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☆ Alejandro Mayorkas says the United States still aims to be a country of immigrants
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Mayorkas told The New York Times that the US wants to remain a country of immigrants. The Homeland Security secretary has clashed with GOP lawmakers over border security. AdvertisementHomeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a recent interview said he believes that the United States "very much so" wants to remain a country comprised of immigrants. In an interview with The New York Times, Mayorkas said that Americans shouldn't "define ourselves by the challenges we have." Since leading the Homeland Security Department, Mayorkas has become a lightning rod for Republicans frustrated with President Joe Biden's immigration policies.

Persons: Mayorkas, —, Alejandro Mayorkas, Lulu Garcia, Navarro, Joe Biden's Organizations: New York Times, Homeland, GOP, Service, The New York Times, Homeland Security Department, US Border Patrol, Republican, Homeland Security, Times Locations: United States, Cuba, Mexico, Mayorkas

WASHINGTON (AP) — To his supporters, Alejandro Mayorkas is a thoughtful, driven secretary — a “Boy Scout” — who brings a prosecutor's tenacity and his personal understanding of the immigrant experience in America to running his sprawling agency. But it is the department’s role in immigration that has made Mayorkas a target of impeachment. Mayorkas said his immigrant and refugee background mean that he brings an intense patriotism to the job. Citizenship and Immigration Service, Mayorkas put in place a program giving protection from deportation to migrants brought to the border as children. Since taking the job as DHS secretary, Mayorkas has been subject to often hostile rhetoric over the administration's handling of the border and immigration.

Persons: —, Alejandro Mayorkas, Ali, he’ll, Tom Warrick, ” Warrick, Joe Biden, Biden, Mayorkas, Donald Trump, “, ”, didn’t, Cecilia Munoz, Obama, Munoz, Barack Obama, “ He’s, Mark Green of, impeaching, William Belknap, Ulysses Grant, Brandon Judd, Trump, Judd, Ahilan Arulanantham, Arulanantham, Angela Kelley Organizations: WASHINGTON, Department of Homeland Security, Republicans, Atlantic Council, “, DHS, Republican, Associated Press, Mayorkas, White, . Citizenship, Immigration Service, Democratic, Trump, House Homeland Security, National Border Patrol Council, Security, Border Patrol, Biden, Center for Immigration Law, UCLA School of Law, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Congress Locations: America, U.S, Mexico, United States, Washington, Ukraine, California, Cuba, Los Angeles, Miami, Mark Green of Tennessee

☆ US Court Blocks Florida Law Barring Chinese Citizens From Owning Property
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Daniel Wiessner(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court has blocked Florida from enforcing a ban on Chinese citizens owning homes or land in the state against two Chinese nationals who were in the process of buying property when the law was adopted. Circuit Court of Appeals said on Thursday the individuals were likely to prevail on claims that Florida's ban violates a federal law governing real estate purchases by foreign nationals. A Florida federal judge in August had declined to block the law, prompting an appeal by the plaintiffs. Lawmakers in several Republican-led states including Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama are considering similar restrictions on Chinese citizens owning property. It also bars most citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia and North Korea from owning property near military installations and infrastructure such as power plants and airports.

Persons: Daniel Wiessner, Ashley Moody, Bethany Li, Li, Ron DeSantis, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Circuit, Appeals, Republican, Constitution, Asian American Legal Defense, Education Fund, Chinese Communist Party Locations: Florida, Atlanta, Texas , Louisiana, Alabama, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Albany , New York

☆ Cuban President Sacks Economy Minister as Controversy Grows Over Price Hikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel sacked economy minister Alejandro Gil on Friday, state media reported, as controversy continued to grow over the delay of recently announced measures to hike the price of fuel and transportation fares in the communist-run country. The Council of State, under Diaz-Canel`s direction, has appointed Central Bank president Joaquín Alonso, 60, to replace Gil. The upheaval comes just two days after the government put off an unpopular five-fold hike in gasoline prices planned for Feb. 1, saying a cyberattack from outside Cuba had thwarted implementation. Former economy minister Gil had advocated for the unpopular plan to raise prices for many government subsidized services, and has long been criticized for his management of the country`s near-bankrupt economy. Gil's planned price hikes, initially announced in December and early January, rocked Cuba, where residents have long depended on a vast program of state subsidized food, fuel and medicine.

