Headlines from Mexico

1. Former state governor of Veracruz, Javier Duarte, arrived in Mexico this week after being extradited from Guatemala. Duarte is facing charges of embezzlement and organized crime. He was arrested on April 15 in Guatemala after having been on the run for over 5 months. He is currently being held in the Northern Prison (Reclusorio Norte) until his next hearing.

Read more: Reforma, El Universal, Excelsior, La Jornada

2. Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) announced that the unemployment rate is at the lowest it’s been in 11 years at 3.3% in June. Previously, the lowest rate was at 3.2% in February 2016. The rate is also 0.7% lower than it was in June of last year.

Read more: Excelsior, El Economista, El Financiero, Milenio

3. On Thursday, a patrol of marines in Tláhuac, the southeastern part of Mexico City, were attacked by members of an organization that is believed to control groups of drug dealers in that area. Amongst the eight dead suspected gang members was its leader, Felipe de Jesus Luna, “El Ojos”. His death led to violent reactions, and at least 23 people were arrested for acts of violence, including setting 3 vehicles on fire.

Read more:  El Universal, El Economista, Reforma, Milenio, La Jornada

4. The Mexican economy ministry informed this week that the first round of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiation will take place from August 16th to the 20th. They expressed optimism in completing the renegotiation process by January 2018, and before the presidential election campaign season.

Read more: Reforma, El Economista, Milenio, La Jornada

Headlines from Mexico

1.  According the most recent report from Citizen Lab, one of the members of the Interdisciplinary Group of Experts (GIEI, by its initials in Spanish) that was created to investigate the abduction and murder of the 43 Ayotzinapa students, was also a target in the spying attempts with the government-exclusive spyware Pegasus.

Read more: Reforma, El Universal, Excelsior, La Jornada

2. The consortium formed by Sierra Oil & Gas (Mexico), Talos Energy (USA) and Premier Oil (UK) made a world class oil well discovery. The Zama well, which is around 60km off the coast of the southeastern state of Tabasco, is the first offshore exploration well drilled by the private sector in Mexico’s history after almost eighty years of state monopoly.

Read more: La Jornada, El Economista, El Financiero

3. The peso hit a record value this Thursday after have been gaining momentum for six consecutive sessions. The U.S dollar sold between 17.71 and 18.22, which represents an appreciation of the Mexican peso of 0.27% and the best levels of Mexican peso-US dollar exchange rate since May 2016.

Read more: Expansión, El Economista, Reforma, La Jornada

4. U.S. Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, met with his Mexican counterpart Pedro Joaquin Coldwell and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto during his visit to Mexico this week. Perry and Coldwell called for the creation of a North American energy strategy that can expand cross-border electricity and investment, as well as strengthen border infrastructure.

Read more: El Universal, El Economista, Expansión, El Financiero, La Jornada

Headlines from Mexico

1. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto met with President Donald Trump during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. Peña Nieto established that the meeting would allow for a continued strong dialogue on NAFTA, and that both countries are also working toward boosting border security and combating organized crime. Trump expressed there has been good progress on renegotiating NAFTA with Mexico. This was Trump’s first meeting with Peña Nieto since taking office.

Read more: El Universal, Milenio, Reforma, Excelsior, La Jornada 

2. The Supreme Court of Guatemala announced their decision to accept the extradition petition of Javier Duarte, former Governor of the State of Veracruz, submitted by the Mexican Government. According to Guatemalan authorities, the extradition process now depends on the logistics that will be set up by Mexican authorities in order to bring former Governor Duarte to Mexico. Javier Duarte was arrested on April 15 in Panajachel, Guatemala.

Read more: El Universal, Milenio, Reforma, Excelsior, La Jornada 

3. Prior to his participation at the G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany, President Enrique Peña Nieto traveled to Paris to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday July 6. Both dignitaries agreed on strengthening the Strategic Partnership between both countries that which focuses on four areas: strategic and political dialogue, global challenges, growth in trade, economic development, innovation and competitiveness, and strengthening cooperation in education, higher education, research innovation and culture.

Read more: El Universal, Excelsior, Jornada

4. Mexico´s National Institute of Statistics and Geography announced this week a 0.25% increase of the country´s Consumer Price Index and a 6.31% increase in the inflation rate. The latter represents the largest increase since December 2008, when it reached 6.58% in the middle of the financial crisis. The inflation rate has been above Mexico´s Central Bank objectives throughout 2017.

