Mexico: Unstoppable Spiral of Violence
Despite the praise from the government of Felipe Calderon for the drug war, Mexico is undergoing an unprecedented wave of violence capable of leaving 21 dead in one day, as in San Luis Potosi.
On Thursday, the remains of 14 people, allegedly from Coahuila, were discovered in a van, state authorities reported.
Also on Friday, heavy police forces were deployed at Tecnológico de Monterrey in the state of Monterrey, at a shootout where seven suspected criminals were killed, according to ForoTV news.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that military personnel repelled an armed attack on the neighborhood Lomas Segunda, in San Luis Potosi.
After the battle, soldiers seized 13 rifles, a gun, two grenade launchers, 112 clips, four grenades, 40 caliber, five hand grenades, two vehicles and tactical gear.
A similar scenario is spreading over the entire country and similar news is being reported in newspapers.
On Wednesday alone, organized crime executed 35 people in addition to the victims in San Luis Potosi, violent incidents were recorded in the states of Nuevo Leon, Chihuahua, Guerrero, Zacatecas and Hidalgo.
Due to the violence, NGOs claim that security in Mexico remains critical.
The Citizen’s National Observatory for Security, Justice and Legality (CNO) reported that the number of homicides rose 0.25 percent, while extortion shot up 20.41 percent between the last third of 2011 and the first third of 2012.
Data were collected on the basis of complaints by citizens in different states in the nation.
The wave of violence plaguing the country has claimed over 60,000 lives since December 2006, according to figures from human rights organizations, although the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, headed by poet Javier Sicilia, estimates the number of deaths to 70,000.
As far as Sicilia’s followers are concerned, the root of the problem exists due to the existence of the US drug market, which is both the largest consumer in the world, and also responsible for being the main weapons supplier to criminal groups.
Romney Picks Paul Ryan as VP Running Mate
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has picked Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate, U.S. media reported Friday, citing Republican sources.
A formal announcement would be made at 9 a.m. (1300 GMT) Saturday in Norfolk, Virginia, during a public event aboard the renowned USS Wisconsin, a decommissioned World War II-era warship.
NBC, CNN, AP and several other U.S. media outlets reported that Ryan is Romney’s choice for running mate, citing Republican and Romney campaign officials.
The announcement comes at a time as the candidate is starting this weekend a bus campaign tour, dubbed “The Romney Plan For A Stronger Middle Class.” The bus would travel through Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Ohio, over the weekend through Monday.
During the trip, Romney will stump with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.
Romney’s upcoming announcement was anticipated as he is believed to do it before the Republican National Convention, which is to be held by the end of the month. His campaign plans to use the announcement to boost his fund-raising and poll ratings and get at least one week of positive press coverage.
180 Killed in Strong Quake in Northwest Iran
The death toll of a strong earthquake in northwestern Iran on Saturday rose to 180 in the quake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported quoting an emergency official in Iran’s East Azerbaijaqn province.
The official, Khalil Saei, told Fars that the number of the injured has exceeded 1,300.
Earlier, Press TV reported that four villages were razed and 60 others partially ruined.
A strong earthquake jolted northwestern Iran on Saturday. The epicenter, with a depth of 10 km, was initially determined to be at 38.49 degrees north latitude and 46.87 degrees east longitude in Ahar city of East Azarbaijan, according to Iranian Seismological Center.
The first quake happened at local time 16:53, which was followed by another one measuring 6 on the Richter scale in Varzaghan region near Ahar with the depth of 10 km, and 38.45 degrees north latitude and 46.73 degrees east longitude at local time 17:04.