MEXICO CITY — With a decisive primary victory Sunday night, Josefina Vazquez Mota became the first woman to represent a major party in the Mexican presidential election, which backers hope will excite voters weary of the drug violence and political gridlock of her party’s leader, President Felipe Calderon. Read full article > >

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3 Mexican presidential hopefuls vie to lead a nation weary of politics

SAN ANTONIO — For years, national security experts have warned that Mexico’s drug violence could send a wave of refugees fleeing to the United States. Now, the refugees are arriving — and they are driving BMWs and snapping up half-million-dollar homes. Tens of thousands of well-off Mexicans have moved north of the border in a quiet exodus over the past few years, according to local officials, border experts and demographers. Unlike the much larger population of illegal immigrants, they are being warmly welcomed. Read full article > >

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Drug war sparks exodus of affluent Mexicans

When social scientists and policymakers here try to make sense of the beheadings, massacres and general mayhem afflicting large parts of this country, the blame often falls on the Mexican government’s under-investment in social programs and education. But as researchers and advocacy groups look to confront the underlying causes of the spreading drug violence, they are also focusing on another shortfall: a lack of corporate and individual philanthropy. The numbers point to a sizable charity gap. Mexico has the lowest taxes and second-highest income inequality among the 34 member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which gathers data on the world’s leading economies, and yet it also has had some of the weakest levels of charitable giving. Read full article > >

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Charitable giving in short supply in Mexico

This ought to ensure excellent sales: Legislators in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, whose capital is Ciudad Juarez, have asked the Mexican government to ban the upcoming video game Call of Juarez: The Cartel, a shooter set amidst the drug violence of…

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Juarez Video Game Offends Mexicans

Increased drug violence in Mexico-as well as several high-profile killings on the U.S. side of the border-has led for border-state legislators from both parties to call for more National Guardsmen to patrol the border. It’s not the first request: Obama…

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Arizona Seeks More Nat’l Guard Troops

Mexico City – In 2007, massive impromptu street protests threatened the popularity of Mexican President Felipe Calder

Guatemala fears it could get caught up in Mexico drug violence

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Cross-border spillover

A crackdown on drug violence intensified as security forces pushed deeper inside the slums of Rio de Janeiro.

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Rio Police Swarm Gang Haven