Persons: Miguel Díaz, Canel, Alejandro Gil, Diaz, Joaquín Alonso, Gil, Elba Rosa Perez, Eduardo Martinez, Alberto Lopez, Manuel Santiago Sobrino, Nelson Acosta, Dave Sherwood, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: of State, Central Bank, Technology, Food Industry Ministry Locations: HAVANA, Cuban, Cuba, Santa Clara

☆ Court blocks Florida law barring Chinese citizens from owning property
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A U.S. appeals court has blocked Florida from enforcing a ban on Chinese citizens owning homes or land in the state against two Chinese nationals who were in the process of buying property when the law was adopted. Circuit Court of Appeals said on Thursday the individuals were likely to prevail on claims that Florida's ban violates a federal law governing real estate purchases by foreign nationals. A Florida federal judge in August had declined to block the law, prompting an appeal by the plaintiffs. Lawmakers in several Republican-led states including Texas, Louisiana and Alabama are considering similar restrictions on Chinese citizens owning property. It also bars most citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia and North Korea from owning property near military installations and infrastructure such as power plants and airports.

Persons: Ashley Moody, Bethany Li, Li, Ron DeSantis Organizations: Circuit, Appeals, Republican, Constitution, Asian American Legal Defense, Education Fund, Republican Gov, Chinese Communist Party Locations: Miami , Florida, U.S, Florida, Atlanta, Texas , Louisiana, Alabama, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia, North Korea

☆ We won't meddle in the 2024 election, China's Xi Jinping told Biden: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese leader Xi Jinping promised President Joe Biden in a brief in-person exchange in November that Beijing would stay out of the 2024 US election, CNN reported. AdvertisementBiden was the one who broached the subject with Xi, one of the sources told CNN. Foreign election interference has increasingly been in the spotlight in the US, especially in the wake of the Russian hacking controversy in the 2016 election. We oppose making China an issue based on election politics," the Chinese Foreign Ministry told CNN when asked for comment. AdvertisementAt the time, China's Foreign Ministry called the accusations "groundless and fabricated out of thin air."

Persons: Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Xi, Biden, Wang Yi, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Wang Wenbin Organizations: CNN, Economic Cooperation, Chinese, White House National, Foreign Ministry, Foreign, Ministry Locations: Beijing, Asia, San Francisco, China, Bangkok, United States, Iran, Russia, Cuba

☆ China is a greater threat to the US than Russia and that's why the CIA doubled its budget for it, agency chief says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The CIA views China as a far bigger threat to the US than Russia and is committing more resources than ever to counter it, says agency chief William J. Burns. "While Russia may pose the most immediate challenge, China is the bigger long-term threat," Burns wrote in a Foreign Affairs op-ed published on Tuesday. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. "We now devote more resources to China than any other mission," Moore said in an interview with Politico in July. Advertisement Representatives for Burns did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: William J, Burns, Richard Moore, Moore Organizations: CIA, Affairs, Business, Politico, Street Journal, Business Insider Locations: China, Russia, Latin America, Africa, Cuba

The Homeland Security Committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday on two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, a former federal prosecutor, as border security becomes a top issue in the 2024 elections. Trump, on the campaign trail and in private talks, has tried to squelch the Senate’s border security deal. “He has what’s coming to him.”The House impeachment hearings against Mayorkas sprinted ahead in January while the Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into Biden over the business dealings over his son, Hunter Biden, dragged. “House Republicans have produced no evidence that Secretary Mayorkas has committed an impeachable offense,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. If the House does agree to impeach Mayorkas, the charges would next to go the Senate for a trial.