Read more: El Economista, Reforma, El Universal

5. A violent confrontation between criminal organizations resulted in the death of 26 people in the small town of Las Varas, in the municipality of Ciudad Madera. According to local authorities, the confrontation began around 6:00 am in an area near the so-called “Golden Triangle”, located between the states of Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Durango, used by organized crime to plant, grow and process marihuana and poppy.

Read more: Excelsior, La Jornada, El Financiero

Headlines from Mexico

1. Former fugitive governor of Mexico’s state of Veracruz, Javier Duarte, officially accepted his extradition from Guatemala in order to face corruption, embezzlement and organized crime charges back in Mexico. This was the first hearing that involved the first extradition request based on state charges; however, on July 4^th a second hearing for another set of charges will take place in order to determine Duarte’s extradition to Mexico.

Read more: El Universal, Animal Politico, Reforma, Excelsior, El Economista 

2. The National Executive Committee of the PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution) approved this week the formation of a democratic opposition front that will be headed towards next year’s presidential election. The National Action Party (PAN) and Morena are among the different parties that were invited to be part of this front that will try to prevent the PRI from winning in next year’s presidential election.

Read more: Milenio, El Financiero, El Universal, Excelsior

3. Pegasus, the spyware that was allegedly used to spy on Mexican journalists and activists, was bought and installed by the Office of the General Prosecution in Mexico. The Attorney General of the Republic, Arely Gómez, justified the use of the software by arguing that it was legally used to fight organized crime.

Read more: Milenio, Reforma, Expansión

4. The remains of Mexican journalist Salvador Adame, who was kidnapped on May 18^th of this year, were found burned in the municipality of Gabriel Zamora in the state of Michoacán. The Attorney General of the state of Michoacán confirmed that the alleged perpetrator was identified as Feliciano Ledezma Ramírez, a leader of an organized crime cell in the Tierra Caliente region.

Read more: La Jornada, Animal Político,  Reforma, El Universal

 

Headlines from Mexico

1. German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Mexico as part of the closing ceremony of the Mexico-Germany 2016-2017 Dual Year. During her visit, Merkel discussed free trade and economic cooperation as opportunities to strengthen commercial ties between the two countries. Merkel emphasized the importance of working together to combat the root causes of migration rather than focusing on building walls.

Read more: Milenio, El Universal, La Jornada, Reforma

2. A fire broke out on Wednesday at a PEMEX oil refinery in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca after a crude spill. Earlier in the week, the refinery had suspended operations due to heavy rains and flooding. Although the fire has been controlled, one worker passed away from the incident. Local neighborhoods near the refinery have been evacuated.

Read more: Excelsiór, El Universal, La Jornada, Reforma

3. At the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America held in Miami, Florida this week (June 15-16), Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray met with leaders from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, as well as with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to discuss new strategies for fighting drug trafficking and organized crime in the region. Videgaray emphasized the importance of addressing these issues through a framework of “shared responsibility”.

Read more: El Financiero, El Universal, Reforma, La Jornada, Milenio

4. José Octavio “N”, the alleged murderer of 11 year-old Valeria Gutiérrez, was found dead in his cell at the Neza-Bordo jail in the municipality of Netzahualcoyotl in the state of Mexico. After conducting an autopsy, the state of Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office confirmed that Octavio committed suicide by hanging himself.

Read more: CNN Español, El Universal, Reforma, Excelsiór, Milenio

Headlines from Mexico

1. The Bank of Mexico raised interest rates by half a percentage point to 5.25% this Thursday in response to the volatility of the peso, which reached an all time low loosing 10% of its value since the results of the U.S. election . In its statement the Bank of Mexico, affirmed that a period of uncertainty is coming and that concerns about trade and foreign investment are driving this hike in interest rates.

