Buying Russian helicopters could bring sanctions, US warns

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February 14, 2020

To celebrate International Condom Day — strategically observed the day before Valentine’s — health officials and others handed out around 100,000 condoms on the Mexico City Metro on Thursday.

“Around six million people travel daily on the Mexico City Metro, which makes it an ideal space for the promotion of health within the reach of everyone,” said the Metro in a press release.

The distribution was organized in a joint effort by the city’s Secretariats of Health and Inclusion and Wellbeing, the Institute of Youth (Injuve), the Human Rights Commission and various private initiatives.

The Insurgentes Metro roundabout was host to various sexual health activities, such as workshops on how to use contraceptives, short educational films on HIV and talks about the stigmatization of people with the disease.

The day also marked the launch of an Injuve campaign titled “If you want to have sex, you must have condoms,” which aims to promote safe sex.

Injuve director Beatriz Olivares Pinal said that as part of the campaign the institute will distribute free erotic kits that include both male and female condoms, sex toys, spermicide and lubricants.

Olivares added that the institute’s Sexual Health Clinic offers fast and free screenings for HIV and syphilis. In 2019 Injuve carried out 3,756 screenings, of which 44 resulted positive for HIV and 19 came back positive for syphilis.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Amid sluggish growth, central bank lowers interest rate to 7%

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February 14, 2020

The central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter-point to 7% on Thursday, citing a weak economy and global uncertainty among other factors.

The five Bank of México (Banxico) board members voted unanimously to reduce the benchmark rate by 0.25%. It is the fifth consecutive time that the bank has lowered borrowing costs.

Greater slack in the economy, the current levels of inflation, the outlook for inflation and the recent behavior of external and domestic yield curves were taken into account in the decision to reduce the benchmark rate, Banxico said in a statement.

The cut came two weeks after the national statistics institute announced that GDP had contracted by 0.1% in 2019, the first decline since 2009, the year of the world financial crisis when GDP fell 5.3%.

The annual inflation rate rose to 3.24% in January but remains within the bank’s target range of 3% give or take a percentage point. However, the central bank said that it expects inflation to be “moderately above” the forecasts it published in its last quarterly report.

Banxico also said that the balance of risks for the global economy is skewed to the downside due to a range of factors of uncertainty, “including the effects of the recent outbreak of coronavirus.”

China, where the outbreak originated, is the world’s second largest economy and an important trade partner of Mexico.

Taking into account “the most recent information” about the state of the economy both in Mexico and globally, the Bank of México said that it expected domestic GDP growth in 2020 to be lower than the 0.8% to 1.8% range it forecast in its last quarterly report. Analysts consulted by the central bank have cut their outlook for this year to an average of 1% growth.

Bank of México Governor Alejandro Díaz de León confirmed in an interview with the newspaper El Financiero that the growth outlook for this year will be lowered in the next quarterly report, which will be published on February 26.

“Given the accumulated weakness [of the economy] and the most recent economic activity information, we anticipate that gross domestic product will grow at a slower pace than we predicted in the previous quarterly report,” he said.

Díaz de León declined to flag future interest rate cuts, stating that the bank board will continue to evaluate the prevailing economic conditions, including growth levels and inflation, and adjust rates accordingly.

For their part, analysts from the bank BBVA are forecasting a benchmark interest rate of 6% by August this year.

Alberto Ramos, chief Latin America economist at Goldman Sachs, said that he hoped that Banxico will continue to cut rates in the first half of 2020 due to the “persistent and weak” economic conditions, an “anchored” exchange rate and an inflation rate that remains within the target range.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

As hearts leap for Valentine’s, sales expected to follow suit

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February 13, 2020

Love isn’t the only thing in the air on Valentine’s Day in Mexico. The holiday also brings in quite a bit of money to a number of sectors of the economy.

Valentine’s Day is expected to generate more revenue than Three Kings’ Day this year, according to the National Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Concanaco Servytur).

The association foresees the day of romance generating over 22.8 billion pesos (US $1.2 billion) in revenue, a 3.2% increase over last year.

“This is one of the [most] important celebrations for the Mexican economy. It even surpasses the earnings generated on Three Kings’ Day, which this year were 17.5 billion pesos,” said association president José Manuel López Campos.

