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☆ In El Salvador, self-styled ‘world’s coolest dictator’ Nayib Bukele heads for re-election amid human rights concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Employees of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal load boxes containing electoral material for the presidential and legislative elections at the Electoral Organization Directorate in San Marcos, El Salvador, on February 2, 2024. He adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador in 2021 and invited the tech-bros of the world to surf in the Pacific. Under Bukele, El Salvador’s homicide rate has plummeted. So, while El Salvador no longer faces record murder rates, it now boasts the highest incarceration rate in the world. Camilo Freedman/AFP/Getty ImagesA tale of two victimsJackelyne Zelaya does not see the enduring state of emergency as a problem.

Persons: Jocelyn Zelaya, ”, Jackelyne, ” Jackelyne Zelaya, Marcela, Jocelyn, Mara Salvatrucha, Zelaya, “, isn’t, Nayib, Yuri Cortez, Bukele, El, Camilo Freedman, Jackelyne Zelaya, won’t, Maria, tipster, Marvin Reyes, EFE, Guillermo Villatoro, Villatoro, Salvadorean Sandra Hernandez, Jose Dimas Medrano, Stringer, ‘, ’, Ilhan Omar, Samuel Rodriguez of MOVIR, “ Bukele, Daniel Noboa, Latinobarometro, she’s, Maria ’, ” Maria Organizations: CNN, World Bank, El, Employees, Electoral, Getty, FMLN, Civil, Justice Department, Army, “, Congress, Police, National Police, Security Ministry, Human Rights, Democratic, Barrios, Washington DC Locations: San Salvador, Zelaya, El Salvador, American, San Marcos, AFP, America, Latin America, United States, New York, El Salvador’s, Santa Ana, El Rosario, Honduras, WOLA, Washington, Ecuador, El

One focus of the talks was fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that is ravaging America, and in particular ingredients for the drug that are made in China. The U.S. wants China to do more to curb the export of chemicals that it says are processed into fentanyl, largely in Mexico, before the final product is smuggled into the United States. But China refused to discuss cooperation unless the U.S. lifted sanctions on the Public Security Ministry's Institute of Forensic Science. The U.S. quietly agreed to lift the sanctions to get cooperation on fentanyl. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller called it “an appropriate step to take” given what China was willing to do on the trafficking of fentanyl precursors.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Wang Xiaohong, ”, Jen Daskal, Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Wang Yi, Matthew Miller Organizations: BEIJING, Chinese Public Security, U.S ., U.S, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, ., Biden, Senate, Public Security Ministry's Institute of Forensic Science, The Commerce Department, State Department Locations: U.S, America, China, San Francisco, Taiwan, Mexico, United States, Beijing, China’s Xinjiang, The U.S

☆ China, in Comic Strip, Warns of 'Overseas' Threats to Its Rare Earths
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Liz LeeBEIJING (Reuters) - China's chief intelligence agency posted on social media a comic strip featuring foreign-looking characters secretly extracting rare earths, in a story portraying the country's strategic metals under threat from covetous "overseas organisations". No foreign government or agencies were named in the comic strip, and the ministry did not specify any measures to counter foreign "interest" in China's rare earths. It also banned the export of technology to make rare earth magnets, in addition a ban on technology to extract and separate rare earths. The restrictions have fanned fears that the supply of rare earths might ignite tensions with the West, particularly the United States, which accuses China of using economic coercion to influence other countries. The newspaper said the United States, Japan and the European Union, among others, have for a long time "coveted China's rare earth mineral resources".

