Lucky Escape for Carnival Triumph: Cruise Ship Adrift Following Engine Room Fire

MEXICO CITY (Mon, Feb 11) – Reported by madn3wz

 A cruise ship was adrift 150 miles off southern Mexico's Yucatan peninsula on Sunday after a fire broke out in engine room. The cruise line was carrying 3,143 guests and 1,086 crew members; but no one got injured, according to initial information.

Lucky Escape for Carnival Triumph: Cruise Ship Adrift Following Engine Room Fire

According to available details; the Carnival Triumph, owned by Carnival Corp under its Carnival Cruise Lines brand, was heading back to Galveston, Texas, when the engine got fire Sunday morning, said Astevia Gonzalez from the Carnival Cruises family support team. The cruise ship's automatic fire extinguishing system kicked in and soon contained the flames, and no injuries were reported.

The company said the U.S. Coast Guard had been notified.

"Another Carnival ship, the Carnival Elation, is currently on scene and transferring additional food and beverage provisions to the Carnival Triumph," the statement said.

Tug boats have been sent to support the ship while it is getting supplies from another cruise ship. A Coast Guard ship is also reported on the way to assist if needed. 

In the wake of Costa Concordia tragedy in January 2012; it is believed that Carnival Triumph has certainly survived luckily from a disaster which could be as fatal as the Costa Concordia, which killed 32 people. Costa Concordia capsized and sank off the Tuscan island of Giglio in Italy. Italian investigators are still probing into the ship owner's potential liability for the shipwreck. 

The Carnival Triumph began its journey from Galveston, Texas, on Thursday, and was scheduled to get back on Monday February 11. The company said all the guests would receive a refund and "cruise credit equal to the amount paid for this voyage.'' 

The vessel's next two trips, scheduled for departure next week, were already postponed , the company added.

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Cruise liner adrift, cruise ship adrift, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Corp, Carnival Cruise Lines, Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, Costa Concordia

At least 11 killed in latest Mexico drug gang shootout

Mexico Gang Shootout: At least 11 dead including a soldier and woman

 

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (Thu, Sep 27) - According to Mexican authorities; atleast 11 people are reported killed Wednesday in a gunbattle between armed gangsters and army men near a church in southern Mexico.

 

At least 11 killed in latest Mexico drug gang shootout

The dead reportedly include a soldier and one woman along with 9 drug traffickers. Mexican Authorities report that weapons, including five AK-47 and five AR-15 assault rifles, some vehicles and bags of marijuana were also confiscated.

According to details; troops were patrolling in the town of Tepecoacuilco de Trujano in violence-hit Guerrero state, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) south of Mexico City, when they were attacked by a heavily armed group.

Guerrero is home to the popular resort city of Acapulco and has been the scene of an increasingly violent war between rival drug gangs fighting over turf and smuggling routes.

According to BBC News; more than 55,000 people have been killed since President Felipe Calderon launched a war on the drug cartels in 2006.

 

 

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Mexico, Mexico Drug War, Mexican Drug War, Mexico Shootout, Tepecoacuilco de Trujano, Mexico City, Acapulco

VIDEO Report: Drug war escalated, 49 headless bodies found in Mexico

SAN JUAN, Mexico (Mon, May 14) – Mexican police found 49 bodies, at least some of them dismembered, Sunday dumped on a highway connecting the northern Mexican metropolis of Monterrey to the U.S. border, officials said.

The incident appears to be the latest round in an escalating war between Mexico's two dominant drug cartels

The details come from anonymous police sources suggest that bodies of 43 men and six women were found in the town of San Juan on the non-toll highway to the border city of Reynosa at about 4 a.m. (5 a.m. EDT).

The latest carnage reminded the several other recent cases in which drug cartels have left bodies scattered in public places as warnings to rivals.

In the recent past; 35 bodies were left at a freeway overpass in the city of Veracruz in September, while 26 were discovered in November in Guadalajara.

