http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=20413251
MEXICO CITY: Rising violence in Mexico is forcing foreign companies to change their operating procedures and shipping routes, and to tighten security for their employees, businessmen said Tuesday.
U.S. security consultant John Baird said his family was robbed in late 2008 for the first time in the six years he has lived in Mexico. "2009 is going to be very difficult" because of rising violence and unemployment here, he added.
"I think we're just going to have to hunker down," said Baird, general manager of the Mexico office of the Dublin, Ireland-based security company FreightWatch Group.
He said there have been problems both with drugs stowed in freight shipments and with the army checkpoints posted to detect the drugs.
One popular highway shipping route to the U.S. border now has eight or nine army checkpoints on it. Given that checkpoints sometimes damage or delay shipments, Baird now advises U.S. companies to use another highway — one that doesn't pass through the states of northwestern Mexico where drug cartels are battling for smuggling routes and against security forces.
Xochitl Diaz, a spokesman of Michigan-based auto parts manufacturer Delphi Corp., said one of the company's U.S. executives escaped an attack in the border city of Ciudad Juarez in January.
A car chased the U.S. woman, cut her off, and a man carrying a pistol got out and banged on the window of her car with the butt of the pistol. The woman managed to speed off in her car and made it to the plant.
"We are asking employees to travel in daylight to the extent that they can," Diaz said. "We are asking them to be extra cautious and to travel wherever possible in groups."
Alberto Zapanta, the president of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, said the drug-related violence that cost over 6,000 lives in 2008 "is not pervasive, it's not all over the country, it's along the border ... there are kind of hotspots."
But Zapanta added, "I'm not out wandering around like I used to do." Instead, he uses secure limousines to travel from airports to hotels.
While Mexico's drug cartels don't appear to be targeting foreigners specifically, there is a problem with common criminals taking advantage of the atmosphere of fear created by the drug conflict to extort money or demand protection payments from companies, Interior Secretary Fernando Gomez Mont told a meeting of business people in Mexico City.
"Based on the climate of terror that exists, a bunch of smart guys are simulating extortions or saying they have ties to organized crime, to scare people," Gomez Mont said.
"In most cases, they don't come from organizations that are capable of inflicting harm," he told the executives. "They are using a strategy of taking advantage of disorder."
Companies in Mexico have reported a rising wave of such extortions, but Gomez Mont told executives not to pay such demands.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Border drug war is too close for comfort
http://www.latimes.com/la-na-bordertown19-2009feb.19,0,973784,full.story
This article focuses on the case of Columbus, New Mexico and Palomas, Chihuahua; border towns that are faced with the reality of cross-border residents and the current drug war in Mexico. Residents of the New Mexico town are afraid of the drug war spilling across the border into their quaint and police-less town. The town lacks its own police department and utilizes the Sheriff located about 30 miles away. Recently the town has seen some changes in the make-up of its residents and there is reason to believe that Mexican drug traffickers have moved themselves and their families into the New Mexican town.
Wave of Drug Violence Is Creeping Into Arizona From Mexico, Officials Say
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/us/24border.html?th&emc=th
discusses violence spilling into Arizona from drug cartels in Mexico; mentions how most of the weapons used come from america, yet the only solution discussed is a bill from a pro-gun republican looking to "restrict" people from buying guns that they will send to Mexico; also briefly mentions human smuggling and legislation being introduced to help stop people being held against their will, but mainly refers to undocumented immigrants as "illegal" and puts them in a negative light as usual
discusses violence spilling into Arizona from drug cartels in Mexico; mentions how most of the weapons used come from america, yet the only solution discussed is a bill from a pro-gun republican looking to "restrict" people from buying guns that they will send to Mexico; also briefly mentions human smuggling and legislation being introduced to help stop people being held against their will, but mainly refers to undocumented immigrants as "illegal" and puts them in a negative light as usual
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Latin American News from Democracy Now
FARC Rebels Kill 8 Indigenous Colombians
In Colombia, the rebel group FARC has admitted to killing eight indigenous Colombians they say passed intelligence to the Colombian military. The killings have forced a new wave of Awa indigenous people to flee their homes. Indigenous leader Luis Fernando Arias condemned the attack.
