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☆ Former president of Honduras convicted in U.S. of aiding drug traffickers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez testifies during his trial on U.S. drug trafficking charges in federal court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., March 6, 2024 in this courtroom sketch. Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was convicted Friday in New York of charges that he conspired with drug traffickers and used his military and national police force to enable tons of cocaine to make it unhindered into the United States. The jury returned its verdict at a federal court after a two week trial, which has been closely followed in his home country. The scene in the courtroom was subdued and Hernandez seemed relaxed as the verdict on three counts was announced by the jury foreperson. In remarks to the jury before they left the courtroom, Judge P. Kevin Castel praised jurors for reaching a unanimous verdict, which was necessary for a conviction.

Persons: Juan Orlando Hernandez, Juan Orlando Hernández, Renato Stabile, Hernandez, P, Kevin Castel Organizations: Central, Defense Locations: Honduras, Manhattan, New York City, U.S, Honduran, New York, United States, Central American, Tegucigalpa

☆ Grenada charges prison escapees with murder of American couple missing since alleged yacht hijacking
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Michael Rios | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Three inmates who escaped from prison in Grenada have been charged with killing two Americans after allegedly hijacking their yacht last month to flee to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, police said Thursday. Hendry and Brandel, based in Virginia, were living out a long-held dream of cruising the Caribbean in their sailing yacht called Simplicity, to Antigua when they went missing, according to their yacht club, the Salty Dawg Sailing Association. Their vessel was found abandoned in neighboring St. Vincent and the Grenadines on February 21, with the husband and wife nowhere to be found, the yacht club said. Authorities in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines launched joint investigations to track down the suspects who allegedly left behind a violent scene on the missing couple’s yacht, including blood stains. Their alleged killers committed “several criminal acts including bodily harm to the couple” while sailing, the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force said last week.

Persons: Vincent, Ron Mitchell, Atiba, Trevon Robertson, Ralph Hendry, Kathleen Brandel, Stanislaus, Hendry, Don McKenzie, George’s, ‘, Bryan Hendry, Nick Buro, “ Ralph, Kathy, that’s, Ralph, ” Buro, Buro, “, ”, “ Kathy Organizations: CNN, Royal Granada Police Force, Sailing Association, Authorities, Grenadines, Grenadines Police Force Locations: Grenada, St, Grenadines, Brandel, Virginia, Antigua, Royal, United States, Caribbean

☆ UK Budget: Jeremy Hunt set to cut taxes for workers as election looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A cut to national insurance — a levy paid by people who work — costing around £10 billion ($12.7 billion) is likely, according to multiple UK media reports. But soaring government debt, crumbling public services and a lackluster economy leave the chancellor with very little room for further substantial giveaways. Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesOther so-called “unprotected” areas of the national budget, such as social care and the police force, are also at risk. “That seems unlikely when public services are creaking,” they added. OBR chair Richard Hughes said in January that the government had provided no detailed breakdown of departmental spending plans beyond March next year, giving only headline figures.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak’s, Hunt, ”, Laura Kuenssberg, Jeff, Christopher Furlong, “, Richard Hughes, ” Hughes Organizations: London CNN —, Bank of England, Treasury, “ Conservatives, ” Hunt’s Conservative Party, Labour Party, Reuters, Office, National Statistics, Local Government Association, House, National Health Service, Capital Economics, ” Locations: Ukraine, Birmingham, England

☆ Stephen Colbert Declares the Supreme Court Unconstitutional
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Trish Bendix | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Kind of weird that SCOTUS feels the need to consider whether or not laws exist.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“This is what happens when we let an extra from ‘Home Alone 2’ pick three Supreme Court justices.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“And it gets worse — because the oral arguments are in April, but court watchers don’t expect a decision until June. All of the plotlines will come together at once for the thrilling conclusion of America.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“The Supreme Court gains all of its legitimacy and all of its power from public approval. They don’t have an army or a police force or, apparently, an H.R. department; they have to rely on moral authority. But they have abdicated that moral authority, which is why, tonight, using the power vested in me as a late-night host, I am hereby declaring the Supreme Court unconstitutional.” — STEPHEN COLBERT

