Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 13 Desember 2014 | 10.52
Mexico's drug trade is worth between $19 and $29bn (£12.1 and £18.5bn) a year in cash - but takes an immeasurably greater toll in human lives and misery.
Some 90% of the cocaine bound for the US goes through the country, which shares a long border with its northern neighbour.
The narcotics industry makes up between 3-4% of the country's GDP, and employs half a million people.
Murder - even mass murder - is relatively commonplace. On average, someone dies a drugs-related death every half an hour.
There have been more than 132,000 kidnappings since 2006, and the government lists a total of 22,322 people as missing.
Video:Where The Gangs Get Their Guns
There are 10 firearms deaths per 100,000 people - more than twice the rate of the US - despite the fact there is just one legal firearms dealer in the entire country.
Even amid this carnage, the recent abduction of 43 college students made headlines not just nationwide but around the world.
The victims were attacked by officers in the southern city of Iguala after demonstrations there.
Prosecutors say they were handed over by corrupt police officers to a drugs gang that killed them and burnt their bodies.
By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Mexico City
A Mexican hitman, who claims to have killed as many as 900 people, has told Sky News how the police and the military are often involved in the planning and execution of his murders.
"Carlos" has been a paid killer for more than 25 years - working for drug cartels, politicians and the military.
We met the hitman in Tepito market - one of the most dangerous places in the whole of Mexico City, despite being at the heart of its smartest district.
The assassin said the network of cartel power is so entrenched in society and powered by so much money that it is unstoppable.
"On some occasions, we have to go to places where weapons are not allowed and then they (police) meet us.
Video:Narco State: Mexico's Drugs War
"They take us to a hotel and they provide all the weapons that we may need, money and everything so that one can do the job one has to do."
The abduction of 43 students last September has forced Mexico into confronting its crime problems.
Carlos believes that the students are already dead, and uses a chilling example from his own experience to explain why he is so certain.
Video:Sky News Talks To A Mexican Hitman
"Let me tell you a story. Some protestors came. We let them in and then we closed the road, we closed the entrance, we closed the exit. When they were stuck in the middle we killed them all," he recounted.
"Then a (rubbish) truck from the army came and collected them all. Then street sweeper machines went past. They opened the road again, as if nothing had happened.
"The students are dead, it is more convenient. For kidnapping you get 160 years, for killing its 35. It's a huge difference, don't you think?"
Video:Where The Cartels Get Their Guns
Mexico is described by many as a "Narco State", where government and civil society appear powerless against drug money, cartels, corruption and terrible violence - committed on an almost daily basis.
This country bordering the United States and Central America has become a transit point for drugs across the world.
The revenues are mind-blowing - tens of billions of dollars a year.
Video:Mexico City's Tepito Market
The demand for what it can deliver to affluent societies is insatiable.
It is the root of the problem of course, and widespread poverty, combined with the need to make a living, are the crumbling foundations of a state teetering on the edge of disaster.
Mexico is in trouble. It is failing. A black market culture where anything can be bought is all-pervading. Nobody is above this. Absolutely nobody.
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 12 Desember 2014 | 10.52
By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Mexico City
At the heart of its smartest district is one of the most dangerous places in the whole of Mexico City: Tepito market.
It's the centre of criminal activity - a trading point for guns, drugs and every variant of goods.
If you shop there, you know you are buying items of debatable legitimacy, and contributing to an all-pervading lawlessness that seems to be accepted as normal life.
And it does seem normal, except an outsider like me can't walk around without protection, and couldn't meet the people who live on the edges of society.
People here can earn far more than anywhere accessible to them on the right side of the law - by sinking into a shadowy world of crime and murder.
Video:How The Cartels Get Their Guns
"Carlos" is an assassin. Over a 25-year career he has killed between 500 and 900 people while working for the drug cartels, politicians and the military.
We met deep in the warren of alleyways and warehouses in the core of Tepito.
He says that the network of cartel power is so entrenched in society and powered by so much money that it is unstoppable.
The police and the military, he says, are often involved in the planning and execution of his hits.