He said that the only holidays with higher economic impact are Mother’s Day, which generated 47 billion pesos in revenue last year, and Father’s Day, which brought in over 25 billion.

The association estimates that the average lovebird will spend between 300 and 3,000 pesos on a gift, although there are certainly those sweethearts who will spend quite a bit more.

As the holiday falls on a Friday this year, celebrations could extend into the weekend, bringing in more revenue for restaurants, recreational businesses and, of course, hotels.

Concanaco Servytur expects the hotel sector to see a 3.9% increase over last year. Cinemas, theaters, amusement parks and other recreational businesses should enjoy a 3.7% increase, while restaurants, cafés and alcoholic beverages should see a 3.6% increase and electronics a 3.1% jump.

“The sales of flowers, candies and chocolates also increase 2.8%, clothing and shoes, 2.7%, [and] jewelry, 2.4%,” said López.

The website Tiendeo.mx, which aggregates sales and product offerings, has seen marked spikes in searches for a number of products deemed essential for celebrating Cupid’s special day.

These include a 190% increase in searches for jewelry, 120% for chocolates and a 54% leap in searches for condoms.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Oaxaca artisans make their mark on new Louis Vuitton collection

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Leigh Thelmadatter

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February 13, 2020

A collection of travel trunks recently unveiled by famed French designer Louis Vuitton bear the distinctly fanciful imagery of artisans from Oaxaca communities.

For the collection, displayed during the Zona Maco art-and-design 2020 event in Mexico City, Vuitton engaged painters from the small town of San Martín Tilcajete to intervene by illustrating likenesses of the state’s signature animal figurines upon them.

Entitled The Colorful Journey LV, it included six trunks with different designs and a similarly decorated image of a classic VW Beetle. The purpose was to introduce a new line of products combining the French house’s well-known product with Mexican creativity, combining “the heritage and craftsmanship of two cultures,” according to a press release.

Louis Vuitton hired Natalia Herrera, director of Atelier Cultural in Mexico, to curate the project. Herrera states that she chose the studio due to its work and the social and economic impact the project can have on its young painters.

Waldo Hernández, the director of Taller Casa Don Juan, stated, “We are happy to participate in this venture. Not only has it been a great challenge to work with the materials, but … it is also an important opportunity to show the world our work. Emigration has diminished in our community thanks to projects like these …”

Because of the extreme detail involved in depicting the figures, each case takes about a month to paint.

Although there have been problems in recent years associated with the use of elements from traditional Mexican handcrafts and folk art by different designers, Vuitton assures that the artists’ collaboration will fall under “fair trade” and will follow Mexican law.

In a press release the company said, “Clients will work directly with craftsmen from Taller Casa Don Juan’s workshop …” under the project name of “Los Maestros Artesanos de Oaxaca de Juárez” (Master Craftsmen from Oaxaca de Juárez). “This project has been created under the highest parameters of respect and good practices in the federal copyright laws and the law for safeguarding knowledge, identity and culture of indigenous communities.”

Meanwhile, another workshop in Tilcajete put out a statement disassociating themselves from the collaboration. According to a statement issued on February 8 by artisans Jacobo and María Ángeles, “some people have confused the decoration used in these pieces with our work, [due to] a regrettable ‘coincidence’ [their quotes] in the use of patterns, colors and figures of our workshop published on their social media.”

Although the workshop stated that they do not hold Louis Vuitton responsible for the similarity, and are not opposed to collaborations in their community, they nonetheless asserted, “It is the responsibility of legal experts to analyze if there is a violation of any law related to copyright or intellectual property …”

The statement was covered on February 9 by the magazine México Desconocido, which questioned the appropriateness of the project, referring to past problems with designer Carolina Herrera and with Vuitton himself last year.

Louis Vuitton was questioned by the Secretariat of Culture of Mexico in July 2019, when embroidery on chairs by the designer bore a resemblance to patterns from Tenango de Doria, Hidalgo. The secretariat wanted to know if the company had an arrangement with artisans there, and although Vuitton stated that that was the case, the chairs were taken off the market anyway.

México Desconocido also covered a response by Casa Don Juan, which begins, “We do not plagiarize. We inherit!”

