Friday, April 25, 2025

Tourism reopens in Sinaloa Wednesday, with restrictions

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Mazatlán will be open for business on Wednesday.
Mazatlán will be open for business on Wednesday.

The lockdown that began April 1 in Sinaloa is being lifted and tourists will once again be welcome in the state as of Wednesday.

Governor Quirino Ordaz Coppel, accompanied by Durango Governor José Rosas Aispuro at an event in Mazatlán, announced the opening of hotels, spas, beaches, golf courses, restaurants and other tourism businesses which will be permitted to operate at 40% of their capacity.

“This reopening is quite a challenge but life goes on, and we have to know how to travel in this new normality given the lack of a vaccine for the coronavirus,” Governor Ordaz said. “The important thing is to follow these health protocols and monitor compliance, thereby strengthening the areas of surveillance and supervision.” 

According to the federal coronavirus risk “stoplight” Sinaloa is one of 14 states across Mexico that are still marked as red, and at maximum risk level.

The governments of Sinaloa and Durango announced they will convene an interstate working group where they will discuss follow-up issues for the revival of tourism during the coronavirus pandemic. This will allow those who visit their neighboring state to do so knowing that they can expect the same protective measures that are in place at home.

Sinaloa Tourism Minister Oscar Pérez Barros stated that 76% of the state’s 623 hotels have already earned a coronavirus safety certification, and that number is expected to rise to 100% over the next few days.  

The Durango governor said reactivating the economy is essential to financial solvency, and that thousands of people have lost or suffered a reduction in their income. 

Mazatlán Mayor Luis Guillermo Benítez Torres expressed cautious approval of the move at the meeting with the governors. “We will be very aware so that this tourist reopening does not increase the spread of the coronavirus. For this reason, we will have weekly meetings to prevent it from slipping out of our hands because it would be a serious consequence for this tourist destination.”

Sinaloa’s health minister said protocols will be of the utmost priority, and stressed that both Sinaloa and Mazatlán are showing signs of stability with a downward trend in cases of infection.

As of June Monday, Sinaloa had recorded 8,111 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and had seen 1,257 deaths.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Heraldo (sp), El Sol de Mazatlán (sp)

8 gray wolf pups born at Coahuila’s Desert Museum

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Two of the wolf pups born at the museum in Saltillo.
Two of the wolf pups born at the museum in Saltillo.

The Desert Museum in Saltillo, Coahuila, has announced the birth of eight healthy Mexican gray wolf pups this spring, the fifth litter born at the facility and an important step for a species that is in danger of extinction. 

Since 2009, the museum has been part of the Binational Committee for the Recovery of the Mexican Gray Wolf, made up of more than 50 institutions from Mexico and the United States. 

The gray wolf, one of the most endangered mammals in North America, once roamed southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, western Texas and Mexico’s Sierra Madre Occidental before being driven to the brink of extinction in the 1970s due to hunting and habitat encroachment. 

“After the massacres that occurred in the ‘60s and ‘70s, a total of seven Mexican wolves were recovered; they were wild and were captured to restart the breeding program,” explained Miguel Ángel Armella Villalpando, a biology professor at the Autonomous Metropolitan University in Mexico City. 

Currently, most gray wolves exist in captivity as zoos and wildlife parks hope to increase their numbers. Mexico has released 30 captive wolves into the wild, and the United States has more than 100 living outside of captivity.

The Desert Museum has been successful in its breeding program, with litters born in 2015, 2016 and 2017. After no pups were born in 2018, the museum switched out the breeding pair and welcomed three pups in 2019, and the most recent litter of eight — four males and three females — in April. The museum currently has 18 gray wolves in its care.

Also this year, a sanctuary in New Mexico saw the birth of seven healthy pups, bringing the total number of Mexican gray wolves in existence in the world to 204.

All the Coahuila pups are part of preventive medicine, nutrition and enrichment programs established for the species and supported by the University of Coahuila and Carlos Slim’s wildlife foundation.