"On some occasions, we have to go to places where weapons are not allowed and then they (police) meet us," he told me.
Video:Mexico City's Tepito Market
"They take us to a hotel and they provide all the weapons that we may need, money and everything so that one can do the job one has to do."
The abduction of 43 students last September has forced Mexico into confronting its crime problems.
Carlos believes that the students are already dead, and uses a chilling example from his own experience to explain why he is so certain.
"Let me tell you a story. Some protestors came. We let them in and then we closed the road, we closed the entrance, we closed the exit. When they were stuck in the middle we killed them all," he recounted.
"Then a (rubbish) truck from the army came and collected them all. Then street sweeper machines went past. They opened the road again, as if nothing had happened.
Mexico's drug trade is worth between $19 and $29bn (£12.1 and £18.5bn) a year in cash - but takes an immeasurably greater toll in human lives and misery.
Some 90% of the cocaine bound for the US goes through the country, which shares a long border with its northern neighbour.
The narcotics industry makes up between 3-4% of the country's GDP, and employs half a million people.
Murder - even mass murder - is relatively commonplace. On average, someone dies a drugs-related death every half an hour.
There have been more than 132,000 kidnappings since 2006, and the government lists a total of 22,322 people as missing.
Video:Where The Gangs Get Their Guns
There are 10 firearms deaths per 100,000 people - more than twice the rate of the US - despite the fact there is just one legal firearms dealer in the entire country.
Even amid this carnage, the recent abduction of 43 college students made headlines not just nationwide but around the world.
The victims were attacked by officers in the southern city of Iguala after demonstrations there.
Prosecutors say they were handed over by corrupt police officers to a drugs gang that killed them and burnt their bodies.
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 11 Desember 2014 | 10.52
By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Mexico
Sky News has gained access to an illegal prison where hitmen for Mexico's drug gangs have been jailed by vigilantes who snatched them off the streets.
High in Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains our guides are leading us to this much rumoured, but never before seen, prison.
In this part of Mexico, vigilante groups are fighting back against the drug cartels and their low-level gunmen who have terrorised small communities for decades.
The prison is their prize and a mark, they claim, of the success of their "revolution" against organised crime.
The inmates hang out of the barred windows of a converted municipal building, watched by shotgun-toting men dressed in matching green T-shirts and trousers.
Video:On Patrol With Mexico's Vigilantes
There is no proper court of law up here. The prisoners have been snatched off the streets by vigilante gangs and locked up. It is a clean-up operation as unique as it is illegal.
The Mexican government writ doesn't run here. The law of the gun does.
The supervisor agrees to let us inside the "cells".
Inside we are introduced to a group of men in their early 20s. Among them is Leonardo. He is 22, although he seems much younger. He has been in the prison for a year, he says.
Video:Hitman: Politicians Run Everything
His youthful looks hide a horrendous history of violence for the Knights Templar drug cartel.
Leonardo has killed 19 people in the past three years.
He says he tried to run away from the cartel but was tracked down and "grassed up" to the community police.
"They planted three bags of Mota (marijuana) on me and that was my problem... they used a girl to plant the drugs, and that girl they have since killed," he tells me, his head bobbing and eyes shifting nervously from side to side.
Video:'I Have Hurt Myself And Others'
"I don't want to talk about it in here. My integrity is in danger, my life is in danger," he adds.
Leonardo says he was under the control of the cartel and could do nothing to avoid their demands to carry out murders. He admits to the murders and being part of the gang.
"What's the point of lying to you? It is true they arrested me with evidence and all. When they caught me I had drugs, shotguns and other weapons."
While cartels would usually pay for hits, it seems Leonardo was exploited with shocking ruthlessness. He was told to kill or be killed himself. He did it for free.
Video:How The Cartels Get Their Guns
Miguel, a sort of self-styled vigilante social worker who is trying to rehabilitate the inmates, says this is not uncommon.
"Many start this way," he says.
"Then they become contaminated and it becomes natural for them to do it (kill).
