Plane crash kills Interior secretary

A conversation between pilots and the control tower gave no hint that anything was wrong moments before a plane carrying Mexico’s second-most-powerful official suddenly dove into rush-hour traffic.

The death of Interior Secretary Juan Camilo Mourino was a serious setback for Mexico’s U.S.-backed fight against drug smuggling. He was President Felipe Calderon’s most trusted confidant as the government pursues a hard-line strategy that has brought down top drug kingpins but has fueled brutal violence in Mexico.

Authorities said Wednesday that the crash, which killed 14 people in all, was mostly likely an accident. But they brought in U.S. and British investigators to help them rule out the possibility of an attack.

But the lack of evidence didn’t stop Mexicans from blaming drug cartels, which have killed several top officials in recent months.

TAIPEI, Taiwan

Protesters trap Chinese diplomat

Hundreds of Taiwanese protesters surrounded a hotel Wednesday where a Chinese envoy was attending a dinner banquet, tossing eggs, burning Chinese flags and trapping him inside into the early morning.

Chen Yunlin, the highest-ranking Communist Chinese official to ever visit Taiwan, has drawn daily protests since his five-day trip began Monday.

He was able to leave at 2:15 a.m. today after police with riot shields and clubs began shoving the protesters away from the front of the Grand Formosa Regent Taipei hotel. Some demonstrators had to be dragged or carried away.

Despite the protest, Chen’s visit signaled warming times between the rivals. Chen signed a deal with Taipei Mayor Au Long-bin to swap rare wildlife with Beijing, offering two pandas to Taiwan in exchange for a Formosa sika deer and a goatlike Formosa serow.