http://www.newser.com/2008 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorSun, 07 Sep 2008 8:51:50 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/36265/thousands-protest-mexico-violence.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThousands of protesters marched in various Mexican cities yesterday, demanding the government crack down on the nation's mounting crime. Mexico has been rocked by kidnappings and murders connected to drug-trafficking gangs and corrupt police, with an estimated 12,000 drug-related deaths so far this year, reports the Los Angeles Times . "We don't want promises—we want security," said a march organizer.http://www.newser.com/story/36265/thousands-protest-mexico-violence.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSun, 31 Aug 2008 6:01:55 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/36217/mexican-drug-wars-spread-to-touristy-yucatan.html?refid=rss_all_defaultAs drug violence soars in Mexico, casualties are spreading to the Yucatan peninsula, a major tourist destination and spring break hot spot. Twelve decapitated bodies were found near the popular ruins of Chichen Itza this week, the Los Angeles Times reports. That's because a government crackdown has heightened “a kind of civil war among drug cartels,” said a drug-trafficking expert. And that violence is spilling over from the usual frontlines along the US border.http://www.newser.com/story/36217/mexican-drug-wars-spread-to-touristy-yucatan.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSat, 30 Aug 2008 9:10:10 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/35159/booming-brazil-nabs-a-list-ad-campaigns.html?refid=rss_all_defaultIf you want proof that the Brazilian economy is on fire, look no further than the TV ads. While Sarah Jessica Parker professes her love for a Sao Paulo mall, Richard Gere promotes hair care products in dubious Portuguese. What's made the influx of American stars possible, writes Bloomberg, is Brazil's booming currency—the real has been the biggest gainer of the world's most traded currencies for 4 years straight.http://www.newser.com/story/35159/booming-brazil-nabs-a-list-ad-campaigns.html?refid=rss_all_defaultMon, 18 Aug 2008 7:39:42 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/34244/chavez-grabs-vast-new-powers-with-dictator-decrees.html?refid=rss_all_defaultAvowed US foe Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has drastically expanded his powers with a litany of personal decrees that bypass the nation's legislature, reports the Wall Street Journal. S ome of the decrees enact laws specifically rejected by the electorate in a referendum just months ago.http://www.newser.com/story/34244/chavez-grabs-vast-new-powers-with-dictator-decrees.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 05 Aug 2008 22:32:07 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33805/as-world-economies-falter-brazil-sambas.html?refid=rss_all_defaultEconomies worldwide are stalling, with growth slowing to a trickle and markets seizing up. But in Brazil, long a laggard on the international stage, the economy is growing at the largest rate in three decades. Good government, progressive social programs, and newly discovered resources have allowed Brazil to finally take its place as a major economic player, reports the New York Times .http://www.newser.com/story/33805/as-world-economies-falter-brazil-sambas.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 31 Jul 2008 4:37:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33415/cuban-youth-prefer-facebook-to-revolution.html?refid=rss_all_defaultCuba's youth are restless, but many are more concerned about access to Facebook, flat-screen TVs, and trips abroad than political change, reports the Christian Science Monitor . Young people say that they pressured Raul Castro to allow cell phone and computer ownership, but they remain disillusioned about the prospects for greater change.http://www.newser.com/story/33415/cuban-youth-prefer-facebook-to-revolution.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSat, 26 Jul 2008 2:14:57 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33120/drug-addiction-shoots-up-in-mexico.html?refid=rss_all_defaultDrug addiction is skyrocketing in Mexico, which used to be simply a transit point for illegal drugs rather than a major consumer market, reports USA Today . As increased border security foils smugglers along the American border, the drugs end up being sold to Mexicans. Crack cocaine use has risen sharply, and heroin and crystal meth are becoming a problem for the first time.http://www.newser.com/story/33120/drug-addiction-shoots-up-in-mexico.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 23 Jul 2008 1:41:40 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/32824/colombia-to-americans-cocaine-kills-environment.html?refid=rss_all_defaultColombia is adding a new tactic in its campaign to persuade Americans to stop buying cocaine: a plea for the environment. The government wants to spread the message to users—especially, say, wealthy professionals who dutifully recycle but also partake of the drug—that cocaine growers are running roughshod over the land, the Christian Science Monitor reports. They've cleared 5 million acres of forest in the last 20 years and are now moving into the Amazon.http://www.newser.com/story/32824/colombia-to-americans-cocaine-kills-environment.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSat, 19 Jul 2008 0:04:33 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/31874/farc-will-punish-remaining-captives-ex-hostage.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSpeaking to the media for the first time since his rescue Wednesday, a former FARC captive warned that remaining hostages would face retribution over the escape, CNN reports. “Right now, they're being punished because we got rescued,” said US government contractor Marc Gonsalves. They’ll be made to don heavy backpacks and “forced to march with a chain around their neck while a guerrilla with an automatic weapon is holding the other end.”http://www.newser.com/story/31874/farc-will-punish-remaining-captives-ex-hostage.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 08 Jul 2008 5:58:19 CDT