"We have investigated him. His life is a life of poverty. It's a very miserable life, very, very poor. Their way of paying him was the life of another in exchange for his life."
Video:'The People Are Happy Now'
The inmates are not all cartel gang members, but they have been identified as anti-social troublemakers and criminals.
Certainly this prison is unsuitable for proper rehabilitation - or proper punishment for that matter. Mixing murderers with drunks could hardly be described as sensible care-for-the-community policing.
But the vigilantes are unrepentant. Locking these men up in cells with mats on the floor and almost no recreational or exercise time is a fitting return for the fear they have brought to their communities.
They want this message to get out.
Video:In Numbers: Mexico's Drug War
Across Mexico people are beginning to ask questions of the government and are questioning its future.
But the conclusion one has to reach is that with the profits from drugs so high, the money distributed among the most powerful and influential and a financially poor population almost inured to such violence over so many years, that bringing about change is impossible - except perhaps by the vigilantes.
They have weapons. The cycle starts all over again.
:: You can watch an extended special report on the drugs cartels that are tearing Mexico apart, Narco State: Mexico's Drugs War, at 7.30pm on Friday, 5.30am and 4.30pm on Saturday, and 3.30am, 2.30pm and 8.30pm on Sunday.
Video:Behind The Scenes: Mexico Filming
:: Watch the report on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has announced three days of national mourning after one of his cabinet members died following a confrontation with Israeli soldiers.
Palestinian leaders are holding emergency talks about the incident, while Israel says it is "reviewing the circumstances" of the death.
Mr Abbas says all options are open, following the death of Ziad Abu Ein in the West Bank.
He was taking part in a tree-planting demonstration in Turmus Aya when he was confronted by Israeli soldiers and tear gas was fired.
Witnesses also said the Cabinet member was involved in a scuffle with an Israeli soldier and there were claims he was hit on the chest by an Israeli soldier's helmet and a rifle butt.
Video:IDF Promises Investigations
He then began to experience breathing problems, and died while he was being taken to hospital by ambulance.
Mr Abbas said: "What happened today was a crime. We cannot be patient or remain quiet about what happened.
"We are open to taking up any option against the other side."
Palestinian leaders are due to hold a meeting on Wednesday night to discuss what action they may take.
About 100 foreign and Palestinian activists were on their way to plant trees near an Israeli settlement when they were stopped at an improvised checkpoint.
A group of around 15 Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at the protesters and began scuffling with them, witnesses said.
One marcher said Mr Abu Ein marched toward the soldiers ahead of everyone else, until he was stopped by a soldier.
He said the soldier headbutted the politician then hit him in the chest with his rifle butt.
Video:Manuel Hassassian: 'A Crime'
The Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Manuel Hassassian told Sky News: "Ziad Abu Ein was trying to explain the situation, why they were there, and what have you.
"They started pushing and shoving and throwing tear gas at the people and he was defending the right to stay there, to plant the olive trees and the end result was that tear gases were suffocating him. He fell on the ground and he was beaten before he passed away."
Lt Col Peter Lerner of the Israeli Defence Force told Sky News: "We are investigating the specifics of the events of today. How were our troops prepared for the event, for the demonstration? What did we know? Did we know who was coming?
"We have to determine what is the actual cause of death and I'm happy to say that the Palestinians have agreed that there will be a joint investigation and pathologist both from our side and the Palestinian side will look into what exactly happened.
"Taking care and preventing an escalation of violence, we don't want that to happen. We are currently speaking with our counterparts in the Palestinian security apparatus in order to prevent an escalation and stop the cycle of violence we face."
Ziad Abu Ein was Deputy Minister for Prisoner Affairs for the Palestinian Authority prior to his role with the anti-settlements committee.
The British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: "I'm shocked by the death of Palestinian Minister Ziad Abu Ein, following clashes between the IDF and Palestinians at a protest and tree planting ceremony for Human Rights Day in the West Bank.
"We expect a swift and transparent investigation."
