Woman from India among 2 foreigners killed in shootout in Mexico's Tulum resort
Mexico City(AP): Two foreigners, including one from India, were killed and three wounded in a shooting at a restaurant in the Mexican Caribbean resort town of Tulum, authorities said Thursday.
Authorities said one of the dead women was from Germany and the other from India. The three wounded included two Germans and a tourist from the Netherlands.
The shooting broke out Wednesday night at a street-side eatery that has some outdoor tables, right off Tulum's main strip.
The fight was between two groups that operate street-level drug sales in the area, the Quintana Roo state prosecutor's office said in a statement. The tourists were apparently dining at the restaurant and may have been caught in the crossfire.
One woman died at the scene and the other in a hospital. One of the aggressors, who was also wounded, was subsequently arrested. There was no immediate word on the condition of the wounded tourists.
Tulum has experienced growing pains moving from laid back beach retreat to major international destination. It had long been spared the violence seen sporadically in larger Cancun and Playa del Carmen farther up the coast.
But in June, two men were shot to death on the beach in Tulum and a third was wounded.
The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has pinned its hopes on Tulum, where it has announced plans to build an international airport and a stop for the Maya train, which will run in a loop around the Yucatan peninsula.
But Quintana Roo state, where beach resorts like Tulum, Playa del Carmen and Cancun are located, has been plagued by both violence and corruption.
In 2019, authorities said a dispute over street-level drug dealing was also the apparent motive behind a bar shooting that left seven men dead in the nearby resort of Playa del Carmen.
In a scene similar to the Tulum attack, two gunmen armed with .38 caliber pistols burst into a nightclub in the 2019 attack and opened fire on their rivals.
Several drug cartels operate in the state, which is known for a lucrative retail drug market and as a landing spot for drug shipments.
But corruption has also been a problem, and on Thursday federal health authorities said they were removing state officials from their duties in inspecting medical facilities, after it emerged that state inspectors had been shaking down firms that run COVID-19 testing sites and labs for bribes. (AP)
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Focus on Vijay's poll promises; TVK assured 8 gm gold for women
Chennai (PTI): As the new-entrant TVK appears likely to emerge as the single largest party and form the government, the focus has now turned into actor-politician Vijay's poll promises, including 8 gm gold for marriage, which is worth about Rs 14,000 per gram (22 carat).
Vijay's assurances in the party manifesto include Rs 2,500 monthly assistance for women below 60 years, 8 gm gold for marriage and six free cooking gas cylinders a year, per family.
By 3 PM, as per EC data, Vijay's party is leading in 105 constituencies and it falls short of a simple majority (118) in the Assembly.
The actor-turned-politician also assured a quality silk saree in addition to gold for indigent brides and interest-free loans up to Rs 5 lakh for women-run SHGs. He assured corruption-free good governance if voted to power in his maiden electoral fight.
The manifesto also laid importance on education. To prevent school dropouts, mothers or guardians of children studying in government and state-aided schools will receive Rs 15,000 annually.
Vijay promised 100 special residential schools named after iconic leader K Kamaraj, credited with revolutionising education in the state, and higher education loans of up to Rs 20 lakh. The TVK founder also assured AI Ministry, AI University and AI City.
The manifesto placed a strong emphasis on agrarian welfare, too.
The party promised a full waiver of agricultural cooperative crop loans for farmers owning less than five acres of land, while those holding more than five acres will receive a 50 per cent waiver. Additionally, the party promised a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 3,500 per quintal for paddy and Rs 4,500 per tonne for sugarcane.
Addressing youth unemployment, Vijay pledged to create five lakh new government jobs and offer as many stipendiary internships. Unemployed graduates will be provided a monthly aid of up to Rs 4,000. For government employees, the party assured consideration of the Old Pension Scheme and the regularisation of contract workers, including nurses.
On the health front, he promised a drug-free Tamil Nadu. Vijay also committed to modernising hospitals, providing free annual health checkups, and introducing a Rs 25 lakh family health insurance scheme.
The manifesto also included a Rs 3,000 monthly pension for the elderly and the differently-abled, 200 units of free power, patta (land deed) regularisation, and 100 per cent piped drinking water supply for all households.
Some of the policy intereventions promised by TVK include a legal guarantee to provide essential government services like community certificates, and land pattas, within a strictly specified timeframe.
Vijay also promised doorstep delivery of governance by implementing a system to deliver services, such as ration supplies, directly to the people. He also assured that ease of doing business will be paramount to his government and promised a strict guarantee that business licences will be issued within 21 days.
Elections to 234 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu were held on April 23.