Source: Heraldo de Mexico (sp), El Universal (sp), Milenio (sp)

Boy, 6, lost in Mexico City market 30 years ago reunited with his family

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Tolentino receives a warm embrace from family members.
Tolentino receives a warm embrace from family members.

Thirty years after Adán Tolentino went missing from a Mexico City market he has been reunited with his family.

In 1990 the six-year-old Tolentino accompanied his father to work at the Central de Abasto, a food warehouse and distribution center that is the largest of its kind in the world and sees some 300,000 customers each day.

As father and son walked through the aisles of the market, Tolentino let go of his father’s hand and quickly became lost among the crowds. 

For a while, the boy survived by selling chewing gum on the streets of the capital city but was soon taken in by a family from Poza Rica, Veracruz, who fed and clothed him and made sure he finished school. Eventually, Tolentino married and moved to Lolotla, Hidalgo, where his wife encouraged him to search for the family he had lost all those years ago.

“For several years, my wife told me to go find them,” Tolentino says, so he reached out to the state of México’s Missing Persons Commission on June 10 and sent in the required paperwork in order to allow the government organization to aid him in his search, following up with a phone call to provide further details. 

Tolentino, left, meets his family after 30 years.
Tolentino, left, meets his family after 30 years.

The commission combed through an extensive database containing more than 10,000 possible matches, cross-referencing entries with information Tolentino had provided, and within a few days they called Tolentino to tell him that they had found his original family. 

“I started crying, I was very grateful. I felt … that I was born again. It is a great joy. I really felt that something was missing,” Tolentino said. “I think joy came back.”

The sentiment was shared by Tolentino’s family, who could scarcely believe that after 30 years they would be reunited.

“They sent a message to one of my sisters, and they said they found my brother and asked if we could identify the photo they had sent …” said Lucia, one of Tolentino’s sisters, who recognized him in the photo and immediately began crying tears of gratitude. 

Tolentino and his family met at the offices of the Missing Persons Commission in Toluca and shared warm embraces. 

“We are very grateful to everyone because, thanks to you, we found the person we were missing, and the truth is we missed him a lot. Now that he is with us, we say thank you to all of you for helping my brother find us,” Lucia said.

Source: Nación 321 (sp)

Supreme Court suspends energy policy for restricting competition

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The Supreme Court upheld an argument by the antitrust regulator.
The Supreme Court upheld an argument by the antitrust regulator.

The Supreme Court has suspended a new Energy Ministry (Sener) policy that imposed restrictive measures on the renewable energy sector.

Justice Luis María Aguilar Morales made the ruling in response to a complaint filed by Mexico’s antitrust regulator, the Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece).

The competition watchdog argued that the Sener policy published on May 15 violated the constitutionally enshrined principles of free competition.

The policy placed limits on the number of permits that can be issued for new wind and solar projects and prohibited their construction in parts of the country where there are already a large number of renewable plants, among other restrictive measures.

Aguilar accepted Cofece’s argument and suspended the policy, which ostensibly sought to guarantee the reliability, security, continuity and quality of Mexico’s national electricity system.

Critics say the aim of the policy is to prevent the expansion of the renewable energy sector and consolidate control of electrical power in the state-owned Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).

Pending a final ruling by the court, Sener’s 2017 reliability policy will re-enter into force as a result of Aguilar’s decision.

His ruling, published Monday, came two weeks after a federal judge issued a suspension order against the same policy.

Energy Minister Rocío Nahle responded to the decisions in a Twitter post.

“The executive has the obligation to provide security and custodianship for the energy system in Mexico. The government is respectful of the decisions of the judicial power; we will fight any disputes in court with solid arguments to maintain the reliability of the national electricity system,” she wrote.

According to the Business Coordinating Council, an influential business lobby, some 578 lawsuits have been filed against Sener’s suspended policy.

