Reuters, Beijing
China’s capital is stepping up a campaign against foreign espionage from Monday, offering rewards ranging from $1,500 to $73,000 to citizens who blow the whistle on suspected spies, state media said.
Since taking office in 2013, President Xi Jinping has overseen a raft of laws and campaigns to secure China’s national security against both domestic and foreign threats.
Filipino court affirms conviction of US Marine
AP, Manila
A Philippines appeals court on Monday affirmed a regional trial court’s conviction of a U.S. Marine and his sentence of up to 10 years in jail for killing a transgender Filipino, whose heirs he was also ordered to compensate. The Court of Appeals decision seen Monday did not accept Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton’s claim of self-defense in killing Jennifer Laude inside a motel room in northwestern Olongapo city after they met in a disco bar in October 2014.
Israel shuts Egypt border crossing
AP, Jerusalem
Israel closed its Taba border crossing to Egypt Monday following a warning by its anti-terrorism office of an “imminent” militant attack there. The closure comes hours before the start of the Passover holiday, when Sinai is a popular destination for many Israelis. Soon after the announcement, sirens wailed in parts of southern Israel alerting residents to a rocket attack. The military said a rocket fired from Sinai exploded in an open field, causing no injuries.
China nuclear envoy in talks on N Korea threat
AFP, Seoul
China’s top nuclear envoy arrived in Seoul Monday for talks on the North Korean threat, as a US naval strike group headed to the region in a show of force.
President Donald Trump, fresh from a missile strike on Syria that was widely interpreted as putting Pyongyang on warning, has asked to be provided with a range of options for eliminating the North’s nuclear capabilities.
