Lorne Matalon

Trucks going to and from the United States travel some of Mexico’s most dangerous roads. Freight companies must hire expensive security details to prevent hijackings and murders. The World’s Lorne Matalon reports on Mexico’s crime problem and the new cost of doing business there.

A recent U.S. government assessment is reverberating Mexico. It said drug-related violence put the country at risk of a “sudden collapse.” Now Mexico’s president Felipe Calderon is saying the U.S. is partly to blame for the spiraling drug-related violence there. The World’s Lorne Matalon has the story.

The World’s Lorne Matalon reports on how Mexico has avoided a rise in foreclosures like the one in the United States. The Mexican government reformed its mortgage industry more than a decade ago to help struggling homeowners lower their payments in times of economic stress.

Mexico has seen a sharp spike in the number of murders, shoot-outs and kidnappings. Much of the violence is related to Mexico’s powerful drug cartels. The World’s Lorne Matalon reports that some Mexicans are now demanding that the government change its strategy for fighting the cartels.

Lorne Matalon reports on a series of policy reversals by Venezuela’s president Hugo Ch-vez: critics say the reversals show that Ch-vez is struggling, but Ch-vez appears to be shifting positions to consolidate his support among voters in Venezuela.