Persons: SCOTUS, ” — STEPHEN COLBERT “, ” — JIMMY KIMMEL, ” — STEPHEN COLBERT Organizations: Supreme Court

☆ London Police Should Not Have Hired Officer Who Killed Woman, Inquiry Finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Megan Specia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An inquiry published Thursday into the murder of a young woman three years ago by a London police officer — a case that rattled Britain and set off a broader reckoning in the country about violence against women — has found that the police force missed signs of a troubling past that should have prevented him from being hired. The woman, Sarah Everard, 33, was abducted, raped and murdered in March 2021 by Wayne Couzens, a member of London’s Metropolitan Police Service. Mr. Couzens was later sentenced to life in prison for the killing. “Wayne Couzens was never fit to be a police officer. Police leaders need to be sure there isn’t another Couzens operating in plain sight.”

Persons: —, Sarah Everard, Wayne Couzens, Couzens, Everard’s, ” Elish, “ Wayne Couzens Organizations: London’s Metropolitan Police Service, Police Locations: London’s

☆ I Trafficked $5 Million Worth of Cocaine Internationally
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Dylan Brzezinski | Ju Shardlow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Pieter Tritton, a former cocaine smuggler, returns for a second interview with Business Insider about his experience trafficking drugs from South America to the United Kingdom. Tritton says he started selling cocaine in the illegal rave scene in the UK in the 2000s. The National Crime Agency estimates the UK cocaine market is worth $13.8 billion, or £11 billion, a year. In the year ending March 2023, over 92 metric tons of illegal drugs were seized by police and Border Force, the highest volume since 2003 to 2004. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Pieter Tritton, Tritton, Garcia Moreno, El Organizations: Business, Crime Agency, Border Force Locations: South America, United Kingdom, Europe, Ecuador, Quito, Litoral Penitentiary, Guayaquil

☆ Missing American couple: Search for continues after alleged yacht hijacking in Grenada, but a violent scene suggests the worst, family says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Polo Sandoval | Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Police in the Caribbean are investigating the disappearance of an American couple after escaped inmates in Grenada allegedly hijacked their yacht. The Virginia couple, identified by their sailing club as Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, were living out a long-held dream of cruising the Caribbean in their sailing yacht, Simplicity. “The boat itself was ransacked and everything was strewn about in the entire cabin, so clearly there was an altercation of some type that took place on the boat,” Buro told CNN Sunday. The person also contacted the coast guard, who notified St. Vincent police, the association said. Grenada police said the escapees were recaptured the same day by the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force.

Persons: they’ll, Kathy Brandel, Ralph Hendry, Vincent, George, Brandel’s, Nick Buro, ” Buro, “, ”, Buro, Bryan Hendry, “ Kathy, Ralph, Ron Mitchell, Trevon Robertson, Abita Stanislaus, O, Simmons, Mitchell, Vincent police, Ben Osborn, Kathy, ” Osborn, CNN’s Sharif Paget, Chris Boyette Organizations: CNN — Police, Sailing Association . Police, Royal Grenada Police Force, CNN, Grenadines Police Force, US State Department, Sailing Association, Grenada police Locations: Caribbean, Grenada, Virginia, St, Grenadines, Royal St, Royal

☆ American couple missing: Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry believed dead after yacht hijacked in Grenada
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Sharif Paget | Chris Boyette | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The pair have been identified by their sailing club as Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, a couple from Virginia who were spending the winter cruising the Eastern Caribbean after sailing their yacht, Simplicity, from Hampton, Virginia, to Antigua. “Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry are veteran cruisers and long-time members of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association from its earliest days. According to the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, the club’s executive director was contacted after a passing “good Samaritan” came across an abandoned yacht and found the club’s contact information. “The good Samaritan had boarded the boat and noted that the owners, Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel, were not onboard and found evidence of apparent violence. Contact information for the SDSA was posted and the skipper contacted the Association.” The sailing association said the skipper also contacted the coast guard, who notified St. Vincent police.