Written By Unknown on Rabu, 10 Desember 2014 | 10.52
By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Mexico
Sky News has gained access to an illegal prison where hitmen for Mexico's drug gangs have been jailed by vigilantes who snatched them off the streets.
High in Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains our guides are leading us to this much rumoured, but never before seen, prison.
In this part of Mexico, vigilante groups are fighting back against the drug cartels and their low-level gunmen who have terrorised small communities for decades.
The prison is their prize and a mark, they claim, of the success of their "revolution" against organised crime.
The inmates hang out of the barred windows of a converted municipal building, watched by shotgun-toting men dressed in matching green T-shirts and trousers.
Video:On Patrol With Mexico's Vigilantes
There is no proper court of law up here. The prisoners have been snatched off the streets by vigilante gangs and locked up. It is a clean-up operation as unique as it is illegal.
The Mexican government writ doesn't run here. The law of the gun does.
The supervisor agrees to let us inside the "cells".
Inside we are introduced to a group of men in their early 20s. Among them is Leonardo. He is 22, although he seems much younger. He has been in the prison for a year, he says.
His youthful looks hide a horrendous history of violence for the Knights Templar drug cartel.
Video:'I Have Hurt Myself And Others'
Leonardo has killed 19 people in the past three years.
He says he tried to run away from the cartel but was tracked down and "grassed up" to the community police.
"They planted three bags of Mota (marijuana) on me and that was my problem... they used a girl to plant the drugs, and that girl they have since killed," he tells me, his head bobbing and eyes shifting nervously from side to side.
"I don't want to talk about it in here. My integrity is in danger, my life is in danger," he adds.
Leonardo says he was under the control of the cartel and could do nothing to avoid their demands to carry out murders. He admits to the murders and being part of the gang.
Video:'The People Are Happy Now'
"What's the point of lying to you? It is true they arrested me with evidence and all. When they caught me I had drugs, shotguns and other weapons."
While cartels would usually pay for hits, it seems Leonardo was exploited with shocking ruthlessness. He was told to kill or be killed himself. He did it for free.
Miguel, a sort of self-styled vigilante social worker who is trying to rehabilitate the inmates, says this is not uncommon.
"Many start this way," he says.
"Then they become contaminated and it becomes natural for them to do it (kill).
Video:Where The Gangs Get Their Guns
"We have investigated him. His life is a life of poverty. It's a very miserable life, very, very poor. Their way of paying him was the life of another in exchange for his life."
The inmates are not all cartel gang members, but they have been identified as anti-social troublemakers and criminals.
Certainly this prison is unsuitable for proper rehabilitation - or proper punishment for that matter. Mixing murderers with drunks could hardly be described as sensible care-for-the-community policing.
But the vigilantes are unrepentant. Locking these men up in cells with mats on the floor and almost no recreational or exercise time is a fitting return for the fear they have brought to their communities.
They want this message to get out.
Video:In Numbers: Mexico's Drug War
Across Mexico people are beginning to ask questions of the government and are questioning its future.
But the conclusion one has to reach is that with the profits from drugs so high, the money distributed among the most powerful and influential and a financially poor population almost inured to such violence over so many years, that bringing about change is impossible - except perhaps by the vigilantes.
They have weapons. The cycle starts all over again.
:: Stuart Ramsay will be taking part in a Twitter Q&A at 10am on Wednesday. Tweet your questions to @ramsaysky.
:: You can watch an extended special report on the drugs cartels that are tearing Mexico apart, Narco State: Mexico's Drugs War, at 7.30pm on Friday, 5.30am and 4.30pm on Saturday, and 3.30am, 2.30pm and 8.30pm on Sunday.
Video:Behind The Scenes: Mexico Filming
:: Watch the report on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.
Mexico's drug cartels have existed for several decades, but saw their power increase dramatically following the decline of Columbia's dominant Cali and Medellin cartels in the 1990s.
Their growing influence in the region has been matched by an escalation in the brutal battles between the various and diverse groups.
But who are the main cartels, how long have they been operating, who are they led by - and which of them are locked in violent struggles with rival criminal organisations?