Persons: Liz Lee BEIJING, Li Baiyang, Liz Lee, Miral Fahmy Organizations: State Security, United, Mining, Times, European Union, Global Times, Nanjing University Locations: China, United States, Beijing, U.S, Japan

☆ Residents of Southern Mexican Town Set Govt Palace on Fire After Police Kill Young Man
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

LERDO DE TEJADA, Mexico (Reuters) - Residents of a Mexican town set fire to the municipal palace overnight on Friday in a violent protest after local police shot a young man in the neck, according to his relatives, after he did not stop his car at a checkpoint. National media reported that police shot dead 27-year-old Brandon Arellano, the son of a local teacher, as he arrived outside his grandmother's house. Residents of Lerdo de Tejada, a town in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, overturned a police car and set it on fire and clashed with police officers at the scene. They also broke windows at the local government palace and set it on fire. (Reporting by Tamara Corro in Veracruz and Raul Cortes in Mexico City; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Persons: LERDO DE, Brandon Arellano, Delfino Arellano, Arellano, Lerdo de Tejada, Tamara Corro, Raul Cortes, Sarah Morland, Chizu Nomiyama Organizations: Authorities Locations: LERDO DE TEJADA, Mexico, Lerdo, Gulf, Veracruz, Mexico City

☆ China finds foreign-funded meteorological observation points in sensitive sites
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Oct 31 (Reuters) - China has discovered illegal foreign government-funded meteorological detection sites around sensitive places including military compounds, its state security ministry said on Tuesday. Some even transmit real-time information to official meteorological agencies overseas at high frequency and at multiple points, it added, calling the stations widely distributed in the country a "hidden risk to national security". The ministry said Chinese national security agencies, together with the meteorological and confidentiality departments, have promptly blocked the country's meteorological data being exported after investigating. The authorities investigated more than 10 overseas meteorological equipment agents, inspected more than 3,000 foreign-related meteorological stations in its crackdown on such sites nationwide. The involved foreign parties, which were unnamed, did not have administrative licence for their activities, had not submitted the meteorological data to Chinese meteorological authorities and transmitted the data overseas without approval, China said.

Persons: Liz Lee, Michael Perry Organizations: Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China

☆ China Finds Foreign-Funded Meteorological Observation Points in Sensitive Sites
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has discovered illegal foreign government-funded meteorological detection sites around sensitive places including military compounds, its state security ministry said on Tuesday. Some even transmit real-time information to official meteorological agencies overseas at high frequency and at multiple points, it added, calling the stations widely distributed in the country a "hidden risk to national security". The ministry said Chinese national security agencies, together with the meteorological and confidentiality departments, have promptly blocked the country's meteorological data being exported after investigating. The authorities investigated more than 10 overseas meteorological equipment agents, inspected more than 3,000 foreign-related meteorological stations in its crackdown on such sites nationwide. The involved foreign parties, which were unnamed, did not have administrative licence for their activities, had not submitted the meteorological data to Chinese meteorological authorities and transmitted the data overseas without approval, China said.

Persons: Liz Lee, Michael Perry Locations: BEIJING, China

☆ Mexico church roof collapses, killing at least nine people
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Reuters —A church roof collapsed during Sunday mass in a northern Mexican city killing at least nine people and injuring 40, authorities said, as rescuers worked into the night, desperately looking for another 30 people believed to be trapped under the rubble. Footage on social media showed the moment the church roof caved in, puffs of gray smoke billowing into the air, followed by the toppling of yellow brick outer walls. Speaking on Foro TV news channel, Cuéllar thanked local businessmen for bringing equipment to help remove rubble and aid rescue efforts. Bishop Jose Armando Alvarez from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tampico said the church roof crumbled as worshipers were receiving communion and asked others to pray for the survivors. “In this moment the necessary work is being carried out to pull out the people who are still under the rumble,” Bishop Armando said in a recorded message shared on social media.