Watch video report of Associated Press:

Video Report -- Major 7.4-magnitude earthquake rattles Acapulco, Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (Tue, Mar. 20) – The capital of Mexico rattled by a major earthquake of 7.4 magnitude on Tuesday spreading panic and fear among the residents, who came out into the streets. The quake lasted for more than 60 seconds and left hundreds of buildings were damaged.

Major 7.4-magnitude earthquake rattles Acapulco, Mexico

The recent earthquake was one of the strongest since the destructive 8.1-magnitude quake almost 28 years ago, which killed thousands in Mexico City.

About150 houses were damaged partially in Ometepec near the epicenter of the earthquake in Guerrero state, which is home of popular Pacific beach resort Acapulco, emergency services said. 

The reports of the emergency services are conflicting with the statement of Governor of the state, Angel Aguirre, who said he had received reports of 500 homes damaged, with some of them knocked down, but he gave no more details.

No deaths were reported on Tuesday and the quake caused no major disruptions to air travel or to oil installations, but it scared many residents.

Watch video report below:

Drug Cartel Guzman's Luis Rodriguez Olivera Arrested by Mexican Police

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (Dec. 28) – Mexican authorities have arrested a senior drug trafficker with close links to the country's most wanted man, Sinaloa cartel boss and Mexico’s most wanted man Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who has suffered a series of setbacks in recent past.

Guzman's Luis Rodriguez Olivera Arrested by Mexican Police

According to details; Luis Rodriguez Olivera, known as “El Guero,” captured by Mexican police in the capital city of Mexico. Luis Rodriguez Olivera was responsible for trafficking cocaine into the United States between 1996 and 2008 for Guzmna’s gang and for whom U.S. authorities are offering a reward of up to $5 million.

Rodriguez Olivera and his brothers left the Sinaloa cartel someway in 2005 and later had developed a strong relationship with Guzman's rivals in the Los Zetas cartel, but U.S. and Mexican authorities could not immediately say where the commitment of the 39-year-old Rodriguez Olivera lay at the time of his arrest on Tuesday in Mexico City.

Forbes listed Olivera's former boss, Guzman, as the10th richest man in Mexico in 2011, with a net worth of around $1 billion.

Mexican intelligence foiled the entry plan of Saadi Gaddafi and family members

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (Dec. 07) – An alleged plan to smuggle one of the sons of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and few other family members to Mexico has been foiled by Mexican intelligence, high profile authorities claimed on Wednesday.

Mexico stopped entry of Gaddafi's son and family

According to details; the 38-year-old al-Saadi Gaddafi and few family members were planning to enter in Mexico with fake names and fake documents.

According to Alejandro Poire, the interior secretary, the aides – including two Mexican, a Canadian and a Danish suspect - in this foiled plan opened bank accounts and got involved in buying properties in Mexico that were to have been used as safe places by al-Saadi Gaddafi being in Mexico.

Several people have been arrested as a result of unfolding the plan in September before it could be materialized.

Al-Saadi Gaddafi, the departed Gaddafi's third son, is currently living under house arrest in the Western African country of Niger. Saadi Gaddafi is one of four Gaddafi family members who escaped from war-torn Libya during the revolt. His mother Safia, older brother Muhammad and sister Ayesha are all in Algeria.

Saadi Gaddafi reportedly led his own mercenaries and was indicted of directing open fire on civilians during the early phases of the rebellion that eventually led to the fall of his father's 42-year regime.

VIDEO: 10,000 walked as zombies in Mexico to set new world record

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (Nov. 27) – In a bid to set a world record; about ten thousand people, dressed as zombies, walked through the streets of capital of Mexico.

10,000 walked as zombies in Mexico

The organizers of the “Zombie Walk” in Mexico City claimed it to be the biggest ever held and apparently broke the current Guinness world record - held by Asbury Park in the US – in which 4,093 zombie-dressed people walked in 2010.

Zombie walks have gained immense popularity throughout the world in recent years. The obsession for disguising as the "living dead" has been catalyzed by movies, television, video games and literature about the zombies.

In October, a group in Brisbane (Australia) has also claimed to set the record after arranging a march with 8,000 zombie-dressed people.

