LATIN AMERICAN TIMES

A place called ‘Hell’

A place called ‘Hell’

A place called ‘Hell’ | PRI's The World: "For today’s Geo Quiz, we’re looking for hell on earth. Actually, it’s the Spanish word fo...

Spain's Santander to sell majority stake in Latin American insurance units to Zurich Financial | Markets | Market News | Canadian Business Online

Spain's Santander to sell majority stake in Latin American insurance units to Zurich Financial | Markets | Market News | Canadian Business Online: "Spain's Santander bank says it will a sell majority stake in its Latin American insurance units to Zurich Financial Services Group. 
 
In a statement Tuesday, Santander said it would create a holding company made up of its insurance units in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay, which it said were valued at $3.275 billion. 
 
Zurich will acquire 51 percent of the company for $1.67 billion (euro1.22 billion). Santander will retain a 49 percent stake. 
 
Banco Santander S.A. is the largest bank in the eurozone by market capitalization and is the largest financial institution in Latin America, where its growth in recent years has helped it weather the financial crisis." 
 
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Spain's Santander to sell majority stake in Latin American insurance units to Zurich Financial | Markets | Market News | Canadian Business Online

Spain's Santander to sell majority stake in Latin American insurance units to Zurich Financial | Markets | Market News | Canadian Busine...

Brazilian Sandina Took Title for South America’s Best Toush! | Newstabulous - Headlines

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reef-Miss-2010-Calendar-Limited/dp/B0048H0B5A?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Reef Miss Reef 2010 - 2011 Calendar (Limited Supply)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0048H0B5A&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>Brazilian Sandina Took Title for South America’s Best Toush! | Newstabulous - Headlines: "Everybody who found themselves attending surfers championship that’s being held in the beautiful vacation getaway, Vina Del Mar in Chile, were thrilled to witness an even more exciting event: The International competition for Miss Reef 2011!<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0048H0B5A" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> 
Competitors wore revealing gear showing their perfect body lines in super tight and tiny shirts and thong bikinis. The audience got an eyeful of playful models, sun kissed skin and tight, moon shaped lower backs! 
Competitors get judged on their body in this competition so they really had to spice things up, giving judges something to sweat about."

Brazilian Sandina Took Title for South America’s Best Toush! | Newstabulous - Headlines

Brazilian Sandina Took Title for South America’s Best Toush! | Newstabulous - Headlines: "Everybody who found themselves attending surf...

12 taxi drivers, passengers killed in Acapulco ahead of tennis tournament; 53 massacred in Juarez

12 taxi drivers, passengers killed in Acapulco ahead of tennis tournament; 53 massacred in Juarez: "Gunman targeting taxis in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco killed nine cabbies and three passengers over the weekend, igniting fears just hours before a popular professional tennis tournament was set to begin. 
 
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/1969-Ford-Mustang-Acapulco-Highway/dp/B0030CUXRA?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Acapulco Blue 1/18 Highway 61" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0030CUXRA&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>Police in the Guerrero, the western state on Mexico's Pacific coast where Acapulco <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0030CUXRA" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />is located, said four thugs were arrested in connection with the attacks, which were among the deadliest to target a specific group in the region in recent memory. 
 
The suspects were caught carrying guns, grenades and a machete, which may have been used to cut off the heads of some of the victims. 
 
At least one of the drivers, founded dead inside his vehicle on Saturday, had been beheaded."

12 taxi drivers, passengers killed in Acapulco ahead of tennis tournament; 53 massacred in Juarez

12 taxi drivers, passengers killed in Acapulco ahead of tennis tournament; 53 massacred in Juarez: "Gunman targeting taxis in the Mexic...

Scots climber saw friend die in mountain tragedy

Scots climber saw friend die in mountain tragedy: "A CLIMBER has told how he watched his friend die after their party was caught up in...

American sailors kidnapped by Somali pirates

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Somali-Pirate-Quinn-Haber/dp/143923986X?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Somali Pirate" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=143923986X&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>American sailors kidnapped by Somali pirates:<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=143923986X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> "Somali pirates have hijacked a yacht in the Arabian sea and kidnapped four American citizens. The U.S government said on Saturday that it was considering its response. 
 
The yacht, called Quest, doubles as the home of Jean and Scott Adam, a couple from California who have been sailing around the world since December 2004. U.S. officials are likely to try and prevent the yacht from reaching Somalia, where their rescue options will be limited. 
 
A spokesman from the Somali Information Ministry condemned the hijacking and said they would do what they could to gather information on the whereabouts of the yacht and those on board. The yacht was hijacked two days after a Somali pirate was sentenced to 33 years in prison by a New York court for the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama." 
 
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American sailors kidnapped by Somali pirates

American sailors kidnapped by Somali pirates: "Somali pirates have hijacked a yacht in the Arabian sea and kidnapped four American cit...