Persons: Kathy Brandel, Ralph Hendry, “ Kathy Brandel, Kathy, Ralph, Nick Buro, Bryan Hendry, St, Vincent, “, Tatja Hopman, ”, Bob Osborn, ” Osborn, O, Simmons Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Sailing Association, Grenadines Police Force, Coast Guards, Association, US State Department, U.S Locations: Grenada, Virginia, Hampton , Virginia, Antigua, Brandel’s, Caribbean, St, Royal St

☆ Retired US couple island-hopping in the Caribbean vanish from their yacht
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US couple Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry disappeared while sailing off the Grenada coast. AdvertisementNick Buro and Bryan Hendry were baffled by the sudden silence from their parents, Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, who had lived on a yacht for over a decade, People reports. The American couple vanished while sailing off the coast of Grenada on February 18. Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel are seasoned sailors who had recently completed a "Caribbean Rally" from Virginia to Antigua, The Washington Post reports. They escaped from a holding cell at South St George Police Station on February 18, 2024, the same day the American couple disappeared.

Persons: Kathy Brandel, Ralph Hendry, —, Nick Buro, Bryan Hendry, Hendry, Brandel, Grenada Pawel, Ron Mitchell, Trevor Robertson, Atiba Stanislaus —, George, Jessica Mause Organizations: Royal Grenada Police Force, Service, The Washington Post, Washington, Authorities, Coast Guard Service, South St George Police Station, Dawg Sailing Association Locations: Grenada, Virginia, Antigua, The, Grand Anse Beach, Saint Vincent, Brandel, Anse Beach, South, St Vincent, St

☆ Two Americans believed dead after escaped prisoners hijack yacht in Grenada
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Abel Alvarado | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Three escaped prison inmates may have killed two people, believed to be American citizens, on a yacht they are thought to have hijacked as they tried to make their way from Grenada to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, according to Grenada police. Police in the small Caribbean nation said Thursday that preliminary information “suggests” that after escaping, the three escaped male prisoners hijacked a yacht in St. George, Grenada. Police are “currently working on leads that suggest that the two occupants of the yacht may have been killed in the process,” the statement added. “It is believed that the occupants of the yacht were American citizens.”The three suspects are now back in custody after their February 18 escape, police said. CNN has contacted both Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines police for more information related to this case.

Persons: CNN —, Vincent, Ron Mitchell, Trevon Robertson, Anita Stanislaus, Mitchell, ” Organizations: CNN, Grenada police, Police, Grenada . Police, Royal Grenada Police Force, St George Police, Grenadines, US State Department Locations: Grenada, St, Grenadines, George

☆ I moved from the US to Ireland. Here are 11 things that surprised me most.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Alexis Mcsparren | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Read on for some of the things that surprised me when I first got to Ireland. I thought a lot of the phrases in Ireland would be similar to what I heard in the UK. But I knew I finally adapted to the language when I found the words "thanks a million" (or "thanks a mil") and "bye bye bye … bye bye bye bye" after any phone call slipping off my tongue. Although it's been an adjustment, unpredictability is what makes Ireland feel like things are still run by people, not by algorithms and advancement. But my alcohol consumption has definitely increased since living in Ireland because socializing here often happens exclusively at the pub.

Persons: —, it's, Alexis McSparren, I've, I, I'm, there's, Alexis McSparren Small, There's, Alexis McSparren Leprechauns, Harry Potter, Tinker Bell, King Puck, Queen Puck, King Puck's, he's Organizations: Service, Business, Guardians, RyanAir, Hollywood Locations: England, Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Indiana, Moher, County Clare, County Meath, County Kerry, Dublin, Europe, Killorglin

☆ Ecuador’s drug kingpin José Adolfo ‘Fito’ Macías lived ‘like a king’ while locked up. His jailbreak shines a light on the country’s lawless prisons
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Tara John | David Culver | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Macías’ prison cell is seen in these videos filmed by members of the military last year. Los Choneros and their main rival, Los Lobos, are believed to be allied with Mexican drug cartels in a war for dominance over Ecuador’s drug trade. Los Lobos saw an opening amid a violent power struggle in Los Choneros when Macías became its leader in 2020, say experts. In a music video shared online last year, the Los Choneros leader can be seen petting a rooster, apparently inside Guayaquil prison complex. But the press secretary of Ecuador’s president reckons the Los Choneros leader was told about an impending prison transfer.

