Mexico crime reporter found dead

27 July 2011 Last updated at 10:25 GMT Yolanda Ordaz had worked as a reporter for 20 years The body of a Mexican journalist who worked for the Notiver newspaper has been found dumped outside the offices of another newspaper in Veracruz state.

Crime reporter Yolanda Ordaz de la Cruz had been missing since Sunday night.

Officials said organised crime was suspected in the murder of Ms Ordaz, who was found with her throat cut.

Last month, columnist Miguel Angel Lopez Velasco, who wrote about politics and crime for Notiver, was killed in his house in the port city of Veracruz.

His wife and son were also killed in the attack.

Ms Ordaz had been reported missing at the weekend. Her body was found on Tuesday outside the offices of another newspaper in Boca del Rio, a city next to the port of Veracruz.

Authorities are looking at links between her murder and those of Mr Lopez Velasco and his family.

The attorney general of Veracruz state, Reynaldo Escobar, said that "everything pointed to" organised crime being behind the killing of Ms Ordaz.

However, he denied that she had been killed because of her work.

The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists says that 15 reporters have been killed in Mexico since 2010. Four of these murders have been confirmed as relating to the journalists' work.

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Deadly prison breakout in Mexico

16 July 2011 Last updated at 02:09 GMT More than 400 inmates have escaped from jails in northern Mexico since January 2010 Seven prisoners have been killed and 59 others have escaped after a riot at a jail in northern Mexico near the US border, officials say.

Five guards are also missing and are believed to have aided the mass prison breakout in Nuevo Laredo town.

Mexican police say the majority of those on the run are drug traffickers and members of armed gangs.

The prison system is struggling to cope with an influx of offenders arrested in a campaign against drugs cartels.

Correspondents say prison breakouts are not uncommon in northern Mexico, where more than 400 inmates have escaped since January 2010.

Nuevo Laredo, in Tamaulipas state, lies just across the border from Laredo, Texas.

The largest jail break so far was last December when more than 140 prisoners escaped from the same prison.

According to a statement from the Tamaulipas state government, the riot began on Friday morning in Nuevo Laredo's Sanctions Enforcement Centre, which houses an estimated 1,200 prisoners.

After the breakout, soldiers surrounded the jail and calm was restored, the authorities said.

The northern border region is the scene of rising lawlessness as the cartels fight the security forces and each other for control of smuggling routes into the US.

The main battle in Tamaulipas is between the Zetas and the Gulf cartels, the AFP news agency reports.

Their capacity for violence and ability to pay huge bribes gives them considerable power to subvert the prison system and get their people out.

President Felipe Calderon came to power in 2006 promising a war on drugs.

More than 35,000 people have died in drug violence since he began his campaign, which has involved launching an army assault on drug gangs.

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Mexico finds huge marijuana farm

15 July 2011 Last updated at 07:08 GMT The Mexican authorities said the plants would have yielded marijuana with a street value of about $160m (?99m)

The Mexican army says it has discovered a huge field with mature marijuana in the northern state of Baja California.

Soldiers were patrolling the area, some 300km (190 miles) south of the US border, when they found the plantation.

The field near the town of San Quintin, measuring 1.2sq km (300 acres), was surrounded by a hedge of cacti. It is the largest marijuana plantation ever found in Mexico, officials say.

They say it would have yielded a harvest worth about $160m (?99m).

A Mexican army spokesman told the BBC it was unclear who owned the territory.

An estimated 60 people were working on the plantation, said the local army commander, Gen Alfonso Duarte.

"When they saw the military personnel, they fled," he told reporters.

The Mexican army has led the war on drug gangs launched by President Felipe Calderon in December 2006.

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Civilian trials for Mexico troops

13 July 2011 Last updated at 08:48 GMT Soldiers have increasingly taken on policing duties in parts of Mexico Mexico's Supreme Court has ruled that soldiers accused of human rights abuses against civilians should be tried in civilian - not military - courts.

