Mexico is already having a year to forget.
Mexicans woke up from their New Year celebrations on January 1 with the highest increase in gasoline prices in years that sparked daily protests and looting that left at least three people dead.
On top of that, Ford scrapped a new car factory, the peso fell to new lows and, to cap the terrible week on Friday, US President-elect Donald Trump renewed his vow to make Mexico pay for a border wall.
“Everything has come together like a perfect storm,” said the president of the binational American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico, Jose Maria Zas.
Trump’s wall threat prompted former president Vicente Fox to respond with an F-bomb for the second time since last year, while the economy ministry rejected any threats against investors.
President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose approval rating was already below 25 percent, used his nationally televised New Year’s address late Thursday to defend the gasoline price increase and promise to seek “positive relations” with the Trump administration.
Pena Nieto said the 20.1 percent hike in gasoline prices was linked to an increase in international oil prices.
The government is ending fuel subsidies and hopes that prices will go down when the market begins to dictate how much drivers will pay in March.
Maintaining “artificial” prices, Pena Nieto said, would have forced the government to cut welfare and healthcare programs.
Pena Nieto asked his nation: “What would you have done? ”
– Who’s behind looting? –
For now, Mexicans have held protests, blocked highways and service stations, clashed with police, and looted hundreds of stores.
The looting intensified on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the January 6 Three Kings’ Day, as people stole televisions, clothes and toys from department stores. Hundreds of people have been arrested.
Fewer incidents were reported on Friday.
Luis Carlos Ugalde, director general of the political consultancy Integralia Consultores, said it was unclear whether the violence was organized by political or criminal groups, or a spontaneous display of public anger.
“What’s clear is that there are many groups in many regions of the country who are willing to use any event, any situation, to spread problems of violence,” Ugalde said.
The looting has cost businesses millions of dollars but Raul Feliz, analyst at the Economic Research and Teaching Center in Mexico City, said investors are more concerned about something else.
“Investors are more worried about what Trump is doing than the protests, though it will be another negative factor if they get out of control and spark general chaos,” Feliz said.
– Negotiate to ‘reduce fears’ –
While he has yet to take office, Trump — who becomes president on January 20 — has already caused the peso to fall with his pledge to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and his threats to slap tariffs on companies that ship jobs to Mexico.
The peso tumbled by 3.02 percent this week, trading at 21.55 pesos per dollar.
“The uncertainty surrounding the trade policy that Mexico faces with Trump clouds the outlook and makes any calculation difficult,” Feliz said.
“The most important thing is to see how he will change the rules, because if he opts for tariffs on imported goods he could bring the Mexican economy into recession,” Feliz said.
This week, the Republican billionaire threatened US automaker General Motors and Japanese rival Toyota, both of which make cars in Mexico, with stiff import taxes.
In a veiled reference to Trump’s tweets, the Mexican economy ministry said Friday it “categorically rejects any attempt to influence the investment decisions of companies on the basis of fear or threats. ”
But Mexico appears to want cordial relations with Trump’s administration.
Earlier this week, Pena Nieto brought back his former finance minister, Luis Videgaray, naming him foreign minister to lead negotiations with the incoming US administration.
Videgaray had resigned in September after it was revealed that he had organized Trump’s widely-criticized pre-election meeting with Pena Nieto in Mexico City a week earlier.
Analysts say Videgaray’s previous contacts with the incoming administration could be an asset in future talks.
“After negotiations between the Mexican government with Luis Videgaray as the main negotiator and the Trump team,” Ugalde said, “we will probably be able to see an agreement, an arrangement, a common policy that reduces fears. ”
Fox was less diplomatic after Trump renewed his vow to make Mexico pay for a massive wall along the US-Mexico border.
“TRUMP, when will you understand that I am not paying for that fucken wall,” the Mexican former president wrote on Twitter.
“Be clear with US tax payers. They will pay for it. “

Similarity rank: 3.2

Sentiment rank: -1.8

© Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/protests-trump-threats-prompt-a-rocky-new-year-for-mexico/article/483117
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

Posted: Jan 06 2017 07:42PM EST
Updated: Jan 06 2017 08:40PM EST
ATLANTA – The first wave of winter weather has finally moved into Atlanta on Friday brining various forms of frozen precipitation. Some residents of north Georgia got the chance to document it, while other chose to share their playing it.
SEE ALSO: North Georgia residents prepare for… FUN!
Do you have photos? Post those photos to Facebook.com/FOX5Atlanta , tweet us at @FOX5StormTeam or post to Instagram tagging @FOX5Atlanta. Just make sure to use hashtag #FOX5Snow! We may even use your photos on the air if you do!
App users: Click here to enjoy the photos

Similarity rank: 4.2

Sentiment rank: -1.5

© Source: http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/227614238-story
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