Persons: Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden, Mayorkas, Donald Trump's, Mike Johnson, “, Trump, Joe Biden, ” Mayorkas, Mark Green of, —, Mayorkas “, ”, Michael McCaul, Hunter Biden, Hakeem Jeffries, Jeffries, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene, William Belknap Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Republicans, impeaching Homeland, Homeland Security, GOP, Mayorkas, Senate, Republican, Trump, House Foreign Affairs Committee, Democratic, Rep Locations: U.S, Mexico, Las Vegas, South Carolina, Mark Green of Tennessee, Cuba, Texas, New York

US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies during a Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on October 31, 2023. WASHINGTON — Members of the House Homeland Security Committee are meeting Tuesday to discuss the Republican-led impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. House Republicans accuse Mayorkas and the Biden administration of disregarding federal laws on immigration and seek to make Mayorkas the second Cabinet official impeached in U.S. history. According to the first impeachment article set forth by House Republicans, Mayorkas "has willfully and systemically refused to comply with Federal immigration laws." The second impeachment article accuses him of breaching the "public trust" and "knowingly" obstructing "lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security."

Persons: Alejandro Mayorkas, Mayorkas, Biden, systemically, Mark Green, Donald Trump, Green, Mayorkas's, Bennie Thompson, Thompson, —, Michael McCaul, Marjorie Taylor Greene, … We're, MAGA, Dan Goldman, Goldman, Joe Biden, President Trump, Glenn Ivey, impeaching, I've, Don Bacon, Nick LaLota, He's, … He's, LaLota, — Rebecca Kaplan Organizations: Homeland, Senate Homeland Security, Government, Capitol, WASHINGTON —, House Homeland Security, Republican, Republicans, House Republicans, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security, Rep, Congress, United, Constitution, Mayorkas, DHS, Democrats Locations: Washington ,, U.S, Texas, D, New York, Cuba

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s government has acknowledged that at least two well-known Mayan ruin sites are unreachable by visitors because of a toxic mix of cartel violence and land disputes. The explosion of drug cartel violence in Chiapas since last year has left the Yaxchilán ruin site completely cut off, the government conceded Friday. They say that to get to yet another archaeological site, Lagartero, travelers are forced to hand over identification and cellphones at cartel checkpoints. Though no tourist has been harmed so far, and the government claims the sites are safe, many guides no longer take tour groups there. The guide said the ruin sites have the added disadvantage of being in jungle areas where the cartels have carved out at least four clandestine landing strips to fly drugs in from South America.

Persons: —, “ It’s, ”, Andrés Manuel López, “, López Obrador, Mexico — Organizations: MEXICO CITY, “, National Institute of Anthropology, Central Americans, National Guard Locations: MEXICO, Chiapas, Guatemala, Tonina, Gaza, Lagartero, Mexico, Palenque, Frontera Comalapa, Darien, South America, Central America, U.S, Cuba, Asia, Africa, Sinaloa, Jalisco

☆ In Angola, a Former Cold War Rival, Blinken Touts U.S. Investments
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken wrapped up a four-nation tour through Africa on Thursday with a visit to Angola, an oil-rich former Cold War battleground that has become the site of a struggle for 21st-century economic influence. During his visit to the coastal capital, Luanda, Mr. Blinken spotlighted major American investments in Angola, including more than $900 million for solar energy projects and $250 million to upgrade a rail corridor that carries critical minerals, including cobalt and copper, from central Africa to Angola’s Atlantic port of Lobito. Those solar investments help to advance President Biden’s climate agenda while the transportation improvements further his goal of diversifying American supply chains — in part to reduce U.S. dependence on Chinese control of the vital ingredients for a modern economy. Just over 20 years since the end of Angola’s civil war, which left perhaps as many as one million people dead, the country has rebuilt, modernized and developed friendly relations with Washington, which once funded rebels against a government backed by the Soviet Union and Cuba.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken Organizations: Mr Locations: Africa, Angola, Luanda, Lobito, Washington, Soviet Union, Cuba

☆ Trump is already flexing strongman power in the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The ex-president is trying to intimidate Nikki Haley into abandoning the GOP presidential race. Trump’s brisk assertion of his growing power as the likely nominee is a characteristic dismantling of constraints that echoes his behavior in office. But she provoked him by refusing to quickly fold her campaign and endorse him like other GOP candidates, including Florida Gov. But the disdain toward Haley from Trump world is remarkable. It would have essentially joined the party’s forces with Trump while an election involving a rival was still taking place.