The Mexican Employers Federation (Coparmex) said the Supreme Court ruling “returns confidence to private sector investments, especially in the renewable energy sector.”

It also “constrains the federal government’s intentions to return a monopoly to the Federal Electricity Commission,” Coparmex said. “The court is an asset for legal certainty.”

Alain Duthoy of the oil sector consultancy LexOil told the newspaper Milenio that if the Supreme Court upholds Aguilar’s decision in a final ruling, the federal government will have no further recourse.

The Energy Ministry would therefore have to keep the 2017 reliability policy in place or publish a new, more flexible one that respects competition rules.

Meanwhile, President López Obrador this morning renewed his attack on private energy companies and past governments.

Speaking at his regular news conference, López Obrador claimed that private companies and the CFE under previous governments committed fraud.

He charged that the CFE signed contracts with private companies that established the rate the former would pay the latter for supplying electricity to the national grid.

However, “immediately after a contract was signed,” a new one stipulating higher rates was put in place, López Obrador said.

As a result of the “illegal procedure,” the CFE has to pay “extremely high” rates to private companies, he said, adding that the government will launch legal action against those who participated in the scheme.

“It’s fraud, … and it caused damage to public finances,” López Obrador said.

“We’ve estimated the [financial] damage and at the [right] time we’ll report it. … [But first] we want to speak to the companies, one by one. … I’ve given the instruction to start drawing up the corresponding complaints, that’s the substance of the matter.”

The president’s accusation comes a month after CFE director Manuel Bartlett accused renewable energy firms of committing “simulation and fraud” at the expense of the state-owned utility.

He accused renewable firms of passing off other private companies as their business partners rather than their customers in order to avoid paying transmission costs to the CFE.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Financiero (sp) 

An hour south of Mexico City is Mexico’s cheese factory

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Leticia Herrera at her cheese store in San Cristóbal Poxtla.
Leticia Herrera at her cheese store in San Cristóbal Poxtla.

San Cristóbal Poxtla is a small pueblo with a population of a little under 1,000 but despite its size it is known throughout Mexico as as one of the best producers of artisanal cheeses.

In fact, it’s called “La Gran Fábrica de Quesos” — the Great Cheese Factory — and the majority of its residents are employed in dairies or in cheese shops.

Poxtla, as it’s commonly called, is located in the state of México, about an hour south of Mexico City, and is surrounded by fields of corn and, of course, cows. Although it’s a bit of a trek from the city, it’s worth the effort to get there and sample its cheeses.

Cattle were first brought to Mexico by the Spanish, specifically by Gregorio de Billalobos in 1521, about six months before the fall of Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital. For many years, cattle were considered a source of meat, not milk or cheese.

That began to change in the late 1800s as new breeds of cows were introduced, ones that increased milk production. But dairies still tended to be small scale operations. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the dairy industry expanded and large scale production began. Mexico now ranks 10th in the world for cheese production and around 40% of that production is from small-scale dairies and cheesemakers, like the kinds found in Poxtla.

A selection of Mexican-made manchego cheeses.
A selection of Mexican-made manchego cheeses.

Leticia Herrera Guerrero, the owner of Lacteos Artesanales Lety, stands behind the counter in her shop and places a selection of cheeses in front of her. “Queso Oaxaca and panela, which are fresh cheeses, are the most popular,” she said as she pointed out the cheeses.

“This is partly because they are less expensive than other cheeses and also because they are both used daily in cooking and in foods like quesadillas.”

Another product is manchego, a matured cheese that is popular because of its flavor.

Manchego originated in the Spanish area of La Mancha and was brought to Mexico by the Spanish. Although both countries call this cheese manchego, in Spain the cheese is made from sheep’s milk but in Mexico cow’s milk is used. This led to a disagreement a few years ago between Spanish and Mexican cheesemakers which dragged on for over two years. Because of the differences, the Spanish wanted Mexico to stop calling their cheese manchego. The dispute was finally settled in 2018 with an agreement that stipulates that Mexican manchego must be labeled as a domestic cheese.

