Quartz – Mexico can boast having one of the world’s best right-to-information laws. But that means little in practice, journalists and activists say, because authorities regularly skirt the spirit of the well-regarded law—starting, it is alleged, with the government agency charged with upholding it.
Monthly Archives: October 2016
Mexico seeks to export crude to U.S. West Coast
Bloomberg – Mexico is targeting U.S. West Coast refineries to boost sales of its flagship Maya crude amid a global oil glut. While Mexico has been a regular supplier of Maya oil to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries, it hasn’t shipped any to the West Coast since February 2008.
Newest cardinal blends Francis with Benedict XVI
Crux – Pope Francis’s choice of Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of Mexico as a cardinal is yet more proof that Latin America is shaping up to go in the same direction as the rest of the Catholic Church, but it is equally a sign of continuity with his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2016/10/12/mexicos-newest-cardinal-blends-francis-benedict-xvi/
Obama administration seeks to restore aid to Mexico despite abuses
By Tracy Wilkinson / Los Angeles Times
The Obama administration wants to restore financial aid to Mexico that it cut last year to protest the country’s human rights record, even though abuses have continued, officials said.
Last year, the State Department cut about $5 million in aid to Mexico, part of a broader package allocated under the so-called Merida Initiative that was generally aimed at fighting a drug war.
The money was withheld because U.S. officials said Mexico had not lived up to its commitments to investigate egregious atrocities, including the kidnapping and apparent killing of 43 college students by local authorities in September 2014.
The Obama administration’s action sent a strong political message of rebuke to Mexico, a close ally of Washington.
But the State Department has notified Congress that it plans to restore the aid, even though, by most accounts, the abuses are as bad or worse.
The disappearance and suspected killing of the students, for example, remains unsolved and international investigators have accused the Mexican government of deliberately obstructing justice in the case.
“If you ask yourself, what has changed since last year, not very much,” said Maureen Meyer, senior associate for Mexico at the Washington Office on Latin America, a nongovernmental research and advocacy group. Some cases, she added, suggest abuses are “even more concerning.”
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-fg-us-mexico-20161006-snap-story.html
Barely half illegal border crossers from Mexico caught
AP – Immigration authorities caught just over half the people who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico last year, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security report that offers one of the most detailed assessments of border security ever compiled. The report found that 54% of people who entered illegally between border crossings got caught in fiscal 2015. That’s much lower than the 81% success rate that Homeland Security cited publicly using a different counting method.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-border-cross-20161006-snap-story.html
ICA presents bid to build airport terminal foundation
Reuters – Embattled Mexican construction firm ICA on Thursday presented a proposal to build the foundation of a terminal building at Mexico City’s new airport, a tender sought by 15 other companies and consortia, Mexico’s government airport operator said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-airport-ica-idUSKCN1262JM
Binational concert planned at U.S.-Mexico border
Huff Post – On Oct. 15, a slew of talented musicians and celebrities will head to the U.S.-Mexico border for a free, bilingual concert called “RiseUp AS ONE.” The show will include performances by Juanes, Carlos Vives, Andra Day, Jesse & Joy, Los Tigres del Norte, Lila Downs and Alejandro Sanz, as well as appearances by special guests Gael García Bernal, Jonás Cuarón, Mía Maestro and Wilmer Valderrama.vThe event, staged by Univision and Fusion, will be held in San Diego at the Cross Border Xpress, an airport terminal and enclosed skywalk bridge that provides access to Tijuana Airport.
Two arrested who allegedly “catfished” kidnap victims
UPI – Mexican police said they have arrested two gang members who used women to lure victims on social media for kidnappings — killing most victims even after the ransom was paid. The gang is accused of carrying out 12 kidnappings related to the scheme.
5 cases of Zika-linked Guillian-Barre reported
Indian Express – Five cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome associated with the Zika virus infection have been confirmed in Mexico. The cases, found in the southern part of the country, were identified in three men and two women averaging 18 years old. To date, Mexico has reported a total of 3,268 locally acquired cases of the Zika virus, which has also been linked to the birth defect microcephaly.
