US man and his wife murdered at community police roadblock in Guerrero

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July 22, 2019

Paul Nielsen of Utah was murdered in Petatlán, Guerrero.

Community police in Guerrero allegedly shot and killed a couple from the United States and wounded their son.

Paul Nielsen of Utah and his wife Janeth Vázquez, originally from the state of Puebla, and their 12-year-old son were traveling from Acapulco to Zihuatanejo when they were shot in the municipality of Petatlán.

According to a report published on by the news website SDP Noticias, the attack occurred at about 3:30am last Thursday after the family’s vehicle failed to stop at a roadblock set up by community police between the towns of Santa Rosa and Juluchuca.

The car was intercepted by armed men who ordered the three occupants to get out and shot Nielsen, 48, and Vázquez, 43, in the head. Their bodies were later found by state police.

Kevin Joel Rojas Vázquez sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a community hospital in Petatlán. The boy, who reportedly suffered a nervous breakdown, was later discharged and transported to Zihuatanejo, where he provided a statement to authorities.

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Nielsen’s sister, Vilate Ssempala, told the Salt Lake Tribune that she wasn’t aware of any investigation to capture those responsible for the crime.

However, Guerrero Governor Héctor Astudillo said Friday that investigating the case was a priority.

Ssempala also said that her family has been working with the United States Embassy in Mexico to have Nielsen’s body returned. A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds to help with the expense of transporting the body.

Ssempala said that while growing up her brother was known as “Perfect Paul” because he was a stickler for following rules.

“He was very deliberate in everything that he did and very organized,” she said.

The United States Department of State said in a statement Saturday that it was aware of reports of Nielsen’s death but added that “out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we do not have additional information to provide.”

Source: SDP Noticias (sp), The Salt Lake Tribune (en), Quadratín (sp)

Homicides continue their upward trend: January to June was the worst ever

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MND Staff

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July 22, 2019

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homicide investigators — There were 85 new murder cases per day last month.

The latest homicide figures indicate not only that June was the most violent month so far this year, but the first six months of the year were the worst on record, according to official data.

There were 2,560 intentional homicide cases last month and 14,603 cases between January and June, the National Public Security System (SNSP) reported on Saturday.

The latter figure is a record for the first half of a year — 4.4% higher than the previous record of 13,985 homicide cases, which was registered in the first six months of last year. The figure is 22% higher than the same period of 2017.

The total number of homicide victims between January and June was 17,138, an increase of 7.2% compared to the same period last year. The figure is higher than the number of cases because there are two or more victims in some investigations.

Homicide cases increased 3.5% last month compared to May and 8% compared to June of last year. Authorities opened an average of 85 new murder cases every day last month.

Baja California was the most violent state in June, followed by Chihuahua, Guanajuato, México state and Jalisco.

In per-capita terms, Colima led in the first half of the year. The small Pacific coast state recorded 40.7 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants between January and June, 3.5 times higher than the national rate of 11.6.

Baja California was next, with a murder rate of 34.1 per 100,000 followed by Chihuahua, 27.6; Guanajuato, 23.1; and Morelos, 22.7.

However, in terms of sheer numbers, Guanajuato was the most violent state during the first six months with a total of 1,383 homicide cases.

México state was the second deadliest with 1,315 cases, followed by Baja California, Jalisco and Chihuahua, all of which recorded more than 1,000 homicide investigations.

In contrast, there were just 16 intentional homicide cases in Yucatán, the lowest of any state.

There are high expectations for the the new National Guard.

The next lowest number of cases was recorded in Campeche, with 28, followed by Baja California Sur, Aguascalientes and Durango, with 42, 47 and 70 cases respectively.

In Mexico City, there were 786 murder investigations during the first half of the year, making the capital the seventh most violent entity in the country.

In the first six months of the year, femicides, kidnappings and extortion also increased compared to the same period last year.

The record national homicide figures underscore the security challenge faced by the federal government, which officially inaugurated the National Guard on June 30.

The new security force, the centerpiece of the government’s security strategy, wasn’t deployed nationally until the start of this month, meaning that its effectiveness cannot be realistically measured until homicide statistics for July are released next month.

President López Obrador last month admitted that his administration has not yet made progress in combating the high levels of insecurity but blamed previous governments for the problem.

In addition to expressing confidence that the National Guard will be successful in reducing violence, the president has said that his government’s social programs and crusade against corruption will help pacify the country.

Francisco Rivas, director of the National Citizens’ Observatory, a crime watch group, said that “social policies are very important” and “we agree they’ll have positive effects.”

However, he added that the positive effects will not be seen in the short term.

