Joaquin Guzman Loera: Billionaire Drug Lord

You’ll no doubt recognize the names of Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Oprah when scanning Forbes’ latest list of “The World’s Billionaires.” But amid the various business tycoons, A-list celebs and royal heirs on the annual roll call is someone known mainly by members of Mexico’s seedy underground and the police officers who chase them: Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera. The 54-year-old, 5’6” drug lord is considered the country’s most wanted criminal. And because his Sinaloa cartel trafficks billions of dollars’ worth of cocaine to the U.S

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The Trouble with Obama’s New Deal

President Barack Obama faces a daunting political reality: the world he envisioned in the spring and summer of 2008, when he was formulating his political strategy and building his political alliances, has been replaced by a world in economic danger. His $3.5 trillion budget might make sense if these were normal times, with a newly elected, very liberal Administration wanting to focus on reshaping America and redistributing wealth. However, these are not normal times

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Britain’s Clown Shortage: Visa Rules Hit the Circus

Circus performers can twist themselves into pretzels and somersault through rings of fire, but even they are struggling to jump through new hoops set up by the U.K. immigration authorities. In November, the British Home Office introduced a points-based system to crack down on illegal immigration and create what its web site describes as “a significantly more straightforward and transparent structure.” It’s easy enough for foreign trapeze artists and acrobats to secure the requisite points for entry into Britain based on their unique skills.

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20 dead in Mexico prison riot, official says

A prison riot Wednesday in the troubled Mexican border town of Juarez left 20 dead and 15 wounded, an official said. None of the dead were police or military officials, said Enrique Torres, a spokesman for the joint operation at the Cereso Estatal de Ciudad Juarez prison. Authorities called in 200 federal police agents and 50 army soldiers to help put down the riot; two helicopters and an airplane also were employed, he said.

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