MEXICO CITY – Nearly 4
million birds were destroyed at poultry farms in the Mexican states of Jalisco
and Guanajuato due to the outbreak of avian influenza in February, Agriculture
Secretary Enrique Martinez said.
“The damage could have been greater, and
in the end nearly 4 million birds were killed, both chickens for consumption,
nearly half, and laying hens,” Martinez said.
The outbreak was detected
in time and contained with a vaccination program, the agriculture secretary said
after inaugurating the 13th Agriculture and Fisheries Industry Outlook
Conference.
Officials declared a health emergency on Feb. 15 after the
Bachoco poultry company reported an outbreak of bird flu at its farms in the
central state of Guanajuato. EFE
Mexico Registers 4,249 Drug-Related Killings in 4
Months Some 685 fewer murders occurred between Dec. 1, when Peña Nieto
took office, and March 31, compared to the prior period, Deputy Government
Secretary Eduardo Sanchez said
MEXICO CITY – A total of
4,249 drug-related killings occurred in Mexico from December 2012, when
President Enrique Peña Nieto took office, to March 2013, marking a drop of 14
percent from the comparable four-month period in 2011-2012, the Government
Secretariat said.
Some 685 fewer murders occurred between Dec. 1, when
Peña Nieto took office, and March 31, compared to the prior period, Deputy
Government Secretary Eduardo Sanchez said.
Drug-related killings also
fell 17 percent compared to the August-November 2012 period, Sanchez
said.
A total of 184 law enforcement agents were murdered during the Peña
Nieto administration’s first four months, the official said.
The war on
drugs launched by former President Felipe Calderon, who was in office from 2006
to 2012, left about 70,000 people dead, or an average of 32 per day, in Mexico,
officials say.
Calderon, of the conservative National Action Party, or
PAN, deployed thousands of soldiers and Federal Police officers across the
country to fight drug cartels. EFE
Arizona's Sheriff Joe Arpaio says the mailing of an explosive device addressed to him reflects the nature of his business and follows many threats he's received over the years.Arpaio has called himself the "toughest sheriff in America" and is known for his strict treatment of jail inmates and cracking down on illegal immigrants.His office says a mailed package intercepted in northern Arizona Thursday contained an explosive device.
A federal official won't confirm a device was found, but Arpaio's office says it was detected when the package was X-rayed. A bomb squad team neutralized the explosive.
Postal Inspector Patricia Armstrong says a "very astute" carrier emptying a collection box in the Flagstaff area thought something about package's outside looked wrong.
Armstrong says investigators are examining the package's contents.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
Authorities are investigating an explosive device addressed to Arizona's Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America" known for his strict treatment of jail inmates and cracking down on illegal immigrants.
The device intercepted in Flagstaff late Thursday was in a package addressed to Arpaio at his downtown Phoenix office, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
It appeared suspicious, so it was X-rayed and the device was detected. A bomb squad team neutralized the explosive, the statement said.
NCRI - The family of slain blogger Sattar Beheshti has been put under pressure from the regime to keep silent about his death, an Iranian MP has revealed.
The mother of Sattar told MP Ali Motahari that she had been threatened to prevent her from talking about her son's death. Mr Motahari said in parliament on April 9: "In a ceremony held to mark 40 days since Satar's death, his mother said that she was forced to sign and give her consent " about the way his son's case had been handled by "showing an arrest warrant for her dauther."
He said Satar's mother told him: "I didn't want the further sorrow of losing my daughter, so I had to sign it."
Iranian interior minister Mostafa Mohammad Najar who is in charge of the case defended closing the investigation in Satar's death, adding: "Satar Beheshti engaged in activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran on the internet and Facebook by posting writings under a fake name.
"He also had connections with and collaboration with dissident political activists and foreign countries. He fed dissidents and the enemy by sending them false information on the political and social condition in the country.
"After studying the case, the cyber-police of greater Tehran demanded a judiciary official to issue an arrest warrant for Satar to prevent the spread of more destructive elements against the government on the internet."
Sattar Beheshti later was slain while in custody.
Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Reza Akvanian, blogger, poet, writer and human rights activist has been released from Yasuj prison.
According to CHRR, Reza Akvanian, who was detained 17 days ago by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and was subjected to violent interrogations, was released on 100 million tomans bail from the Central Prison of the city of Yasuj on Wednesday, April 10th.
Security agents detained this human rights activist on Sunday March 24, 2013 at approximately 3am at his residence. The agents violently raided his home and after conducting a massive search they confiscated Akvanian’s personal items such as his laptop computer, external drive, scanner, printer, mobile phone, and his writings. Akvanian was held incommunicado for the first 2 weeks while detained and his family had no knowledge of his condition or whereabouts. When his family was finally able to see him, they reported visible signs of bruising from interrogations on his body.