Persons: José Adolfo Macías, Adolfo Macias, Fito, ”, Pablo Escobar, Macías, ” Jean Paul Pinto, Glaeldys, Julio Cesar Ballesteros, SNAI, Lenín Moreno, Ballesteros, Diana Salazar, “, ” Jeremy McDermott, it’s, Choneros, González, Mariachi Bravo, Macías ’, Michelle, Bravo, Fito ’, Daniel Noboa, Noboa, Patricia Bullrich, reckons, ” Roberto Izurieta, jailbreak, Fabricio Colón Pico, Ecuador’s Organizations: CNN, Ecuadorean, Forces, Ecuadorean Armed Forces, AFP, roosters, Prisons, Crisis, Los, Los Lobos, US Treasury Department, Ecuavisa, Marriott, Argentina’s, Argentine, Teleamazonas, Police Locations: La Regional, Colombian, Latin America, Ecuadorian, Ecuador, Colombia, SNAI, America, Americas, Los Lobos, Mexican, Choneros, Guayaquil, Guayaquil –, Argentine, Córdoba, Argentina, CNN Ecuador

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has not presented specific evidence that Hamas is diverting U.N. aid and its recent targeted killings of Gaza police commanders safeguarding truck convoys have made it “virtually impossible” to distribute the goods safely, a top U.S. envoy said in rare public criticism of Israel. “We are working with the Israeli government, the Israeli military in seeing what solutions can be found here because everyone wants to see the assistance continue,” Satterfield told the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Friday. On Friday, police opened fire after a crowd charged toward an aid truck that had emerged from the Rafah crossing with Egypt. Israel has alleged repeatedly that Hamas is diverting aid, including fuel, after it enters Gaza, a claim denied by U.N. aid agencies. Last week, an Israeli airstrike on a car killed three senior police commanders in Rafah, the first entry point for aid deliveries.

Persons: — Israel, Israel, David Satterfield, Biden, ” Satterfield, Wael Abu Omar, Satterfield, Joe Biden, Diaa Rashwan, Khan Younis, Gaza’s, city's Nasser, ___ Magdy Organizations: Carnegie Endowment, International, Authority, U.N, Hamas, Ministry, Islamic, Authorities, State Information Service, Gaza Health Ministry, Health Ministry Locations: RAFAH, Gaza, U.S, Rafah, Egypt, Israel, EGYPT, Khan, Cairo, ___, israel

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to welcome Kenyan President William Ruto to the White House in May, hosting a state visit after reneging on his promise to visit Africa last year. Biden hosted a state dinner celebrating close ally Australia in October, which followed the president's skipping a stop in that country earlier in 2023 to focus on debt limit talks in Washington. But those festivities last fall were toned down some given Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas. Biden said in December 2022 that he would visit sub-Saharan Africa the following year, which would have made him the first U.S. president to travel there in a decade. Biden pulled off last-minute trips to Israel and Vietnam, as well as a secretive journey to Ukraine.

Persons: Joe Biden, William Ruto, reneging, Karine Jean, Pierre, ” Jean, “, Rutto’s, Rachel Ruto, Biden, Kamala Harris, he'd Organizations: WASHINGTON, Kenyan, White House, White, Hamas, Africa, Summit Locations: Africa, Kenya, Haiti, U.S, Washington, Australia, Saharan Africa, Israel, Vietnam, Ukraine, Dubai, November's, Russia, East Palestine , Ohio, Norfolk Southern

BOSTON (AP) — With back-to-back Super Bowl victories for the hometown Chiefs, Kansas City football fans gathered for another championship parade and a second celebratory pep rally in a row. Not because the Chiefs, with star quarterback Patrick Mahomes still just 28 years old, can’t win another NFL title. “They have to think twice about having these parades,” said former Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans, who in 38 years with the department worked 12 championship parades and the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. The event included a parade down Grand Boulevard, followed by a rally in front of Union Station. But that's a difficult proposition for large, open venues like where the Kansas City rally was held, or the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon course.