Persons: Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, they’ll, Trump’s, anoint, Joe Biden, Trump, Haley, ”, Viktor Orbán, ” Orbán, he’s, ” Trump, Katon Dawson, Kasie Hunt, CNN Max, Dawson, polarize, Nikki, “ Donald Trump, ” Haley, Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, “, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, MAGA, Elise Stefanik, —, Collins, Biden doesn’t, Biden, Republican Sen, Todd Young, Utah Sen, Mitt Romney, who’s, Democratic Sen, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, doesn’t, ” Murphy, CNN’s Manu Raju, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Republican Party, GOP, South, Republican National Committee, Trump, Biden, South Carolina GOP, CNN International, Palmetto State, Florida Gov, RNC, Republican, Democratic, Capitol Locations: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, genuflect, Manchester , New Hampshire, Hungarian, “ State, Palmetto, Cuba, United States, Charleston, Hampshire, Trump, New York, Indiana, Utah, Ukraine

Prosecutors are still pursuing plea agreements with defendants in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and other cases at Guantanamo. Political Cartoons View All 253 Images“That call dropped our hearts into an abyss, where they remain to this day,” Hall told the commission, with the two defendants in the hearing room. More than two decades later, Hall said, she came to Guantanamo Bay because “it's time for Megan to be recognized, and Megan's demise to be recognized. Chris Snodgrass of Glendale, Arizona, told of struggling with a “toxic” hatred of Muslims since the bombings killed his 33-year-old daughter, Deborah Snodgrass. Reporters watched the proceedings from Guantanamo and by remote link from Fort Meade military base in Maryland.

Persons: ” Matthew Arnold of, Arnold, Bonnie Kathleen Hall, Megan Heffernan, ” Hall, Hall, Megan, Jemaah, Chris Snodgrass, Deborah Snodgrass, “, ”, Mohammed Farik Bin Amin, Mohammed Nazir Bin, Prosecutors haven't Organizations: Prosecutors, State Department, Reporters, Fort Meade Locations: Cuba, Guantanamo, ” Matthew Arnold of Birmingham, England, Bali, Florida, Glendale , Arizona, Maryland, U.S, Indonesia

☆ Pope Francis takes on vested interests to speak out on humanitarian crises
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Analysis Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Pope Francis received an emotional welcome on the island during a visit showing solidarity with migrants fleeing war and poverty. ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis confesses in St. Peter's Basilica during the Vatican's Penitential Celebration on Friday, March 4, 2016. Alessandro Di Meo/AP Pope Francis arrives for his visit with prisoners in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Friday, July 10, 2015. Franco Origlia/Getty Images Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I address the faithful in Istanbul on Sunday, November 30, 2014. Gokhan Tan/Getty Images Pope Francis speaks during the feast-day Mass while on a one-day trip to Italy's Calabria region in June 2014.