Reza Akvanian is a writer for the blog “salhaye khoobe zendegi” (life’s good years) who was arrested earlier on February 1, 2010 by agents from the Ministry of Intelligence. Judge Tahmasabi presiding over Branch 1 of the Yasuj Revolutionary Court handed Akvanian a one-year prison sentence and a 5-year suspended term on the charges of “insulting the leader and the president in blog content” and “association with outsiders by sharing news reports.”
Five persons, including three soldiers, were reportedly injured in Riyom, Plateau, on Wednesday when civilians clashed with soldiers who had gone to aid a search for missing cows.
The incident led to the blockage of the Jos-Abuja road as protesting youths and women took over the highway.
Capt. Salisu Mustapha, Media Officer of the Special Task Force (STF) maintaining the peace in Plateau, who confirmed the incident to NAN, said three soldiers were injured in the fracas after women protested against the search.
Mr Emanuel Danboyi, a leader of the Riyom community and former member of the Plateau House of Assembly, also told NAN that two youths allegedly shot by STF during the clash had been hospitalised.
Mustapha said STF received intelligence report that cows said to have been rustled were sighted in the Farin-Lamba area of Riyom and went in search of the animals. “But to our surprise, when we approached the area for the assignment, women and some youths of the area attacked our personnel, which led to the injury of three soldiers.
“Some of the youths fired gunshots into the crowd which led to the casualties recorded,’’ he said Mustapha described the incident as “unfortunate’’ and wondered why people should seek to stop STF personnel from carrying out “a very routine exercise’’.
He claimed that there had always been reports of cattle rustling in the area.
Some eyewitnesses, who spoke with NAN, alleged that the STF personnel were resisted because they allegedly “stormed’’ the community with an armoured tank in search of the cows.
“It was when the women and youths of the area resisted the STF men that the road was blocked,’’ the source, who pleaded anonymity, said.
Also, Mr Timothy Dem, the Majority Leader of Plateau House of Assembly, who confirmed the incident, faulted STF for visiting the area without notifying him or other key stakeholders in Riyom. “STF made a serious mistake in taking that step without notifying us. Perhaps such incident would not have happened.
“We are not happy with what happened in our community today, especially the casualties recorded as a result of such a grave mistake,’’ he said.
Dem expressed concern over the continuous clash between STF personnel and his people and alleged that his people were “always at the receiving end’’.
Mustapha, however, faulted Dem’s opinion that the STF should have notified stakeholders of the council before embarking on the search.
“Why should we notify somebody we are accusing of being in possession of some missing property when we want to conduct a search?
“When you do that, the search will not yield any positive result for us,’’ he said.
Mustapha said that his men had dispersed the youths and cleared the Abuja-Jos highway, while law and order had been restored.
“Law and order has returned to the affected area and our men are keeping vigil,’’ he said. (NAN)
Committee of Human Rights Reporters – On the afternoon of Tuesday April 9th around 35 political prisoners were unexpectedly released from Evin prison.
According to news provided to CHRR, Saman Hamidi, Amir Gorshasabi, Ghourbian, Sedaghat, Lahouti, Ali Shariati, Abolfazl Ghasemi, and Javad Zakeni are among the released. Seyed Alireza Seyedian and Davar Hosseini’s 2.5-year prison sentences were commuted.
These prisoners were mostly arrested in 2009 during the mass upheaval following the contested presidential elections. They were released on Tuesday with no explanation or clarification about whether they were being granted temporary or permanent release.
In the past few weeks, a number of political prisoners were granted temporary release for the Nowruz holidays. Among those released on furlough were Emad Bahavar, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Mehdi Khodayi, Nasim Soltan Beigi, Alieh Tabrai, Hassan Zeidabadi, Ali Akbar Mohammadzadeh, Mohammad Rezai, Shahabeddin Mortazavi, Kamyar Parsa, Mehrdad Ahankhah, Saman Hamidi Azadi, Majid Sedaghat, Hassan Farji, Behzad Hooshmand, Hassan Khodavari, and Mostafah Badkoobei.
MEXICO CITY – Nearly 4
million birds were destroyed at poultry farms in the Mexican states of Jalisco
and Guanajuato due to the outbreak of avian influenza in February, Agriculture
Secretary Enrique Martinez said.
MEXICO CITY – A total of
4,249 drug-related killings occurred in Mexico from December 2012, when
President Enrique Peña Nieto took office, to March 2013, marking a drop of 14
percent from the comparable four-month period in 2011-2012, the Government
Secretariat said.
NCRI - The family of slain blogger Sattar Beheshti has been put under pressure from the regime to keep silent about his death, an Iranian MP has revealed.
