Earthquake felt in 6 states leaves at least 4 dead, 30 injured in Oaxaca

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June 23, 2020

At least four people were killed and more than 30 others were injured in a 7.5-magnitude earthquake that rocked southern and central Mexico on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

Authorities in Oaxaca, the southern state where the quake’s epicenter was located, also said that at least seven hospitals sustained damage, homes collapsed and landslides sent rocks tumbling onto highways.

They said that a 22-year-old woman in La Crucecita, a town in the tourist destination of Huatulco located 23 kilometers north of the earthquake epicenter, and another person in the same area were killed by walls that collapsed in the quake.

A man died in San Juan Ozolotepec, a municipality in Oaxaca’s Sierra Sur region, as a result of the quake but the exact cause of his death was unclear. Civil Protection authorities also said that a Pemex worker died from burns after the earthquake triggered an explosion at the oil refinery in Salina Cruz.

They also said that more than 30 people had been injured in different parts of the state.

General hospitals in Pochutla, Puerto Escondido and Pinotepa Nacional were damaged in the quake as were community hospitals in Santa Catarina Juquila, Santa María Huatulco, Río Grande and Santos Reyes Nopala.

An IMSS health clinic in the community of Los Naranjos de la Costa also reported structural damage after the temblor that struck at 10:29 a.m.

The newspaper El Universal reported that military personnel were traveling to San Juan Ozolotepec, located north of the quake epicenter, where there were reports of collapsed homes.

Highway authorities reported that a landslide caused a blockage on the highway between Oaxaca City and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec on the Totolapan-El Camarón section. They also said that federal highway 200 was impassable in the Pochutla-Huatulco area.

The earthquake also sent rocks tumbling onto a road in San Juan Ozolotepec, injuring two people.

The temblor was felt in at least six states and triggered the earthquake alarm in Mexico City, where people rushed out of their homes to seek safety.

It also triggered a small tsunami on the coast of Oaxaca but it didn’t pose a threat to human life. The National Seismological Service (SSN) said that the sea level rose 60 centimeters in Huatulco, which currently has few tourists due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The earthquake also rocked Juchitán, an Isthmus of Tehunatepec town that was devastated by an 8.2-magnitude temblor in September 2017.

Miguel Candelaria, a 30-year-old resident, said that he rushed into the street with his family when the quake struck but they had to stop in the middle of the street because the pavement was buckling.

“We couldn’t walk … the street was like chewing gum,” Candelaria told the news agency Reuters.

In Mexico City, where hundreds of people were killed in a second powerful earthquake in September 2017, helicopters flew low overhead to check for damage.

Mayor Claudia Shienbaum said on Twitter that only minor damage had been reported although videos posted to social media showed buildings and posts swaying violently.

The SSN said that there had been 303 aftershocks by 1:00 p.m. and that the largest of those had a magnitude of 4.6.

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

Oaxaca massacre: 15 tortured, killed for territorial control

By

Susy Buchanan

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June 23, 2020

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Fifteen people in Huazantlán del Río, Oaxaca, were tortured, beaten, set on fire and finally killed, authorities in the largely indigenous municipality of San Mateo del Mar announced.

The massacre was carried out Sunday night by six people with ties to organized crime. They ambushed their victims, reportedly while they were stopped at a coronavirus checkpoint.

“The events were orchestrated by these people and backed by someone who claims to be the leader of an organized crime group called Gualterio Escandón, alias ‘Gual Perol,’” and because of his sadism we have lost innocent lives of men and women,” said a statement by local officials.

The victims were attacked after holding a protest in which they claimed that in previous weeks they had been illegally detained. Only five bodies have been identified thus far.

Organized crime seeks to gain control of the area due to its strategic location for the traffic of undocumented immigrants and the storage of stolen fuel, municipal authorities claim.

The attacks may have also been related to a longstanding dispute over a proposed wind farm in the area, which members of the Ikoots indigenous group were able to block in 2012, arguing that its construction would interfere with their subsistence rights and sacred areas.