Mexico, chief casualty of America's 'war on drugs'

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQslqf1gSdvrYz2zh209FWObfZc20EAmelkyHPKf-zuZDeT8eg73ZxgR9y-cPyxDksDwLW2xV2SzzFKv9rBy6IL3OkLrS0f0ehL5vGAI80ZF3sxlXqV7VmhRSRYGtIPRclsOMZ-J16WEwq/s1600/-mexican-federal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQslqf1gSdvrYz2zh209FWObfZc20EAmelkyHPKf-zuZDeT8eg73ZxgR9y-cPyxDksDwLW2xV2SzzFKv9rBy6IL3OkLrS0f0ehL5vGAI80ZF3sxlXqV7VmhRSRYGtIPRclsOMZ-J16WEwq/s320/-mexican-federal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Mexico, chief casualty of America's 'war on drugs' | John Ackerman | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk: "Tuesday's brutal attack on two US law enforcement agents in Mexico has led to the normal sabre-rattling. Representative Michael McCaul of Texas has called it a 'game-changer' and a 'wake-up call' to the 'war on our nation's doorstep'. Last week, James Westphal, undersecretary of the Army, had already spoken of an 'armed insurgency' in Mexico, and the possibility of sending 'armed and fighting' troops across the border to prevent a 'takeover of government'. Secretary Janet Napolitano continually speaks of the 'war' south of the border. James Clapper, national intelligence director, recently announced that Mexico has been promoted to being a top national security threat."

Mexico, chief casualty of America's 'war on drugs'

Mexico, chief casualty of America's 'war on drugs' | John Ackerman | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk: "Tuesday's bruta...

Mexico nabs suspected cartel gunslinger

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mexico-National-Flag-Mexican-Banner/dp/B0006HDHOS?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Mexico National Flag 3 x 5 NEW Mexican 3x5 Banner" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0006HDHOS&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>Mexico nabs suspected cartel gunslinger - Fox News Latino: " A man suspected of taking part in the drug-related slayings of 20 people in and around the Mexican capital was arrested, the Mexico<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0006HDHOS" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> state Attorney General's Office said. 
 
Juan Carlos Vasconcelos Montalvo was apprehended Thursday along with two suspected accomplices, state Attorney General Alfredo Castillo told a press conference. 
 
All three men are thought to have participated in three mass shootings related to a battle to control drug corners in the Mexico City metropolitan area. 
 
The most recent incident took place Sunday in the capital suburb of Nezahualcoyotl, where eight people were killed. Investigators have determined that all three massacres arose from a turf war between rival drug-dealing outfits, Castillo said. 
 
The notoriously violent Los Zetas and La Familia Michoacana cartels are among the criminal organizations operating in Mexico state."

Mexico nabs suspected cartel gunslinger

Mexico nabs suspected cartel gunslinger - Fox News Latino: " A man suspected of taking part in the drug-related slayings of 20 people i...

Mexican drug gangsters menace natural gas drillers

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mexican-Mafia-Tony-Rafael/dp/1594031959?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Mexican Mafia" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1594031959&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>Mexican drug gangsters <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1594031959" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />menace natural gas drillers | Reuters: "On two occasions late last year, men brandishing automatic weapons drove into worksites in the Burgos basin in the states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon where new gas wells were to be constructed. 
 
The gunmen warned the workers they would be killed unless their employer paid protection money to the Zetas, a feared drug gang, a senior executive of the company overseeing the construction of the wells told Reuters. 
 
The threats are a new twist in Mexico's bloody drug war, which is hitting businesses near the U.S.-Mexico border."

Mexican drug gangsters menace natural gas drillers

Mexican drug gangsters menace natural gas drillers | Reuters: "On two occasions late last year, men brandishing automatic weapons drove...

Thousands protest in Bolivia over food prices

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bolivia-Flag-Brand-Bolivian-Banner/dp/B000G2SYRI?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Bolivia 3x5 Flag Brand New Bolivian 3 x 5 Banner" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B000G2SYRI&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>AFP: Thousands protest in Bolivia<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000G2SYRI" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> over food prices: "Thousands of people marched on the Bolivian capital La Paz Friday to protest rising food prices in South America's poorest nation, where President Evo Morales faces growing unrest. 
Led by unions under a chilly rain, the rally was punctuated by the blast of dynamite sticks set off by some taking part. 
There were no immediate reports of anyone being hurt, and the demonstration dispersed peacefully after several hours. 
The protest, however, showed renewed anger over the inability of many Bolivians to keep up with the price rises, especially for sugar. 
Last month, violent protests broke out in the nation even after the government backed off an attempt to halt hefty fuel subsidies, which ease the cost of food transport and cooking. 
Prices remain high and continue to rise, following a global trend that is worrying the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and other observers." 
 
