a result of heavy rain. 17 people died as a result of flooding and landslides in December.
The worst floods of this century occurred in June 2003, killing 254 people.