“You argue that our works look similar. … In effect, everyone in the town makes these rabbits, coyotes, jaguars and serpents because they are our animals. Who did it first? This we would have to ask our parents and grandparents.”

Although the Mexican press is calling the figures “alebrijes,” which is the more commonly used name, Louis Vuitton has opted to call them “tonas” and “nahuals,” explaining that they “… are the combination of two powerful animals connected to the day and year in which a person is born.”

Source: El Universal (sp)

US $604 million earmarked for upgrade of Mexican railways

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February 13, 2020

Kansas City Southern is looking for a 26% increase in speed this year.

Three railroad companies will invest US $604.7 million this year in areas including infrastructure, technology and new trains.

Grupo México, the parent company of both Ferromex – the largest rail freight firm in Mexico – and Ferrosur, has announced investment of $466.7 million.

The money will be mainly spent on maintenance, improving operational efficiency, track construction and upgrading locomotive operating systems.

Ferromex/Ferrosur planning director Alberto Vergara said that the Altamira terminal at the terminus of the railroad between Altamira, Tamaulipas, and Monterrey, Nuevo León, will be upgraded to allow it to handle greater volumes of freight.

He also said that tracks that currently run through urban areas of Monterrey will be diverted to lesser-populated areas to increase security. Freight trains are regularly targeted by thieves.

For its part, Kansas City Southern de México has announced spending of $128 million in 2020. The investment will primarily be used to increase the speed at which the company’s trains can run and improve security, said executive operations director David Eaton.

“This year will be the year of security and speed,” he said. “Security is an obligation, not an option.”

The United States-based railway company is aiming to increase the speed of its trains by 26% in order to reduce transport times for freight such as fuel, chemicals and auto parts.

Ferrovalle, a firm that operates in central Mexico, expects to spend about $10 million this year.

“In the specific case of Ferrovalle, the investment will be 190.5 million pesos divided in three areas: infrastructure, technology and [new] trains,” said operations director Conrado Muciño.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

Endemic rabbit threatened by weekend hordes of volcano gawkers

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February 13, 2020

The phantom mountain, as viewed from Mount Tláloc.

The massive influx of tourists to a México state national park each February to observe a phenomenon that involves a trio of volcanic peaks represents a threat to the habitat of the highly endangered volcano rabbit, says the Natural Protected Areas Commission (Conanp).

More than 3,500 people climbed Mount Tláloc in the Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatépetl National Park last weekend to view the phenomenon known as montaña fantasma (phantom mountain) in which for a period of just 15 minutes at sunrise, the Malinche volcano in Tlaxcala, the Pico de Orizaba volcano in Veracruz and the Sierra Negra volcano in Puebla appear to merge on the horizon to form one continuous mountain range.

The phenomenon, which only occurs for five days each year in February, marked the start of the new year in central Mexico in pre-Hispanic times.

Visitor numbers to watch the montaña fantasma phenomenon from the peak of Mount Tláloc began to grow in 2012 and exploded in 2017 due to growing awareness generated by social media, the newspaper Milenio reported.

After last weekend’s influx, Conanp said that the large number of visitors damaged alpine grasslands inhabited by the volcano rabbit, a species endemic to Mexico known also as the teporingo or zacatuche.

The teporingo, the world’s second smallest rabbit after the pygmy, was declared extinct last year in the vicinity of the Nevado de Toluca, a volcano in México state.

Conanp also said that shrubs such as the long-living juniper, known as enebro azul, were trampled on and even used by visitors to make bonfires.

Amado Fernández, director of the Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatépetl National Park, said that Mount Tláloc doesn’t have the necessary infrastructure to receive the thousands of visitors that flocked there last weekend. In fact, it is only equipped to welcome a maximum of 200 visitors per day.

Fernández said that more needs to be done to distribute visitors across the five days during which the montaña fantasma can be observed.

While more than 2,000 witnessed the phenomenon on Saturday morning and approximately 1,500 did the same on Sunday, just 15 people were on the peak of the mountain on Wednesday, the final day in which the three volcanos appear to merge.

“Unfortunately, all the promotion … is for the weekend; that’s the problem we have,” Fernández said.