Persons: Pope Francis, Cardinal Michael Czerny, Francis, “, ”, Regina Coeli, Vincenzo Pinto, Juan Manuel Santos, Santos, Alessandra Tarantino, L'Osservatore Romano, VINCENZO PINTO, Simon Bar Sabbae, Pope, FILIPPO MONTEFORTE, Karekin, TIZIANA FABI, Giuseppe Ciccia, MAX, Pope Francis tries, Pope Benedict XVI, Alessandro Di Meo, Evo Morales, OSSERVATORE ROMANO, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Federico Lombardi, Lombardi, Gregorio Borgia, Getty Pope Francis, Raul Castro, Castro, GABRIEL BOUYS, ANDREAS SOLARO, Kurukkal SivaSri, Mahadeva, Pope Francis in, Eranga, Franco Origlia, Bartholomew I, Gokhan Tan, San Gregorio Magno, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh, Oli Scarff, Barack Obama, SAUL LOEB, Santa Sabina, Max ROSSI, Daniele De Sanctis, Pope Francis ', FABIO FRUSTACI, Benedict XVI, Benedict, L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO, Osservatore Romano Pope Francis, Vinicio Riva, Riva, CLAUDIO PERI, Rainbow Association Marco Iagulli Onlus, Fotografia, Father Don Renzo Zocca, Osservatore Romano, LUCA ZENNARO, Jorge Saenz, Dan Kitwood, Jesus, Internationalis Paulus VI, Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Roman Catholic Church's, Peter Macdiarmid, Pope Francis Prev, it’s, He’s, Filippo Monteforte, Donald Trump’s, Czerny, Trump, Donald Trump, Melania, Evan Vucci, Reuters “, ” Cardinal Czerny, Cardinal Czerny, doesn’t, Francis ’, “ Jesus Organizations: CNN, Getty Images, Colombian, Revolutionary Armed Forces, International Catholic Rural Association, Vatican, AFP, Getty, Catholic Chaldean, St, Mercy, ARIS MESSINIS, MAX ROSSI, Getty Images Bolivian, Cuban, Sunday, Queen, getty, Rainbow Association, Renault, Catholic, Roman Catholic, Intelligence, Warner Bros, Discovery, “, Republican, Reuters Locations: St, AFP, Colombia, Rome, Tbilisi , Georgia, Auschwitz, Birkenau, Poland, Etchmiadzin, Yerevan, Armenia, Vatican City, Moria, Lesbos, Peter's, Mexican, Havana, Cuba, Mexico, Santa Cruz , Bolivia, South America, Ecuador, Paraguay, La Paz, Bolivia, Italian, Ukraine, Iraq, Syria, Havana and Washington, Vatican, Pope Francis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Istanbul, Italy's Calabria, Jerusalem's Old City, Argentina, Roman Parish, San, Rome's, Santa, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Argentine, America, Gaza, Nove, Lampedusa, Italy, Ciampino, Czechoslovakia, Canada, United States, Africa

☆ UN's Guterres Condemns Israel for 'Heartbreaking' Killings in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Elias BiryabaremaKAMPALA (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday denounced Israel for the "heartbreaking" deaths of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and called it unacceptable to resist statehood for the Palestinian people. "Israel's military operations have spread mass destruction and killed civilians on a scale unprecedented during my time as secretary-general," Guterres said at the opening of a summit of the G77+China in the Ugandan capital Kampala. The Middle East is a tinder-box, we must do all we can to prevent conflict from igniting across the region." Israel's campaign has killed more than 25,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities on Sunday, and displaced most of the enclave's 2.3 million people from their homes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on Saturday to push back against U.S. President Joe Biden's remarks about Palestinian statehood after the war against Hamas ends.

Persons: Elias Biryabarema, António Guterres, Israel, Guterres, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden's, Biden, Netanyahu, Frances Kerry Organizations: Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA, United Nations, Hamas, U.S, Aligned Movement, NAM Locations: Gaza, China, Ugandan, Kampala, Israel, South Africa, Iran, Turkey, Cuba, India, Vietnam

☆ Trump keeps returning to his birther playbook
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Zachary Wolf | Analysis Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Trump has also baselessly questioned whether Vice President Kamala Harris, whose parents are immigrants, was eligible. Sen. Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican who Trump also bested in that 2016 primary with taunts of “Little Marco,” also again endorsed Trump this week. It is actually Trump who faces more legitimate questions about his eligibility under the 14th Amendment. It is not true, as he alleges, that Democrats can take part in the GOP primary. “You have a group of people coming in that are not Republicans, and it’s artificially boosting her numbers here,” Trump said.

Persons: Donald Trump’s playbook, Barack Obama, Hussein, Trump, Kamala Harris, Ted Cruz, John F, Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, Cruz, Trump’s, Sen, Marco Rubio, “ Little Marco, ”, Nikki Haley, Haley, “, ” Haley, Joe Biden, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Jeff Zeleny, “ He’s, Nia, Malika Henderson, ” Henderson, Haley’s, ” Trump, E, Jean Carroll, Carroll, Utah Sen, Mitt Romney, Romney, CNN’s Manu Raju, Biden, Donald Trump, ” Romney, Raju Organizations: CNN, White, GOP, Republican, National Enquirer, Florida Republican, Trump, South, United Nations, Supreme, Florida Gov, Bloomberg, CNN New Locations: Texas, Cuba, Iowa, Florida, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Maine, Colorado, CNN New Hampshire, Utah

☆ 2 US Navy SEALS lost at sea were part of a long struggle to stop Iran smuggling deadly weapons to its allies
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

They were helping seize Iranian weapons being sent to the Houthis in Yemen, CENTCOM said. The US Navy and its allies have made attempts to shut down this flow of weapons in the past. Advertisement"One of the main problems with the Red Sea in the Gulf of Aden is the type of states that surround them — Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan," Inglis told BI. Inglis predicts there will now be other such operations, with the US Navy targeting more vessels smuggling weapons. AdvertisementBut, he said, "Iran will continue sending weapons to them in the same way that the Soviet Union did to Cuba in the 1960s."

