MEXICO CITY — Mexico is the fifth most dangerous country in the world for journalists with 70 killed since 2000, according to a joint assessment released Monday by the United Nations and the Organization of American States. The report said that 13 journalists have been killed so far in 2011 in Mexico. While motives vary in journalists’ killings, one factor is the bloody drug cartel violence in Mexico. Read full article > >

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UN report: Mexico 5th most dangerous place in world for journalists

UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of failing to live up to his pledge to halt all security operations against protesters, saying the Syrian leader “has not kept his word.” Assad assured Ban in a telephone conversation Wednesday that all police and military operations had stopped. On Friday, Syria’s U.N. envoy, Bashar al-Jafari, repeated the assertion. But there has been no visible slowing of the crackdown. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Monday that the steadily mounting death toll in Syria had topped 2,200 civilians, including 39 demonstrators killed since Assad made his pledge to the U.N. chief. Read full article > >

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Assad broke word, U.N. chief says