Thirty-nine members of the National Guard and 80 state police officers were deployed to the Pacific coast town to restore order and were able to rescue two victims of the attacks, a man and a woman.

Municipal authorities acknowledge that violent conflicts between different interest groups have gone on for years, but the violence of Monday’s events is unprecedented and local authorities are calling for justice to be served, as is the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH).

“The CNDH deeply regrets these violent acts and demands the urgent intervention of the state government, the Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Public Security so that they carry out an effective investigation process that leads to the clarification of the facts,” the CNDH said. “It is the duty of the local government to safeguard the integrity and human rights of the members of their communities, as well as preserve liberties, order and public peace.”

Today, in his morning press briefing, President López Obrador described the killings as a “very sad and regrettable” dispute between communities and said the federal government will intervene using “conciliation, dialogue, peace and avoiding the use of violence.”

Source: Reforma (sp), Reuters (en), La Jornada (sp), Seattle PI (en), The Guardian (en), ADN 40 (sp)

Official sees signs of flattening in epidemic curve after 4,000 new cases confirmed

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MND Staff

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June 23, 2020

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Covid-19 deaths as of Monday evening. milenio

More than 4,000 new cases were added to Mexico’s coronavirus case tally on Monday and the death toll increased by over 700 but there are signs that the national epidemic curve may have begun to flatten, according to a federal health official.

Director of Epidemiology José Luis Alomía reported 4,577 new Covid-19 cases, increasing the total number of accumulated cases to 185,122.

He said that the Health Ministry registered 759 additional Covid-19 deaths on Monday, lifting the death toll to 22,584. An additional 1,874 fatalities are suspected to have been caused by Covid-19 but have not yet been confirmed.

Alomía said that 23,155 confirmed cases are considered active – a decrease of 1,070 compared to Sunday – and that there are 57,281 suspected cases across the country. More than 488,500 people have now been tested for Covid-19 since the disease was first detected in Mexico at the end of February.

Alomía presented a graph showing both confirmed and suspected Covid-19 cases, explaining that the latter are cases for which the results of Covid-19 tests are not yet known.

Coronavirus case tally as of Monday. milenio

He said that if both the confirmed and suspected cases are taken into account, the epidemic curve is showing a clear upward trend. However, he stressed that not all of the suspected cases will actually turn out to be actual cases of Covid-19.

In that context, Alomía explained that health authorities use testing positivity rates – around 40% of Covid-19 tests have so far come back positive – to estimate what percentage of the suspected cases will become confirmed coronavirus cases.

That allows the creation of “an estimated epidemic curve,” he said, explaining that at the start of June said curve – “which was rising” – started to show “a little bit of stability.”

“In coming days, we’ll see if this stability is maintained,” Alomía said, adding that it was possible that the national epidemic curve will start to trend downwards.

However, health officials have emphasized repeatedly that the coronavirus pandemic is not affecting Mexico uniformly. Therefore, a downward trending national epidemic curve will not signify that all regions of the country have passed the peak of the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak.

Some states currently have relatively small active outbreaks of Covid-19, with cases numbering fewer than 250, while others have thousands of patients who tested positive after developing symptoms in the past 14 days.

In the former category are states such as Colima, Chihuahua and Zacatecas, while in the latter are Mexico City and México state, among others.

Mexico City currently has 3,935 active cases, while México state has 2,400, according to Health Ministry data. Four other states – Puebla, Tabasco, Veracruz and Guanajuato – have more than 1,000 active cases.

The capital also has the highest Covid-19 death toll in the country, with 5,515 confirmed fatalities as of Monday.

Four states have recorded more than 1,000 deaths: México state, with 3,415; Baja California, with 1,768; Veracruz, with 1,267; and Sinaloa, with 1,032.

Based on confirmed cases and deaths, Mexico’s fatality rate is currently 12.2 per 100 cases, well above the global rate of 5.2.

The average age of coronavirus patients who have died is 61 and men account for 66% of fatalities. Seven in 10 of those who died had at least one existing health condition that made them more vulnerable to Covid-19.

The most common health problems among those who have died are hypertension, diabetes and obesity. About one in 10 deceased patients were smokers, Health Ministry data shows.