Los Zetas
Established: 1999
Leader: Omar "Z-42" Treviño Morales
Omar "Z-42" Treviño Morales
Considered "the most technologically advanced, sophisticated and dangerous cartel" by the US government.
Mexico's largest drug cartel in terms of geographical presence - dominating vast swathes of the country's east - but drug trafficking makes up only half of the group's revenues.
Tijuana Cartel
Established: 1980s
Leader: Luis Fernando "El Ingeniero" Sanchez Arellano
Luis Fernando "El Ingeniero" Sanchez Arellano
While the cartel remains one of the main drug smugglers into the US, its operations have been limited by the spread of the Sinaloa Federation.
The group's leader, Luis "El Ingeniero" Arellano, nephew of the group's founders, was captured by the army in May 2014.
Juarez Cartel
Established: 1970s
Leader: Alberto Carrillo Fuentes, AKA "Betty La Fea" (Ugly Betty)
Alberto Carrillo Fuentes, AKA "Betty La Fea" (Ugly Betty)
Locked in a violent battle over territory with the Sinaloa Federation, cartel founder Amada Carrillo Fuentes died following botched plastic surgery in 1997.
His brother Alberto Carrillo Fuentes, the group's current leader, was caught in September 2013.
Beltran-Leyva Cartel
Established: 2008
Leader: Hector "El General" Beltran-Leyva
Hector "El General" Beltran-Leyva
While it was declared "extinct" by the Mexican authorities in 2011, the group lives on in factions across the country.
It once controlled smuggling operations at airports across the country; but its factions are now largely seen as enforcement units for other cartels.
Sinaloa Federation
Established: 1989
Leader: Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera
Called "the most powerful drug trafficking organisation in the world" by the US Intelligence Community, Sinaloa has an established presence in 47 countries.
Leader Joaquin Guzman Loera - aka "El Chapo" - was once included in the Forbes Rich List. He escaped from prison in 2001, remaining at large until February 2014.
Gulf Cartel
Established: 1930s
Leader: Jorge Eduardo "El Coss" Costilla Sanchez
Jorge Eduardo "El Coss" Costilla Sanchez
The oldest organised crime group in Mexico, the Gulf Cartel has partnerships around the world and is a primary target for law enforcement due to the political connections of former allies Los Zetas.
Its "supreme leader", Jorge Costilla Sanchez, was arrested in 2012.
Knights Templar
Established: 2011
Leader: Servando "El Profe" Gomez Martinez
Servando "El Profe" Gomez Martinez
Formed from the remnants of La Familia Michoacana, members are indoctrinated to "fight and die" against their Los Zetas rivals.
The group is aligned with the Sinaloa Federation, but locked in an escalating conflict with Sinaloa allies Jalisco New Generation as they move into Knights Templar territory.
Jalisco New Generation Cartel
Established 2009
Leader: Nemesio Oseguera "El Mencho" Cervantes
Nemesio Oseguera "El Mencho" Cervantes
Mexico's newest and fastest-growing criminal group, it is allied with the Sinaloa Federation but fighting Sinaloa allies the Knights Templar.
Expanded its operation network from coast to coast in just six months, the group seeks society's approval by posing as righteous nationalists.
:: You can watch an extended special report from Sky's Stuart Ramsay on the drugs cartels that are tearing Mexico apart, Narco State: Mexico's Drugs War, at 7.30pm on Friday, 5.30am and 4.30pm on Saturday, and 3.30am, 2.30pm and 8.30pm on Sunday.
:: Watch the report on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 09 Desember 2014 | 10.52
British businessman Shrien Dewani is expected to leave South Africa today after he was cleared by a judge of plotting to murder his wife.
The case against the 34-year-old was dismissed by Judge Jeanette Traverso, who ruled that prosecution arguments fell "far below" the level needed for a conviction.
Mr Dewani, of Westbury-on-Trym, had denied any involvement in the murder of his 28-year-old wife Anni.
He said she was killed during a botched carjacking during their Cape Town honeymoon in November 2010.