Persons: Patrick Mahomes, can’t, “, ”, Bill Evans, Stacey Graves, –, Quinton Lucas, Patrick's, ” Evans, Ed Davis, Evans, there’s, ” Davis, Davis, “ Everybody's, “ Everyone’s Organizations: BOSTON, hometown Chiefs, Kansas City, Chiefs, NFL, Boston Police, Marathon, San Francisco 49ers, Super, Nuggets, NBA, Texas Rangers, Bowl, Arrowhead, U.S, Secret, Louisiana, Boston Marathon, Paris Olympic, Boston, Boston Red Sox, Police, Boston College Locations: Kansas City, Denver, St, America, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Kansas

☆ Hillary Clinton and Sheryl Sandberg decry sexual violence as a war tactic
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Hillary Clinton, Sheryl Sandberg and a coalition of scholars, government officials and legal experts discussed Friday how to prevent sexual violence as a weapon of war. Israeli authorities have accused Hamas militants of committing widespread, systemic sexual violence as part of their attack. Despite mounting evidence from Israeli investigators and eyewitness sources, Hamas has repeatedly denied allegations that its fighters committed sexual violence during the attack. Matviichuk said sexual violence during the war in Ukraine is violence that “is directed to the whole Ukrainian society.”“The survivors of sexual violence feel shame because it happens with them,” Matviichuk said. “It is about understanding deeply, the very real ways that women and girls are impacted differently by global challenges including this challenge of conflict-related sexual violence,” Clinton said.

Persons: Hillary Clinton, Sheryl Sandberg, ” Clinton, Clinton, Obama, Sandberg, ” Sandberg, Jeffrey Gettleman, Hala, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs Sandberg, Matviichuk, ”, ” Matviichuk, “, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs Clinton’s, Columbia University –, ” Linda Thomas, we’re, ” Thomas Organizations: New, New York CNN, Columbia University’s Institute of Global Politics, Georgetown Institute for Women, Security, State, Facebook, Lean, UN, Columbia University, Global, New York Times, Strategic Initiative, Women, Center for Civil Liberties, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia Locations: New York, Sudan, Darfur, Ukraine, Israel, Africa, Horn of Africa, Palestine

☆ 'Stability is fragile': An overlooked European conflict zone is at a tipping point between peace and combat
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The clash broke out in the village when a group of armed Serbs blocked a bridge with two trucks. A shootout erupted after the group opened fire on police, leaving one police officer dead and another injured. Relations between Serbia and Kosovo, which have been fraught since the pair's brutal conflict in the 1990s, remain delicate one year on from a tentative agreement on a new path to normalization. We cannot take peace and stability for granted," Miroslav Lajčák, EU special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and Western Balkans, told CNBC in Davos, Switzerland last month. The Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is a series of talks facilitated by the European Union designed to ease hostilities between the neighboring southeastern European countries.

Persons: Milan Radoicic, Vudi Xhymshiti, Miroslav Lajčák Organizations: Kosovo Police, Kosovo Serb, Milan, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Belgrade, CNBC, European Union Locations: Banjska, Zvecan, Kosovo, Davos, SWITZERLAND, Russia, Ukraine, EU, Serbia, Pristina, Balkans, Switzerland, Belgrade, Serbs

☆ Canadian Ex-Intelligence Official Is Sentenced to 14 Years Over State Secrets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Ian Austen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former civilian director of an elite intelligence unit in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Wednesday after his conviction last year of giving confidential operational information to four men who were targets of police investigations. Mr. Ortis will get credit for the six and a half years he had spent in jail while awaiting trial and following his conviction in November. The case was the first time that charges under Canada’s 1985 Security of Information Act had been brought to trial. The act’s provisions meant that Mr. Ortis was “permanently bound to secrecy,” therefore his testimony was conducted in secret with only censored transcripts made public. Other evidence has been kept secret.