Rights groups say violations by army personnel have risen sharply since troops were deployed against the drug gangs in late 2006.

Until now, soldiers have been tried by military tribunals.

Activists hailed the decision but highlighted shortcomings in Mexico's civilian courts.

The Supreme Court set out restrictions on the extent of the military code of justice in Mexico.

"Whenever a civilian's human rights have been violated by the armed forces, jurisdiction will be in civil courts," said Supreme Court Justice Arturo Zaldivar.

The justices ruled that "Mexican judges should apply the criteria of restricting military justice in future cases", a court statement said.

Over the last few years, allegations of abuses by soldiers have become more frequent. In many cities in Mexico, the army has policing powers and direct contact with the population.

Soldiers have been accused of opening fire on civilians at checkpoints in areas where drug gangs operate, and of carrying out illegal arrests and searches.

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We can transfer all the cases currently in military courts to civilian courts, but if civilian justice doesn't function, this won't amount to much”

End Quote Alberto Herrera Amnesty International The National Human Rights Commission says it has received more than 5,000 complaints about alleged abuses by the military since President Felipe Calderon launched his offensive against the drug gangs in December 2006.

Activists say few soldiers have been prosecuted for abuses and even fewer convicted by the military courts.

Impunity

Human rights groups broadly welcomed Tuesday's decision, while saying they would watch to see how it is implemented.

"We like it, and we hope that it begins to be applied soon," human rights lawyer Andres Diaz told the Associated Press.

Alberto Herrera, head of Amnesty International in Mexico, said that this was a first step but that "scandalous impunity" was not only found in the military but the civilian judiciary.

"We can transfer all the cases currently in military courts to civilian courts, but if civilian justice doesn't function, this won't amount to much," he told Mexican media.

The government said it would work to implement the Supreme Court's findings.

A statement said efforts would continue to strengthen military courts and thereby military discipline, "an indispensable element to allow the armed forces to fulfil the duties assigned to them".

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights called last year for Mexico to reform its military justice system.

This was based on the case of a left-wing activist, Rosendo Radilla, who was detained in the 1970s by the army and never seen again.

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US curbs Mexico border gun sales

12 July 2011 Last updated at 17:15 GMT US officials have said American guns are being funnelled into the hands of Mexican drug cartels Weapons dealers in the south-west US will be required to report large sales of some semi-automatic firearms to help stem the flow of weapons into Mexico.

Under a new US government rule, authorities must be contacted when more than two semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines are purchased.

The weapons are reportedly sought after by drug-trafficking organisations operating inside Mexico.

The rule will affect dealers in Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico.

The regulation will require dealers to contact the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) if one individual purchases more than two semi-automatic rifles, within a five-day period, that accept detachable magazines and use ammunition larger than .22 caliber.

The ATF first unveiled its proposal for the new rule in December 2010.

"The international expansion and increased violence of transnational criminal networks pose a significant threat to the United States," Deputy Attorney General James Cole said in a statement.

Mr Cole said the weapons targeted by the regulations are "highly sought-after by dangerous drug trafficking organisations and frequently recovered at violent crime scenes near the south-west border".

He added that the new rules would help authorities "detect and disrupt the illegal weapons trafficking networks responsible for diverting firearms from lawful commerce to criminals and criminal organisations".

Meanwhile, the the National Rifle Association has vowed to sue the Obama administration over the new regulation.

"They don't have the statutory authority to do it, and we'll file a lawsuit as soon as the first letters are sent" demanding the sales information from dealers, the NRA's legislative director Chris Cox told Politico.

Fast and Furious

The announcement comes amid an ongoing outcry over a botched operation to track the illegal movement of guns to Mexico.

Operation Fast and Furious saw US agents allowing hundreds of guns into Mexico illegally with the hope of tracking them to major arms dealers.