Clearly, cheesemakers take their products seriously but, personally, I’m glad that Mexico’s cheesemakers still make manchego.

A simple, plain manchego has a mild, somewhat nutty taste and, in my experience, is also good for making quesadillas. But cheese shops in Poxtla aren’t happy with only offering a plain manchego. Herrera’s store carries 16 varieties of the cheese.

Smoked provolone at 'Mexico's Cheese Factory.'
Smoked provolone at ‘Mexico’s Cheese Factory.’

“We have manchego made with tequila, red wine, several with different types of chiles, others with herbs, and even walnuts when they are in season,” said Juan Cruz, who works at Lacteos Lety. There’s even one known as Por Salud (For Health) that’s higher in protein and often eaten when a person’s feeling sick.

Herrera is happy to give customers a taste of any number of the different cheeses and manchegos and it’s simply not possible to walk out of the shop without several varieties. I left with a half kilo of Queso Oaxaca, some smoked provolone, two types of manchego (herb and wine) and tortillas made with chipotle chiles. There are tables and benches at the side of the store where you can relax and enjoy a snack before driving home.

In addition to offering samples, Herrera also offers advice about how to eat her cheeses.

“Manchego,” she said, “is best eaten with a little red wine.” I took her advice when I got home.

Joseph Sorrentino is a frequent contributor to Mexico News Daily and lives in San Gregorio, Xochimilco.

3 cops murdered after police attempt to check gangster’s mom’s car

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In a video, El Marro told police not to get in the way.
In a video, El Marro told police not to get in the way.

Three municipal police officers were shot and killed in Silao, Guanajuato, early Monday just hours after police allegedly attempted to detain the mother of Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel leader José Antonio “El Marro” Yépez following her release from prison.

The officers were gunned down in the La Joya neighborhood at about 1:20 a.m. while responding to a report of a shootout. A fourth officer survived the attack but was wounded and is in serious condition.

The attack occurred just two weeks after three other Silao police officers were murdered.

In a video posted to social media on Monday, Yépez claimed responsibility for the most recent police murders.

He accused the Silao municipal police of following orders from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) – the Santa Rosa gang’s arch-enemy – to stop the vehicle in which his mother was traveling with lawyers after a judge ordered her release from prison due to a lack of evidence on charges of involvement with her son’s criminal organization.

However, Yépez said that his mother had changed cars and managed to pass freely through a police checkpoint.

El Marro, a fuel theft “king” and one of Mexico’s most wanted men, accused the officers of being “assholes” for following the orders of the CJNG, which is engaged in a vicious turf war in Guanajuato with the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel.

He said that other police who cooperate with the Jalisco-based cartel will meet the same fate as the officers slain Monday.

Yépez ordered police to be “neutral” in the dispute between his criminal organization and that led by Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes and “not get in the way of” his cartel’s activities. He also accused the Silao police of killing one of his lawyers.

In the same expletive-laden video, Yépez denied he was responsible for a failed bomb attack on the Pemex refinery in Salamanca, Guanajuato, last week.

“If I had something to do with the [bomb] scare at the refinery, I’d let you know with my own voice; I don’t have to make calls or hang [narco] signs,” he said.

A federal and state police operation has been attempting to capture El Marro for more than a year but the criminal leader has remained elusive even as members of his cartel – and family – were taken in to custody.

His wife, mother, father, sister, cousin and niece, among other relatives, have all been arrested only to be later set free.

Source: Infobae (sp), El Universal (sp), La Silla Rota (sp)

Mexico hasn’t seen coronavirus peak yet, say Johns Hopkins researchers

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Accumulated coronavirus cases as of Monday evening.
Accumulated coronavirus cases as of Monday evening. milenio

The number of new coronavirus cases reported by the Health Ministry has trended downwards in recent days but Mexico does not appear to have reached the peak of its pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In a Covid-19 situation report published Monday, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security noted that Mexico had reported a decreasing daily incidence for three consecutive days. (Daily case numbers have now declined for four consecutive days.)