Source: Milenio (sp), Infobae (sp), Proceso (sp), Reuters (en)

Crime up in San Miguel as fuel thieves diversify, businesses say

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MND Staff

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July 20, 2019

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Vendors at the artisans' market are among those forced to pay extortion.

The crackdown on fuel theft has had an unwanted effect in San Miguel de Allende — an increase in crime, according to businesspeople.

There have been around 65 homicides in the municipality so far this year — there were three during the same period last year — and extortion cases are also on the rise.

Local business owners told the newspaper El Universal that crime spiked in the municipality after the federal government’s crackdown on fuel theft.

Members of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel began to diversify their criminal activities and found a fertile hunting ground in the colonial city.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which is engaged in a bitter turf war with the Santa Rosa gang, also operates in San Miguel.

The charging of extortion fees known as derecho de piso has become widespread, the business owners said, explaining that everyone is forced to pay.

That includes stallholders in the artisans’ market and proprietors of the city’s most popular nightclubs, they said.

One business owner identified only as Alice said she had heard that artisans are charged monthly extortion fees of between 5,000 and 10,000 pesos (US $260 to $520), which she described as “unacceptable.”

She said both violence and extortion were affecting businesses “in a brutal way,” adding “we don’t want to even imagine what will happen the day that something happens to a visitor.”

Another business owner, who asked to be identified only as Oropeza, said he never imagined that he’d see people gunned down in commercial areas of San Miguel as occurred earlier this month on Conspiración boulevard near the La Placita Market.

Three people were killed in the attack including a 14-year-old girl, after which municipal councilor Humberto Campos asked residents not to share news stories about violence in San Miguel in order to promote a “good image” for the municipality.

Oropeza, whose son was murdered in February, said both municipal and state governments are deliberately trying to keep news about violence quiet because “they know we live from tourism.”

The federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) has identified suspected CJNG member Ramiro “N” as the principal instigator of violence in San Miguel.

An FGR report says that the alleged criminal also known as “El Perro” (The Dog) was arrested in November on drug trafficking and organized crime charges but was released in February.

The CJNG operative allegedly recruits young people in San Miguel de Allende to sell drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Although the story today in El Universal reported that San Miguel was the third most violent municipality in the state, homicide figures show otherwise. Mexico News Daily records indicate there have been 65 homicides this year, well behind other violent municipalities such as Salvatierra, Salamanca and Abasolo.

However, homicide statistics from December through May put San Miguel in 39th place on a list of Mexico’s most violent municipalities, with a murder rate of 51.9 per 100,000 people.

Guanajuato has recorded more homicides than any other state since the new federal government took office in December.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Environmental groups claim refinery’s impact statement incomplete

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MND Staff

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July 20, 2019

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Information in the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the new refinery in Tabasco is incomplete and the project shouldn’t be approved, environmental groups warn.

Greenpeace México, the Mexican Center for Environmental Law and two other organizations claim that the EIS presented by Pemex doesn’t provide “complete, exhaustive and adequate information that takes into account the principles of prevention and precaution in order to guarantee the right to a healthy environment.”

The lack of fundamental information makes it impossible for the US $8-billion project to be evaluated in a comprehensive and objective way and therefore cannot be approved, the groups said.

Released by the Security, Energy and Environment Agency (ASEA) last month, the EIS says the plan to build the refinery on the Gulf of Mexico coast in the municipality of Paraíso involves high risks of flooding and other environmental problems but remains viable.

Pemex said that the impacts on the environment “will be controlled, mitigated or compensated” and the operation of the refinery “will totally comply” with existing environmental laws.

However, in a letter to the ASEA, the environmental organizations charge that the EIS doesn’t reveal the full extent of the impact that the project will have on the environment.

They said it doesn’t provide information about smaller projects associated with the refinery, which could damage habitats, modify the site’s natural drainage features and involve the clearing of yet more mangroves.

The groups also said that the impact statement fails to include information about preparatory work required at the site and the roads and railways that will link to it, and charged that Pemex has presented the project as if it will comply with all environmental regulations when there is evidence that it will not.

The organizations said the EIS fails to mention that 212 hectares of vegetation have already been illegally cleared, doesn’t set out a rescue and relocation plan for native animals and omits details about the project’s impact on hydrological flows at the site.

They pointed out that even the state-owned Mexican Institute of Petroleum, which worked on the EIS, has previously said that the site is not appropriate for a refinery.

A 2008 report by the institute said that among the factors that made the site unsuitable was that it’s home to a range of protected and endangered species including the howler monkey, the northern tamandua anteater and the Mexican crocodile.

Energy Secretary Nahle: the refinery will be built.

The report also said that extensive preparation would be needed due to the presence of lagoons and swamps, that it is prone to flooding and that it has significant potential to be used for ecotourism.