Persons: CENTCOM, —, Michael Erik Kurilla, Mark Cancian, Richard Kouyoumdjian Inglis, Inglis Organizations: Navy, Service, US Central Command, US Marine, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US Navy, Chilean Naval Reserve, Middle East Institute Locations: Somalia, Yemen, Iran, Gulf of Oman, Gulf, Aden, Ethiopia, Sudan, Israel, Soviet Union, Cuba

☆ Lithuania Broke Human Rights Laws in Case Tied to CIA Detention Program, European Court Rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lithuania broke European human rights laws by allowing the CIA to subject an alleged 9/11 suspect to "inhuman treatment" in a secret interrogation center in the Baltic country, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday. Al-Hawsawi is now held in Guantanamo Bay on suspicion of being a facilitator and financial manager of al Qaeda. While held in Lithuania, he experienced an extremely harsh detention regime, according to the press release, including solitary confinement, the continuous use of leg shackles and exposure to noise and light. “While not commenting on the specific case, I’d note that CIA’s detention and interrogation program ended in 2009," a CIA spokesperson said. It came to symbolize the excesses of the U.S. "war on terror" because of harsh interrogation methods that critics have said amounted to torture.

Persons: Mustafa Ahmed Adam al, Hawsawi, George W, Bush, Jonathan Landay, Daphne Psaledakis, Bill Berkrot Organizations: WASHINGTON, CIA, of Human, Convention, Lithuanian, Baltic News Service, Lithuania's, U.S, Senate, Republican, Pentagon Locations: Lithuania, Baltic, Guantanamo Bay, al Qaeda, Lithuanian, Washington, Guantanamo, Cuba, New York

☆ A woman bought a vintage dress at an antique store. It had a secret pocket with a mysterious note
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The Victorian dress in the Maine antique mall was unlike anything Sara Rivers Cofield had seen before. Rivers Cofield had no idea that the dress she bought in December 2013 would unravel a mystery a decade later. Rivers Cofield was baffled, she told CNN. He also emailed Rivers Cofield, who did not know that online sleuths were still working to decipher the codes. But for now, Chan and Rivers Cofield are just glad they’ve unraveled the biggest piece of the dress’s mystery.

Persons: Sara Rivers Cofield, Rivers, Rivers Cofield, Fagan, Bennett, Shakespeare’s, ”, she’d, “, sleuths, Cofield, ” Rivers Cofield, I’m, Wayne Chan, didn’t, ” Chan, Chan, Sara Rivers, “ Bismark, “ Buck ”, he’s, “ I’m, It’s, they’ve Organizations: CNN, University of Manitoba, Army Corps, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: Maine, Calgary, Cuba, Bennett, Rivers, Chesapeake Beach , Maryland, Searsport , Maine, United States, ”, Canadian, Canada, North America, Bismarck, North Dakota, Washington ,, Chan

☆ A mysterious note was discovered in the secret pocket of a dress from the 1880s. A decade later, someone finally cracked the code.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An archeologist found a silk dress from the 1800s with a hidden pocket concealing a secret code. "It was a beautiful sort of rust, metallic, bronze silk dress," she told Business Insider, one she'd seen at the shop for years. "For the first time in history, information about the weather could travel faster than the weather itself," Chan wrote. While it's tempting to think Bennet was the owner of the paper, it's not necessarily the case, Rivers Cofield said. AdvertisementWhether the dress's owner sent it out to the laundry or donated it are both possibilities, Rivers Cofield said.