Among the more than 22,500 people who have succumbed to Covid-19 in Mexico were 50 pregnant women and 43 foreigners.

National data presented at Monday night’s coronavirus press briefing showed that only 44% of general care beds set aside for coronavirus patients are currently occupied while 38% of those with ventilators are in use.

Hospitals in Mexico City, México state and Tlaxcala have the highest occupancy levels for general care beds, with rates of 69%, 69% and 60%, respectively.

México state, Baja California and Sonora have the lowest availability of beds with ventilators, with 65%, 63% and 57%, respectively, of their total number currently in use.

Source: Reforma (sp), Milenio (sp)

No damage reported after 7.5-magnitude earthquake in Oaxaca

By

Tony Richards

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June 23, 2020

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Epicenter of Tuesday's quake. National Seismological Service

There have been no reports of casualties or damage after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake today in Oaxaca.

The epicenter was located 23 kilometers south of La Crucecita, a town in the tourist destination of Huatulco, but was felt as far away as Mexico City where the alarms sounded, sending residents into the streets.

The quake occurred 10:29 a.m. CDT. Power outages were reported in the area, and as far west as Puerto Escondido. Electrical service was also affected in parts of México state, the governor reported.

A 5.2 tremor was reported in the same area on Monday.

Mexico News Daily

A chaotic week for federal anti-discrimination watchdog

By

MND Staff

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June 22, 2020

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The offices of anti-discrimination watchdog Conapred.

Not much is going right for the federal anti-discrimination watchdog: its director resigned last week after President López Obrador suggested that the organization should be disbanded, and its website was the victim today of a cyber attack.

Mónica Maccise officially resigned as head of the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (Conapred) last Friday, two days after the Interior Ministry (Segob) asked her to leave the post.

The request for her resignation came after López Obrador suggested that Conapred — which he claimed he had never heard of before — should be dissolved and that Segob should be in charge of all issues related to human rights. Having an anti-discrimination agency only creates unnecessary bureaucracy, he said.

Three members of Conapred’s Advisory Assembly also tendered their resignations after Maccise announced her departure.

López Obrador’s remarks about Conapred came as it was facing a public backlash for an online forum it organized for last Wednesday.

Ultimately canceled, the forum was criticized for both its title – “Racism and/or Classism in Mexico?” – and more fervently because a comedian with a history of making racist and discriminatory comments had been invited to be a panelist.

“We were very critical of the event, first of all, because they presented it as if it were a question,”José Antonio Aguilar, founder of the advocacy group RacismoMX, told the magazine Americas Quarterly (AQ).

Conapred came under harsher criticism for inviting Chumel Torres, a well-known comedian, to participate in the forum.

Torres is quoted as saying that an indigenous Barbie doll would “sweep and mop … just like in real life” and last year mocked the then 12-year-old son of López Obrador and Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller by referring to him with a nickname that alluded to his physical appearance.

Gutiérrez, the first lady, was one of the most influential people who criticized Conapred’s decision to invite Torres onto a panel to discuss racism.

“You invited this person to a forum on discrimination? I’m still waiting for his public apology,” she wrote on Twitter.

Torres, whose HBO show was suspended last week pending a review of allegations of racism, responded by asserting that he had hoped to “build bridges” at the forum.

AQ reported that the comedian offered an “apology of sorts” to Gutiérrez but also blamed her for the cancelation of the Conapred forum.

A day after the forum was to be held, López Obrador renewed his attack on the anti-discrimination watchdog, suggesting that it should have never been created.

“We have to fight racism and discrimination … but we don’t need to create a government agency for every demand,” he said.

The president even claimed that he hadn’t heard of Conapred before the controversy over its forum, and asserted that it hasn’t done anything to benefit the Mexican people.

López Obrador’s remarks and Maccise’s resignation triggered an outpouring of support for the agency.

Aguilar, the anti-racism advocate, told AQ that the council “should have more responsibilities, more capacity, more power, and above all more resources.”

He said “it would be a mistake to think that it could disappear” and that “on the contrary, it should be strengthened.”