Persons: Jose Luis Tapia, El Sol, Jorge Cuéllar, Cuéllar, Bishop Jose Armando Alvarez, ” Bishop Armando Organizations: Reuters, AP, Security Ministry, Foro, Roman Catholic Locations: Mexican, Ciudad Madero, Tampico, Tamaulipas, Texas

☆ Mexican church roof collapses during Sunday mass killing 9, about 30 others missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, Oct 1 (Reuters) - A church roof collapsed during Sunday mass in a northern Mexican city killing at least nine people and injuring 40, authorities said, as rescuers worked into the night, desperately looking for another 30 people believed to be trapped under the rubble. Footage on social media showed the moment the church roof caved in, puffs of gray smoke billowing into the air, followed by the toppling of yellow brick outer walls. Speaking on Foro TV news channel, Cuéllar thanked local businessmen for bringing equipment to help remove rubble and aid rescue efforts. Bishop Jose Armando Alvarez from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tampico said the church roof crumbled as worshippers were receiving communion and asked others to pray for the survivors. Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Tom Hogue & Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jorge Cuéllar, Cuéllar, Bishop Jose Armando Alvarez, Bishop Armando, Drazen Jorgic, Tom Hogue, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Security Ministry, Foro, Roman Catholic, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Mexican, Ciudad Madero, Tampico, Tamaulipas, Texas

☆ Number of migrants crossing Panama's Darien Gap surpasses 400,000 to record high
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The year-to-date figure of 402,300 migrants is almost double the number for the whole of 2022. The United Nations had estimated in April that the number of migrants for the entire year would be 400,000. Most of the migrants traversing the dangerous stretch of jungle are Venezuelans, with others from Ecuador, Haiti and other countries, Panama's security ministry has said. These measures follow a two-month program launched in April by the United States, Panama and Colombia to tackle undocumented immigration. Some African and Cuban migrants and asylum seekers heading to the United States told Reuters they were flying into Nicaragua to bypass the perils of the Darien Gap.

Persons: Adri, Rodrigo Chaves, Biden, Elida Moreno, Valentine Hilaire, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, United Nations, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Acandi, Colombia, PANAMA, Panama, United States, Ecuador, Haiti, Costa Rica, Darien, Mexico, Nicaragua

☆ Who is Hui Ka Yan, Evergrande's billionaire boss who went from power circles to police surveillance?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Hui Ka Yan, chairman of Evergrande Real Estate Group Ltd, the country's second-largest property developer by sales, attends a news conference on annual results in Hong Kong, China March 29, 2016. A person close to Evergrande said Hui had stopped contacting staff over the past few days, while an industry source said he had become totally inaccessible. Evergrande grew to achieve 700 billion yuan ($95.8 billion) in annual sales by 2020. Outside mainland China, Hui mixed with Hong Kong tycoons. Without the country giving me a scholarship of 14 yuan every month, I could not have completed university," Hui said.

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Bobby Yip, Yan, Hui, Evergrande, Xi Jinping, Cheng, tycoons, Cheng Yu Tung Organizations: Real Estate Group, REUTERS, Chinese Communist Party, China Evergrande, HK, Evergrande, Bloomberg, Reuters, Forbes, Hong, New, Party, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, Tiananmen, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Henan

☆ Pressure piles on Evergrande with chairman under police watch, liquidation risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Shanghai's city skyline as seen from observation deck at Shanghai Tower in China. The chairman of China Evergrande Group has been placed under police surveillance, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, raising more doubts about the embattled developer's future as it also grapples with mounting prospects of liquidation. Citing people with knowledge of the matter, the report said Hui Ka Yan, who founded Evergrande in 1996 in southern Guangzhou city, was taken away by police earlier this month and is being monitored at a designated location. Evergrande, the police department in Guangdong province, whose capital is Guangzhou, and the public security ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Evergrande is the world's most indebted property developer and has been at the center of an unprecedented liquidity crisis in China's property sector, which accounts for roughly a quarter of the world's second-largest economy.

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Hui, Evergrande Organizations: China Evergrande, Bloomberg, Evergrande, Bloomberg News Locations: Shanghai, China, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China's

