Fiji news

at least 29 killed in Mexico capture of Chapo’s son; u.s. extradition not guaranteed

MexICo CITY (Reuters) -Nineteen suspected gang members and 10 military personnel were killed in a wave of violence surrounding the arrest of Mexican drug cartel boss Ovidio Guzman in the northern state of Sinaloa, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said on Friday.

Mexican security forces captured Guzman, the 32-year-old son of jailed kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, in the early hours of Thursday morning, prompting hours of unrest and shootouts with gang members, the minister said.

Guzman was extracted by helicopter from the house where he was caught and flown to Mexico City, before being taken to a maximum security federal prison, Sandoval added.

The arrest spurred the powerful Sinaloa Cartel – once headed by El Chapo himself – to go on a rampage, setting vehicles on fire, blocking roads, and fighting security forces in and around Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa.

Twenty-one other people were arrested during Thursday’s operations, Sandoval told a news conference, adding there were no reports of any civilian deaths.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said there were no immediate plans to extradite Ovidio to the United States, where his father is in a maximum security prison after being extradited in 2017 and found guilty in a New York court.

“The elements (of the case) have to be presented and the judges in Mexico decide,” the president said. “It is a process…It is not just the request.” No U.S forces had assisted in Ovidio’s capture, Lopez Obrador said.

An enhanced security presence will now remain in place in Sinaloa, on Mexico’s Pacific coast, to protect the public, with an additional 1,000 military personnel traveling to the region today, Sandoval said.

Passengers on an Aeromexico passenger flight at Culiacan airport crouched low below their seats as shots rung out around the runway on Thursday.

“As we were accelerating for take-off, we heard gunshots very close to the plane, and that’s when we all threw ourselves to the floor,” passenger David Tellez said. Aeromexico said one of its plane was hit by gunfire at Culiacan but that no-one was hurt.

The airport was due to reopen later on Friday after being closed due to the violence.

In 2019, a failed operation to arrest Ovidio ended in humiliation for Lopez Obrador’s government. At the time, security forces briefly detained Ovidio, triggering a violent backlash from cartel loyalists and leading authorities to quickly release him to stave off the threat of further retribution from his henchmen.

His latest capture comes before a North American leaders’ summit in Mexico City next week, which U.S. President Joe Biden will attend. Cooperation over security is due to be on the agenda.

THe exTrAdITIon QUeSTIon

The United States has sought Guzman’s extradition for years.

In 2021, the State Department announced a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Guzman, known by the nickname “The Mouse,” has been charged in the United States with conspiracy to traffic cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States. The State Department said he oversaw methamphetamine labs in Sinaloa responsible for producing “3,000 to 5,000 pounds” of the drug per month.

The State Department also said information indicated he had ordered multiple murders, including that of a popular Mexican singer who had refused to perform at his wedding.

Surging flows of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into the United States, where it has fueled record overdose deaths, have heightened pressure to capture Guzman.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considers the Sinaloa Cartel, along with one other gang, to be responsible for most of the fentanyl inside the United Sates.

suva taxi body keen to work with Government

THe Suva Taxi Association president Ratnash Narayan say they look forward to working with The People’s Alliance, National Federation Party and SODELPA coalition Government.

He said they presently faced a lot of issues which they would like to discuss with the Government.

“We look forward to working with the new Government for the betterment of Fiji’s taxi industry,” Mr Narayan said in the statement.

“We also welcome and congratulate the new Minister for Transport Ro Filipe Tuisawau.

“The Suva Taxi Association looks forward with keenness to meet the new minister to allow us the opportunity to discuss issues of importance to the industry, namely the open taxi rank system and illegal operators (private cars operating as taxis) in the Suva City boundary.

“We taxi operators are facing a lot of operational challenges and it is of great concern to us.

“We also anticipate and look forward to consultations with the new Government before any new changes regarding the taxi industry are made,” he said.

one dead, 57 injured in accident on Mexico City metro

MexICo CITY (Reuters) -At least one person was killed and 57 were injured in a train collision on Mexico City’s metro early on Saturday, local authorities said.

The person killed in the morning accident was a young woman, city security head Omar Garcia told local media Grupo Milenio.

Garcia shared an updated list of the injured later on Saturday, and the city’s mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, said on Twitter that she was at the site.

Four others who were trapped on one wagon on Line 3 were rescued and are in good health, Garcia said earlier.

A variety of accidents have taken place on the metro in recent years. The most serious was the May 2021 collapse of a rail overpass on Line 12 that killed 26 people and injured more than 60.

Maintenance shortcomings were identified as one of that accident’s causes.

tavuyara sets goal for 2023

ABIGAIL Tavuyara is a champion athlete and to maintain her status, she has set goals – to retain the intermediate girl’s triple jump gold medal during this year’s Fiji Secondary Schools Athletics Championship and qualify for the Pacific Games.

The 17-year-old wasted no time with her preparations and was part of the Athletics Fiji Summer Series at the HFC Bank Stadium in Laucala Bay, Suva yesterday.

Tavuyara, who hails from Raiwaqa in Nadroga, won gold for her Waimanu Rd school during last year’s Coca-Cola Games.

She trains under the guidance of former Fiji athletics rep Joseph Rodan Jr.

“Now that we’re back in training, we’re both focusing on my running skills and my speed limit which is required in the long jump,” she said.

“For triple jump, one thing that my coach has been advising me is that it’s one thing to win it but another thing to keep it.

“So we’re working on perfecting some of the weak areas, my fitness and techniques to follow in order to have a perfect jump.”

She thanked her coach for helping push her to the limit.

“We began with my training right after New Year’s Day and it has been intense for the past few days.”

With the Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands this year, Tavuyara aims to make it to the national squad.

Western association welcomes PM rabuka’s decision to probe hospitals

THe Lautoka Residents and Ratepayers Association has welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka of a probe into the financials and operations of the Lautoka and Ba hospitals.

Association president Narayan Reddy said it was about time government officials looked into the operations of the Lautoka Hospital after numerous issues were raised by members.

“Among the complaints we have received — the Lautoka Hospital does not have enough beds, people are kept waiting for hours and even as we speak, the waiting time has gotten even worse,” he said.

“The previous government told us that the waiting time would be a thing of the past once the operations were improved at the hospital but nothing has changed.

“Last week I was told there were not enough oxygen tanks for people suffering with asthma.

“So these are just a few of the issues that have been raised with us.

“If there is going to be an audit they will be able to see what needs to be improved and which areas money is being wasted in.

“The association welcomes Mr Rabuka’s announcement and we are looking forward to seeing what they do to improve the services in Lautoka.”

In his recent address, the Prime Minister said they would conduct a “study of the new financial arrangement for the operations of the Lautoka and Ba hospitals”.

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