US States, Caribbean Nations Back Mexico's Appeal In Arms Lawsuit
BRUSSELS, March 20 (Reuters) - European Union member states have reached an agreement on the joint procurement of ammunition for Ukraine, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on the sidelines of a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels on Monday.
"Today, we will sign the respective documents," he told reporters, adding Germany would also open its national framework contracts with the defense industry to other partners as speed was of the essence in supplying Kyiv.
The brief from the Caribbean governments, which was joined by a network of non-governmental organizations, follows a summit among regional leaders last month held in the Bahamas, where arms trafficking was a key topic.
"Make no mistake: the United States does not ... seek conflict with Iran, but be prepared for us to act forcefully to protect our people," Biden told reporters during an official visit to Canada. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; writing by Jasper Ward; editing by Tim Ahmann)
WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday the United States was looking at ways to strengthen its sanctions against Iran, but acknowledged the sanctions had not resulted in the behavioral or policy changes Washington desires from Tehran.
During an interview with HSI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents, Lugardo-Moreno confessed to having purchased on October 17, 2019, the weapon and several other firearms for a group that was going to hand them over to the Gulf Cartel.
The states filing the brief were California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
military carried out air strikes against Iran-backed forces in retaliation for an attack that killed an American contractor and wounded five U.S. OTTAWA, March 24 (Reuters) - U.S.
President Joe Biden on Friday said the United States is prepared to "act forcefully" to protect Americans, commenting after the U.S.
Erin Walker, public policy director of Montana child safety organization Project STAND, told NBC News McKenna spoke about the draft legislation, and she then raised the idea with politicians in her state.
'There is a correlation between the negligent practices of companies and the arms trafficking that leads to violence in Mexico, as well as other crimes such as human trafficking and drug trafficking, particularly of fentanyl,' it added.
The firearm in question, a Diamondback DB-15 multi-caliber AR style pistol, was recovered by Mexican authorities in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, following the abduction of the South Carolina residents on March 3.
The Diamondback AR-15 was used by the Gulf Cartel's armed wing, known as the Scorpions Group, to shoot the Americans after they were intercepted on a Matamoros street the morning of March 3, several hours after the had driven over from Brownsville, Texas.
Lugardo-Moreno's apprehension took places just two days after the Mexican government announced it was appealing a civil lawsuit against United States-based gun manufacturers as part of its efforts to stem the illegal flow of firearms to criminal organizations.
Members (pictured) of the Gulf Cartel's Scorpions Group were abandoned on a Matamoros street and accused by the criminal organization of being behind last Friday's kidnapping of four Americans, including two who were killed.
'A favorable decision in the court of appeals will allow the government to prove its case on the merits - that the gun manufacturers' marketing and distribution practices amount to actively facilitating the trafficking of their guns into Mexico,' the Mexican government said in a statement.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office in Harlingen, Texas, was alerted by law enforcement in Mexico on March 14 that the weapon used in the crime has been purchased in the U.S.
and dispatched agents who detained Lugardo-Moreno on Sunday.
