Russia and the U.S. will continue to cooperate in the fight against the Afghan drug threat, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday.
Lavrov made his statement during talks with U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Hanoi.

nation.com.pk

I dropped in on a marijuana shop here that proudly boasted that it sells “31 flavors.” It also offered a loyalty program. For every 10 purchases of pot — supposedly for medical uses — you get one free packet.

“There are five of these shops within a three-block radius,” explained the proprietor, Edward J. Kim. He brimmed with pride at his inventory and sounded like any small businessman as he complained about onerous government regulation. Like, well, state and federal laws.

nytimes.com

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has said he will continue his war on the country's drug cartels until the country is safe, despite the tens of thousands of deaths it has already cost.

Mexicans are about to mark the Day of the Dead. Skulls and skeletons adorn storefronts, hotel lobbies, even a corner of the grand hall in the Los Pinos presidential mansion in Mexico City.

Traditionally the Dia de los Muertos is a time to remember deceased family and friends. It is a day of prayers and parties - Mexicans know how to laugh, even in the face of death.

bbc.co.uk

Al Qaeda and the Taliban haven't been able to bring down the CIA's Predator drones -- but a new lawsuit alleging parts of their targeting software are pirated (and faulty) could... A small Boston software firm alleges that their software was pirated by Massachusetts-based Netezza for use by a government client. Subsequent evidence and court proceedings revealed that the "government client" seeking assistance with Predator drones was none other than the Central Intelligence Agency.

fastcompany.com
narconews.com
old zack1
old zack2

U.S. Commercial Media Finally Jumps on the Story After British Publication Cribs Narco News’ Coverage

One of the largest and best-known corporations in the world, IBM, is now on center stage in a dispute between two Massachusetts technology companies — one of which is accusing the other of essentially stealing its software code and reselling it to the CIA for use in the Predator Drone program.

narcosphere.narconews.com

Thoughts on the Open Letter by El Diario of Juárez to Narco-Traffickers

Not being a narco-trafficker, the recent open letter from the Diario de Juárez wasn’t addressed to me. Still, as a colleague in journalism who has long reported on the drug war, I would like to offer some thoughts, both for the editors that wrote it, and the rest of our colleagues in the media professions and especially for the general public.

Narco News today translates El Diario’s open letter, titled, “What Do You Want from Us?” which is addressed “To the leaders of the different organizations that are fighting for control of Ciudad Juarez.” It comes from a newspaper that has already lost two reporters to assassination and that lives under daily and nightly fear. The first human reactions to such a situation are sympathy and empathy. But in this case, as with most tragedies, caring is not enough.

narcosphere.narconews.com

Mexiko gerät wegen des blutigen Drogenkriegs in den Fokus, Afghanistan gilt als Weltproduktionszentrum für Opium und Heroin: Der Kampf gegen den Drogenhandel ist oft ein hoffnungsloses Unterfangen, denn die Kartelle reagieren flexibel und weichen auf neue Anbaugebiete und Lieferrouten aus.

"Der Drogenkrieg in Mexiko hat eine neue Dimension angenommen". Das meldeten die Nachrichtenagenturen in dieser Woche. Ein ranghoher Politiker Mexikos war mit vier Mitarbeitern in einen Hinterhalt geraten und erschossen worden - die Tat wurde der Drogenmafia zugeschrieben. Mexikos Kabinett wurde sogleich zu einer Sondersitzung zusammengerufen.

dradio.de

Der mexikanische Drogenkrieg ist ein Milliardengeschäft. Die mächtigen Kartelle schaffen Waffen ins Land, pumpen Drogen in die USA und waschen weitgehend ungestört ihr schmutziges Geld. Amerikanische Banken haben dabei kräftig mitgemischt - und mitverdient.

Im mexikanischen Drogenkrieg geht es um Hunderte Milliarden Dollar. Dass solche Mengen nicht nur per Geldkoffer verschoben werden, ist klar. Die Kartelle sind organisiert wie globale Konzerne, sie haben ihre Finanzchefs und ihre internationalen Bankkonten. Erst seit kurzem ist allerdings bekannt, dass einige Banken ziemlich genau wussten, woher manche hohen Einlagen kamen, und dass sie ihren Verdacht gegen die Kunden nicht den amerikanischen Behörden meldeten, wie es der Geldwäsche-Paragraf im US-Bankengesetz vorsieht.

spiegel.de