Kenneth Melson, acting head of the ATF, has come under pressure to resign over the sting carried out by an Arizona-based branch of the agency.

Mr Melson told members of Congress last week that he had not known about the operation until it became public and that the department of justice (DoJ) had tried to prevent him from co-operating with the inquiry.

President Barack Obama has said it would not have been "appropriate" for the ATF to allow weapons to be smuggled into Mexico.

In January, the Mexican government released figures suggesting that at least 34,612 people had died in drug-related violence in Mexico since December 2006.

There is speculation the figure may now have passed 40,000.

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Mexico suitcase jailbreak fails

6 July 2011 Last updated at 09:12 GMT Maria del Mar Arjona was seen struggling with an unusually heavy suitcase A woman was caught trying to smuggle her husband out of a Mexican prison in a suitcase, it has emerged.

Maria del Mar Arjona, 19, was stopped after the guards at the jail in Chetumal saw her acting nervously and struggling with the heavy suitcase on wheels.

They opened the bag and found her husband Edwin Valdemar Artiaga Perez inside - wearing only socks and pants.

The husband was returned to his cell after last week's jailbreak attempt.

Ms Arjona had been at the prison in the eastern Quintana Roo state for a conjugal visit with her husband, and therefore had been allowed to take the suitcase inside, officials said.

She was only stopped as she attempted to leave through the main door of the building.

Her husband - who is reportedly serving a 20-year-old jail term for various unspecified crimes - was found curled up inside the bag.

Ms Arjona, who is pregnant, was also detained by the authorities, reports say.

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Mexico detains massacre suspect

1 July 2011 Last updated at 00:37 GMT Authorities say Caporal confessed his role in the massacre

The Mexican army says a man arrested two days ago has confessed to involvement in the murder in Tamaulipas state of 72 migrants last year.

Officials say Abraham Barrios Caporal told them he and other alleged members of the Zetas drug cartel killed the migrants because they suspected them of belonging to a rival cartel.

Soldiers arrested Mr Barrios Caporal in the southern city of Coatzacoalcos.

He said he had moved there from northern Tamaulipas to evade capture.

The Mexican army said they had arrested Mr Barrios Caporal, also known as Erasmo, on 28 June along with at least two other alleged members of the Zetas cartel.

The soldiers said they had been alerted to the suspects because they were holding a man at gunpoint.

The man was freed and the suspects were arrested and their weapons seized.

The Mexican defence ministry said Mr Barrios Caporal had confessed to being second-in-command to Martin Omar Estrada Luna, the local leader of the Zetas drug cartel in San Fernando, where the murders happened.

Mr Barrios Caporal reportedly said they had stopped the Central and South American migrants "to find out if they belonged to the Gulf cartel".

The Zetas were originally the armed wing of the Gulf cartel.

But they split from their former allies and have since become bitter rivals fighting for control of the drug smuggling routes to the United States.

The Mexican defence ministry has described the Zetas as "the most formidable death squad to have worked for organised crime in Mexican history".

Analysts say the Zetas have switched their operations from the west coast state of Michoacan to Tamaulipas on the east coast, and down to Cancun in the Yucutan Peninsula.

As the Zetas have tried to take over territory controlled by other gangs, there has been a sharp increase in murders of rival gang members.

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Mexico players suspended for Copa

Barcelona B's Jonathan Dos Santos is the brother of Tottenham's Giovanni Eight players in Mexico's Copa America squad have been suspended for six months for indiscipline, with reports claiming they had female guests in their hotel rooms during training.

The Mexican Football Federation would not disclose the details on Tuesday.

Mexico is fielding a youth team for the tournament, with Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez not playing.

Jonathan Dos Santos - brother of Tottenham winger Giovanni - was one of the eight players suspended and fined.

Israel Jimenez, Nestor Vidrio, David Cabrera, Marco Fabian, Javier Cortes, Jorge Hernandez and Nestor Calderon were the others involved in the incident - reported to have taken place after Saturday's 1-0 win over Ecuador, Mexico's final warm-up match.