“So the invitation is to try to enjoy the phenomenon when there are less people at the site. … The most important thing is to conserve the ecosystems and all the biodiversity,” he said.

Source: Milenio (sp)

For lack of staff, woman gives birth on sidewalk outside clinic

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February 13, 2020

A woman gives birth outside a health clinic in Aquila.

In what the state Secretariat of Health is calling a “fortuitous birth,” a woman from Aquila, Michoacán, was forced to deliver her child on the sidewalk outside the local government clinic due to an alleged lack of personnel on Wednesday.

Aurelia Ramírez Reyes had planned to have her daughter in the hospital in the town of Coalcomán, nearly four hours away, but the girl decided to come early.

When Aurelia’s water broke outside the Aquila clinic, she lay down on the sidewalk, where people from town helped. With their assistance, she gave birth on a towel and covered by a blanket, without any help from trained medical personnel.

The Michoacán Secretariat of Health (SSM) reported that Aurelia and her daughter were in stable condition.

It said that mother and child were going to be transferred to a hospital in the nearby town of Coahuayana to be examined by specialists and that the department is “carrying out internal investigations in order to avoid that these cases keep happening.”

The SSM also said that it will determine if there was any violation of established procedures on the part of the clinic’s staff.

“We have also taken steps to ensure that the Aquila Health Center has permanent doctors and nurses on staff,” it added.

Wednesday’s birth was the second such case in Michoacán this month. On February 2, Elvia Ascencio was forced to give birth without medical supervision in the waiting room of the General Hospital in Los Reyes.

The SSM called it a “spontaneous birth,” despite the woman being in the hospital awaiting medical attention.

Governor Silvano Aureoles Conejo announced an investigation into the incident, but no results have been released.

Source: La Silla Rota (sp)

‘Don’t shoot, I’m innocent,’ decals proclaim after cops kill wrong man

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February 13, 2020

The bumper sticker asks police not to shoot.

The family of an innocent man shot to death by Tamaulipas state police have put the mishap that killed him in the public eye with bumper stickers that declare the young man’s innocence.

“Accredited state police. Don’t shoot. I’m Daniel. Don’t kill me, I’m innocent,” read the stickers they handed out to the residents of Río Bravo after Juan Daniel Ortiz was killed on February 7.

The officers reportedly confused Juan Daniel, 23, with a suspect for whom they had been searching. He had gone out to buy beer for a family gathering when police opened fire on his truck near his parents’ home.

His parents, María Guadalupe and Diego Ortiz, said that their son was an exemplary young man. He had recently graduated from the Technological University of North Tamaulipas with a degree in engineering.

They appeared in a video posted to Twitter on February 9 in which they recounted the young man’s final moments, during which his father had called him and heard him pleading with police not to shoot him.

Engineering graduate Ortiz and the bullet-riddled vehicle in he was killed. — Engineering graduate Ortiz and the bullet-riddled vehicle in which he was killed.

“I got there and said to them, ‘My son is innocent, my son is innocent.’ But they continued to shoot at him and I didn’t get any closer because they were going to shoot me too. My son didn’t have weapons, he didn’t have anything, he was alone,” his father said through tears.

He and his wife claimed that the police tried to plant a gun on Juan Daniel in order to justify having shot an unarmed man.

Juan Daniel’s friends and family hope that the bumper sticker campaign will help prevent other such tragic incidents with police in the area. In addition to the stickers, they also encouraged people to write personalized messages with shoe polish on their windows.

“Baby on board. Don’t shoot. We’re a family, not criminals,” read one such message.

Tamaulipas Governor Francisco Cabeza de Vaca told reporters that the case is being investigated and said that those responsible for the innocent man’s death will not go unpunished.

“If there were errors, if there was excessive force, the law will be applied. The state Attorney General’s Office is carrying out investigations and there will be no restrictions on them … Any errors committed by authorities will have consequences,” he said.

Juan Daniel’s was the third case of an extrajudicial killing by Tamaulipas state police in less than a year. The Nuevo Laredo Human Rights Committee called out state police in September of last year for two incidents of alleged mistaken identity that led to the deaths of nine people.

Sources: El Universal (sp), Sin Embargo (sp)

Energy firm forays into electric auto manufacturing

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February 13, 2020