Persons: —, Sara Rivers Cofield, confute, fagan, Rivers, Wayne Chan, Chan, Sara Rivers, Rivers Cofield, Bismark, Leafage, Buck, Bennet Organizations: Service, Calgary Cuba, University of Manitoba's, Earth Observation, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, US Army Signal Corps, NOAA, . Bank Locations: Maine, Calgary, Canada, North Dakota

☆ Your world in 10 minutes: US warships on alert
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The US Navy is on high alert in the Red Sea after a series of drone attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy is set to appeal directly to senators after the White House warned US funding for the war is running out. Supreme Court justices appear split over whether to approve a bankruptcy settlement with the makers of OxyContin. Plus, COP28 turns its attention to fossil fuels and a former US ambassador is charged over spying for Cuba. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices.

Persons: Volodomyr Zelenskiy, Moody's Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, US Navy, House, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Red, Iran, OxyContin, Israel, Cuba, Russia, Ukraine, China

☆ U.S. Ex-Ambassador Charged as Secret Agent for Cuba
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( José De Córdoba | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Victor Manuel Rocha, pictured in 2001, served as a diplomat in Cuba, Bolivia, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Mexico. Photo: Gonzalo Espinoza/AFP/Getty ImagesA former senior U.S. diplomat who served in U.S. embassies across Latin America was accused of spying for Cuba’s intelligence service for decades in one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting security breaches of the U.S. government, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Monday. Victor Manuel Rocha, a former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday. The unsealed complaint said that the 73-year-old Rocha had worked for Cuba as a covert agent since at least the early 1980s until now.

Persons: Victor Manuel Rocha, Gonzalo Espinoza, Rocha Organizations: Getty, ., Federal Bureau of Investigation Locations: Cuba, Bolivia, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, U.S, America

☆ US charges ex-ambassador with spying for Cuba over decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rocha, 73, was arrested and is expected to appear before a federal judge in Miami on Monday. Bolivian President Hugo Banzer shakes hands with Victor Manuel Rocha, the then U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia, during a ceremony in the Goverment Palace in La Paz, August 3, 2000. File photo DM/JP/HB Acquire Licensing RightsRocha worked for the State Department from 1981 to 2002, the Justice Department said. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters he was unable to provide details on an ongoing law enforcement matter.

Persons: Victor Manuel Rocha, Merrick Garland, Rocha, Hugo Banzer, Matthew Miller, Miller, Andrew Goudsward, Katharine Jackson, Ismail Shakil, Simon Lewis, Rami Ayyub, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Justice, Justice Department, Cuban, United, Bolivian, HB, State Department, White, National Security Council, . military's Southern Command, Washington, Directorate of Intelligence, Thomson Locations: United States, Bolivia, Cuba, Miami, Goverment, La Paz, Florida, U.S

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The head of Mexico’s immigration agency has ordered the suspension of migrant deportations and transfers due to a lack of funds amid a record-setting year for migration through the country’s territory. Mexico’s finance ministry suspended payments to the National Immigration Institute in November due to end-of-year budget adjustments, according to the memo. Deportations had precipitously dropped in April following a fire at a migrant detention center in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas. The tragedy threw the immigration agency into chaos and it temporarily closed dozens of its detention centers. Deportations had just picked up again in October, when Mexico began sending migrants back to their countries, including flights to Cuba and Venezuela.

Persons: Francisco Garduño, ” Garduño, ”, Adam Isacson Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Associated Press, National Immigration Institute, National Guard, Washington Office Locations: MEXICO, U.S, Mexico, Ciudad Juarez, El Paso , Texas, Cuba, Venezuela, America, Caribbean

MIAMI (AP) — A former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been charged with serving as a covert agent for Cuba's intelligence services dating back decades, the Justice Department said Monday. Newly unsealed court papers allege that Manuel Rocha engaged in “clandestine activity” on Cuba's behalf since at least 1981, including by meeting with Cuban intelligence operatives and providing false information to U.S. government officials. The complaint, filed in federal court in Miami, charges Rocha with acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. The 73-year-old had a 25-year career as a U.S. diplomat, including top posts in Bolivia, Argentina and the U.S. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Persons: —, Manuel Rocha, Rocha Organizations: MIAMI, Justice Department, Cuban, Associated Press Locations: American, Bolivia, Miami, U.S, Argentina, Havana

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