Mexico Tallies 69 Murders in Single Day

Mexico kicked off 2010 with a grim record: On Saturday the violence-plagued country tallied 69 murders in a single day. As drug cartels stepped up retaliation against the government's war on trafficking, Saturday's count included 26 murders in the border city of Ciudad Juarez and 13 in Mexico City. Murders are also becoming increasingly grotesque: Last week one victim's face was peeled off and sewn to a soccer ball, and yesterday the remains of a slain police officer were found in two separate ice chests.

The escalating violence has many Mexicans living in fear. "I'm afraid to take to the streets every day because of the violence, and I no longer want to excel economically because it could make me an easy target for a kidnapping," a Monterrey woman told the AP. Observers say the killings are jeopardizing Mexico's international reputation, but some expect the tide of violence to recede within six months as one cartel emerges as dominant, reducing power struggles.
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