“However, Mexico does not yet appear to have reached its peak,” the report said.

“Based on recent trends, we expect Mexico to report increasing daily incidence over the coming days. Mexico is currently No. 6 globally in terms of daily incidence,” it added.

Indeed, data shows that the Health Ministry has generally reported fewer cases on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays compared to preceding days, seemingly indicating that there is a delay in registering cases over the weekend.

The coronavirus death toll as of Monday.
The coronavirus death toll as of Monday. milenio

However, Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell, the government’s coronavirus point man, asserted on Sunday that the speed at which Mexico’s coronavirus pandemic is growing has slowed.

At Monday night’s coronavirus press briefing, the Health Ministry reported 3,805 additional Covid-19 cases, increasing Mexico’s accumulated case tally to 220,657. It was the first time that fewer than 4,000 cases were reported since June 15.

The ministry also reported 473 additional Covid-19 fatalities, lifting the death toll to 27,121.

Almost two-thirds of all confirmed Covid-19 deaths were reported this month, although health officials have stressed that some of the fatalities reported on any given day occurred days, weeks or even months prior.

Based on confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths, Mexico’s fatality rate is currently 12.3, well above the global rate of 4.9.

In addition to Mexico’s confirmed Covid-19 fatalities, 2,055 deaths are suspected of having been caused by the disease.

Health Ministry Director of Epidemiology José Luis Alomía said that 23,389 of the confirmed cases are considered active, a decrease of 2,169 cases compared to Sunday. He also said that there are 66,910 suspected cases and that 566,602 people have been tested for Covid-19.

Mexico City, which switched from “red light” to “orange light” coronavirus restrictions this week, continues to lead the country for accumulated cases, active cases and deaths.

The capital has recorded a total of 47,437 cases, of which 3,431 are currently active. It has also recorded 6,456 confirmed Covid-19 fatalities.

México state ranks second for accumulated and active cases, with 33,696 of the former and 2,039 of the latter. It also has the second highest coronavirus death toll in the country, with 4,200 confirmed fatalities as of Monday.

Tabasco and Puebla are the only other states to have recorded more than 10,000 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic.

Apart from Mexico City and México state, six states currently have more than 1,000 active cases. They are Puebla, Guanajuato, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Yucatán.

Five states excluding the capital and México state have Covid-19 death tolls above 1,000. They are Baja California, Veracruz, Sinaloa, Puebla and Tabasco.

The Health Ministry presented data Monday night that showed that the average age of those who have died was 61 and 66% of deceased coronavirus patients were men.

Hypertension was the most common existing health problem among those who died followed by diabetes, obesity, tobacco addiction, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, immunodeficiency disorders and asthma.

About seven in 10 patients who died from Covid-19 in Mexico had at least one existing identified health problem while three in 10 did not.

National data showed that 44% of general care hospital beds set aside for coronavirus patients are currently occupied while 39% of those with ventilators are in use. Every state in the country has at least 35% availability of both general care and critical care beds.

Source: Reforma (sp), Milenio (sp) 

Honey is fun to work with in sauces and dressings—but buyer beware

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Look for pure, raw, unadulterated, uncooked and unfiltered honey.
Look for pure, raw, unadulterated, uncooked and unfiltered honey.

Have you watched the Netflix series Rotten? Each episode explores one type of food — garlic, chicken, milk — and its worldwide production. It’s alarming and upsetting, to say the least, and should confirm for you (as it did for me) the need to eat as local and direct-from-the-farmer as possible.

While the tone of the series is one of exaggerated alarm (like the title, which I hate) the information is solid. The episode about honey especially struck home, as I’d assumed, for example, that those guys in the tianguis and Walmart parking lots selling big slabs of honeycomb and honey out of big white buckets were legit. The price was always unbelievably cheap and I just thought it was another wonderful thing about living in Mexico.