Such kind of zombie walks are relatively more popular in Latin America; like Lima in Peru, Santiago in Chile and Sao Paulo in Brazil, specially in Mexico where the "Day of the Dead" is a national celebration and where brutal killings by drugs gangs dominate the news.

Watch video below:

Don: The Fourth Tropical Storm - - Heading towards the central Gulf of Mexico

Tropical Storm Don churned into the central Gulf of Mexico

Storm watches were posted from the Texas-Mexico border north to Galveston Island as Tropical Storm Don moves through the Gulf of Mexico on track for landfall on the Texas coast late tomorrow.

Don, the fourth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, was 545 miles (877 kilometers) east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, heading west-northwest at 10 miles per hour with maximum winds of 40 mph, according to a National Hurricane Center bulletin at 8 a.m. East Coast time today.

Maps posted on the center’s website show Don making landfall after 1 a.m. July 30 in the Corpus Christi area.

“Don should be at least a strong tropical storm at landfall,” AccuWeather Inc. meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said on the State College, Pennsylvania, forecaster’s website.

Storms are watched closely because they are a threat to oil and natural gas interests in the Gulf, home to 31 percent of U.S. oil output and coastal refineries account for 7.61 million barrels a day, or 42 percent of U.S. capacity.

Energy companies have begun pulling some workers from their facilities in the Gulf as a precaution. Royal Dutch Shell Plc said it’s evacuating about 70 non-essential workers, while Apache Corp. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp., the two largest U.S. independent oil and gas producers by market value, said they are removing non-essential workers from some western Gulf operations.

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Sea Diver Almost Swallowed by Giant Whale Shark at Isla Mujeres, Mexico (Photos/Pictures)

Sea Diver Almost Swallowed by Giant Whale Shark at Isla Mujeres, Mexico

ISLA MUJERES, Mexico - - The diver in the picture above seems like almost sucked into the mouth of gigantic whale shark while he was enjoying underwater expedition on plankton off Isla Mujeres.

In reality, the diver was no way near to be swallowed by the sea giant as the shark, which is sea’s largest fish, is actually vegetarian.

After being familiar with the situation the diver get relieved and continued to enjoy the presence of incredibly huge sea creature and captured it in his camera from various angles.

Sea Diver Almost Swallowed by Giant Whale Shark at Isla Mujeres, Mexico

 See more photoson the link given below:

HERE

1800-year-old Underground Tunnel Discovered Beneath Temple of Snake in Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan (Mexico)

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (May 30) – The latest archaeological discovery of a tunnel under the ancient temple of Teotihuacan in Mexico could be termed as the most important find of the 21^st century. The discovered tunnel had apparently been sealed off about 1,800 years ago.

1800-year-old Underground Tunnel Discovered Beneath Temple of Snake in Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan

Reportedly, archaeologists and experts have discovered an ancient tunnel under the Temple of Snake in the pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacan, about 28 miles north-east of Mexico City. The underground structure is 15 yards beneath the ground, and it goes eastward. It is about 130 yards long and it ends up with the funeral chambers at the end of the tunnel.

According to further details; researchers of National University discovered the tunnel with the help of a radar device and termed it as “representation of the underworld”.

Experts further said, “At the end, there are several chambers which could hold the remains of the rulers of that Mesoamerican civilization. If confirmed, it will be one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 21st century on a global scale.”

Gangs' Gun Battle Left 28 Dead and 700 Escaped in Western Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Reportedly, at least 28 were dead during a gun battle between two drug gangs on the highway in the western states of Nayarit and Michoacan (western Mexico).

The brutal fighting and crossfire forced more than 700 people to escape from nearby villages in search of shelter from stranded bullets.

When police reached the fighting scene they just found 28 men lying dead and four others injured on the road with bullet casings everywhere and 10 abandoned vehicles.

No further details were provided in the statement released late Wednesday by the attorney general's office.

Mexico to Return 3000-year-old Relic to Egypt: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

Zahi Hawass, Minister of Antiquities

CAIRO, Egypt – Mexico has agreed to return 3000-year-old relic to Egypt on Wednesday. The antique piece was kept in National Museum of Culture in Mexico City.

Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities issued an official statement saying the artefact was a piece of limestone with a carved head dating back to the Modern Kingdom (1569-1081 BC).

Zahi Hawass, Minister of Antiquities, told further that the relic was in held by Mexican authorities for last three years after they recovered it from a Mexican citizen. A delegation was sent to Mexico to establish the authenticity and then only Mexican Attorney General was contacted through Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get back the artefact, he further added.

The Egypt’s right on the relic was asserted after contacting Mexican attorney general and the National Institute of Anthropology. Now Ibrahim Ahdi, Egypt’s Ambassador to Mexico, would be responsible for returning the artefact via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ diplomatic pouch.

Mexican Intelligence Rescued 51 Kidnapped Victims from a Stash House in Reynosa

REYNOSA, Mexico – In a highly secret raid Mexican Intelligence succeeded to release 51 kidnapped victims from a secrete dwelling in Reynosa; Intelligence officials said.

The released persons were being forcefully detained by the kidnappers, Mexican intelligence officials further told.

Reportedly, there are quite a few numbers of foreigners in the rescued victims; where 14 are from Guatemala, 2 from Honduras, 2 from El Salvador and 6 people from China. Authorities stated that the status of few released victims is ‘illegal’ as per Mexican laws. 

No culprit was arrested in the recent operation while six were arrested, including 4 police officers, in the same type of operation last week in which 68 people were released.  

The four police officers were taken to Mexico City and will appear before a federal judge.

Earthquake Updates (April 26, 2011) - - 5.7-magnitude Tremor Struck off Mexico's Western Coast: USGS Reported

MEXICO CITY – According to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); an earthquake of 5.7-magnitude struck Mexico's western coast on Tuesday, 16 miles (26 km) northwest of San Marcos in Guerrero. 

The quake was struck at 11:07 GMT, was 12.8 miles (20 km) deep, the USGS further reported.

No immediate reports of damage are available although it was felt in the resort city of Acapulco about 40 miles (64 km) west of San Marcos. 

An official at Acapulco fire station told that the quake was strong enough to terrify people; but they had just one emergency call of gas leakage and nothing more.

Cocaine-packed small plane crashed into Heron Lake in Southern Mexico (Must See Video Report)

MEXICO CITY – According to police sources; a small plane full of cocaine crashed into a lake in New Mexico, apparently killing the pilot and anyone else who may have been on board.

Police and rescue teams were on search mission, in Heron Lake in northern Mexico, for any victims alive or dead when they found cocaine-filled packets floating on the water. The rescue teams found few dozens tissue box-sized bundles of cocaine. 

Police is unable to point out precisely that from where the plane came and to where it was carrying this huge quantity of cocaine.

Watch the full report in the video below here:

British Woman, Rebecca Coriam, Reported Missing From Disney Cruise Ship in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – A 24-year-old British woman, Rebecca Coriam, has reportedly gone astray from a cruise ship off the coast of Mexico.

Coriam, who belonged to Chester, was working with Disney Wonder and reported as missing when she couldn’t resume her duties on Tuesday; prompting a search operation by Mexican navy. 

Stephen Mosley, the Conservative MP for Chester, and officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have been liaising with her family.

A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said, "A British national has been reported missing in Mexico.

"We are providing consular assistance with the family and are in touch with the relevant organizations and authorities."

AP news agency reported that investigators from the Bahamas Maritime Authority were meeting the ship in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Friday.

BBC Supported Mexican Jokes on Popular TV Show "Top Gear"

The BBC apologized to the Mexican ambassador to London on Friday for comments made about him on a top television show, but supported its jokes about the country as being part of British humour.

Earlier in the week, Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora had complained in writing to the BBC about remarks made by presenters of the motoring show "Top Gear" telling Mexicans as "lazy", "feckless" and "flatulent".

The BBC said in a statement that the executive producer of the show had "written to the Mexican Ambassador and apologized for the comments made about him during the show."