4 members of Catholic group murdered in Michoacan
Fox News Latino – In the latest attack in Mexico on Catholic faithful, four young men who disappeared over the weekend and whose bodies were found dumped on the side of the road, have been identified as members of a Catholic evangelist group named Arco Iris (Rainbow).
Auto sales shatter records in September
Automotive News – Light-vehicle sales in Mexico rose 18 percent in September to 131,443 vehicles, shattering previous records for the month and defying expectations that the market would cool off this year after a record 2015.
Ford CEO met with Trump over “infuriating” Mexico comments
CNBC – Ford Motor Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. said on Wednesday he has met with Donald Trump to talk about the Republican presidential candidate’s extensive criticism of the automaker’s investments in Mexico. Ford told the Economic Club of Washington that he thought Trump’s criticism of the No. 2 automaker’s foreign investments were “infuriating and “frustrating” because of the company’s extensive investments and employment in the United States. Trump has threatened if elected to impose hefty tariffs on Ford imports from Mexico.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/05/ford-chairman-met-with-trump-over-mexico-comments.html
Annual inflation nears 3 percent target rate
Reuters – Mexico’s annual inflation quickened more than expected in September, to close to the central bank’s target rate of 3 percent, just days after its governor warned that if inflation “takes off” beyond that goal, it could entail higher interest rates.
http://www.reuters.com/article/mexico-economy-inflation-idUSL2N1CD0NI
Televisa inks deal to distribute NBC, Telemundo content
Reuters – Mexican broadcaster Televisa signed content distribution deals with NBCUniversal and its Spanish-language unit Telemundo to expand its selection of films and series, boosting its recently launched streaming video service.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-televisa-distribution-idUSKCN12527L
Fitch lowers growth forecast for 2016, 2017
Reuters – Ratings agency Fitch downgraded its growth forecast for Mexico, lowering estimates for the expansion of Latin America’s second-largest economy in both 2016 and 2017. Fitch expects 2016 growth to reach 2.0 percent, from an earlier forecast of 2.4 percent, and sees 2017 growth at 2.6 percent, from a previous estimate of 2.8 percent.
Citi to invest $1 billion in renamed Mexico unit
WSJ – Citigroup Inc. added its name to its closely watched Mexico unit and announced plans to upgrade its retail business in the country with an investment of more than $1 billion by 2020. The unit, previously called Banco Nacional de México or Banamex, will now be known as Citibanamex. The change ties the Mexican unit, which ran into problems while operating relatively independently a few years ago, more closely to its U.S. parent.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/citi-to-invest-additional-1-billion-in-mexico-operations-1475596355
Mexico soccer federation says puto is not a slur
Fusion – A few months after launching a campaign against the puto chant in fútbol stadiums, the Mexican Soccer Federation has changed course and now argues that the word, which roughly translates to “faggot,” is not intended to be a homophobic slur.
Peso, stock index down ahead of U.S. payroll report
Reuters – Mexico’s currency and stocks fell on Thursday as traders bet that a closely watched U.S. employment report due on Friday will strengthen the case for an interest rate increase this year.
http://www.reuters.com/article/emerging-markets-latam-idUSL2N1CC2CF
Bidders given extra week to comment on Mexico deep-water oil venture
Reuters
Mexico’s oil regulator on Monday gave oil companies an extra week to submit comments and questions about the country’s first-ever deep water joint venture covering state oil company Pemex’s Trion field.
Potential bidders will now be able to submit comments through Oct. 10, the regulator, known as the CNH, said.
The CNH also approved a week-long extension on the final publication of clarifications to the joint operating agreement between Pemex and its future partner to Oct. 14.
The regulator left unchanged the Dec. 5 date on which bids from pre-qualifed companies or consortia will be unveiled and a winner announced.
“This is an additional space for participants to study, analyze and comment on this new version of the joint operating agreement,” said CNH President Juan Carlos Zepeda.
AT&T Mexico bargains might cause envy in U.S.
Bloomberg – AT&T Inc.’s U.S. wireless customers might be tempted to try signing up for its service in Mexico instead. South of the border, AT&T offers a 6-gigabyte data, voice and text plan — including full coverage in the U.S. — for a whopping 69 percent less, in dollar terms.