☆ Costa Rica to declare state of emergency amid migrant surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAN JOSE, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Costa Rica's President Rodrigo Chaves said on Tuesday that he has ordered officials to declare a state of emergency as the number of migrants passing through the small Central American nation has risen sharply. "I have instructed the security ministry to take a firm stance with anyone who takes Costa Rica's kindness for weakness," Chaves said at a press conference, referencing recent riots by migrants crossing the country. So far in September, more than 60,000 people have passed through the Costa Rican border town shared with Panama, Paso Canoas, where fewer than 20,000 people live, another official said. Costa Rica's Chaves will visit Panama in early October to hold discussions on the migrant crisis. Reporting by Alvaro Murillo; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Brendan O'BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Costa, Rodrigo Chaves, Chaves, Costa Rica's Chaves, Alvaro Murillo, Valentine Hilaire, Anthony Esposito, Brendan O'Boyle Organizations: JOSE, Central, Thomson Locations: Costa Rican, Panama, Paso Canoas

☆ Two injured in shootout outside Mexico City airport, flights operating normally
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A member of the security forces stands guard outside the Mexico City International Airport after a suspected robber fired at police, in Mexico City, Mexico, September 12, 2023. REUTERS/Luis Cortes Acquire Licensing RightsMEXICO CITY, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Two people were injured just outside Mexico City International Airport on Tuesday after a suspected robber fired at police, but flights are operating normally, the city government said. A suspected gunman has been arrested, the city's security ministry said in a statement. Carlos Velazquez, the head of the airport - Latin America's busiest - told reporters that the terminal where the incident occurred was operating without interruptions and that passengers were not in danger. Mexico City security minister Pablo Vazquez told local news outlet Milenio that the situation was under control.

Persons: Luis Cortes, Carlos Velazquez, Pablo Vazquez, Carolina Pulice, Lizbeth Diaz, Noe Torres, Raul Cortes, Brendan O'Boyle, Mark Porter Organizations: Mexico City International, REUTERS, Mexico City International Airport, Thomson Locations: Mexico, Mexico City, MEXICO

☆ Panama announces new measures to curb record migration through Darien Gap
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Deportation flights for irregular migrants with criminal records are set to double with the help of the country's security ministry, Panama's immigration institute chief Samira Gozaine said. Official data shows some 352,000 people have crossed the dangerous stretch this year by Sept. 8, already surpassing the record high of nearly 250,000 seen for all of 2022. Panama will also increase financial thresholds at its checkpoints, requiring people expecting to stay 90 days to show proof of funds of at least $1,000, rather than the $500 it previously expected. The United Nations expects crossings through the jungle to surpass 400,000 this year. Reporting by Elida Moreno: Editing by Sarah MorlandOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Samira Gozaine, Elida Moreno, Sarah Morland Organizations: Nicanor Air Base, PANAMA CITY, Authorities, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Choco, Panamanian, Colombia, Darien, Panama, PANAMA

☆ China investigates citizen accused of spying for CIA, security ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Security cameras are seen at the U.S. embassy in Beijing, China July 26, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 21 (Reuters) - China is investigating a Chinese national accused of spying for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the country's state security ministry said on Monday. The 39-year-old Chinese national, surnamed Hao, was a cadre at a ministry and had gone to Japan for studies, which was where the spying recruitment occurred, the ministry said. The statement came less than two weeks after the ministry said it uncovered another national also suspected of spying for the CIA after being recruited in Italy. Relations between the United States and China have soured in recent years over a range of issues, including national security.

Persons: Damir Sagolj, Hao, Ted, Li Jun, Li, Liz Lee, Elaine Lies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Japan, Italy, The U.S, Tokyo, United States, Washington, Shanghai

☆ Panama blasts Colombia for inaction on Darien Gap migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PANAMA CITY, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The head of Panama's migration agency lashed out at Colombia on Friday, slamming its southern neighbor for failure to help control the flow of mostly U.S.-bound migrants passing through the dangerous Darien Gap amid a surge of people traveling north. "For Panama, this is a crisis, but unfortunately with Colombia we have not been able to reach any kind of understanding," Gozaine said in a statement released on Friday. The dense tropical jungle of the 60-mile (97-km) Darien Gap links Panama and Colombia, covering a missing section on the Pan-American highway, which stretches from Alaska to Argentina. Late last month, Panama's security ministry released data showing that the number of individual crossings of the Darien Gap reached an all-time high of nearly 250,000 in the first seven months of the year. "The only thing that Panama can do is manage the flow and permit (migrants) to keep traveling north and try to minimize the damage to Panama," she said.