Luis Fernando Arias: “The Colombian armed forces accuse us of not wanting to cooperate, that we do not give information, and the guerrillas say that they kill us because we are army informants. What we want is, in a clear manner, to tell all the actors in the conflict, to all the armed players, to stop involving the Indian tribes and regular citizens in the armed conflict.”
Guatemala Apologizes to Cuba for Bay of Pigs
Guatemala has issued a formal apology to Cuba for taking part in the US “Bay of Pigs” invasion of 1961. The Kennedy administration used Guatemalan soil to train the group of militants used in the ultimately failed attack. On Tuesday, Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom said he wished to “officially ask Cuba for forgiveness.” The US has never apologized for the Bay of Pigs invasion.
Hundreds Protest Mexican Army Raids Near US Border
In Mexico, hundreds of people have blocked roads near the US-Mexico border in protest of an army crackdown on drug-related violence. The government says it’s trying to stop drug cartels that have stepped up smuggling and violent attacks. But some human rights groups say the danger has only increased since troops arrived. Fifteen Mexicans have been killed in drug-related violence since Sunday.
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/2/18/headlines#8
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Venezuela Arrests Soldiers Accused of Coup Attempt
In news from Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez says his government has arrested some active-duty soldiers believed to be plotting a coup. In a television interview, Chavez said, “We’ve arrested some active-duty soldiers who were in contact with a soldier on the run in the United States…sending messages about a so-called ‘operation independence.’” The alleged coup attempt comes days ahead of Sunday’s referendum on constitutional reform to lift term limits for the president and all elected officials.
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/2/12/headlines#15
Latin American Commission Blasts US Drug Wa
A commission led by three former Latin American heads of state has blasted the US-led drug war for pushing Latin American societies to the breaking point. Former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso said, “The available evidence indicates that the war on drugs is a failed war.” The Wall Street Journal reports the commission’s report warned that the US-style anti-drug strategy was putting the region’s fragile democratic institutions at risk.
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/2/12/headlines#14
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/2/12/headlines#14
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Make passport plans now for mexico and canada trips
Make passport plans now for Mexico and Canada trips
Starting June 1, U.S. citizens will have to show a passport or other special document for land or sea travel. Be prepared for any hitches.
By Jane Engle February 8, 2009
If you're traveling outside the U.S. this year, here are two pieces of advice: Get or renew your passport now, and think twice before planning a car trip to Mexico or Canada in June.That's when we may see the biggest change ever for Western Hemisphere travel. Starting June 1 (unless Congress changes the deadline), Americans will need to show a passport, a passport card or other special document to return to the U.S. by land or sea from Mexico and Canada.
Despite assurances from agencies involved, there may be glitches and delays. Two years ago, the last big change in entry rules -- requiring a passport for air passengers returning from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda -- inspired a stampede of passport applications and created confusion at airports. Some travelers waited months for their passports, and others just stayed home.Although passport demand has recently fallen along with wait times, and the State Department has ramped up staffing and facilities since 2007, the upcoming change will affect far more Americans than the 2007 rules change.Just how many, though, is hard to quantify. Out of more than 1 million people, both U.S. and foreign citizens, who legally enter the U.S. each day, about three-fourths arrive by land from Mexico or Canada, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
