Vigilantes, police kill three cartel suspects
MORELIA, Mexico – Three suspected drug-gang gunmen were killed in a confrontation with community self-defense squads and federal police in the mountains of western Mexico, the local mayor said Wednesday.
Mayor Justo Virgen Cerrillos in the town of Chinicuila said the suspects had been trying to steal residents’ cars to flee the recent offensive by federal forces and died in a gunbattle that began when they were confronted by vigilantes and police Tuesday.
The federal government sent in thousands of soldiers and police in May to try to restore order after the Knights Templar drug cartel imposed a regime of extortion, kidnapping and killings in Michoacan.
New Pakistan PM vows better economy
ISLAMABAD – As he stepped into the prime minister’s job for the third time Wednesday, Nawaz Sharif vowed to improve Pakistan’s limping economy and end American drone strikes. It was a nod to the voters who elected a man viewed as a pro-business conservative to tackle problems including a fiscal meltdown, power outages and spillover from the war in neighboring Afghanistan.
Sharif, whose party won the May 11 nationwide elections, was formally chosen by parliament and sworn in by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday.
In a speech long on rhetoric but short on specifics, Sharif vowed to address the myriad of problems facing the country of 180 million people, including unemployment, electricity blackouts, inflation, corruption, a disillusioned youth and extremism and lawlessness.
Sharif is the first Pakistani leader to serve three terms. He was elected prime minister in 1990 and again in 1997. He then was ousted by a military coup in 1999, spent nearly eight years in exile. .
Syria army captures key town from opposition
BAALBEK, Lebanon – Syrian troops and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies captured a strategic border town Wednesday after a grueling three-week battle, dealing a severe blow to rebels and opening the door for President Bashar Assad’s regime to seize back the country’s central heartland.
The regime triumph in Qusair, which Assad’s forces had bombarded for months without success, demonstrates the potentially game-changing role of Hezbollah in Syria’s civil war. The gain also could embolden Assad to push for all-out military victory rather than participate in peace talks being promoted by the United States and Russia.
Hezbollah lost dozens of fighters in the battle for Qusair, underlining its commitment in support of Assad’s government regime.
Associated Press