Persons: Samira Gozaine, Gozaine, Elida Moreno, David Alire Garcia, Tom Hogue Organizations: PANAMA CITY, Panamanian, Pan, Thomson Locations: PANAMA, Colombia, Panama, Darien, Alaska, Argentina, United States

☆ China spy agency’s social media debut calls for ‘all members of society’ to combat espionage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Ministry of State Security oversees intelligence and counterintelligence both within China and overseas. Titled “Countering espionage requires the mobilization of all members of society,” the ministry said national security bodies should keep reporting channels, such as hotlines and online platforms, open to handle reports of suspected espionage within China in a timely manner. But those efforts have gathered pace under Xi Jinping, China’s most assertive and authoritarian leader in a generation who has made state security his top priority. Previous anti-spying driveThere have been multiple previous calls by China for the public to look for potential spies. In June last year, China announced “material rewards” of up to and above 100,000 yuan ($15,000) for tip-offs about people who endanger national security.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, ”, Xi Jinping, Greg Baker, Xiao Li, Li –, David Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, of State Security, CIA, FBI, Group, Bain & Company, Astellas Pharma, Getty Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, American, Shanghai, Japan, AFP

☆ Migration through Panama's perilous Darien Gap hits all-time high
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Elida Moreno | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PANAMA CITY, July 31 (Reuters) - The number of people crossing the treacherous Darien Gap linking Panama and Colombia hit an all-time high in the first seven months of the year, figures released on Monday showed, with July seeing a sharp jump despite recent efforts to curb the trend. Official data showed 248,901 people walked through the jungle area between January and July, already surpassing the record of 248,284 recorded for the whole of 2022, with most aiming to reach the United States, according to data from Panama's Security Ministry. Entries to Panama from Colombia through the jungle region have continued to rise despite a two-month program launched in April by the United States, Panama and Colombia to tackle undocumented immigration. The flow of migrants has skyrocketed from previous years, despite the start of the rainy season, Panama's Security Minister Juan Pino said earlier this month. Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Juan Pino, Maria Saravia, Elida Moreno, Valentine Hilaire, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: PANAMA CITY, Panama's Security, Panama's, United Nations, Thomson Locations: PANAMA, Panama, Colombia, United States, Venezuela, Haiti, Ecuador

☆ China wants to mobilise entire nation in counter-espionage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Aug 1 (Reuters) - China should encourage its citizens to join counter-espionage work, including creating channels for individuals to report suspicious activity as well as commending and rewarding them, the state security ministry said on Tuesday. Australian journalist Cheng Lei, accused by China for providing state secrets to another country, has been detained since September 2020. China's declaration that it is under threat from spies comes as Western nations, most prominently the United States, accuse China of espionage and cyberattacks, a charge that Beijing has rejected. The United States itself is the "empire of hacking," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson has said. In protecting itself from espionage, China would need the participation of its people in building a defence line, the state security ministry wrote in its WeChat post.

Persons: State Security Chen Yixin, Chen, Cheng Lei, Ryan Woo, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: of State Security, State Security, Communist Party of China, Astellas Pharma, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, United States, Beijing

☆ Kidnapped Mexican security staff freed after three-day search
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, June 30 (Reuters) - Sixteen Mexican state security ministry employees were freed on Friday after being kidnapped earlier this week in the southern state of Chiapas, authorities said, following a three-day search. The employees, all men, were kidnapped Tuesday by an armed group on a highway near the state capital of Tuxtla Gutierrez after leaving work, authorities said. More than 1,000 federal and state agents joined the search, and two people were detained earlier this week. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Chiapas' security ministry told Reuters that the employees were not police officers but administration workers, adding, "Nothing like this has ever happened." Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Sarah Morland and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tuxtla Gutierrez, Lizbeth Diaz, Isabel Woodford, Sarah Morland, Leslie Adler Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Chiapas, Tuxtla

