US citizen arrested by Chinese government on espionage charges
The skyline of the Central Business District is seen on May 13, 2026 in Beijing, China. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A U.S. citizen was arrested in China on espionage charges, according to Chinese officials.
U Min Zin was “lawfully subjected to criminal compulsory measures by the relevant authorities on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities that endanger China’s national security Chinese foreign ministry,” spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters Friday during a news conference.
Lin did not provide any more details about the charges or the investigation into Min Zin, who has been a longtime scholar on the politics of Myanmar. The spokesperson said the Chinese government notified the U.S. consulate general in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
A State Department official told ABC News in a statement Friday that the department is aware of the reports of the arrest.
“The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans. Whenever a U.S. citizen is detained, we work to provide the appropriate consular assistance. However, under federal privacy law, we are unable to comment further at this time,” the official said.
Min Zin took part in the democracy movement in Burma, Myanmar’s former name, in the late 80s and fled the country in 1989 to avoid arrest, according to a bio on his blog.
He is the executive director of the think tank, The Institute for Strategy and Policy (Myanmar), and has written several publications about Myanmar’s politics.
Min Zin was scheduled to speak at an event in Nepal this month hosted by the Centre for Social Innovation and Foreign Policy, the think tank announced in May.
ABC News’ Shannon Kingston contributed to this report.
An American Airlines Airbus A321 airplane arrives at Los Angeles International Airport from Washington D.C., March 7, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
(COLOMBIA) — An American Airlines flight attendant has been reported missing in Colombia, according to officials.
Eric Fernando Gutiérrez Molina landed on March 21 on a flight from Miami to Medellin, Colombia, according to the Medellin security secretary.
Authorities believe he may have been drugged and are investigating that claim.
He was last seen early Sunday morning after a party at a club in the Medellín neighborhood of El Poblado, with a man and a woman, according to the security secretary.
“We are actively engaged with local law enforcement officials in their investigation and doing all we can to support our team member’s family during this time,” American Airlines said in a statement.
A State Department spokesperson said, “We are aware of these reports and are closely tracking the situation.”
“The Trump Administration has no greater priority than the safety and security of Americans, and the State Department stands ready to provide all consular assistance to Americans in need abroad,” the spokesperson said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — The husband of an American woman reported missing in the Bahamas after going overboard on a dinghy has spoken out for the first time, saying he is “heartbroken over the recent boat accident.”
The search is ongoing for Lynette Hooker, 55, of Michigan, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
She and her husband, Brian Hooker, had departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands for Elbow Cay around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
They were en route to their yacht, “Soulmate,” when bad weather caused Lynette Hooker to fall overboard, her husband told authorities. The strong currents took her out to sea, authorities said. She was holding the boat key when she went overboard, causing the 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy’s engine to shut off, police noted.
In a statement posted to social media on Wednesday, Brian Hooker, 58, said “unpredictable seas and high winds” caused his “beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy” near Elbow Cay.
“Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus,” he said.
Brian Hooker subsequently paddled the boat back to shore, arriving at around 4 a.m. Sunday to a marina, where he reported his wife overboard to an individual who then alerted police, authorities said.
The search and rescue operation has been conducted by land, sea and air and involved multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.
Brian Hooker thanked the agencies “who have worked tirelessly in an ongoing effort to bring Lynette back to us.”
“Thank you to everyone for keeping Lynette in your thoughts and for your support of our family during this difficult time,” he said.
The investigation and search efforts are ongoing, police said Tuesday.
Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has called for a “full and complete investigation” into her mother’s disappearance.
She told ABC News her mother is fit and a good swimmer, and described what Brian Hooker told her about his wife’s disappearance.
“He said that my mom’s missing and that she fell out of the boat and that he threw a life jacket to her or something, and he doesn’t know if she got it or not,” she said.
“I just hope we find her,” she added.
The Hookers are avid sailors, documenting their travels on social media under the name “The Sailing Hookers.”
The U.S. State Department is “aware of reports regarding a missing American near Elbow Cay” and is “working with Bahamian authorities to provide assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said Monday.
British Prime Minister and Labour leader Keir Starmer speaks to members of the media following local elections at Kingsdown Methodist Church on May 08, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with his Cabinet on Tuesday amid pressure from scores of his own Labour Party lawmakers to resign, following the party’s poor performance in last week’s local elections in which it came in second to the right-wing populist Reform Party.
Starmer met with his Cabinet at the prime minister’s Downing Street residence in London, with BBC News reporting that the prime minister said during the meeting that he refused to step aside.
The turmoil comes ahead of the King’s Speech and official opening of Parliament on Wednesday, an annual ceremonial event, during which King Charles III will set out the incumbent Labour government’s legislative agenda for the coming term.
Scores of Labour members of parliament have written to Starmer asking him to step down following last week’s local elections — as of Tuesday morning, the number was reportedly more than 81 — representing about 20% of the party’s members of the House of Commons.
But those lawmakers have not publicly backed a single potential leadership challenger, which is required to trigger a leadership contest. Starmer has said he will stand again in the event of a new leadership contest.
On Tuesday, Miatta Fahnbulleh — the minister for devolution, faith and communities — became the first government minister to resign in protest of Starmer’s continued leadership. “I urge the Prime Minister to do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition,” she wrote in a post to X.
Starmer has long said he intends to see out his full five-year term, which began with his party’s 2024 landslide election victory that ended 14 years of Conservative Party government and delivered Labour a historic majority in the House of Commons.
When he came to office, Starmer promised a departure from the policies of his five consecutive Conservative predecessors. But frustration with the pace and scale of reform has grown among some factions of the party during his first two years in power.
In last week’s elections, voters in England chose the leaders of their local councils and — in some cases — mayors. In Scotland and Wales, voters selected members of their devolved national parliaments.
The results were widely interpreted as a repudiation of Labour’s performance to date by British voters. The elections saw Labour lose 1,498 councillors in England and lose control of both the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, prompting immediate demands for change in Downing Street.
Labour held 1,068 councillors but were leapfrogged by the populist, anti-immigration and right-wing Reform Party — led by Nigel Farage — which emerged with 1,452 councillors, the most of any party.
On Monday, Starmer said during a speech, “I know that people are frustrated by the state of Britain, frustrated by politics and some people are frustrated with me. I know I have my doubters, and I know I need to prove them wrong, and I will.”
“We are not just facing dangerous times, but dangerous opponents, very dangerous opponents,” he said, framing Labour as the only was to prevent the country heading down a “very dark path.”
Defense Minister John Healey was among those who publicly backed the prime minister on Tuesday.
“People are worried about current conflicts and looming global crises. They expect their government to lead the country through, as the PM is doing,” he wrote on X.
“More instability is not in Britain’s interest. Our full focus now must be on dealing with immediate economic & security challenges,” Healey added.