The global anti-racism movement triggered by the death of African American George Floyd in Minnesota last month has led to a period of self-reflection about racial prejudice in Mexico, a country where people who have dark skin and speak an indigenous language are much more likely to have lower levels of education and suffer economic hardship, according to a 2019 Oxfam study.

In that context, López Obrador’s insinuation that Conapred has achieved nothing and shouldn’t even exist was bound to spur controversy.

While three members of the Conapred Advisory Assembly quit in the wake of his remarks and Maccise’s apparently forced resignation, other members are seeking dialogue with the government to ensure its survival.

Haydee Pérez Garrido, a spokeswoman for the remaining Advisory Assembly members, told the news website Animal Político that a document has been sent to López Obrador and Interior Minister Olga Sánchez asserting that the elimination of Conapred would represent a step backward in the fight against discrimination.

She said the council should be strengthened while acknowledging that its “regulatory framework, mandate, responsibilities and operational capacity” should be reviewed.

In the document sent to the government, the Advisory Assembly members rejected the president’s claim that Conapred has done nothing to benefit Mexicans.

They stressed that in the 17 years since it was created, the council has made “significant progress in the defense of the rights” of people with disabilities, the elderly, people with different sexual preferences and those of diverse racial backgrounds, including Afro-Mexicans.

Discrediting Conapred and its work amounts to an attack on the “just struggles and demands” of a range of social groups, the Advisory Assembly members said.

“It must be highlighted that the president’s project, supported by the powerful idea of putting the poor first, implies recognizing that many of them [the poor] are in that position precisely because they are victims of discriminatory practices,” the document said.

Convincing the government of its worth is not the only battle currently faced by Conapred.

Hackers took the council’s website offline on Monday morning and at 5:00 p.m. it remained inaccessible.

Anonymous Iberoamérica, part of an international activist/hactivist collective known for cyber attacks, claimed responsibility for the website’s removal. It said that it had hacked the site to protest against federal government censorship.

“The new regime of the government led by Andrés Manuel López Obrador makes use of censorship when it can’t debate with solid arguments that which is not in its interests for the people to know,” it said.

“Anonymous will not allow censorship to once again form part of our everyday life as it did in the past.”

It was unclear whether the decision to target the Conapred website was related to López Obrador’s remarks about the anti-discrimination council last week.

Source: El Financiero (sp), Animal Político (sp), Americas Quarterly (en)

Mexico’s ‘Iron Lady’ cracks whip on multinationals’ taxes

By

Jude Webber

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June 22, 2020

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Buenrostro, the tax agency's 'iron lady.'

As Mexico’s economy descends into its deepest recession in decades, the government has deployed its top weapon to keep tax revenue flowing: a diminutive, sweet-spoken and tough-as-nails official who has squeezed US $800 million in long-contested payments out of big companies.

After taking over at the tax agency SAT in January, Raquel Buenrostro — her surname means “nice face” but her nickname is “Iron Lady” — has proved her mettle by boosting tax revenues 5.6% in the first four months of 2020.

And despite the economic paralysis caused by Covid-19 and Mexico’s history of woefully low tax collection, President López Obrador said state revenues were still up 2.5% in January to May compared with last year. Official data is not yet out.

He called it “a miracle,” and to achieve it, Buenrostro — who is one of the president’s most trusted officials, and rumoured as a potential future finance minister — has trained her sights on big companies, which the government brands as tax dodgers.

She has convinced the Mexican unit of U.S. supermarket group Walmart, Coca-Cola bottler and convenience store operator Femsa, as well as IBM and companies owned by Carlos Slim, Mexico’s richest man, to pay up. Fresnillo, the world’s biggest silver miner and part of Mexico’s Grupo Bal, has also paid just over $205 million in taxes, according to a regulatory filing in the U.K., where it is incorporated.

Former tax prosecutor Diener calls it 'fiscal terrorism.' — Former tax prosecutor Diener calls it ‘fiscal terrorism.’