“It’s clear that the site . . . is a priority ecosystem for conservation,” the letter said, concluding that “in consideration of everything expressed here . . . the ASEA must issue a negative environmental impact ruling.”

Investors and ratings agencies have also criticized the refinery project, arguing that it will divert funds from Pemex’s more profitable exploration business.

But Energy Secretary Rocío Nahle said this week that the government would not be deterred by the opposition.

“This government will build it,” she said in a radio interview on Thursday.

“Why would we backtrack on that? It is a viable project, it’s a necessary project, it’s a Pemex project.”

President López Obrador announced in May that the oil company and the Secretariat of Energy would build the refinery because the bids made by private companies were too high and the project would take too long.

He has pledged that the refinery will be ready in May 2022 and that it will help reduce Mexico’s reliance on imported petroleum.

Once open, it is expected to process 340,000 barrels per day of Mexico’s flagship grade, Maya heavy crude.

Mexico News Daily

Dinner in the Sky arrives in Telchac Puerto, Yucatán

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Madison Koen

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July 20, 2019

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High-flying diners enjoy 360-degree views.

A new dining experience in Yucatán offers a different — and lofty — perspective of turquoise sea and white sand.

Dinner in the Sky seats up to 22 people who are suspended from a crane 45 meters above the ground.

Each seat is equipped with a safety harness, but diners can recline in their chairs to feel the wind in their hair and get a better view of the ground far below.

The service is being offered until August 11 at the Grand Marina Kinuh Hotel in Telchac Puerto, about an hour from Mérida.

Dinner in the Sky offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and each dish incorporates regional Yucatán flavors. Meals can be purchased in packages for between 2,500 and 2,800 pesos (US $130 and $147) per person.

Lunch and dinner “flights” are limited to adults over 18, although children are welcome for breakfast.

Dinner in the Sky first began in Belgium in 2006 but has since expanded to 54 countries around the world. In Mexico, the experience will be offered this fall in Morelia, Michoacán, at the pyramids at Teotihuacán and in Mexico City.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Boy, 12, killed after trying to prevent robbery of his family’s store

By

Madison Koen

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July 20, 2019

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A 12-year-old boy was shot and killed by gunmen as he tried to prevent them from robbing his family’s store in Cárdenas, Tabasco. Witnesses said he was shot after he appeared to recognize one of the assailants.

Two armed men burst suddenly into the family store on Friday and looted the cash register. When the men turned to go the son of the owners entered the store and attempted to detain the thieves.

Apparently recognizing one of the attackers, the boy called him by name, which provoked the man to shoot the boy several times before both men fled. The young victim died a short time after.

Officials from the State Attorney General’s Office arrived later to transport the boy’s body to the coroner’s office, where an autopsy will be performed before the body is returned to the boy’s family.

Governor Adán Augusto López Hernández lamented the tragedy in a statement and acknowledged that his administration must take further steps to reduce crime.

According to the security watchdog organization Semáforo Delictivo, murder is on the rise in Tabasco. There were 283 reported homicides in the first quarter of 2019, a 47% increase over the same period last year.

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

Students bring home medals from UK math competition

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Simon Schatzberg

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July 20, 2019

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A Mexican filmmaker continues supporting students by funding travel to international competitions.

Guillermo del Toro helped Mexico’s national mathematics team travel to the United Kingdom, where they won four medals at the 60^th annual International Mathematics Olympiad in Bath.

Del Toro had already pledged support for the team to travel to South Africa for another competition next month.

According to the Mexican team’s Twitter account, Bruno Gutiérrez Chávez, a young “mathlete” from Colima, won a silver medal, while Ana Paula Jiménez Días and Tomas Francisco Cantú Rodríguez, both from Mexico City, and Eric Iván Hernández Palacios, from Nuevo León, won bronze medals.

The Mexican team won 111 points, coming in 41^st place among the 112 participating countries.

Del Toro offered to pay for the team’s travel because of delays and cuts in funding from the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt).

Conacyt has provided the Mexican Mathematics Society, which manages the Olympiad team, with 1.6 million pesos for this year. But the society says that the funding is insufficient, and it has had to resort to fundraising to pay for travel to international competitions.

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

Mexico City police arrest 5 members of one of most dangerous gangs

By

Simon Schatzberg

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July 20, 2019

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The five suspected gang members arrested in Mexico City.

Five members of what police say is one of the most dangerous criminal groups in Mexico City were arrested on Thursday night.

An elite group of undercover Mexico City police nabbed the alleged members of the Los Molinos gang in the Pedregal de Santo Domingo neighborhood of Coyoacán after witnessing them participate in a drug deal aboard a Nissan Versa.

