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☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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".

☆ Mexico nabs, swiftly deports MS-13 gang leader to El Salvador
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jose Wilfredo Ayala, 55, was arrested after a tip from a neighbor, according to the Mexican capital's security ministry. The ministry said it had discovered Ayala - believed to be second-in-command of the gang commonly known as MS-13 - was using a false identity and hiding in Mexico City and in two areas a short drive north in Hidalgo state. An official with Mexico's national immigration institute INM told Reuters later on Tuesday that Ayala had already been deported to his native El Salvador, but did not provide further detail. El Salvador's justice and security ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ayala's capture. Reporting by Nelson Renteria in San Salvador; Additional reporting by Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexico Supreme Court strikes down law to put National Guard under Army control
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MEXICO CITY, April 18 (Reuters) - Mexico's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled unconstitutional the transfer of control over the country's civilian-led National Guard to the Army, a move which had sparked fears from critics and activists of increasing militarization of public security. In a move backed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Congress last year passed a reform to put the Army in control of the National Guard. The reform gave the Army operational, financial and administrative control of the National Guard, which had previously been under Mexico's security ministry. The ruling passed with eight votes in favor and three against. Reporting by Raul Cortes; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Anthony EspositoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US firm says Mexican authorities illegally seized its port terminal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Sarah Morland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A sign reading "Closure" hangs on a fence at the entrance of the limestone mining by Vulcan Materials in Calica, in Quintana Roo state, Mexico May 6, 2022. Mexico's government on Friday ordered a halt to Vulcan Materials, a producer of gravel and crushed stone, citing environmental concerns and provoking the U.S.-based firm to say it will take legal action to restart operations in Playa del Carmen. REUTERS/Paola ChiomanteMEXICO CITY, March 20 (Reuters) - U.S. construction materials company Vulcan Materials (VMC.N) said on Monday Mexican security forces illegally took possession last week of its port terminal in southern Mexico, amid an extended lawsuit over its nearby limestone mining activities. It follows a 5-year fight with the Mexican government over Vulcan's concessions punctuated by sharp criticism from the country's president last year. Vulcan declined to say how last week's action was illegal or who is currently in control of its terminal.

☆ Vietnam arrests Facebook user for attempt to 'overthrow the state'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, March 17 (Reuters) - Police in Vietnam on Friday arrested a Facebook user who authorities accuse of "attempting to overthrow the state" by sharing content that defamed leaders of the ruling Communist Party, its security ministry said. Despite sweeping economic reform and increasing openness to social change, Vietnam's ruling Communist Party retains tight media censorship and tolerates little criticism, with dozens of people jailed for speaking out against authorities. Nha was also accused by police of joining and recruiting members for the U.S.-based "Provisional National Government of Vietnam", a group listed by the Vietnam as a "terrorist organisation", though not by the United States. The organisation, which could not be reached by Reuters, has previously pledged loyalty to the now defunct state of South Vietnam. Several people have been jailed in Vietnam accused of recruiting for the California-based group.

Mexican officials, who say they are pursuing various lines of inquiry, drew up a brief document summarizing the abduction of the Americans and biographical information on them. A Reuters review of South Carolina state records found that Woodard was convicted five times between 2007 and 2016 of drug crimes. The records also showed that Williams was in 2017 convicted for the manufacture and distribution of cocaine, though this was not mentioned in the Mexican document seen by Reuters. Reuters could not ascertain how a drug gang might have known Americans with drug convictions were arriving in Matamoros. Mexican officials have not yet specified the cause of death of Brown and Woodard.

☆ Search underway for four Americans kidnapped in Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, March 6 (Reuters) - Mexican and U.S. authorities said on Monday they were working to locate four Americans who were shot at by gunmen in northern Mexico and then kidnapped shortly after crossing the border. The armed men allegedly fired on the passengers shortly after their vehicle crossed into Mexico and then herded them into another vehicle before fleeing the scene, the embassy said. A Mexican official told Reuters three men and one woman were kidnapped. Mexico's president said the Americans had crossed into Mexico to buy medication. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the four and the arrest of those involved.

☆ Deadlier and more media savvy, separatist rebels evolve in Indonesia's Papua
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Kate Lamb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Egianus Kogoya, young West Papuan rebel commander, sits on a captured plane piloted by New Zealand national Philip Mehrtens in Indonesia's Papua region in this undated picture released on February 14, 2023. Separatist rebels kidnapped New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens, 37, after he landed his small plane in the remote Papuan highlands on Feb 7. An estimated 500 fighters identify as members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM). Cahyo Pamungkas, a researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency, said the separatists are using social media to get their message out. "Social media is a tool of resistance to deliver the stories from Papua because national media is mainly dominated by perspectives from Jakarta," he said.

☆ Israelis rally in three cities against Netanyahu legal reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition and its proposed judicial reforms to reduce powers of the Supreme Court in a main square in Tel Aviv, Israel January 14, 2023. Among those opposed are the Supreme Court chief justice and the country's attorney-general. Channel 13 TV last week found 53% of Israelis were opposed to changing the court appointments' structure while 35% were in support. Critics of the Supreme Court say it is overreaching and unrepresentative of the electorate. "We promised the people change, we promised governance, we promised reforms - and we will make good on that."

