11 bodies found in home in Mexico
Mexico City, Aug 4 : Mexican officials on Friday discovered the bodies of 11 people who had been tied up, tortured and shot dead inside a residence in the border town of Ciudad Juarez, in northern Chihuahua state, the prosecutor's office told Xinhua.
Juarez Mayor Armando Cabada told the local press that the victims were three women and eight men. He said the shooters placed paraphernalia used in the consumption of the synthetic drug "crystal" on the victims' bodies, Xinhua reported.
Police officers were at the site searching for clues, according to officials. Although initial reports said the victims had been shot, police were still working to corroborate that information. According to Cabada, neighbors told authorities the house was uninhabited but was regularly used for parties.
Local daily El Diario de Chihuahua published images of the grisly scene on its website, showing bodies lying face down on the floor in different rooms. All were bound at the feet and had their hands tied behind their backs, and seemed to have been shot execution style.
Juarez has seen a wave of violence this year, which officials in Chihuahua have attributed to fights between the criminal groups La Linea and Los Aztecas, both of which have ties to drug cartels. To date there have been 700 homicides in the city.
The house is located a few blocks from State Prison 3, the daily said, adding initial reports "indicate that at least two women are among the victims."
Juarez, which lies directly across the border from El Paso, Texas, was for years ravaged by drug-related crime, leading the government to send the military to pacify the city. The strategy appeared to have been effective, with reports of crime falling.
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Guarantee schemes model for empowering poor, Cong will return to power in 2028: Siddaramaiah
Mangaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday expressed confidence that the Congress government would return to power in the state in 2028.
He asserted that the five guarantee schemes introduced in 2023 have become a model for empowering the underprivileged, women, the unemployed and economically weaker sections, not just in the state but in the entire country.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a Kambala event at Muduru-Paduru in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, he said the welfare measures reflected the vision of the Congress government to strengthen social and economic democracy.
"The five guarantees were introduced with the sole objective of empowering the poor, marginalised and weaker sections of society. These schemes have now become a model for ensuring social and economic justice," he said.
Siddaramaiah said democracy should not remain confined to political representation alone but must also ensure social and economic empowerment.
"A democracy that is only political has little meaning unless it is socially and economically vibrant," he said, adding that the state government was working towards that goal.
The CM also praised senior Congress leader and former minister B Ramanath Rai, who organised the event, describing him as one of the most honest leaders and recalling his role in bringing developmental works worth about Rs 5,000 crore to the constituency during his tenure as MLA and minister.
Despite his contributions, Rai had lost the Assembly election from Bantwal, Siddaramaiah said, expressing hope that he would contest again from the constituency in 2028 and secure victory.
He also lauded the people of the coastal region for preserving traditional cultural practices and organising Kambala races, terming the slush track buffalo race a popular folk sport of the state.