The dismissal of the case led to angry scenes outside court as Mrs Dewani's family criticised the South African justice system.
Video:Family 'So Sad And Disappointed'
In a statement read outside the court, the Hindocha family said: "The knowledge of not knowing is going to haunt us for the rest of our lives."
Mrs Dewani's sister Ami Denborg told Sky's Alex Crawford: "The justice system has failed us."
The family say they will review the case with their lawyers to see if they can file a lawsuit against Mr Dewani in the UK.
Mr Dewani is now free to return to the Britain. He breathed a sigh of relief as the judge dismissed the case against him.
Members of Mr Dewani's family wept and embraced as he quickly left the dock.
Mrs Dewani's family bowed their heads as shouting was heard from the public gallery.
Three men - Tongo, Mziwamadoda Qwabe and gunman Xolile Mngeni - have already been convicted over Mrs Dewani's murder.
Video:Anni Dewani's Family Speak Of Loss
Qwabe is currently serving a 25-year sentence. Mngeni was serving life for firing the shot that killed Mrs Dewani, but died from a brain tumour in October.
The murder took place when the Dewanis' chauffeur-driven tour of a township was hijacked.
Prosecutors claimed Dewani, who is bisexual, wanted to leave the relationship and arranged the carjacking during the couple's honeymoon.
But Dewani's defence team said the case against him was weak.
Giving her ruling on the application to dismiss the case, Judge Traverso said the evidence from the men was "so improbable, with so many mistakes, lies and inconsistencies you cannot see where the lies ended and the truth begins".
She added that the only reason not to grant the application would be in the hope that Mr Dewani would implicate himself during his testimony.
Moments after Shrien Dewani was ruled not guilty of murder, his wife Anni's family told Sky News: "The justice system has failed us."
Ms Dewani's sister Ami Denborg was in tears as she spoke to Sky News Special Correspondent Alex Crawford outside the court in Cape Town.
And later, in an interview with Sky News Tonight, Ms Denborg and her brother Anish Hindocha explained why the family was so distraught that a judge had decided to throw out the case against Mr Dewani without him even being called to give evidence.
"We don't care if he's innocent or guilty, we just want to know what happened to Anni," said Ms Denborg.
Shrien Dewani appeared to breathe a sigh of relief after the verdict
"The only way to find out was to hear Shrien under cross-examination under oath telling his version of events. That right has just been taken away from us.
"We've been patient because we had hoped we'd get to the truth but today we just don't know what to think - we were so disappointed and so sad because this means we'll never, ever get to find out."
Video:Reaction From Anni's Sister Ami
Asked how the family had coped since Anni was murdered in 2010, her brother added: "It's been very tough for our family. We've had four years of hell, literally.
"To see my parents wake up at 3am or 4am every day is a nightmare. What we're trying to do is be strong in front of them but it's been very difficult to cope with."
After the trial collapsed, Ms Denborg struggled to contain her emotions as she read a family statement.
Video:Shrien Dewani's Family 'Very Happy'
Her brother collapsed in tears as she said: "The knowledge of not knowing is going to haunt us for the rest of our lives.
"We had four years of sleepless nights and we will never be able to sleep."
Mr Dewani had declared himself a bisexual on the first day of his trial - something Anni and her family had not known.
Video:Anger Outside Court After Verdict
Her uncle Ashok Hindocha said Ms Dewani would never have agreed to the marriage if she had known about her husband's "secret sex life" and confirmed the family would speak to lawyers about bringing a civil case against Mr Dewani in the UK.
Mr Hindocha added: "As far as Anni's grief-stricken parents are concerned, they would not wish the torture they have endured onto any other mother of father.
"They will live forever with the warm and magical memories of Anni, but these memories will always be tinged with the pain of the fact that closure has not been afforded them."
Video:Dewani Extradition Defended
Mr Dewani's family hugged and cried tears of joy after the verdict was announced.
A relative who spoke through the intercom at the family's home in Bristol told Sky News: "We are very happy."