Their first match in the tournament in Argentina, which starts on Friday, is on 4 July when they play Chile in Group C.

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The only 2011 Copa America match scheduled to be played in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, is the final on 24 July. But that venue is now under question after recent rioting at River Plate's Monumental Stadium. Eight venues in Argentina are being used - several in smaller cities that are largely unknown outside the country

"The players confessed," said Hector Gonzalez Inarritu, director of Mexico's national teams selection.

"They are very hurt, very sorry and they have said they are sorry to their fans.

"They are assuming the consequences. I am not going into details of what happened. The rules were broken, the code of discipline was broken and I have to act."

The players, who were each fined $4,100 (?2,570), are expected to be replaced.

Earlier this year, in June, five Mexico internationals tested positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol during the Concacaf Gold Cup.

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Football: Mexico hold England

By Sam Lyon
BBC Sport Venue: GermanyDate: 26 June - 17 JulyCoverage: Watch all England matches live on the Red Button and BBC Sport website (UK only); listen on BBC Radio 5 live; highlights on BBC Two; final live on BBC Three Highlights - Mexico 1-1 England

England's World Cup campaign got off to an inauspicious start as they were held by Mexico in their opening game of Group B in the Wolfsburg Arena.

Hope Powell's side settled after a nervy start and were rewarded for their early dominance through Fara Williams's looping header on 21 minutes.

Mexico then drew level against the run of play when Monica Ocampo's speculative 30-yard effort crept in.

Thereafter England failed to fire, with Eniola Aluko missing two fine chances.

It is a draw that will feel a little like a defeat for England after they dominated long periods of the game.

Afterwards Powell said: "No excuses, we have played better and we will have to play better if we want to stay in this tournament."

She added: "The goal flew in, didn't it, but to concede the way we did was bitterly disappointing. We would have expected Karen [Bardsley, England's goalkeeper] to have saved that.

"We dominated up until that point and she was devastated to have let that goal in. It let them back into the game but at least we did not lose."

The last time England played Mexico, back in 2005, they ran out 5-0 winners - but their opponents have improved greatly since then.

England went into the game as favourites, along with Japan, to qualify from Group B.

But Maribel Dominguez caused an early scare when she threatened to break in behind the England defence only to be halted by a fine Faye White tackle inside the area.

However, Mexico were on the back foot for long periods in the opening half hour. The influential Kelly Smith fired inches wide with a left-footer from 20 yards, while Karen Carney saw a curled effort deflected behind.

And it was from the resulting corner that England broke the deadlock, Carney's pin-point delivery being met by the head of Williams, who directed a fine header into the top corner.

Rachel Yankey and then Williams were denied by Cecilia Santiago, at 16 the youngest keeper to play in either a men's or women's international tournament, as England controlled proceedings.

Powell grateful not to lose opener

Then Mexico drew level in the 33rd minute through Ocampo, although England keeper Karen Bardsley should have done better in dealing with the forward's 30-yard effort which dipped into the top corner.

It was just the tonic Mexico needed and the match became a far more even contest.

England maintained an edge in possession and territory, with Aluko wasting two golden opportunities to restore the lead - first missing the ball entirely from six yards and then shooting wide from Smith's intelligent cut-back.

England must be clinical - Williams

Smith, too, was inches away from bundling in a winner in the last 10 minutes but just failed to get on the end of Ellen White's cross.

So Mexico got the draw they set out for and, with tournament favourites Germany awaiting the runners-up of this group in the quarter-finals, it means England have plenty of work to do in their two remaining group matches.

In the day's earlier game, England's Group B opponents Japan beat New Zealand 2-1, Yuki Nagasato and Aya Miyama firing home either side of Amber Hearne's reply for the Kiwis.

