Illegal deforestation spikes in Colombia: How FARC prevented deforestation and the government cannot
Although FARC groups have been largely demobilized in the two years since the peace deal they signed with the Colombian government, the government has been unable to prevent escalation in illegal activities that impact the country’s forests, an escalation that is heavily driven by the fallout of a demobilized FARC.
Russia accused of hiring “Polish thugs” to conduct arson attacks in Ukraine
Three “Polish thugs” with ties to neo-fascist and pro-Russian parties have been accused of setting fires at a Hungarian Cultural Association building in Ukraine in order to weaken Ukrainian-Hungarian relations. The accused were allegedly paid $265 each for the attacks and sources have accused Russia of having an instigating role,
Colombia: One human rights advocate killed every three days
Community leaders and human rights advocates in Colombia are being assassinated at a rate of roughly 1 every 3 days, the highest rate in the world, since the 2016 peace agreement with FARC. 5 out of the 6 most dangerous countries for these killings are in Latin America and include Guatemala,
Pamex adjusts logistics to combat $3 billion/yr in stolen fuel; shortages occur across Mexico
In an effort to reduce gasoline theft, State oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pamex) has changed their distribution methods, resulting in shortages and long lines at refueling stations across 6 states. Fuel theft in the country had risen from around $500,000 USD per year in the early 2000s to around $3
Days after Bolsonaro inauguration, Brazil deploys troops to stop surge in violence in Fortaleza
“About 300 troops have been sent to the north-eastern Brazilian city of Fortaleza to tackle a surge in criminal violence, authorities said. Soldiers will patrol there and across the state of Ceará in a bid to halt attacks on shops, banks and buses. The justice ministry ordered the special deployment
Mexico Looks to Recruit 50,000 for new National Guard
“Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador used his first news conference of 2019 to start recruitment for his new National Guard, which will become the country’s primary security force. Lopez Obrador says the government hopes to recruit about 50,000 civilians to add to the guard’s initial composition of military personnel
Istanbul police: Judicial action taken against over 2,500 social media users in 2018
Government crackdowns against social media users continued in 2018. In Turkey, “Judicial actions have been taken against 2,793 social media users in 2018, Istanbul police have said in a statement. According to the written statement, judicial actions were taken against 750 people for conducting ‘terrorist propaganda’ on their social media
US says drug gangs moving money via China crypto channels
While cryptocurrencies are involved in only a small fraction of the estimated $2 trillion trillion in laundered money every year, its share is rising. Now, the DEA has stated that Mexican drug cartels are increasingly using money laundering and cryptocurrency channels based in Asia to move and “clean” their money.
FBI swoops on ‘national threat’ ‘hacks for hire’ sites
“The FBI has seized control of 15 websites that let people pay to knock individuals and other sites offline. The so-called booters sought to swamp targets with huge amounts of data in what are known as distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Three US men have been charged with allegedly offering DDoS services.
UN Reports ‘Alarming’ Trends in Drug Trafficking in Africa
“The U.N. drugs and crime chief said Wednesday that his office is registering ‘new, alarming trends’ in drug trafficking in western and central Africa that are destabilizing the ability of country’s to govern as well as security, economic growth and public health. Yuri Fedotov told the Security Council that criminal