Persons: Cameron Ortis, Ortis, ” Organizations: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

☆ Analysis: At this general election in Pakistan, old dynasties vie for power and populist Imran Khan languishes in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

That sets the stage for a difficult road to recovery for whoever wins in a nation where no democratically elected prime minister has ever completed a full term in office. Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan attends a lawyers' convention in Lahore on September 21, 2022. Veteran Sharif will face a strong challenge, however, from first-time candidate for Prime Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 35, son of slain former leader Benazir Bhutto. Manahil Ahmed, 23, called Pakistan’s political environment “particularly hostile” right now. For Pakistan’s military and police forces, the last year was the bloodiest in a decade.

Persons: Imran Khan, –, Arif Ali, Nawaz Sharif, Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Khan –, Khan, Fareed Khan, ”, Rabiya Arooj, Khan’s, Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan's, Asad Zaidi, Pakistan’s, Farzana Shaikh, “, ’, Murtaza Solang, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Mohsin Raza, he’s, Raja Ikram, Ameer Hamza, Manahil Ahmed, Shaikh, Hussain Nadim, Maurice R, Greenberg, ‘, Aamir Qureshi, Shoaib Tanveer, Baou Nadeem, ” Shaikh, Farooq Naeem, “ Sharif, He’s, Tim Willasey Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Getty, PTI, World Bank, Pakistan, Bloomberg, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, CNN, for Research, Security Studies, Pakistan’s People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League, Baloch Liberation Army, Yale University, Pakistan Army –, Workers, King’s College London Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan CNN — Pakistan, Lahore, AFP, Karachi, “, Rawalpindi, Asia, Hafizabad, Khan’s, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, India, Afghanistan, Iran, State Khorasan, restive Balochistan, Balochistan, Punjab, Sharif, States, China, British

☆ PNG Assures Australia on Security Ties as Leader Marape Arrives on Visit
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Australia and the United States have been alarmed by China's security ambitions in the Pacific Islands region since Beijing struck a security and policing deal with Solomon Islands. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma urged PNG to reject a security deal with China, in comments reported by the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday. PNG would not strike a security agreement with China, he said in an interview with the ABC broadcast on Wednesday. China "understand clearly where we stand on security in the region and that is with our close traditional partners, Australia, U.S., New Zealand", he added. Even before the riots, he had pointed to law-and-order concerns and said boosting security would help to attract foreign investment in PNG's burgeoning resources sector.

Persons: James Marape, Marape, Justin Tkachenko, Tkachenko, Richard Verma, Tkatchenko, Penny Wong, Kirsty Needham, Michael Perry Organizations: SYDNEY, Papua New Guinea, Reuters, U.S, Sydney Morning Herald, Australian, ABC Locations: Papua New, Canberra, Australia, China, United States, Beijing, Solomon Islands, Port Moresby, U.S, , New Zealand

☆ Somali pirates are back on the attack at a level not seen in years, adding to global shipping threats
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Piracy off the coast of Somalia had been on the decline in recent years after peaking in 2011 when Somali pirates launched 212 attacks. A 2013 World Bank study, still widelt cited today, estimated that piracy cost the global economy around $18 billion annually. The pirates have also been attacking fishing vessels, mostly Iranian, as well as many other small boats such as skiffs. Ocean piracy is rising across the worldData from 2023 shows that by many key measures, piracy is on the rise in key global shipping lanes. There were 120 incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery against ships reported in 2023, compared to 115 in 2022, according to the annual Piracy and Armed Robbery Report of the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

Persons: Abuukar Mohamed Muhidin, Dan Mueller Organizations: Puntland Maritime Police Forces, Getty Images, Royal United Services Institute, United Nations Security Council, European Union Naval Force, UNSC, Eastern, Chamber of Shipping, ICC International Maritime Bureau, International Maritime Organization, CNBC Locations: PUNTLAND, SOMALIA, Puntland, Somalia, Anadolu, Africa, Horn of Africa, U.S, Eastern Region, Djibouti