Walmart and Femsa, in statements to the stock exchange at the end of May, said they were paying 8.079 billion pesos ($374 million) and 8.79 billion pesos respectively. Walmart said it was to “conclude substantial fiscal matters”, while Femsa said its payment “finalized differences of interpretation” over taxes paid abroad. The companies did not admit any wrongdoing.

Carlos Slim has not disclosed any sum. López Obrador announced IBM would pay 669 million pesos and said the auto maker Toyota had made payments as well, although no further details were available.

No one at SAT had immediate comment.

The president, who is crusading to eradicate corruption and has ruled out tax increases, said in April the government would pursue “those who don’t want to pay” via administrative sanctions and criminal charges. He said 15 large companies owing 50 billion pesos in back taxes had been identified, although he did not name them.

Buenrostro, who says steel, pharmaceuticals, food, cars, mining, retail and energy companies have the biggest debts, told the Reuters news agency four or five criminal complaints had been filed against companies, but no details were immediately available.

Experts said the prospect of being in trouble with an authority that had emerged as one of Mexico’s most powerful institutions was enough to convince many people and companies to put their tax affairs in order.

They want to sell the story that the rich don't pay taxes, says Mariana Campos. — They want to sell the story that the rich don’t pay taxes, says Mariana Campos.

But they fear that officials’ big stick — legal reforms last year that allow executives of companies and individuals accused of tax crimes to be jailed before trial — could easily be abused.

“I believe it’s fiscal terrorism,” said Max Diener, a professor and former federal tax prosecutor. He called Buenrostro an “excellent public servant” but feared she had enormous and “very dangerous” discretionary power.

“They are using undue pressure and coercion to get deals,” including “unprecedented” requests for information, said Enoch Castellanos, head of the Canacintra industry group that represents mostly small and midsized businesses.

Castellanos said SAT had started cracking down on businesses that did not make payments by the 17th of every month — a tougher stance than previously. “On the 18th, they start proceedings and apply a fine equivalent to 50% of the debt,” he said.

Buenrostro, a mathematician, had worked in the Mexico City government when López Obrador was mayor, as well as other federal positions. She has emerged as one of the president’s key lieutenants after saving an estimated $9 billion by slashing spending and centralizing government procurement in the government’s first year in office.

When it comes to tax collection, Buenrostro has argued that she is just being fair and efficient. “Everything is in line with the law, everyone has to comply,” she told legislators this month, promising “zero privileges and zero waivers.”

She added: “It’s not fiscal terrorism because people are paying up. Those who feel threatened and pressured are the ones who aren’t.”

Higher collection is a boon for a country where tax revenue represents only 16% of gross domestic product, the lowest level in the OECD. Despite López Obrador’s optimism, tax revenue fell 25% in April, compared with March, as the Covid-19 recession bit. Economists expect GDP to fall almost 9% this year.

“It’s good if they’re collecting old debts, but it won’t be enough,” said Mariana Campos, a public finances specialist at México Evalúa, a think tank.

“Tax collection is obviously going to fall further” because of the economic contraction, said Diana Bernal, a former taxpayers’ ombudswoman. She said SAT was strong-arming some companies into paying even while the sums in question were being disputed in court or still under audit.

“They want to sell the story that the rich [people and corporations] don’t pay tax,” she said. According to OECD data, however, Mexico earns a fifth of tax revenue from corporate taxes, the highest proportion in the OECD.

Buenrostro’s tactics in previous roles have stirred controversy. Her centralized purchases last year created bottlenecks that led to shortages of important medicines, and her power pushed Carlos Urzúa to quit as finance minister in July last year.

Nevertheless, she plans to push ahead, and businesspeople expect her to succeed. “Raquel Buenrostro is very good at collecting,” Bernal said. “But it’s very easy when you have a garrotte in your hand.”

Another municipality turns to tire clamps for traffic violations

By

Michelle Aguilar

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June 22, 2020

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Tire clamps will be used on illegally parked vehicles in Metepec.

Starting July 1, the México state Pueblo Mágico (Magical Town) of Metepec will begin using tire clamps, also known as “boots,” on vehicles in violation of traffic rules such as having been illegally parked.