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'Cartel boss' arrested in Mexico

22 June 2011 Last updated at 06:58 GMT Police arrested Jose de Jesus Mendez Vargas, also known as "The Monkey", in the central city of Aguascalientes.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has congratulated police on the capture of the alleged leader of the notorious La Familia drugs cartel.

Police arrested Jose de Jesus Mendez Vargas, also known as "The Monkey", in the central city of Aguascalientes.

Mr Calderon described the capture as a great blow to organised crime.

La Familia has a reputation for gruesome violence but claims to protect local communities and promote family values.

Mexico's security spokesman Alejandro Poire said the arrest had "destroyed the chain of command" of the cartel.

The Mexican attorney general's office said Mr Mendez Vargas was "responsible for the transfer and sale of cocaine, marijuana, crystal methamphetamine in various states of Mexico and the US".

He is also accused of having masterminded the kidnappings and killings of rival gang members.

The government had offered a $2.5m reward for information leading to his capture.

A previous leader of La Familia, Nazario Moreno, was killed by security forces in December 2010.

His arrest led to a violent split in the gang. Mr Mendez Vargas is believed to remained head of the faction continuing under the name of La Familia.

The other faction, called the Knights Templar, is believed to be led by Servando "La Tuta" Gomez Martinez.

These gangs are active in parts of south-west and central Mexico, in particular Michoacan, the state of Mexico and Guanajuato, according to Samuel Gonzalez Ruiz, the former head of Mexico's organised crime unit.

For Mr Gonzalez Ruiz, Mr Mendez Vargas's arrest will not have a big effect on the ground.

"The impact will be totally limited because the illicit (drugs) market is there, the extortion is there, the kidnappings are there," he told the BBC.

In 2009, when La Familia was still run by Nazario Moreno, an assessment by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said La Familia had a "Robin Hood-type mentality".

"They believe they are doing God's work, and pass out bibles and money to the poor. La Familia Michoacana also gives money to schools and local officials," the DEA said.

La Familia came to prominence in 2006 when suspected members threw five severed heads into a disco. A letter accompanying the heads declared: "Only those who deserve to die will die."

In December that year, President Calderon, who is from Michoacan, deployed troops to the state to take on the gang, later extending his drug fight to other parts of Mexico.

Since then at least 34,000 people have died, according to official figures.

The authorities have not updated these statistics since January.

Several top drug bosses have been arrested during the past four and a half years.

Police arrested Jose de Jesus Mendez Vargas, also known as "The Monkey", in the central city of Aguascalientes.

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Mexico reporter and family killed

21 June 2011 Last updated at 08:03 GMT Notiver called for a swift investigation to catch those behind the murders A Mexican journalist has been shot dead, along with his wife and 21-year-old son, by gunmen who burst into his home.

Miguel Angel Lopez Velasco, who wrote about politics and crime, was killed in his house in the port city of Veracruz.

Authorities have not yet determined a motive for the murders, which they condemned as a "cowardly" attack.

Rights groups rank Mexico as one of the most dangerous countries in the Americas for journalists.

Armed men broke into Mr Lopez Velasco's house in Veracruz early on Monday morning, killing him, his wife Agustina and his son, Misael.

Mr Lopez Velasco, 55, wrote for the daily newspaper Notiver, where he was also an editor. His columns focussed on crime, drug trafficking and political corruption.

In its coverage, Notiver called for a swift and transparent investigation to find those guilty of the three killings.

Those responsible "should be punished with the full weight of the law", the newspaper said.

In a statement on Monday, Mexico's National Commission on Human Rights said that, since 2000, 70 journalists had been killed and 13 were missing. There have also been 22 attacks on media organisations.

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Legal tussle over Mexico ex-mayor

15 June 2011 Last updated at 12:32 GMT Mr Hank Rhon denies any links to organised crime Mexican prosecutors are planning to appeal after the former mayor of Tijuana, Jorge Hank Rhon, was twice freed from arrest in a day.