Read more: El Financiero, El Universal, Expansión, Animal Político, Proceso

2. After the results of the U.S. election, concerns about the President-elect’s controversial policies have dominated the conversation in Mexico, mainly revolving around migration and trade. With regards to trade, and particularly NAFTA, businesses and companies of both the U.S. and Mexico have created a coalition of over 5000 companies, to make the case for the importance of NAFTA  and trade between the U.S. and Mexico. Experts in international trade have cautioned Mexico to avoid taking a defensive stance on this issue and urged the government define its position for renegotiation of NAFTA as soon as possible. With regards to migration, the Trump’s announcement of initially deporting up to 3 million people during his Presidency,  the Mexican Ministry of Interior responded that legally, the United States can only deport 60,000 immigrants per year and affirmed that the country is prepared to respond to the migratory policies that the administration of Trump would want to impose. Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Mexico issued an alert for migrants in the U.S. and has established an 11 point action plan to protect the Mexican community in the U.S. and to respond to any incidents of violence or discrimination through its network of consulates.

Read more: El Economista, El Financiero, Milenio, El Universal

3. The National Electoral Institute of Mexico announced on Wednesday that political parties have been evading taxes and owe different institutions, including the Mexican Social Security Institute,  up to 626 million pesos. The left-wing party PRD is the political party with the most debt amounting to 53% of the total debt that the parties owe. Electoral Councilor Ciro Murayama, affirmed that this is a common practice during electoral periods which reflect the fragility and corruption of the State and affirmed that this is a matter that needs to be solved urgently, giving the parties until December 31st, 2016 to pay their debts. The response of the parties have predominantly focused on clarifying the nature of the debt and separated the national from the individual states debt.

Read more: Expansión, El Universal, Reforma, Milenio

4. On November 10, former governor of Sonora, turned himself in 42 days after an apprehension order was issued against him. He is currently being held in Mexico City and is facing seven charges with regards to money laundering, fiscal fraud and organized crime. His son is also facing organized crime charges. The former governor will be facing between 38 to up to 94 years in prison. Given the severity of the charges, Padres will have to face the process in jail and will not be allowed to post bail.

Read more: Excelsior,  El Financiero,  La Jornada, Aristegui Noticias

Headlines from Mexico

1. On Saturday, October 29, Mexico City hosted its first ever Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) parade. The celebration dates back to Aztec and pre-Columbian times. It’s a celebration of life and teaches people not to be afraid of death. The festival’s also an opportunity to honor the dead.  The idea for the parade was born out of the imagination of a scriptwriter for the James Bond movie Spectre ; more than 250,000 people attended the parade.

Read more: El Universal, Excelsior, La Jornada, Animal Político

2. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz Massieu asserted, this Thursday at the Mexican Senate, that she was aware of the decision to invite the Republican candidate Donald Trump to meet President Enrique Peña Nieto in Los Pinos. Ruiz Massieu responded that she believed that the dialogue with the Republican candidate was necessary given his derogatory comments and limited knowledge of Mexico. The majority of the Senate vocally criticized this decision and question Ruiz Massieu’s role that was previously unclear. The Senators also asked the Secretary what was the strategy if Trump won the elections on Tuesday to which she replied that the Mexican government will engage with the President elect the night of election no matter the result.

Read more: Expansión, Proceso, El Universal, Milenio, Aristegui Noticias

3. The volatility of the peso in response to the U.S. elections has cause dthe peso to fall to an all-time price of $19.50 this Tuesday as Trump’s poll numbers increased. This a 1.8% from the price at which it had closed the day before. The Mexican Stock Exchange also suffered a shock with a fall of 1.47%. On Thursday, Carstens, the Central Bank Governor, announced that the Bank of Mexico has already come up with a contingency plan that has been discussed with Meade, the Secretary of Finance and Public Credit, in the event that Donald Trump given that the peso could fall by almost 10% in a matter of weeks if he wins.

Read more: Excelsior, El Universal, El Financiero, Expansión, La Jornada

4. This week, the leader of the National Action Party, Ricardo Anaya came under strong criticism about his personal finances. It was published that Anaya’s family lives in Atlanta, Georgia and that yearly expenses to cover the standard of living of his family and the constant travelling the party leader takes to visit them, amounts to up to 4.5 million pesos.  Anaya responded to criticism affirming that his family is his priority and that having them in the U.S. is a temporary investing that prioritizes the future of his children. He also announced that all these expenses had been publicly declared through the 3 de 3 declaration and denied that any of these expenses come from party funds or that his role as party leader is compromised by the constant travelling.  Party leaders  have still been critical, the president of the PRI, claims that the rent that Anaya receives from the property he owns is not in his declaration and Alejandra Barrales, President of PRD, reiterated that Anaya needs to justify where the funds come from.

Read more: Milenio, El Universal, Excelsior, Animal Político