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Thousands protest in Bolivia over food prices

AFP: Thousands protest in Bolivia over food prices: "Thousands of people marched on the Bolivian capital La Paz Friday to protest risi...

Monarch butterfly count bounces back from bad year

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Monarch-Butterfly-Gail-Gibbons/dp/0823409090?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Monarch Butterfly" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0823409090&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>Monarch butterfly count bounces back from bad year | Reuters: "Monarch butterfly <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0823409090" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />colonies in Mexico more than doubled in size this winter after bad storms devastated their numbers a year ago, conservationists said on Monday although the migrating insect remains under threat. 
 
Millions of butterflies make a 2,000-mile journey each year from Canada to winter in central Mexico's warmer weather but the size of that migration can vary wildly."

Monarch butterfly count bounces back from bad year

Monarch butterfly count bounces back from bad year | Reuters: "Monarch butterfly colonies in Mexico more than doubled in size this wint...

Mexico drug violence kills 18 in Tamaulipas state

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mexico-Narco-Violence-George-W-Grayson/dp/1412811511?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Mexico: Narco-Violence and a Failed State?" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1412811511&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>BBC News - Mexico drug violence <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1412811511" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />kills 18 in Tamaulipas state: "18 people have been killed in a series of gun battles between rival drug gangs in the north-eastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. 
 
Eleven people died in incidents near the city of Padilla - including five residents, five passengers of a passing car and a bus passenger. 
 
The clashes continued inside the city. Seven bodies were found in Padilla's main square. 
 
Official buildings were badly damaged in the clashes, police say." 
 
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Mexico drug violence kills 18 in Tamaulipas state

BBC News - Mexico drug violence kills 18 in Tamaulipas state: "18 people have been killed in a series of gun battles between rival drug...

Trouble in Acapulco's Paradise

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/TEN-FUN-THINGS-ACAPULCO-ebook/dp/B003VD1I90?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="TEN FUN THINGS TO DO IN ACAPULCO" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003VD1I90&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>Trouble in Acapulco's Paradise - WSJ.com: "Acapulco<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003VD1I90" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> was once the playground for Hollywood's jet set. Nowadays, the resort has become a battleground for Mexican drug cartels. 
 
Last year, more than 400 people died as rival drug gangs fought for control of the port city of more than one million. On a recent blood-soaked weekend, more than 30 bodies were found dumped in parts of the city, many missing their heads. 
 
No foreign tourist has been caught in the violence, most of which involves gangs fighting other gangs and takes place a few miles from the tourist areas. But news of the violence is scaring away visitors. The city's famous discos sit half empty. Rumors circulate on Twitter and Facebook warning of possible gang attacks. 
 
 
For years, Acapulco was synonymous with glamour. But these days the resort city is known for something else: Mexico's ferocious drug war. WSJ's David Luhnow reports. 
 
'It's a psychosis,' says Javier Aluni, general manager of the Las Brisas Hotel, a city landmark that has hosted the likes of Brad Pitt and Liza Minelli. 'Acapulco is safe for tourists. I wouldn't live here with my 7-, 9- and 11-year-old daughters if it weren't.'" 
 
DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Trouble in Acapulco's Paradise

Trouble in Acapulco's Paradise - WSJ.com: "Acapulco was once the playground for Hollywood's jet set. Nowadays, the resort has ...

Mexico Ciudad Juarez killings: Ciudad Juarez single day's death toll is 18 - latimes.com

Mexico Ciudad Juarez killings: Ciudad Juarez single day's death toll is 18 - latimes.com: "The worst incident was at a bar on a low...

Mexico’s drug war comes to Guatemala

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Worry-Dolls-Bag-Dozen-Bags/dp/B000XECJFW?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Worry Dolls in a Bag - One Dozen Bags" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B000XECJFW&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>Mexico’s drug war comes to Guatemala | PRI's The World: "Mexico’s war against the drug cartels is spilling south into Guatemala. The cartels are threatening to take over parts of northern Guatemala<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000XECJFW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> near the Mexican border. 
 
In response, the Guatemalan government has taken a page from its larger neighbor — and deployed the army to try and push the traffickers out. The government has declared a “state of siege” in one province, called Alta Verapaz, that it said has been overrun by one of Mexico’s most feared cartels. 
 
As he shows a reporter a rural farm seized from alleged drug traffickers, Guatemalan Army Col. Marco Tulio Diaz points an unfinished barn for thoroughbreds and abandoned fields that stretch beyond the horizon. Diaz said Mexican traffickers used the farm as a place to slaughter enemies, rape local women and bury weapons. “A lot of evil took place here,” he added."