☆ Spain's December jobless falls to 15-year low
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Jon NazcaJan 3 (Reuters) - The number of people registering as jobless in Spain fell slightly in December from a month earlier, ending 2022 at a 15-year low, data from the Labour Ministry showed on Tuesday. The number of jobless fell by 1.52%, or by 43,727 people, leaving 2.84 million people out of work. "This data shows that labour protection measures are working," Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz said in a post on Twitter. Spain lost 8,347 net formal jobs in December to 20.31 million jobs, after November's record high job creation, a separate report from the Social Security Ministry showed. Unemployment of young people under 25 decreased 5.86% in December, by 12,185 people, compared with the previous month and reaching a record low of 195,751 people.

☆ Rohingya recount stories of hunger and desperation in escape to Indonesia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

PIDIE, Indonesia — Rohingya Muslims who survived a harrowing 40 days on a boat across the Indian Ocean to end up in Indonesia have recounted stories of hunger and desperation, saying more than 20 of those on board died on the way. Rohingya men resting at a shelter in the Pidie district of Aceh province on Monday. A Rohingya child rests in a temporary shelter in Laweueng on Tuesday. Rohingya attempting sea crossings to Thailand and Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia often set off between November and April when seas are calmer. Indonesia has seen nearly 500 Rohingya reach its shores in the past six weeks, according to the UNHCR.

☆ Panama seizes record number of drugs for second consecutive year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PANAMA CITY, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Panama seized a record for drugs in 2022, its Public Security ministry said on Saturday, as the country struggles with drugs being trafficked through its territory to the United States and Europe. So far this year, the Central American country has seized 126.5 tons of drug, mostly cocaine, setting a record for the second consecutive year. "Panama is a transit country for drugs, what we do is a containment operation," Minister of Public Security Juan Manuel Pino told reporters this week. Out of the total, 23 tons were found in containers on the Atlantic coast with destination to the United States and Europe. The drugs were seized in more than 471 operations against drug trafficking, which included the arrest of 619 people comprising 415 Panamanians and 204 from other countries.

☆ Brother of one of Mexico's most wanted drug capos arrested
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Lizbeth Diaz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The brother of Nemesio Oseguera, one of Mexico's most wanted drug runners, was arrested by Mexican authorities Tuesday morning in the state of Jalisco, representing a blow to the cartel, officials said. Oseguera was detained in the early morning and was taken to a detention center, according to Mexico's security ministry. Nemesio Oseguera is the head of the violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) group and arguably the most-wanted kingpin in all of Mexico. The CJNG is accused of smuggling massive quantities of drugs, increasingly including the synthetic opioid fentanyl, into the United States. Nemesio Oseguera's wife was arrested last year for a slew of crimes related to the cartel.

☆ Gold’s Gym owner was on plane with 5 others when it crashed off Costa Rica
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — The RSG Group of gym outlets, including Gold’s Gym and McFit, confirmed Monday that founder and CEO Rainer Schaller, family and friends were aboard a small plane that disappeared from radar just off Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. “We are shocked, stunned, and full of grief about this tragic accident,” the RSG statement read. Costa Rican authorities said pieces of the twin-engine turboprop aircraft were found in the water Saturday, after the flight went missing Friday. Schaller was in the news in 2010 for his role as organizer of the Berlin Love Parade techno festival. Schaller fought back against the accusations of wrongdoing, noting that his security concept received official city approval.

☆ Fires in Brazil's Amazon surge in September, worst month since 2010
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Gabriel Araujo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Smoke from a fire rises into the air as trees burn amongst vegetation in the Brazil's Amazon rainforest, in Apui, Amazonas state, Brazil, September 5, 2021. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/File PhotoSAO PAULO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Fires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest have surged in September, already making it the worst month in more than a decade, government data showed on Monday, after a jump in deforestation during an election year. Destruction of Brazil's rainforest often picks up in election years, when law enforcement typically ebbs and loggers race ahead with plans ahead of a possible shift in conservation policy. "Fires are not a natural phenomenon in the Amazon rainforest. Data also showed that 1,661 square kilometers (641 square miles) were cleared in the Amazon last month, an 81% increase from the same period in 2021.

☆ 10 killed in Mexico bar shooting in state ravaged by violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterMEXICO CITY, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen opened fire in a bar in central Mexico, killing 10 people, officials said, in the latest outbreak of violence to buffet the country. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said all ten victims in Wednesday's attack were male, and that no arrests had been made yet. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA state government official said nine of the men were killed at the scene, while another died of his wounds after being taken to hospital. Calling the shooting a "cowardly attack", Guanajuato's governor Diego Sinhue Rodriguez on Twitter expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Valentine Hilaire and Lizbeth Diaz, Writing by Isabel Woodford Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: China's mortgage boycott quietly regroups as construction idles
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Surveillance cameras are seen near residential buildings under construction in Shanghai, China July 20, 2022. "What will we do if construction still doesn't resume after six months? The threat of more mortgage boycott comes as China prepares to hold the Communist Party Congress next month, with efforts to revive an economy plagued by the property crisis in focus. 'APPEASE HOMEOWNERS'The mortgage boycott has added to worries about a prolonged slump in China's property market, which has lurched from crisis to crisis since mid-2020 after regulators stepped in to reduce leverage. Out of Evergrande's 706 projects, 38 have not resumed construction, while 62 were only now restarting.

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