The clamp will be removable only after the offender pays the city a 435-peso fine, payable either in the city’s tax offices, via select businesses that have agreed to collect the payments or with transit officers who will be equipped with mobile electronic payment devices.

If the ticket is not paid within two hours of the clamp being placed on a tire, the vehicle will be towed to a storage facility until the motorist pays to retrieve it, city officials said.

The measure has ignited controversy, even among members of the municipal council, which says the new policy will improve traffic mobility and pedestrian safety and will help the environment by encouraging people not to use motor vehicles.

According to an article in La Jornada, Metepec has in recent years seen one of the highest increases in registered cars among Mexican municipalities. The article estimated that half a million cars are circulating daily in the city.

In Metepec’s commercial zones and frequently traveled thoroughfares, motorists are known to park illegally, sometimes double and triple-parking, obstructing the flow of traffic, a common practice in many Mexican cities.

Tire clamps are already used in other cities with traffic problems such as Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende and Valle de Bravo, México state. Officials in those cities say the measure has helped reduce traffic congestion and illegal parking.

Source: La Jornada (sp)

State police ambushed in Taxco, Guerrero; 6 officers killed

By

Michelle Aguilar

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June 22, 2020

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Guerrero’s Attorney General’s Office has condemned a “cowardly” ambush by armed civilians of a state police convoy that left six officers dead and five wounded.

State officials said the attack happened shortly after noon Sunday on the Taxco–Amacuzac highway near the community of El Gavilán, part of the Taxco de Alarcón municipality. The attackers hid in trees alongside the highway and opened fire, they said.

The officers were traveling in two trucks headed for the community of San Gregorio in the municipality of Tetipac. After a shootout in which police returned fire, the attackers fled. Investigators later found dozens of spent AK-47 and AR-15 rifle shells at the scene, authorities said.

Local, state, and federal security forces have begun a search for the perpetrators, believed to have been led by a man they identified as Roberto Carlos “Z.”

Violent confrontations between criminal groups fighting for control of municipalities in the northern part of Guerrero have recently killed at least a dozen people, who have often been left on the interstate highway.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

Horchata is a rice-based drink that pairs well with spicy food

By

Janet Blaser

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June 22, 2020

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I can’t remember the first time I tried horchata, but I’m sure it was love at first taste. I do remember being told by the owner of the nearby Taquería Raymundo that it was made from rice, which at the time seemed odd, but hey, at that point many things in Mexico were new to me.

Making horchata is a fairly complex process that involves soaking rice overnight, traditionally with a cinnamon stick, then blending the rice and liquid, straining it and adding sweetener and any other flavorings you might want.

Served frosty-cold with lots of ice, horchata is a popular plant-based drink in Mexico that has increasingly started to appear on upscale menus in the U.S. as an exotic artisan beverage, spawning its own line of signature cocktails. (Mexican Russian, anyone?)

While it pairs well with rum, tequila, mezcal or vodka, it’s also a perfect accompaniment to spicy foods as it provides a bit of relief to the palate. Horchata tends to have a somewhat chalky mouth-feel from the blended rice (that I somehow find appealing) and needs to be stirred often, although there will always be some solids at the bottom of your glass or pitcher.

The history of horchata is quite surprising. It’s said to have originated in West Africa, where kunnu aya is made with tiger nuts rather than rice. The Muslim conquest brought the drink to Valencia in the 13^th century, and from there it traveled across the ocean to the so-called New World. The Spanish horchata de chufa is also made with tiger nuts or “earth almonds,” which are not actually nuts but small round tubers that grow underground, like potatoes.

Making horchata is complicated and is a little time-consuming but the result is better than horchata made from a packaged mix.

In Mexico and Guatemala, horchata de arroz, or simply horchata, is made with soaked and blended rice, water, cinnamon and sometimes vanilla and almonds. Cebada is made in a similar fashion but with barley instead of rice.

Since that first time, I’ve had horchata in many forms, in many places. The easiest, of course, is to buy a pre-packaged mix at any grocery store, add water and sweetened condensed milk, chill and serve. (In taquerías, restaurants, etc. it can often be really, really sweet, so if you make it yourself you can modify the level of sweetness.)