A judge dismissed weapons charges against Mr Hank Rhon, but he was swiftly re-arrested in connection with a murder investigation.

Another judge then ruled there was insufficient evidence to hold him.

The arrest and subsequent release of Mr Hank Rhon, a casino magnate, have provoked controversy.

For his critics, Mr Hank Rhon, 55, is a symbol of the impunity enjoyed by Mexico's rich and powerful, while his supporters argue his detention was politically motivated.

In the space of 24 hours, Tijuana's former mayor was freed from jail, promptly returned to custody and then finally released to go back home.

Mr Hank Rhon, 55, was detained earlier this month after soldiers found 89 weapons at his home in Tijuana, on the US-Mexico border.

He said that the weapons were not his and said he had never seen them before.

A federal judge ruled that he should be released due to insufficient evidence, saying the soldiers' accounts of how the weapons were found did not hold up.

The former mayor still enjoys support in Tijuana

Another judge then ruled Mr Hank Rhon could not be held for questioning over two murders allegedly committed with weapons found in his house.

Mr Hank Rhon served as mayor of Tijuana from 2004 to 2007.

He ran for governor of Baja California in 2007 for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) but was defeated by the candidate from the National Action Party (PAN).

He enjoys popular support in Tijuana, where several thousand people took to the streets after his arrest.

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Mexico

Mexico is a nation where affluence, poverty, natural splendour and urban blight rub shoulders.

Its politics were dominated for 70 years by the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. But elections in 1997 saw a resurgent opposition break what was in effect a one-party system with a democratic facade.

Elections in 2000 confirmed the trend when Vicente Fox became the first president to come from the opposition.

Mexico has the second-largest economy in Latin America and is a major oil producer and exporter. Though production has fallen in the last few years, about one-third of government revenue still comes from the industry. Much of the crude is bought by the US.

But prosperity remains a dream for many Mexicans, and the socio-economic gap remains wide. Rural areas are often neglected and huge shanty towns ring the cities.

Many poor Mexicans try to cross the 3,000-km border with the US in search of a job, and more than a million are arrested every year.

Mexico was home to numerous ancient American civilisations

Economic recovery

The Mexican economy is heavily dependent on the money sent home by the millions of migrant workers in the US, and was hit hard by the downturn in its neighbour's economy in the wake of the credit crunch of 2008.

On a more positive note, Mexico has recently been emerging from its deepest economic slump since the 1930s, with foreign companies pouring billions of dollars of fresh investment into the country. Foreign direct investment climbed nearly 30 per cent in the first six months of 2010 from a year earlier.

Violent crime though remains a major concern; Mexico has one of the highest rates of kidnappings in the world, and some 28,000 people have died in drugs-related violence since 2006.

Powerful cartels control the trafficking of drugs from South America to the US, a business that is worth an estimated $13bn (?9bn) a year.

Mexico's northern border towns are experiencing the worst of the violence. Ciudad Juarez (just across from El Paso in Texas) is the city suffering the most. There are also high levels of violence in Michoacan and Guerrero states.

However, Mexico is a large country, and there are still many areas which do not experience high levels of serious crime. The overall murder rate is lower than several other countries in the region, including El Salvador and Honduras.

Native rights

Another persistent issue has been the pressure for greater rights for Mexico's indigenous people. A law passed in 2001 fell short of giving Mexico's Indians political autonomy.

However, demands for indigenous rights have been largely peaceful since 1994, when at least 150 people died during an uprising in the southern state of Chiapas, led by the Zapatista rebel movement.

Writers such as Octavio Paz and Carlos Fuentes, the mural-painter Diego Rivera, and popular ranchero and mariachi music mean that Mexican culture is known throughout the Spanish-speaking world and beyond.