Nathi Mncube, a spokesman for South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority, said he believed the authorities were right to pursue the case, despite anger at the amount of taxpayers' money spent to bring Mr Dewani before the court.
Video:Judge Dismisses Dewani Charge
He said: "Obviously, we are very disappointed with the outcome today. When we started with the trial this is not what we set out to achieve.
"We believed there was evidence, otherwise we would not have taken the case to court."
Emotions were also running high on the steps of the courthouse, where a lobby group chanted: "Justice for Anni."
At least four people have been killed as a typhoon with winds of up to 130mph battered the Philippines, knocking out power and bringing down trees.
Nearly 900,000 people fled their homes for shelters ahead of Typhoon Hagupit hitting Samar Island in the east of the country, still reeling from last November's devastating storm which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing.
The wind strength at landfall made Hagupit the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year, exceeding a typhoon in July that killed more than 100 people.
But the typhoon later weakened with winds of up to 87mph, sparing the central Philippines the type of massive devastation that the 2013 storm brought.
"Many houses, especially in the coastal areas, were blown away by strong winds," Stephanie Uy-Tan, the mayor of Catbalogan, a major city on Samar, told AFP by phone on Sunday.
"Trees and power lines were toppled, tin roofs were blown off and there is flooding."
1/13
Gallery: Typhoon Hagupit Strikes The Philippines
Hours before Typhoon Hagupit made landfall, the city of Legazpi was deserted
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 07 Desember 2014 | 10.52
Typhoon Hagupit Slams Into Philippines
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Video:Typhoon Hagupit Reaches Philippines
A powerful typhoon has slammed into eastern Philippines, where 650,000 people have fled to safety in one of the largest peacetime evacuations in the nation's history.
Gusts of 130mph have been recorded alongside sustained winds of 109mph.
The typhoon made landfall on Saturday night in central Eastern Samar province - but the centre of the storm remains several hours away.
The winds, as well as pounding rain, has knocked out power lines and toppled trees in the town of Dolores.
The military is on full alert as the centre of the storm sweeps in
Senior Inspector Alex Robin said: "We are totally in the dark here. The only light comes from flashlights."
The Philippines' 120,000-strong military is on alert to respond to a possible catastrophe.
1/11
Gallery: Philippines Braces For Huge Typhoon
People take shelter inside a church after evacuating their homes due to super-typhoon Hagupit in Tacloban city, central Philippines
Ports are shut, leaving thousands of travelers stranded, and some local authorities ordered forced evacuations as super-typhoon Hagupit swept towards eastern coasts of the island nation
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Meteorologists from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) monitor and plot the direction of super typhoon Hagupit
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Known locally as Ruby, the storm will bear down on the Philipinnes this weekend
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Residents with their belongings wait for a government vehicle to bring them to the evacuation center in Tacloban city
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General Gregorio Pio Catapang said: "We're on red alert, so the entire armed forces is being mobilised for this typhoon."
Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas tried to calm anxious families, and urged for as much preventative action to be taken as possible. The winds are strong enough to trigger deadly storm surges and landslides.
In a televised address, he said: "This is it. I know you are tired, not enough sleep, not enough food, too much coffee. But this is our last push. Every person we can save now is one less we have to look for after the typhoon passes."
Troops have been deployed to supermarkets and major roads to prevent looting and clear debris.
The UN says the evacuation is one of the largest in Philippine history.
Nearly 100 domestic flights have been cancelled and inter-island ferry services suspended, leaving thousands of people stranded.
1/24
Gallery: Before And After Images
View of the entrance to San Roque Elementary School in Leyte, Philippines
The same view one year on
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The region is still haunted by the destruction wrought by Typhoon Haiyan, which left 7,300 people dead or missing last November.
Eastern Samar province representative Ben Evardone said: "Everybody is in fear because of what happened during Haiyan. We can already feel the wrath of the typhoon. Everybody is praying."
Forecasters had been predicting that the typhoon would follow a more southern route, and have warned that its path is unpredictable.
Blanche Gobenciong, a regional disaster-response director, said: "We have a zero-casualty target. Just one loss of life will really sadden us all and make us wonder what went wrong."