Mexico’s drug war comes to Guatemala

Mexico’s drug war comes to Guatemala | PRI's The World: "Mexico’s war against the drug cartels is spilling south into Guatemala. Th...

Man-of-war swarm South Florida beaches

Man-of-war swarm South Florida beaches - latimes.com: "Riding the wind and ocean currents, hordes of blue, alien-like creatures have descended upon South Florida's shoreline, entangling beachgoers in poisonous tentacles and delivering painful stings by the hundreds. 
 
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stretched-Canvas-Poster-Medusa-Portuguese/dp/B003AA0CVY?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="30 x 20 Stretched Canvas Poster Medusa, or Portuguese Man of War" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003AA0CVY&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>Each invader, in fact, isn't an 'it' but a 'they' — a colony of organisms that combine to create a single entity, the Portuguese man-of-war. <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003AA0CVY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />The seafaring wanderer with the neon-blue gas bag and tentacles as long as 30 feet seems more suited to a sci-fi horror flick than a sunny tourist beach. 
 
But in Florida, its appearance is a yearly, if painful, ritual. The man-of-war visits every winter and early spring, driven onshore by southeasterly winds and the Gulf Stream's current. But this year's swarm arrived in far greater numbers than usual. 
 
'It was unbelievable,' said Crystal Haire, a lifeguard with Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue. 'I've never seen that many at once. The shoreline was blue.'"

Man-of-war swarm South Florida beaches

Man-of-war swarm South Florida beaches - latimes.com: "Riding the wind and ocean currents, hordes of blue, alien-like creatures have de...

A COUPLE from Kingstanding who imported cocaine from South America and supplied dealers and users on the streets of Birmingham have been jailed for more than 25 years.

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cocaines-Son-A-Memoir-ebook/dp/B004FGMPGW?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Cocaine's Son: A Memoir" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B004FGMPGW&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>A COUPLE from Kingstanding who imported cocaine <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B004FGMPGW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />from South America and supplied dealers and users on the streets of Birmingham have been jailed for more than 25 years.: "COUPLE from Kingstanding who imported cocaine from South America and supplied dealers and users on the streets of Birmingham have been jailed for more than 25 years. 
 
Ray and Michaela Russell of Brookvale Park Road, Wyrley Birch, were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court for their part in a drugs network which put Class A drugs including heroin in the hands of dealers, particularly in Erdington and Stockland Green, but stretching as far as Moseley and Walsall. 
 
Officers from Sutton Coldfield police station's local priority team raided the couple's home following a tip-off from concerned members of the public and, after a search under the Misuse of Drugs Act, found crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis with a street value of more than half-a-million pounds. Along with the illicit haul, officers also found a large amount of cash, mobile phones and drugs paraphernalia in the house and garden shed. 
 
Border Agency officers at Coventry Airport also intercepted a box from Panama in South America addressed to the Russells' home which contained handbags and hairspray, five of which contained a total of a kilo of 94 per cent pure cocaine."

A COUPLE from Kingstanding who imported cocaine from South America and supplied dealers and users on the streets of Birmingham have been jailed for more than 25 years.

A COUPLE from Kingstanding who imported cocaine from South America and supplied dealers and users on the streets of Birmingham have been jai...

Haiti's Cholera Outbreak Spreading to South America and Florida

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Taste-Haiti-Hippocrene-Cookbook-Library/dp/0781809983?ie=UTF8&tag=cosdelcri-21&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="A Taste of Haiti (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0781809983&tag=cosdelcri-21" /></a>Haiti's<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cosdelcri-21&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0781809983" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> Cholera Outbreak Spreading to South America and Florida: "The cholera epidemic that developed in Haiti became a multifocal event as it spread throughout South America, due to factors such as air travel and immigration that act as 'vectors' of infectious disease, a new report suggests. 
 
The findings were reported by Jennifer Malaty, from the Georgetown University Medical Center, in Arlington, Virginia, here at the IMED 2011: International Meeting on Emerging Diseases and Surveillance. 
 
'Cholera's sudden emergence in the Americas and the Caribbean after 100 years of silence was a tragic reminder of how mobile pathogens have become,' Ms. Malaty told Medscape Medical News. 'The [Haitian] population also had the disadvantage of being immunologically naïve,' she said. 
 
According to the researchers, local laboratories and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that the form of cholera detected in Haiti is commonly found in South Asia and Africa, and that the outbreak originated from contaminated water near a facility that housed Nepalese troops. 
 
Subsequent to the cholera outbreak in Haiti, the migration of humans led to sporadic clusters of cholera cases in new and previously unaffected regions."

Haiti's Cholera Outbreak Spreading to South America and Florida

Haiti's Cholera Outbreak Spreading to South America and Florida: "The cholera epidemic that developed in Haiti became a multifocal...