Full name: United Mexican States Population: 110.6 million (UN, 2010) Capital: Mexico City Area: 1.96 million sq km (758,449 sq miles) Major language: Spanish Major religion: Christianity Life expectancy: 75 years (men), 80 years (women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 peso = 100 centavos Main exports: Machinery and transport equipment, mineral fuels and lubricants, food and live animals GNI per capita: US $8,920 (World Bank, 2009) Internet domain: .mx International dialling code: +52

President: Felipe Calderon

Felipe Calderon, from the governing, conservative National Action Party, was declared winner of the bitterly-fought July 2006 presidential election with a lead of less than a percentage point over his left-wing rival, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Mr Calderon's term has been marked by a rise in drug-related violence

His win was confirmed after weeks of legal wrangling and street protests.

One of the defining features of his presidency has been his war on drugs.

More than 28,000 people died in drug violence in the four years after he began his campaign, which involved launching an army assault on drug gangs.

He insists his fight against drug cartels is working.

Mr Calderon has also pledged to tackle tax evasion, corruption and poverty. He has promised to create jobs, in an effort to stem outward migration, and to pursue major infrastructure projects, including roads, airports, bridges and dams.

However, Mexico's economy was hard hit by the 2008 downturn in global demand, pushing down the president's approval ratings.

In the 2009 mid-term elections, voters punished Mr Calderon and his National Action Party by making the formerly all-powerful Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) the biggest force in the Chamber of Deputies.

Born in 1962, in Morelia in Michoacan state, he is married and has three children. A lawyer and an economist by profession, he resigned as energy minister in 2004 to pursue his presidential ambitions.

His predecessor, Vicente Fox, took office in December 2000 and was unable by law to run in the 2006 poll.

Mexico's media were traditionally dominated by the Televisa group, which had firm links with the PRI. But the loosening of the PRI's hold led to greater editorial independence and the emergence of competitors.

Televisa once had a virtual monopoly in Mexican TV and it is still a major global supplier of programmes in Spanish. New players - such as the Azteca group and foreign satellite and cable operators - have mounted an assault on Televisa's dominance.

The radio market is very large, with around 1,400 local and regional stations and several major station-owning groups. Some high-powered stations on Mexico's northern border beam their signals into lucrative US markets.

Mexican newspapers reflect different political views; sensationalism characterises the biggest-selling dailies.

The media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said in 2008 that Mexico was the most deadly country in the Americas for journalists.

The press

Television

Radio

News agencies

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US guns 'fuel Mexico bloodshed'

14 June 2011 Last updated at 01:58 GMT Mexican officials have long complained about the flow of weapons from the US to Mexico A US Congressional report suggests some 70% of firearms recovered from Mexican crime scenes in 2009 and 2010 and submitted for tracing came from the US.

The report indicates Mexican drug cartels are arming themselves with US military-style weapons.

The senators who compiled the report urge a strengthening of US regulations to stem the flow of guns to Mexico.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has repeatedly called for the US to implement stricter firearms laws.

The report, Halting US Firearms Trafficking to Mexico, by Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein (California), Charles Schumer (New York) and Sheldon Whitehouse (Rhode Island) says US guns have contributed to "Mexico's dangerous levels of violence".

It quotes Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kenneth Melson stating that of the 29,284 firearms recovered in Mexico in 2009 and 2010 and submitted for tracing, 20,504 came from the United States.

The report recommends a number of measures to curb firearms trafficking, including:

Congress pass legislation requiring background checks for all firearms purchases, including those at gun shows The ATF tighten existing laws to make the import of military-style weapons from the former Eastern bloc harderSellers report multiple sales of all firearms in order to allow law enforcement agents to track all bulk buying of firearmsAccess be expanded to the ATF's firearms tracing system so that the backlog in tracing of seized weapons can be tackled

The senators accuse the US Congress of having been "virtually moribund" while Mexican drug gangs snap up US military-style guns.

Their report comes a day after President Calderon accused the US arms industry of causing thousands of deaths in Mexico.

"Why does this arms business continue?" he asked.

"I say it openly: it's because of the profit which the US arms industry makes," he added.

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