Unfortunately, the truth is more likely that it’s corn syrup with a tiny bit of real honey mixed in. Why do I say that? Many conversations with the apiarist at the organic farmers’ market in Mazatlán made clear to me why honey is such a valuable commodity nowadays, even in Mexico.

And the big picture is that with more and more people wanting to “eat healthy” and avoid sugar and bee populations dying due to mono-farming, pesticides and disease, the honey supply can’t meet the demand. Countries like China — the world’s biggest producer of honey — with less strict food-labeling regulations are glutting the market with honey that’s adulterated in so many ways that it’s hard to detect. Watch the series. It’s eye-opening.

Even the Mexican Association of Honey Exporters reported that “The consumer is usually unable to tell the difference between real and fake honey, since the texture and makeup of the two are quite similar. While the crudest form of adulteration, with sugar or corn syrup, is slightly detectable, other falsifications, made with syrups from beets, rice or potatoes — usually originating in China, Vietnam or India — are more difficult to notice.”

Blend honey with mangoes, yogurt and milk to make this refreshing drink.
Blend honey with mangoes, yogurt and milk to make this refreshing drink.

“Instead of consuming a beneficial product,” the report concluded, “they are negatively affecting their health because of the types of sugars the honey is adulterated with.”

I feel like I’m always harping about eating local, knowing your farmer, etc. But the truth is we expect the food we buy to be what it says it is, and we should care about what we eat. Yes, often “real” food will cost more than the processed, commercially produced version — but you get what you pay for. In this case, pure, raw, unadulterated, uncooked and unfiltered honey contains all of the healthy natural components you’re buying it for to begin with.

Cooking and filtering honey, for instance, removes all the beneficial pollens that should naturally be present. So do find a local beekeeper or buy direct from a farmer or natural foods store where you can be sure of the source.

The basic rule of thumb is the darker the honey, the more intense the flavor, which you’ll discover as you start tasting different varieties. Honey is a fun ingredient to play around with in basting and barbecue sauces and salad dressings. And it can be easily whipped or blended into cream cheese, softened butter or requesón, with herbs, minced nuts or dried fruit.

In the case of butter, make more than you need, roll into a log, wrap and freeze. Then just cut off small portions as needed.

Honey Mango Lassi

  • 3 cups mango, cubed
  • 1½ cups plain yogurt
  • 1½ cups regular, almond or coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup honey

In a blender, combine mangoes, yogurt and milk. Add honey and pulse until just combined. If you like, add an ice cube or two and blend again. Serve cold.

Honey Cucumber Salad

English cucumbers are slightly sweeter than “regular” cukes, and sold wrapped in plastic due to their thinner skin, which doesn’t have to be peeled.

  • 3 medium English cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ½ cup white wine vinegar
  • 1-2 Tbsp. water
  • ½ red onion, slivered
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh dill, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Place cucumbers in bowl, sprinkle with salt, toss and set aside. In another small bowl, mix honey, vinegar, water and red onions. Pour mixture over cucumbers and toss. Marinate in refrigerator about 1 hour before serving.

This honey-mustard salad dressing is a classic.
This honey-mustard salad dressing is a classic.

Hot ‘n’ Sweet Broccoli

You’ll want to use this easy, delicious sauce on chicken, shrimp and other veggies too.

  • 1 large shallot
  • 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced or grated
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • ½-1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2-3 Tbsp. water
  • ½ lb. broccoli, trimmed
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 tsp sesame oil

Cut broccoli into bite-size florets; cut sugar snap peas diagonally into bite-size pieces. Heat oil over low heat in large skillet; add water, honey, soy sauce, ginger and red pepper and stir gently to combine. Turn heat to medium and continue stirring for 3 minutes till sauce begins to thicken. Add broccoli, stir to coat, then cover and cook a few minutes until tender-crisp. Uncover and let sauce cook 1-2 minutes more. Serve immediately over rice or noodles.

