US pays Colombia to train Mexican soldiers

Some 7,000 Mexicans have participated in a program through which the Colombian government trains Mexican soldiers and police in techniques for fighting drug cartels.

Mexico: Guerrero campesinos reinstate blockade against Parota hydro-dam

Members of the Council of Ejidos and Communities Opposed to La Parota Dam (CECOP) erected a blockade to prevent access of the Federal Electrical Commission to the dam construction site.

Mexico: leader of “Santa Muerte” cult detained on kidnapping charges

Mexican authorities announced the detainment of David Romo Guillén, leader of the “Santa Muerte” cult, on charges of leading a kidnapping gang that impersonated gunmen from Los Zetas.

Mexico: Zapatistas deny link to Fernández de Cevallos kidnapping

Through their civilian wing, Mexico’s Zapatista rebels issued a denial of fraudulent statements claiming credit in their name for the kidnapping of politician Diego Fernández de Cevallos.

Mexico: activists march for Central American immigrants

Mexican activists, local residents and state authorities committed to working for the rights of Central American immigrants at the conclusion of a caravan from Chiapas to Oaxaca.

Mexico: leak shows rivalry with Venezuela

Mexico and Venezuela re both “looking to assert [their] leadership in the region, particularly in Central America,” according to a leaked US embassy cable.

Mexico: activist murdered, survivors harassed

Mexican human rights activist Marisela Escobedo Ortiz was buried in Ciudad Juárez two days after she was shot dead by an unidentified man as she was protesting in front of the state government office.

Mexico: violence against women and activists continues

Mexico has the highest rate of violent deaths for women among countries not at war, according to the regional director of the UN Development Fund for Women, Ana Güezmes.

Mexico: Calderón tries to “isolate” Venezuela

Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón has been advising the US on how to fight the influence of leftist Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, according to a secret US embassy cable.

Mexico: US leaks hit military, “drug war”

The US government hopes to develop a closer relationship with the Mexican military as a result of Mexico’s “war on drugs” and international humanitarian operations, according to US diplomatic cables.

Mexico: unionists block Congress over budget

Some 15,000 protesters blocked access to the Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City to demand smaller allocations for the security forces in the budget and more for social development.

Mexico: retaliation feared after slaying of Gulf Cartel kingpin

Mexican authorities fear retaliatory violence after the killing of Gulf Cartel kingpin Ezequiel Cárdenas Guillén AKA “Tony Tormenta” in a three-hour shootout with soldiers in Matamoros, Tamaulipas state, on Nov. 5. Three cartel gunmen, two members of the security forces… Read moreMexico: retaliation feared after slaying of Gulf Cartel kingpin