A month ago, security camera footage showed a group of subjects fleeing in the same car after abandoning a body in the trunk of a second car near Cerro de la Estrella in Iztapalapa.

The arrested are Enrique Sosa Barragán, Miguel Ángel Sosa Barragán, Édgar Jesús Hernández Rodríguez, Juan Erick Fonseca Cadena and Ángel Antonio Reyes Méndez. Police say that Sosa Barragán was the leader of the group and that he had previously been incarcerated for two years in Venice, Italy, for drug trafficking.

Police confiscated drugs, cash and two pistols from the car.

Hernández Rodríguez had previously been arrested in October 2018, but was released shortly after. He is accused of participating in a June 2012 robbery of a Monte de Piedad pawnshop in the state of Puebla, in which money and two kilos of gold were stolen. Police have also linked him to vehicle theft in southern Mexico City.

Los Molinos is one of the most violent gangs in Mexico City and is involved in drug distribution and murder in southeastern Mexico City as well as the México state municipalities Chalco and Ecatepec.

Police say they are responsible for much of the recent wave of violence in Iztapalapa and Coyoacán, including a massacre of seven people in the Los Reyes neighborhood of Coyoacán on February 17 of this year, and another massacre of five people in the Carmen Serdán neighborhood on December 22 of last year.

Source: Milenio (sp), Excélsior (sp)

Head of science council described historic 1969 moon landing as ‘useless’

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MND Staff

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July 20, 2019

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A small step for mankind? The 1969 moon landing, left, and the science council director.

The Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969, was “useless,” the current head of the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) said in 2015.

Presenting a paper at a conference organized by an indigenous education center in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, María Elena Álvarez-Buylla said that “western science has produced the most dazzling and perhaps the most useless advances, like the arrival to the moon.”

The remarks of the scientist, who became Conacyt director last December, circulated on social media this week in the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of the spaceflight that first landed humans on the moon.

A report published today by the newspaper El Universal refuted the Conacyt chief’s claim, pointing out that man’s arrival on the moon has in fact left a significant legacy of technological and scientific advances.

Astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission and subsequent Apollo missions to the moon left scientific instruments on the satellite including a solar wind spectrometer, seismometer and laser reflector, all of which provided valuable information about the origin of the moon, earth and the solar system.

El Universal also said that microchips used in modern-day technology such as cellphones are “direct descendants” of the integrated circuits used in the Apollo Guidance Computer, which was installed on each Apollo spacecraft.

In addition, the newspaper noted that the biomedical system used to monitor astronauts’ vital signs on early space missions has been adopted by hospitals, adding that the first mission to the moon acted as a trigger for further study into space medicine.

The science council chief said that under the “globalized neoliberal capitalist system companies use scientists and their science, our science, and dictate what and what not to research . . . . This is what I call the advances of the hydra of science in disguise.”

Source: El Universal (sp)

Mayors at war over who owns the town of San Mateo Ixtacalco

By

MND Staff

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July 19, 2019

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Two México state mayors are at loggerheads over the ownership of a town but it’s unclear what the town itself thinks.

Since 1973, the year in which Cuatitlán Izcalli was granted municipal status, the town of San Mateo Ixtacalco has straddled that municipality and its neighbor, Cuatitlán.

But the mayor of the latter municipality, Ariel Juárez, is seeking to take possession of San Mateo Ixtacalco in its entirety and filed a claim to that end in the state Congress earlier this year.

But his counterpart in Cuatitlán Izcalli, Ricardo Núñez Ayala, has warned that he won’t give up the territory without a fight.

The two men, both of whom govern for Mexico’s ruling Morena party, will present their cases to the territorial limits commission of the state Congress.

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Juárez says that 80% of Ixtacalco’s territory is in Cuatitlán and that the remaining 20% should also come under that municipality’s administration.

But at a meeting of the Cuatitlán Izcalli council, councilors sent a clear message to the mayor of the neighboring municipality.

“We will not allow anyone to take territory from our municipality for their shady interests,” said Miguel Ángel Huesca.

Another councilor, Germán González García, said the dispute over ownership of the town comes up whenever there is a change of government.

However, he said that the boundaries between the two municipalities were clearly established in 1973 and that the mayor of Cuatitlán should respect them.

Mayor Núñez stressed that he will not enter in a “friendly” agreement with Juárez that would involve his municipality ceding territory for the reunification of San Mateo Ixtacalco, which has a population of about 15,000.

Municipal boundary disputes are common in México state, the country’s most populous.

At least half of the state’s 125 municipalities have experienced problems related to poorly defined city limits, according to a report in the newspaper El Heraldo de México.

Source: El Sol de Toluca (sp), El Heraldo de México (sp)