But the agency doesn't keep track of how many are repeat crossers or use documents that won't be accepted after June 1, said spokeswoman Kelly Ivahnenko. So it can't predict how many Americans will need to order a passport or passport card by June.What to do to be prepared? First, study up. Second, do some planning.A little history: In 2004, Congress, reacting to issues raised by the Sept. 11 attacks, decided to plug a potential hole in border security that had allowed Americans to present various types of identification, such as driver's licenses, birth certificates or sometimes nothing, when reentering the U.S. from certain neighbor countries.It passed a law that, when fully implemented, would require citizens of the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Caribbean countries and Bermuda to show passports or other secure documents that established identity and nationality in order to enter the U.S. from these nearby nations.What followed were years of increasingly complicated rules, shifting deadlines and the Great Passport Meltdown of 2007, in which wait times for passports doubled to 12 weeks or more.Lobbyists for border countries, employers and travel industries joined the fray. Changes were phased in by mode of travel -- air, land or sea -- with plenty of exceptions.It was not just where you traveled but how you traveled that determined what documents you would need. In January 2007, the U.S. government began requiring a passport to fly back to the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. In January 2008, it said it would stop accepting oral declarations at sea and land checkpoints. And on June 1, it plans to fully implement the new document requirements for land and sea crossings.What you need now: Generally, you need a passport to enter the U.S. by air from any foreign country. If you enter by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda, you may not need a passport, but you do need at least a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship, plus a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license. Children 18 or younger need only a birth certificate for land and sea entry from these areas.What you'll need starting June 1: The same rules apply for air travel: passport required.If you're arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda by land or sea, you'll generally have several choices: a passport; a passport card, a new type of ID that the U.S. government began issuing last year; an enhanced driver's license, a new high-tech version offered by a few states; or so-called Trusted Traveler cards such as SENTRI and NEXUS for frequent border crossers.There will be various exceptions for land and sea crossings from these destinations. U.S. and Canadian children younger than 16, for example, will need only proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate; in organized groups, the cutoff will be age 18. Passengers on cruise ships that sail round-trip from a U.S. port may need only a birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID (although the cruise line or foreign countries they visit may require a passport.)You'll find a summary of the current and new rules at a website maintained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, www.getyouhome.gov.How to get the right stuff: The State Department's travel website, www.travel.state.gov, (click on "Passports for U.S. Citizens") is one-stop shopping for information on passports and passport cards. It has instructions and forms.But you don't have to go to D.C. or even to a regional passport agency (there are two in California, one in L.A. and one in San Francisco) to get these documents.If you're renewing, you can download the form from the State Department website and mail it in. If it's your first time, you can visit any one of thousands of so-called passport acceptance facilities, such as post offices, to get what you need.Go to a passport agency only if you need your passport in less than two weeks for travel or less than four weeks in order to obtain a foreign visa. You'll need to make an appointment.A passport costs $100 for adults and $85 for children younger than 16 (renewals are less); a passport card costs $45 for adults and $35 for children younger than 16.It's recently been taking about three weeks to process applications, the State Department says, but allow more time to make sure you get your passport.The bottom line: A passport gives you the most flexibility; it's good everywhere. To save money, you might consider a passport card if you plan to cross into nearby countries only by land or sea, or as an extra ID.But also consider this: You never know when you may need a passport.While reporting on processing backlogs in 2007, I met a family struggling to get passports to fly to El Salvador to visit a relative who had fallen ill. Processing a passport can take days, weeks or even months if you have paperwork problems. A crisis may not wait.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/latinamerica/la-tr-ultimatepassports8-2009feb08,0,397747.story
Starting June 1, U.S. citizens will have to show a passport or other special document for land or sea travel. Be prepared for any hitches.
By Jane Engle February 8, 2009
If you're traveling outside the U.S. this year, here are two pieces of advice: Get or renew your passport now, and think twice before planning a car trip to Mexico or Canada in June.That's when we may see the biggest change ever for Western Hemisphere travel. Starting June 1 (unless Congress changes the deadline), Americans will need to show a passport, a passport card or other special document to return to the U.S. by land or sea from Mexico and Canada.