At least five people were killed and 13 injured after a gunman carrying military identification opened fire in the baggage area of Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida yesterday.
Esteban Santiago, named by Florida senator Bill Nelson as the gunman, was taken into custody. Mr Nelson said the 26-year-old was carrying military ID.
Scott Israel, a sheriff, said: “We have the shooter in custody. He is unharmed. No law enforcement fired any shots. ”
Officials said the man, who was wearing a ‘Star Wars’ T-shirt, had come off a Canadian Air flight. He checked in his weapon and then reclaimed it in the baggage area. He went to load the weapon in the lavatory area and then began the attack, they said.
The shooting happened around 1pm local time, as the busy airport, which is a major hub between the United States, Europe and the Caribbean, was packed with tourists.
The airport remained tense in the hours after the shooting, with reports of further shots heard in other parts of the airport. Hundreds of people were seen running for shelter in live television pictures amid unconfirmed witness reports of a second gunman.
Witnesses told NBC Miami that the gunman silently approached the baggage area and started firing. He did not appear to be targeting anyone in particular, “popping off bullets at random”.
Mark Lea, a 53-year-old financial adviser from Minneapolis, who was in baggage claim area, said: “I was dodging bullets and trying to help people get out of the way. At first we thought it was firecrackers. Everyone started screaming and running.
“The shooter made his way down through the baggage claim area. He had what looked like a 9mm and emptied his entire clip. People were trying to run. ”
Ari Fleischer, a former White House press secretary, was in the airport at the time. “Everyone is running,” he tweeted. Later, he added: “All seems calm now, but the police aren’t letting anyone out of the airport – at least, not where I am. ”
Video posted on Instagram appeared to show several people wounded in the baggage claim area of the terminal. One person was lying in a pool of blood with a head wound.
President-elect Donald Trump said he was following events. “Monitoring the terrible situation in Florida. Just spoke to Governor Scott. Thoughts and prayers for all. Stay safe! ” (© Daily Telegraph London)

Similarity rank: 5.4

Sentiment rank: -6.9

© Source: http://www.independent.ie/world-news/north-america/gunman-held-after-killing-five-in-rampage-at-florida-airport-35348330.html
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.

Last Updated Jan 6, 2017 10:14 PM EST
Esteban Santiago-Ruiz is believed to be the gunman in the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting , which left at least five people dead and eight wounded on Friday. Early indications point to a man with psychiatric problems. There does not appear to be any known connections to terrorist groups.
Santiago-Ruiz was in federal custody, the Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said. He will be federally charged, the FBI said Friday night.
Santiago-Ruiz’s brother told the Associated Press that he had been receiving psychological treatment recently. Bryan Santiago said that he didn’t know what his brother was being treated for and that they never talked about it over the telephone.
A gunman opened fire early Friday afternoon at a baggage claim area at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Thirteen people were hit,…
The FBI confirmed that in Nov. 2016, Santiago-Ruiz walked into an FBI office in Anchorage and claimed his mind was being controlled by a U. S. intelligence agency and that he was being forced to watch videos for ISIS. He was sent to a psychiatric hospital after police were called, sources said.
Law enforcement officials told CBS News’ Jeff Pegues that Santiago-Ruiz was traveling from Alaska to Fort Lauderdale, and got in an argument on one leg of the trip. CBS News’ Pat Milton reports that the suspect was flying the red-eye flight out of Anchorage on Delta and landed in Minneapolis Friday morning. He then connected to a flight to Fort Lauderdale.
Within a few hours of the shooting, details remained murky about the suspected shooter, and his motive was still under investigation. Law enforcement sources said there appeared to be no link to terrorism.
FBI sources told CBS News’ Pat Milton that they ran a full database check on Santiago-Ruiz, and they found no connection to terror groups. The fight is under investigation.
Shortly after a shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport, correspondent Anthony Mason spoke by phone with a witness, Mike Starobinsky who was at t…
Santiago-Ruiz had active-duty military identification on him at the time of the shooting. It was unclear if the identification was the gunman’s, Sen. Bill Nelson said on Friday.
Santiago-Ruiz served in the Alaska National Guard, a spokesperson confirmed to CBS News. He received a general discharge for unsatisfactory performance in August 2016. According to the Alaska Army National Guard, Santiago-Ruiz joined the Puerto Rico National Guard in December 2007, and served with that unit in Iraq from April 2010 to February 2011. He was in the Army National Reserves before joining the Alaska National Guard in 2014, they said.
The Pentagon told the Associated Press that Santiago had gone AWOL several times during his stint with the Alaska National Guard and was demoted – from specialist to private first class – and given a general discharge, which is lower than an honorable discharge.
He was also investigated as part of a child porn investigation in either 2011 or 2012, law enforcement sources told CBS News. Three weapons and a computer were seized, but no charges were filed, sources said.
A gunman opened fire at Fort Lauderdale international airport on Friday
Santiago-Ruiz’s aunt, Maria Ruiz, told the New Jersey Bergen-Record that he was happy after the recent birth of his son, but he had “lost his mind in Iraq.”
“I don’t know why this happened,” she said.
Bryan Santiago told the Associated Press that his brother was born in New Jersey but moved to Puerto Rico when he was 2. A spokesperson with the Anchorage Police Department has confirmed the suspect arrested in connection with the shooting is an Anchorage resident, CBS affiliate KTVA reports.
The FBI is investigating some of his life in Alaska, the FBI said a press conferece Friday night.
There was heavy law enforcement presence in Anchorage near a house where Santiago-Ruiz was believed to have lived, CBS affiliate KTVA reports. Neighbor Perette Carter, whose lived there for 30 years, said Santiago-Ruiz lived nearby for two years and was “pleasant.” A mailbox at the home also listed him as a resident.
“I just thank God that he didn’t shoot anybody down here and I just feel bad for the people in Florida, that what he did, but you know, he’s captured and that’s a good thing,” Carter told KTVA.
FBI agents late Friday were investigating at a house in Union City, New Jersey, where a relative of Santiago-Ruiz’s lives, CBS New York reports. The FBI confirmed that there was an active investigation at the home Friday evening. About eight federal agents were seen coming and going through the front door, before leaving the scene in unmarked cars with emergency lights.

Similarity rank: 15

Sentiment rank: -3.9

© Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/esteban-santiago-ruiz-fort-lauderdale-airport-shooting-suspect/
All rights are reserved and belongs to a source media.