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Typhoon Hagupit Slams Into Philippines
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Video:Typhoon Hagupit Reaches Philippines
A powerful typhoon has slammed into eastern Philippines, where 650,000 people have fled to safety in one of the largest peacetime evacuations in the nation's history.
Gusts of 130mph have been recorded alongside sustained winds of 109mph.
The typhoon made landfall on Saturday night in central Eastern Samar province - but the centre of the storm remains several hours away.
The winds, as well as pounding rain, has knocked out power lines and toppled trees in the town of Dolores.
The military is on full alert as the centre of the storm sweeps in
Senior Inspector Alex Robin said: "We are totally in the dark here. The only light comes from flashlights."
The Philippines' 120,000-strong military is on alert to respond to a possible catastrophe.
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Gallery: Philippines Braces For Huge Typhoon
People take shelter inside a church after evacuating their homes due to super-typhoon Hagupit in Tacloban city, central Philippines
Ports are shut, leaving thousands of travelers stranded, and some local authorities ordered forced evacuations as super-typhoon Hagupit swept towards eastern coasts of the island nation
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Meteorologists from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) monitor and plot the direction of super typhoon Hagupit
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Known locally as Ruby, the storm will bear down on the Philipinnes this weekend
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Residents with their belongings wait for a government vehicle to bring them to the evacuation center in Tacloban city
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General Gregorio Pio Catapang said: "We're on red alert, so the entire armed forces is being mobilised for this typhoon."
Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas tried to calm anxious families, and urged for as much preventative action to be taken as possible. The winds are strong enough to trigger deadly storm surges and landslides.
In a televised address, he said: "This is it. I know you are tired, not enough sleep, not enough food, too much coffee. But this is our last push. Every person we can save now is one less we have to look for after the typhoon passes."
Troops have been deployed to supermarkets and major roads to prevent looting and clear debris.
The UN says the evacuation is one of the largest in Philippine history.
Nearly 100 domestic flights have been cancelled and inter-island ferry services suspended, leaving thousands of people stranded.
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Gallery: Before And After Images
View of the entrance to San Roque Elementary School in Leyte, Philippines
The same view one year on
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The region is still haunted by the destruction wrought by Typhoon Haiyan, which left 7,300 people dead or missing last November.
Eastern Samar province representative Ben Evardone said: "Everybody is in fear because of what happened during Haiyan. We can already feel the wrath of the typhoon. Everybody is praying."
Forecasters had been predicting that the typhoon would follow a more southern route, and have warned that its path is unpredictable.
Blanche Gobenciong, a regional disaster-response director, said: "We have a zero-casualty target. Just one loss of life will really sadden us all and make us wonder what went wrong."
At least one of the 43 college students abducted in Mexico has been identified among charred remains found near a landfill site, an official has confirmed.
Forensic specialists from Argentina and Austria have been examining body parts found in mass graves and a rubbish dump in southwestern Mexico.
The disappearance of the 43 students has sparked fury in Mexico
The remains are reported to be those of Alexander Mora.
Fellow student Omar Garcia, who was with Mr Mora's father when he learned the fate of his son, said: "He will never give up.
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"He will never get over his pain, but what he wants to tell all of you, and what we all want to say is this: We want justice."
The trainee teachers went missing on September 26 after clashes with police in the southern city of Iguala, that claimed the lives of six people.
The attorney general has said they were attacked by officers on the orders of the city's mayor Jose Luis Abarca, who has since been arrested.
Prosecutors say the 43 students were then handed over by corrupt police to a drug gang, that killed them and burnt their bodies.
Three suspected gang members have confessed to carrying out the massacre.
Investigators have recovered only small fragments of bones to identify the victims.
The disappearance of the students at the hands of a corrupt public official, and the slow response of the federal authorities to the outrage has sparked a furious backlash cross Mexico.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in protest, with some calling for President Enrique Pena Nieto to resign.
The case has come to signify the abuse of authority and corruption which is rife in Mexican society.