Honey-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Serve atop pasta or rice, or for breakfast, piled on toast with some crumbled queso fresco.

  • 1 lb. cherry tomatoes
  • 2-4 garlic cloves
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly oil a cookie sheet or roasting pan. Halve the tomatoes and place them cut side up in the pan, fitting them snugly with little or no space between them. Crush or mince the garlic with a pinch of salt, then beat it with the honey, olive oil and a good grinding of pepper. Spoon this sticky, garlicky mixture over the cherry tomatoes. Roast for about 30 minutes, until golden, juicy and bubbling.

Classic Honey-Mustard Salad Dressing

  • Honey
  • Dijon mustard
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Olive oil
  • Salt & pepper

Using equal amounts of each ingredient, shake in a jar or whisk in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Store in refrigerator.

Janet Blaser has been a writer, editor and storyteller her entire life and feels fortunate to be able to write about great food, amazing places, fascinating people and unique events. Her first book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats, is available on Amazon. Contact Janet or read her blog at whyweleftamerica.com.

Economically speaking, the worst is over, president says

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AMLO: no worries, the worst is over.
AMLO: no worries, the worst is over.

President López Obrador declared Monday that the worst of the country’s economic hardships are behind it and that the hemorrhaging of jobs largely due to Covid-19 shutdowns would begin to stabilize in July.

He predicted that June’s job losses in the formal sector would come to about 100,000, down from a drop of 344,000 in May and a staggering loss in April of 555,247 jobs.

That would bring the three-month total to just under one million jobs lost out of a total formal sector work force, as registered with the Mexican Social Services Institute, of 20.5 million before the pandemic began.

“Everything indicates that we have hit bottom and are heading toward the surface. We are going to emerge,” he said in his daily morning press conference. “We are going to grow economically. We have the indications that the worst has passed in economic terms.”

He also stressed the importance of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the new trade deal that goes into effect on Wednesday. It will help reactivate Mexico’s economy by encouraging foreign investment and the generation of jobs, he said. 

However, in terms of gross domestic product, a measurement which the president holds in some scorn, the economic malaise had begun to set in well before the effects of the coronavirus were felt.

The economy contracted 2.4% in the first quarter, the worst showing since 2009.

Sources: El Universal (sp), El Financiero (sp)

Third nationwide protest held against government of López Obrador

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Sunday's protest in Tampico, Tamaulipas.
Sunday's protest in Tampico, Tamaulipas.

Bearing signs and waving Mexican flags, about 300 protesters in cars and on motorcycles took over Mexico City’s Paseo de la Reforma Sunday to demand that President López Obrador resign for what they said were destructive government policies and poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The protest, organized by the Frente Nacional AntiAMLO (National Front Against AMLO), moved between the Fuente de Petróleos and the Monument to the Revolution for two hours in a noisy convoy to voice complaints that López Obrador’s presidency has damaged the country since taking power in 2018.

Protesters say the administration is taking the country on a path toward communism, and that the president has put Mexico’s autonomy, integrity, and independence at risk during a health crisis.

“I am participating for the love of my country, for those who came before. Mexico deserves better things,” Yolanda Reyes, a housewife riding in a Chysler LeBaron, told Reforma. “Neither chairo [a disparaging nickname for AMLO supporters] nor fifi [a disparaging name for those with money], I am a working woman, earning bread with the sweat of my brow, not like Mr. López Obrador, who has never worked.”

Caravans of opposition groups have gathered on two previous occasions to demonstrate against the president. Sunday’s protests also took place in at least 21 other cities, including Querétaro, Puebla, Cuernavaca, Querétaro, Acapulco, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Chihuahua, Cancún, and Mérida.

Sources: Reforma (sp), Infobae (sp)