Mexico

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Mexican Mayor Assassinated
 Mexican Mayor Assassinated 
Feb 26, 2009 5:27 AM CST

Mexican Mayor Assassinated

Just as US arrests 750 in crackdown on Mexican drug cartel

(Newser) - The mayor of Vista Hermosa in Mexican President Felipe Calderon's home province was ambushed and killed by gunmen last night, CNN reports. The mayor, who survived an assassination attempt last week, is the second mayor in the province to be killed in eight months. The assassination came as US Attorney...

Schools Warn Against Mexico Spring Break

(Newser) - Arizona’s three state universities are following the State Department and attempting to dissuade students from spending spring break in Mexican border towns, a traditional pastime, because of drug-associated violence there, the AP reports. One federal official called the warning “sage advice,” noting “documented violence, attacks, killings”...

World Economy Cuts Mexican Migration by 50%

Fewer citizens are immigrating, but emigrants aren't returning

(Newser) - Who needs a border fence when you have a shaky economy? That seems to be the message of Mexico's latest migration numbers, which show net emigration down by more than half for the year that ended in August 2008, compared with the previous 12 months. And the cause isn't more...

Mexico Calls in Army as Drug War Escalates

President deploys 45,000 troops into major cities

(Newser) - Mexican President Felipe Calderón yesterday defended his decision to deploy 45,000 troops in major cities in his fight against the drug cartels, reports the Washington Post. In a speech to the army, Calderón said the military would remain in place until it had regained control of the...

'Narco-Protests' Paralyze Mexican Border Crossings

Authorities believe anti-military protesters are in the pay of drug cartels

(Newser) - Civilian protesters suspected of being in the pay of drug traffickers have blocked Mexican bridges to the US in recent days, demanding that the military leave their cities, the Dallas Morning News reports. Officials see the demonstrations—dubbed "narco-protests"—as a worrying new development amid a wave of...

New Times Investor Silences Bad Press, Times Says

(Newser) - Carlos Slim has a history of intimidating the press, but not the New York Times, which strives manfully to dish the dirt on Mexico’s richest man today, even though he just lent the paper $250 million. Slim loves making such big investments in media companies, but he hates the...

Mexican Gunmen Kill Elite Cop, 6 Kids

Several others killed as Mexico implodes

(Newser) - Mexican gunmen rained bullets on the home of an elite cop, killing him, six children in his extended family and five others. The officer was assigned to ferret out police corruption, reports the Los Angeles Times. The violence was unusual for oil-rich Tobasco, which has been largely immune from such...

Mexicans Kiss Off Smooching Ban

Town's effort to ban kissing sparks passionate national protests

(Newser) - Outraged Mexicans joined forces—and lips—to kiss away a city's efforts to ban public smooching, the Los Angeles Times reports. Guanajuato's law drew national ridicule and protesters soon started kissing en masse in front of city hall. Newspaper columnists and politicians lined up to defend the kiss as a...

Mexico City Mayor Gives Free Viagra to Elderly

Among other bizarre pre-election tactics

(Newser) - Mexico City’s sexagenarians are getting their groove on, and it’s all thanks to Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, the New York Times reports. With July's elections looming, Ebrard has rolled out a swathe of unconventional programs to improve the city’s quality of life, none more talked about than a...

Latin American Leaders Slam Failed US Drug War

Group of ex-leaders calls for US to move away from prohibitionist policies

(Newser) - Some of America's firmest allies in the war on drugs say the battle is shattering their societies while failing to stop the flow of drugs, reports the Wall Street Journal. A report from a panel headed by the former leaders of Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico—all conservatives who hit hard...

Cancun Police Chief Busted in Drug Czar's Torture-Murder

Just in time for spring break

(Newser) - Federal authorities have arrested Cancun's police chief in the recent torture and murder of a retired general who had just been appointed to a drug-fighting task force, reports CNN. The military has taken over the police force in the beach town popular with college students on spring break. In another...

Families of Missing Want 'Stew Maker' to Help

Man who dissolved bodies may be able to identify kidnap, murder victims

(Newser) - Families with loved ones missing in Mexico are hoping that "the stew maker" can give them closure, the Los Angeles Times reports. A day after the arrest of Santiago Meza Lopez—who confessed to dissolving at least 300 bodies for drug cartels—dozens of people lobbied Tijuana police...

Top Mexican Drug Fighter Murdered on First Day

Official tortured, shot 11 times within 24 hours

(Newser) - A retired army general appointed as Mexico's new top drug-fighting official spent his first day on the job being tortured and murdered, CNN reports. The corpses of the general, his aide and his driver were found in a pickup truck on a road near Cancun. The general's body showed signs...

Border Crackdown Can't Weed Out Mexican Cartels

Marijuana smugglers get creative, or turn to growing dope inside US

(Newser) - The Mexican marijuana trade is flourishing, and border-protection efforts do little to deter powerful cartels from working in the US, the New York Times reports. Smugglers drop ramps over border fences and drive across, or use a new tactic: planting the pot in the US. Cartels now function in 195...

Kid Matador Kills Record 6 Bulls

Bloody spectacle gets last-minute go-ahead despite controversy

(Newser) - An 11-year-old Mexican bullfighter has broken a world record by killing six young bulls in a single bloody spectacle, reports the BBC. "I'm happy to have achieved this great victory," boasted the boy as he left the ring in Merida yesterday. The controversial bullfight exhibition won a last-minute...

'Stew Maker' Dissolved 300 Corpses in Mexico Drug War

Cartel branch paid $600 a week for disposal

(Newser) - A Mexican man has confessed to chemically dissolving 300 bodies produced by Mexico’s drug war, Reuters reports. A breakaway cartel faction paid Santiago “the Stew Maker” Meza $600 a week to dispose of bodies they brought him, he said. He dumped the bodies in industrial drums filled with...

Mexicans Eye Death Penalty to Stem Drug Murders

Politicians consider reinstating capital punishment to stave off tide of violence

(Newser) - Mexican lawmakers are considering bringing back the death penalty in the wake of an overwhelming tide of murders and kidnappings linked to drug cartels, reports the BBC. The Green Party, usually a staunch foe of capital punishment, is leading the campaign to reinstate it. Surveys show 70% of Mexicans want...

Marines Warned Tijuana Too Dangerous for R&R

Drug war prompts new rules to stop marines heading south of the border

(Newser) - The US military has warned their battle-hardened Marines that Tijuana is too dangerous a place for them to visit, USA Today reports. A surge in Mexican drug violence has resulted in military orders effectively placing the popular party town off limits to 44,000 leathernecks—including many who have done...

Mayor Embraces Kissing in Public, Denies Ban

Mexican official starts ad campaign to prove that Guanajuato welcomes PDA, despite what people say

(Newser) - Planning a trip to Guanajuato, Mexico? You’d better bust out the lip balm, AP reports. Mayor Eduardo Romero has proclaimed his city “the kissing capital” to counter claims he’s against public displays of affection. Apparently, the wording of a local anti-obscenity law caused some people to believe...

Crime-Plagued Mexico Pushes Toy Gun Ban

Politicians take aim at plastic weapons in war on violence

(Newser) - A bill proposed in Mexico takes aim at the production, sale and use of toy guns to reduce aggression among kids inundated by news of burgeoning drug-violence, the Guardian reports. Despite an earlier ban on realistic replicas, plastic weapons are still easy to find on the streets and used in...

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