Foreign investors: Why US bank may close your account
"El Paso’s international trade traffic in 2011 was greater than the trade traffic passing through San Diego, Calif. and Nogales, Ariz. combined. With such cross-border economic activity it is only natural for foreign businesses to maintain U.S. bank accounts in El Paso. Unfortunately, many of these commercial accounts are being closed by U.S. banks. Why is this happening? The answer can be traced back to the bank formerly known as the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation and its violations of the 2001 Patriot Act – transgressions that a U.S. Senate subcommittee investigated and resulted in the assessment of a $1.9-billion penalty to HSBC in July." Continue reading →
Bombshell: Iran Contra Whistleblower Blows The Lid off Benghazi
"Money makes the world go round. Nowhere is this motto more relevant than in the shadowy world of smuggling weaponry and drugs, not to mention legal arms sales which all too often lead to modern weaponry falling into the hands of America's worst enemies. This all becomes evident when dissecting recent events such as the 2011 ouster of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the death of US Border Agent Brian Terry with weapons obtained through the government's 'Fast and Furious' program, the 2012 murder of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens in Benghazi, and the arming of Syrian rebels attacking the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad." Continue reading →
Man tries to float from Mexico to U.S. on duffel bag filled with pot
"Border Patrol agents arrested a man who they said tried to float from Mexico to the U.S. on a duffel bag filled with marijuana. Agents said Monday the man was stopped about a mile north of the border near San Diego after they heard reports Sept. 19 of someone swimming late at night in the Pacific Ocean. The agents said the 55-year-old man was floating about 600 yards from shore. The man told agents he was from Mexico, and he was taken into custody. Agents said they found a little more than 52 pounds of pot inside the bag. The marijuana was worth more than $23,000, agents said." Continue reading →
800 U.S. police round up 129 gang suspects in Mexican Mafia raid
"About 800 local, state and federal law enforcement officers arrested 129 suspects indicted on a variety of murder, extortion, racketeering, drug and weapons charges in Orange County as part of 'Operation Smokin’ Aces.' Police said they seized 22 pounds of methamphetamine, 1.5 pounds of heroin and 3 pounds of cocaine, and the FBI said undercover officers purchased 38 handguns and 29 rifles in connection with the sweep. Investigators said members of the prison gang ordered assaults on 12 inmates, including one man whose head was stapled 20 times, in the Orange County Jail for failure to pay drug taxes." Continue reading →
Grid Down Acapulco: “There’s Nothing to Eat”
“Though the government would like us to believe there is rarely looting or panic in the aftermath of a disaster, the fact of the matter is that within 72 hours of any serious crisis people will lose it. Case in point: Acapulco, Mexico. … Continue reading →
Mexico City mulls legal marijuana ‘clubs’
"The capital hosted a three-day forum on drug policy amid a growing debate in Latin America over the course of the region’s deadly struggle against narcotrafficking, with President Enrique Pena Nieto taking a stance against legalization. Esthela Damian, a councilwoman of the city’s ruling Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), told AFP the proposals on the table include allowing the cultivation of three cannabis plants per person, as well as a system of cooperatives or 'non-profit private clubs.' Mexico City, home to almost nine million people plus 11 million more in its suburbs, has stood out from the rest of the country in recent years by legalizing abortion and allowing gay marriage." Continue reading →
Mexico’s Vicente Fox pushes marijuana debate to forefront
"Former President Vicente Fox grew up on a farm here in rural Guanajuato, one of Mexico's most conservative states. He is the kind of guy who wears big belt buckles, collects hand-tooled saddles and worships the free market. Fox has always fancied himself a policy maverick. And these days, the former standard-bearer of Mexico's conservative National Action Party, or PAN, has emerged as one of Latin America's most outspoken advocates of marijuana legalization. This summer he has significantly ramped up his efforts. In June, he declared that he would grow the plant if it were legalized and added that he'd like to see marijuana sold in Mexican convenience stores." Continue reading →
Mexico leader to discuss alleged U.S. spying with Obama
"Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Wednesday he would voice concerns about alleged US spying on his emails to US counterpart Barack Obama, warning it would be illegal if proven true. The new claims of spying in Latin America came two months after allegations of widespread US electronic espionage in the region that infuriated allies and rivals alike. 'If it is proven that an action took place, with the use of espionage means, this is clearly not permitted and it is outside the law,' Pena Nieto told reporters during a layover in Canada on his way to Saint Petersburg." Continue reading →
Snowden files reveal NSA spied on Brazil and Mexico presidents
"Rio de Janeiro-based journalist Glenn Greenwald told Globo on Sunday that a document dated June 2012 shows that Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s emails were being accessed. That was a month before his election. The NSA also intercepted some of Pena Nieto’s voicemails. The communications included messages in which the future leader discussed the names of potential cabinet members. As for Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff, the NSA said in the document that it was trying to better understand her methods of communication and interlocutors using a program to access all Internet content the president visited online." Continue reading →