Regional News

A Honduran journalist has requested asylum in the US embassy in Tegucigalpa after he said he and his family were repeatedly threatened and attacked. Jose Chinchilla, who works for a radio station in El Progreso in northern Honduras, said his son was injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire outside the family home. More than 20 journalists have been murdered over the past three years in Honduras. None of the crimes has been solved. It is not clear whether the attacks were linked to the victims' professions, but pressure groups say journalists covering rising levels of crime and drug trafficking in Honduras are increasingly at risk. Media reports in Honduras say two gunmen on motorcycles drove past Mr. Chinchilla's home on Friday night opening fire and injuring his 24-year-old son. In May of this year, thousands of people marched in cities across Honduras in protest at the wave of violence against journalists