El Salvador recalls ambassador to Mexico after drug trafficking claims
FILE PHOTO: Mexican Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar Garcia Harfuch speaks during a press conference with Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero about the extradition of 29 drug cartel members to the U.S, at the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection headquarters in Mexico City, Mexico February 28, 2025. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha/File photo
SAN SALVADOR - Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said on Wednesday that he was recalling the Central American nation's ambassador to Mexico for consultations after Mexico's security minister claimed a drug trafficking plane had come from El Salvador, which Bukele denied.
Bukele, in a post on X, said that the Mexican government needed to clarify and rectify the comments made by Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch.
Garcia Harfuch, speaking in a morning press conference on Tuesday, had claimed that a small plane flown by drug traffickers had come from El Salvador before being intercepted in the Mexican state of Colima.
Bukele shared a map of the plane's alleged flight path, which showed it appearing off the coast of Costa Rica - to the south of El Salvador - before heading north across the Pacific.
"The plane flew over the Pacific Ocean and never touched Salvadoran territory," he said.
According to Mexican authorities, the three men aboard were arrested and 427 kilograms of cocaine were seized after the plane landed in Colima.
Bukele said that the men were all Mexican, "something no media outlet or official source has published so far."
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
World Trump's ambassador nominee to Singapore Anjani Sinha has a rough day at Senate hearing
Asia Dr M at 100: Still haunted by the Malay Dilemma
World Trump issues tariff notices to 7 minor trading partners, hits Brazil with 50% tariff
Singapore Apex court upholds SMC's conviction of doctor who gave patients unapproved hormones
Multimedia 60 objects to mark SG60: Which is your favourite?
Singapore Singaporean fugitive arrested in Thailand for suspected drug trafficking and handed over to CNB
Business US Fed minutes show divide on rate cut pace, tariff impacts
Business SGX securities turnover up 23% in June, bringing financial year's gain to 28%
"El Salvador does not hide criminals or tolerate drug trafficking; we didn't do that before, and we won't do that now," Bukele said. "Nor will we allow them to try to involve us in operations that are not our responsibility."
Mexico's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
4 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Russia says it has captured two villages in Ukraine, Ukraine reports heavy fighting
Find out what's new on ST website and app. A resident stands next to burned cars at the site of a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine July 26, 2025. REUTERS/Mykola Synelnykov MOSCOW - Russia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday its forces had captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine, including one in Dnipropetrovsk region where Moscow says its troops have begun to make advances. Ukrainian forces made no acknowledgement that the villages had changed hands, but reported heavy fighting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in an assessment of the situation along the 1,000-km (620-mile) front line, said the logistics hub of Pokrovsk remained the focal point of battles. He also said Ukrainian forces had recorded "successful actions" in Sumy region on Ukraine's northern border, where Russian forces have established a foothold in recent weeks. Reuters could not independently confirm battlefield accounts from either side. The front-line clashes were reported three days after the two sides held their third direct meeting in Turkey aimed at resolving the nearly 3-1/2-year-old war. Both sides reported progress in swaps of prisoners or the remains of war dead, but no breakthroughs were announced in terms of a ceasefire or a meeting of the two countries' leaders. Russia's military has been reporting nearly daily the capture of new villages in its slow advance westward. The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had taken control of Zelenyi Hai in Donetsk region and Maliivka, a village just inside Dnipropetrovsk region. The ministry described Zelenyi Hai as "a major stronghold of Ukrainian formations in this section of the front (that) covered approaches to the administrative border of the Dnipropetrovsk region". Dnipropetrovsk is not among the five regions that Moscow claims as its own -- Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and the Crimean peninsula, annexed in 2014. Russia last month said its forces had crossed into Dnipropetrovsk region and now says it holds at least two villages. Ukraine's military has for weeks dismissed any notion that Russian troops hold territory in the region. The Ukrainian military's General Staff, in a late evening report, mentioned Zelenyi Hai as one of several frontline areas that had come under Russian attack 11 times over the past 24 hours. It said Maliivka was one of several villages where 10 Russian attacks had been halted. Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, said Ukraine's top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, had identified Pokrovsk as an area requiring "special attention" under constant attack. A military spokesperson, Viktor Trehubov, told national television that Russian forces were attacking Pokrovsk in "a small simply does not stop". REUTERS
Straits Times
34 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US pauses visa processing at embassy in Niger, State Dept says
FILE PHOTO: Men toss squash onto the banks of the Niger River in Niamey, September 18, 2013. REUTERS/Joe Penney/File Photo WASHINGTON - The United States is pausing all routine visa services at U.S. embassy in Nigerien capital Niamey until further notice, according to a State Department spokesperson and an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters on Saturday. The July 25-dated cable did not provide a reason for the move but a State Department spokesperson said the pause, which would cover all immigrant and non-immigrant visa categories, was in place until Washington addressed "concerns with the Government of Niger." The spokesperson did not provide further details on the reason, but said that most diplomatic and official visas were excepted from the pause. "The Trump Administration is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process," the Department spokesperson said. The diplomatic cable also instructed consular officers in other visa processing posts to apply "heightened scrutiny" when assessing non-immigrant visa applications for Nigerien nationals, whose overstay rates it said were 8 percent for visitor visas and 27 percent for student and exchange visas. Consular managers should make an effort to reduce the number of overstays by nonimmigrant visa holders in the United States, the cable said and added: "In this regard, particular vigilance is needed in adjudicating Nigerien NIV applicants." The U.S. embassy in Niamey has informed all individuals impacted, the spokesperson added. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore NDP 2025: How Benjamin Kheng is whisked from Marina Bay to Padang in 10 minutes by boat, buggy Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar As part of his hardline stance on immigration, President Donald Trump has ordered a nationwide campaign to arrest migrants who are in the country illegally and has vowed to deport millions of people, executing raids at work sites including farms that were largely exempted from enforcement during his first term. Trump administration officials have said student visa and green card holders are subject to deportation over their support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza, calling their actions a threat to U.S. foreign policy and accusing them of being pro-Hamas. Rubio in May said the number of visas he has revoked was probably in the thousands. The State Department under his leadership significantly tightened social media vetting for U.S. visa applicants. The U.S. military in September said it had completed its withdrawal from Niger, after the West African nation's ruling junta in April 2024 ordered Washington to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country. It was an embarrassing setback for Washington that followed a coup last year in the West African nation. Before the coup, Niger had been a key partner in the U.S. fight against insurgents in the Sahel region of Africa, who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more. REUTERS
Straits Times
34 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Israel resumes airdrop aid to Gaza, military says
FILE PHOTO: Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo Israel resumed airdrop aid to Gaza on Saturday, an Israeli military spokesperson said, a few days after more than 100 aid agencies warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave. The military also said in a separate statement that designated humanitarian corridors would be established to enable the safe movement of United Nations convoys delivering aid to the Gaza population, and that humanitarian pauses would be implemented in densely populated areas. "The airdrops will include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food to be provided by international organizations," it added. Palestinian sources confirmed that aid has begun dropping in northern Gaza. Israel has faced mounting criticism from aid agencies, which accuse it of restricting aid delivery. The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the crisis as "man-made mass starvation". Israel, which cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants. It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's 2.2 million people. Israel has also accused the United Nations of failing to act in a timely fashion, saying 700 truckloads of aid were idling inside Gaza. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore NDP 2025: How Benjamin Kheng is whisked from Marina Bay to Padang in 10 minutes by boat, buggy Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar "The IDF emphasizes that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas," the Israeli military said in its Saturday statement. "Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organizations. Therefore, the UN and international organizations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas." More than 125 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Saturday. REUTERS
