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
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.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Enters Into Force without USA on December 30
With Australia’s ratification of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade agreement, the agreement between 11 countries will go into effect at the end of December. Current signatories include Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Mexico, and Canada, while Brunei, Chile, Peru, Vietnam, and Malaysia were a part of the
Violence against journalists hits unprecedented levels
“The murder of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi in a year when more than half of all journalists killed were targeted deliberately reflects a hatred of the media in many areas of society, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday. At least 63 professional journalists around the world were killed doing
Mexico’s New Leader Says He Will Use the Army to Fight Crime
“President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador used his first full day in office Sunday to double down on promises to deploy Mexico’s military for public security to address a key concern: stemming rampant violence and rising murders. Speaking before rows of generals at a sun-drenched military installation in one of Mexico
Pegasus Spyware Targets Investigative Journalists in Mexico
“Colleagues of slain Javier Valdez Cárdenas, known for investigating drug cartels, were targeted just days after his death. Of six messages analyzed (though more were received), several contained links shortened with bit.ly that ultimately pointed to known exploit URLs, while others included links directly containing previously–identified NSO Group exploit domains.
Trump administration greenlights $324M border wall in Arizona
“The Arizona border will have 32 miles of existing wall replaced starting next April. The $324 million project has been given the green light by federal immigration officials, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Thursday. The project will switch out an old barrier that runs from the Border Patrol’s Tucson
Here are the rules of engagement for troops deploying to the Mexican border
“Each domestic deployment of troops to any of the 50 states or U.S. territories are governed overall by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction 3121.01B, ‘Standing Rules of Engagement, Standing Rules for the Use of Force by U.S. Forces.’ However each mission is unique and the rules can
Mexico City Goes Days Without Water During Maintenance Shutdown
Mexico is cutting water to Mexico City’s 8 million residents for 3 days to allow repairs to a 200-mile-long system that loses up to 40% of the water it pumps to leaks. When it is turned back on, it could take up to days for it to reach some areas.
Drones swamp US-Mexico border but federal agents powerless to stop them
“The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI identified this week unmanned aerial systems, or drones, as one of the greatest national security threats to America — rating it as severe a concern as cybersecurity hacks, critical infrastructure attacks, and terrorism. While drones are often thought of as techie toys,