Despite assurances from agencies involved, there may be glitches and delays. Two years ago, the last big change in entry rules -- requiring a passport for air passengers returning from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda -- inspired a stampede of passport applications and created confusion at airports. Some travelers waited months for their passports, and others just stayed home.Although passport demand has recently fallen along with wait times, and the State Department has ramped up staffing and facilities since 2007, the upcoming change will affect far more Americans than the 2007 rules change.Just how many, though, is hard to quantify. Out of more than 1 million people, both U.S. and foreign citizens, who legally enter the U.S. each day, about three-fourths arrive by land from Mexico or Canada, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
But the agency doesn't keep track of how many are repeat crossers or use documents that won't be accepted after June 1, said spokeswoman Kelly Ivahnenko. So it can't predict how many Americans will need to order a passport or passport card by June.What to do to be prepared? First, study up. Second, do some planning.A little history: In 2004, Congress, reacting to issues raised by the Sept. 11 attacks, decided to plug a potential hole in border security that had allowed Americans to present various types of identification, such as driver's licenses, birth certificates or sometimes nothing, when reentering the U.S. from certain neighbor countries.It passed a law that, when fully implemented, would require citizens of the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Caribbean countries and Bermuda to show passports or other secure documents that established identity and nationality in order to enter the U.S. from these nearby nations.What followed were years of increasingly complicated rules, shifting deadlines and the Great Passport Meltdown of 2007, in which wait times for passports doubled to 12 weeks or more.Lobbyists for border countries, employers and travel industries joined the fray. Changes were phased in by mode of travel -- air, land or sea -- with plenty of exceptions.It was not just where you traveled but how you traveled that determined what documents you would need. In January 2007, the U.S. government began requiring a passport to fly back to the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. In January 2008, it said it would stop accepting oral declarations at sea and land checkpoints. And on June 1, it plans to fully implement the new document requirements for land and sea crossings.What you need now: Generally, you need a passport to enter the U.S. by air from any foreign country. If you enter by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda, you may not need a passport, but you do need at least a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship, plus a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license. Children 18 or younger need only a birth certificate for land and sea entry from these areas.What you'll need starting June 1: The same rules apply for air travel: passport required.If you're arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda by land or sea, you'll generally have several choices: a passport; a passport card, a new type of ID that the U.S. government began issuing last year; an enhanced driver's license, a new high-tech version offered by a few states; or so-called Trusted Traveler cards such as SENTRI and NEXUS for frequent border crossers.There will be various exceptions for land and sea crossings from these destinations. U.S. and Canadian children younger than 16, for example, will need only proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate; in organized groups, the cutoff will be age 18. Passengers on cruise ships that sail round-trip from a U.S. port may need only a birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID (although the cruise line or foreign countries they visit may require a passport.)You'll find a summary of the current and new rules at a website maintained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, www.getyouhome.gov.How to get the right stuff: The State Department's travel website, www.travel.state.gov, (click on "Passports for U.S. Citizens") is one-stop shopping for information on passports and passport cards. It has instructions and forms.But you don't have to go to D.C. or even to a regional passport agency (there are two in California, one in L.A. and one in San Francisco) to get these documents.If you're renewing, you can download the form from the State Department website and mail it in. If it's your first time, you can visit any one of thousands of so-called passport acceptance facilities, such as post offices, to get what you need.Go to a passport agency only if you need your passport in less than two weeks for travel or less than four weeks in order to obtain a foreign visa. You'll need to make an appointment.A passport costs $100 for adults and $85 for children younger than 16 (renewals are less); a passport card costs $45 for adults and $35 for children younger than 16.It's recently been taking about three weeks to process applications, the State Department says, but allow more time to make sure you get your passport.The bottom line: A passport gives you the most flexibility; it's good everywhere. To save money, you might consider a passport card if you plan to cross into nearby countries only by land or sea, or as an extra ID.But also consider this: You never know when you may need a passport.While reporting on processing backlogs in 2007, I met a family struggling to get passports to fly to El Salvador to visit a relative who had fallen ill. Processing a passport can take days, weeks or even months if you have paperwork problems. A crisis may not wait.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/latinamerica/la-tr-ultimatepassports8-2009feb08,0,397747.story
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/us/23elpaso.html?th&emc=th
article about competing drug cartels in El Paso-Juarez; El Paso City Council unanimously voted to legalize drugs, but feared losing federal aid; also discusses lack of properly trained police in Juarez
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
chavez supports obama, but does not believe in alternative energy sources
Chavez supports Obama and his efforts to find new alternative energy sources in this article, but he manages to put in indirects that criticize certain American institutions.
Bolivia has 1/2 the world's Lithium
This article is about the importance that Bolivia will play in the new so-called 'green technology.' As Lithium is necessary for hybrid and electric cars, which means that now both Venezuela and Bolivia have a big role int he world economy. Hopefully Obama doesn't take the route of previous presidents in Latin America (political intervention).
In Bolivia, Untapped Bounty Meets Nationalism
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/world/americas/03lithium.html?ref=world
Sunday, February 1, 2009
This is a article about the drug smuggling in the US Mexico Border:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/us/02pot.html
Article about Mexico's response to be being labeled a failed state by the US:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-mexico-drugs25-2009jan25,0,6016745.story
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/us/02pot.html
Article about Mexico's response to be being labeled a failed state by the US:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-mexico-drugs25-2009jan25,0,6016745.story
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