☆ China issues draft guidelines to tackle online bullying
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, June 9 (Reuters) - China is canvassing public opinion on draft guidelines to punish cyber violence, authorities said on Friday, as concern grows over online bullying and attacks targeting women and children in the world's largest internet community. Cyber violence, unlike traditional crimes, often aims at strangers so that victims face "extremely high" costs to protect their rights, the guidelines showed, leading to consequences such as social death, insanity and suicides. June 25 is the deadline set for comment on the guidelines drafted jointly by the public security ministry, the supreme people's procuratorate (SPP) and the supreme people's court. The measures target behaviours such as the spread of online rumours, insults and personal information, and perpetrators could face criminal punishment. Reporting by Beijing Newsroom and Brenda Goh; Editing by Tom Hogue and Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: procuratorate, Brenda Goh, Tom Hogue, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Wuhan

☆ Panama boosts security in Darien Gap to confront human traffickers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Operation Choco" aims to stop transnational organized crime in the Darien by mobilizing aerial support and confronting crime groups "head on," Security Minister Juan Pino told a press conference. It is affecting national security, not only in Panama but across the continent," Pino said, stressing that the initiative was "totally Panamanian." In April, Panama joined Colombia and the United States in a pledge to increase joint actions against human traffickers in Darien Gap. This is an effort wholly from the Panamanian state, because we are seeing that the situation of irregular migration is being exploited by transnational organized crime, which is profiting in the millions," he said. More than 166,000 migrants have crossed the Darien so far this year, according to the security ministry, mostly children and teenagers.

Persons: Carlos Jasso, Juan Pino, Pino, Oriel Ortega, Elida Moreno, Sarah Morland, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Thomson Locations: Puerto Obaldia, Guana Yala, Panama, Colombia, Darien, United States, Colombian, Panamanian

☆ Tractor trailer crash in Mexico kills 13
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] Members of the State Guard gather at the site of a crash, in the Victoria-Zaragoza highway, Tamaulipas, Mexico, May 14, 2023 in this still image from video obtained from social media. Entorno... Read moreMEXICO CITY, May 14 (Reuters) - A tractor trailer and a van crashed on a highway in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas on Sunday morning, killing 13 people, local authorities said. The two vehicles crashed about half an hour outside of the state capital Ciudad Victoria and then caught on fire, the Tamaulipas' public security ministry said. Once authorities arrived at the site of the crash, they found the truck carrying the trailer was no longer at the scene. Reporting by Kylie Madry Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tractor trailer crash in Mexico kills 26
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Members of the State Guard gather at the site of a crash, in the Victoria-Zaragoza highway, Tamaulipas, Mexico, May 14, 2023 in this still image from video obtained from social media. Entorno... Read moreMEXICO CITY, May 14 (Reuters) - A tractor trailer and a van crashed on a highway in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas on Sunday morning, killing 26 people, local authorities said. Once authorities arrived at the site of the crash, they found the truck carrying the trailer was no longer at the scene. A source at the Tamaulipas prosecutors' office said investigators were unsure whether the driver of the truck had fled or if he was also killed in the crash. The victims are all thought to be Mexicans as national IDs have been recovered from the scene, the source said.

☆ Spain considers ending or curbing controversial 'golden visa' scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/ Albert GeaMADRID, May 8 (Reuters) - Spain could pull the plug on its so-called "golden visa" scheme that grants residency rights to foreigners who invest in real estate in the country, according to the leader of a left-wing party negotiating the issue with the government. "Spanish citizenship cannot be bought," Errejon said, adding that golden visas had led to a "brutal" rise in housing prices and forced locals out of their neighbourhoods without creating any new jobs. Earlier on Monday, El Pais newspaper reported Spain was considering tougher requirements for golden visa applications. From the start of the golden visa scheme in 2013 until last November, Spain issued almost 5,000 permits, with Chinese investors leading the list, government figures show. Errejon said the visas represented a "backdoor privilege" for millionaires, turning Spain into a "sort of colony, often attracting dark money".

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