☆ Brazil's Candidate to Head Interpol Says Time for Non-Western Leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Anthony Boadle and Ricardo BritoBRASILIA (Reuters) - Interpol should elect a new head from a developing nation to diversify the organisation and boost its credibility as crime becomes increasingly globalised, Brazil's candidate to head the international police agency, Valdecy Urquiza, told Reuters. This would help Interpol strengthen global cooperation to combat transnational crime, said Urquiza, currently Brazil's Federal Police Director for International Cooperation. Interpol's executive committee will elect a new secretary general Feb. 13 for a five-year term, succeeding its current head, Juergen Stock of Germany. The selected candidate will be put to Interpol's General Assembly in November. "Interpol cannot be used for geopolitical ends, so it is important that the secretary general comes from a neutral country, and Brazil has that.

Persons: Anthony Boadle, Ricardo Brito, Valdecy Urquiza, Urquiza, Britain's Stephen Kavanagh, Faisal Shahkar, Moscow, Brazil's, Ros Russell Organizations: Ricardo Brito BRASILIA, Reuters, Interpol, Federal Police, International Cooperation, Juergen, Germany, Police Services, Assembly Locations: Europe, United States, Nawa, Zambia, Pakistan, Lyon, France, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil

☆ US Official Urges Papua New Guinea to Reject Chinese Security Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A senior U.S. state department official urged Papua New Guinea(PNG) to turn down China's offer of a potential security pact, warning the Pacific nation that any security guarantee with Beijing comes with consequences and costs. "We've seen that the Chinese commitment in defence or investment comes with a high cost. That's what we'd say to PNG," United States Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma told the Sydney Morning Herald in an interview published on Monday. Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko told Reuters last week that it was in early talks with China on a potential security deal. PNG has previously said Australia and the U.S. were its security partners, while China was an important economic partner.

Persons: Richard Verma, Justin Tkachenko, Tkachenko, Verma, James Marape, it's, Renju Jose, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, Beijing, United States, Sydney Morning Herald, Papua New Guinea, Reuters, Solomon Islands, South Locations: U.S, Papua New Guinea, Papua New, China, Australia, Beijing, Solomon, Sydney

☆ Hamas deploys police, distributes funds in sign of resurgence in Gaza areas Israeli troops have left
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A Hamas fighter aims an RPG, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, Gaza, in this still image taken from video released on Jan. 31, 2024. Israel has said it's determined to crush Hamas militarily and prevent it from returning to power in Gaza, an enclave it has ruled since 2007. In recent days, Israeli forces renewed strikes in the western and northwestern parts of Gaza City, including in areas where some of the salary distributions were reported to have taken place. Four Gaza City residents told The Associated Press that in recent days, uniformed and plainclothes police officers deployed near police headquarters and other government offices, including near Shifa Hospital, the territory's largest. Ahmed Abu Hadrous, a Gaza City resident, said Israeli warplanes struck the area where the makeshift office is located multiple times earlier this week, including Saturday morning.

Persons: Israel, Saeed Abdel, Ahmed Abu Hadrous, Hijazi, Abu Yousef al, Khan Younis, Qatar — Organizations: Hamas, Associated Press, AP, Health Ministry, United Nations, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza City, Gaza, Shifa, Gaza's, Rafah, Egypt, Jeneina, Hams, United States, Qatar, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Jordan

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The police chief in New Mexico’s largest city vowed Friday that the Albuquerque Police Department will “leave no stone unturned” as it moves ahead with an internal investigation into allegations of possible corruption within the Driving While Intoxicated unit. Medina shared a timeline of DWI cases dating back to 2015. Medina confirmed five officers remain on administrative leave pending Albuquerque's internal investigation. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller last week issued a statement saying, if true, the allegations are a disgrace and erode faith in law enforcement. The letter cites four cases in 2023 in which officers were disciplined for failing to appear at required pretrial interviews, court hearings or trial settings.

Persons: “, Harold Medina, Medina, ”, Tim Keller Organizations: Albuquerque Police, FBI, “ Systems, Public, Commission, Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, City Council Locations: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M, New Mexico’s

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