I’ve also happily discovered cocohorchata, a mix of fresh coconut water and regular horchata. Oh my! Returning from a long and lovely beach day at Stone Island, south of Mazatlán, I was hot, sweaty and thirsty. On the spur of the moment I stopped at a combie on the side of the road whose big sign for “COCOHORCHATA BIEN FRÍA!” was irresistible. Refreshing and delicious, it hit the spot and was added to my list of favorite neighborhood venues.

Making horchata is more complicated than you’d think and is a little time-consuming, but the result is eons better than horchata made from a packaged mix. I tend not to write about traditional Mexican dishes that are so much easier to go out to eat than to make at home, but have made an exception in this case. If you want to avoid the overly sweetened and processed horchata-from-a-bag, this is the way to go. Play around with different milks and gentle spicing.

Some recipes call for rice flour, but I’ll warn you away from those; the finished product will not be what you want. If you’re gonna make it, then make it right!

Traditional Mexican Horchata

1 cup uncooked white long-grain rice
5 cups water
½ cup regular milk, almond milk or coconut milk/water
½ Tbsp. vanilla
½ Tbsp. cinnamon or two 5” whole cinnamon sticks
1/3 cup sugar
Optional: 1 tsp. pumpkin spice mix / ½ cup slivered almonds

Pour the rice, water and almonds, if using, into a blender; blend until the rice just begins to break up, about 1 minute. If using cinnamon sticks, add them to rice/water mixture. Let mixture stand at room temperature for a minimum of three hours or as long as overnight. Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard the rice and cinnamon sticks, if used. Stir in the milk, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar. Chill and stir before serving over ice.

**Dirty Horchata (Coffee Horchata or Cochata)**

2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
½ gallon whole milk
2 cups cold brew concentrate or espresso, for serving

Add the rice and 2½ cups water to a large container and cover. Soak at room temperature for a minimum of eight hours. Pour rice and soaking liquid into a blender, and blend or pulse until all the rice is finely ground, 2 to 3 minutes. Add condensed milk, nutmeg and cinnamon; blend until combined. Pour mixture into a large pitcher or bowl. Add the whole milk and whisk until incorporated. To serve, divide horchata among ice-filled glasses and top with cold brew concentrate, to taste, about 2-3 Tbsp. cold brew for each cup of horchata. –Cooking.nytimes.com

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.

AMLO to reveal ‘monumental’ multi-billion-peso facturas fraud

By

MND Staff

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June 22, 2020

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AMLO: those who evaded payment of taxes will be given opportunity to pay.

President López Obrador said Monday the government will reveal the details of a “monumental” tax fraud scheme this week.

Speaking at his regular news conference, López Obrador said that so-called empresas factureras, or invoicing companies, created a parallel tax collection system that took in an estimated 300 billion pesos (US $13.4 billion at today’s exchange rate) over a period of more than 10 years.

He said that criminal complaints against those responsible for the fraudulent scheme are being prepared and that details of how 50 billion pesos was stolen will be disclosed later this week.

“A kind of parallel Federal Tax Administration [SAT] was created …” López Obrador said.

The president said that small, medium-sized and large businesses as well as individual taxpayers were lured into the fraudulent scheme.

“The majority got involved in this operation innocently and ended up avoiding the payment of [their] taxes,” López Obrador said.

“It’s fraud of the nation. We’re going to announce how it operated, who those responsible are and how many people were victims,” he said.

López Obrador said that the parallel tax system siphoned off up to 30% of the total tax revenue the government should have received. “We’re talking about a monumental fraud,” he said.

The president said the names of businesses that evaded the payment of their taxes won’t be revealed but they will be notified of their debts to the SAT and given the opportunity to settle them.

The government has ramped up efforts to recoup unpaid tax debts, particularly targeting large companies with outstanding multibillion-peso bills.

Earlier this month, López Obrador asked the Canadian government to help persuade Canadian mining companies to pay their tax debts in Mexico, stating that “it’s very clear” that some are in arrears.

Source: Milenio (sp)