International

US calls for ‘global effort’ to combat cybercrime

AFP

A top US Treasury official on Tuesday called for a “global effort” to combat cyberattacks and to prevent criminals from holding computer systems for ransom.

“It’s going to be critical that we not only do this in the United States, but that we have a global effort because many of these cyber criminals are domiciled outside of our country,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said.

Governments, companies and individuals must focus on cybersecurity “to prevent criminal actors from being able to get into their system, and potentially use them to ransom.”

He testified before the Senate Banking Committee to present a Treasury report showing that growing use of cryptocurrencies outside of traditional payments systems undermines the effectiveness of US economic sanctions.

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“Our goal ultimately, is to make sure that payments do not flow into the hands of criminal actors and … don’t flow into the hands of those people who have been sanctioned by the United States,” Adeyemo said.

Treasury sanctions work by blocking targets — individuals, government officials or companies — from using the US financial system, which in effect cuts them off from banking or profiting from trade in most of the world.

But the Treasury review said digital currencies and alternative payment platforms provide a way to skirt sanctions by moving funds and hiding profits outside the traditional dollar-based financial system.

The official said “it is true” that China is “trying to find means around our financial system to avoid sanctions.”

But “by taking actions in unison with other countries” governments are better able to “hold our adversaries accountable for actions that they take that are in violation of international laws and norms,” he said.

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Asked about Afghanistan, Adeyemo said it is “essential” to maintain economic sanctions against the Taliban but also to “find ways for legitimate humanitarian assistance to get to the Afghan people.”

“I see under no situation in which we would allow the Taliban to have access to the reserves that belong to the Afghan people,” he said, referring to Washington’s decision to withhold about $9 billion of the nation’s reserves held overseas.

The Treasury report showed use of sanctions increased tenfold over the past two decades since the attacks of September 11, 2001, with 9,421 designations this year compared to just 912 in 2000.

International

Former South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison for obstruction of justice and other charges, concluding the first in a series of trials stemming from his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.

The sentence is shorter than the 10-year prison term sought by prosecutors against the 65-year-old conservative former leader, whose move against Parliament triggered a major political crisis that ultimately led to his removal from office.

Yoon, a former prosecutor, is still facing seven additional trials. One of them, on charges of insurrection, could potentially result in the death penalty.

On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on one of the multiple secondary cases linked to the affair, which plunged the country into months of mass protests and political instability.

International

U.S. deportation flight returns venezuelans to Caracas after Maduro’s ouster

A new flight carrying 231 Venezuelans deported from the United States arrived on Friday at the airport serving Caracas, marking the first such arrival since the military operation that ousted and captured President Nicolás Maduro.

On January 3, U.S. forces bombed the Venezuelan capital during an incursion in which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured. Both are now facing narcotrafficking charges in New York.

This was the first U.S.-flagged aircraft transporting migrants to land in Venezuela since the military action ordered by President Donald Trump, who has stated that he is now in charge of the country.

The aircraft departed from Phoenix, Arizona, and landed at Maiquetía International Airport, which serves the Venezuelan capital, at around 10:30 a.m. local time (14:30 GMT), according to AFP reporters on the ground.

The deportees arrived in Venezuela under a repatriation program that remained in place even during the height of the crisis between the two countries, when Maduro was still in power. U.S. planes carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued to arrive throughout last year, despite the military deployment ordered by Trump.

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International

Sheinbaum highlights anti-drug gains after U.S. says challenges remain

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday highlighted her government’s achievements in the fight against drug trafficking, after the United States said challenges remain in combating organized crime.

On Thursday, Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente held talks with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Following the meeting, the U.S. State Department said in a statement that “despite progress, challenges still exist” in addressing organized crime.

“There are very strong results from joint cooperation and from the work Mexico is doing: first, a 50% reduction in fentanyl seizures at the U.S. border,” Sheinbaum said during her regular morning press conference.

The president also said that authorities have seized nearly 320 tons of drugs and that there has been a “40% decrease in intentional homicides in Mexico” since the start of her administration on October 1, 2024.

Sheinbaum added that the United States should implement campaigns to reduce drug consumption within its territory and curb the flow of weapons into Mexico.

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“There are many results and there will be more, but there must be mutual respect and shared responsibility, as well as respect for our sovereignties,” she said.

On Monday, Sheinbaum held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss security issues. She said she once again ruled out the presence of U.S. troops in Mexico to fight drug cartels.

Security has been a recurring issue used by Trump to threaten tariffs on Mexico and to pressure negotiations over the USMCA (T-MEC) free trade agreement, which are scheduled for 2026.

The agreement is crucial for Mexico’s economy, as about 80% of the country’s exports are destined for the United States.