Tlapiani, the first telescope to be designed and built in Mexico

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April 22, 2019

For the first time in history, a telescope that is 100% Mexican in terms of design and construction will be used in major scientific studies and the observation of asteroids.

The construction of “Tlapiani,” which means guardian in Náhuatl, has been overseen by scientists at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL) in collaboration with researchers and students at the university, along with various businesses in the state.

Tlapiani is 90% complete, and scientists hope to finish the remaining work on the telescope by August in order to move it from the university to the Cerro el Picacho in Iturbide with the help of experts from the National Astronomical Observatory in Ensenada, Baja California.

Astrophysics and space science coordinator Eduardo Pérez Tijerina said scientists from several Russian universities will work closely with UANL scientists to monitor space debris, including asteroids, comets and meteoroids; 14,000 tonnes of space debris is estimated to enter Earth’s atmosphere every year.

The program coordinator said the telescope could also be used to observe other space objects, such as extrasolar planets. He added that researchers from Chinese academic institutions had also expressed interest in using Cerro el Picacho for space observation; the telescope’s new home is located 400 meters above sea level and is considered one of the best locations for the observation of extraplanetary objects due to the area’s climate and dependably clear nights.

Pérez Tijerina stressed that the new telescope is the first to be completely designed and built from start to finish in Mexico by Mexicans. Another important telescope in Mexico is the Alfonso Serrano Large Millimeter Telescope in Puebla, which is a binational collaboration between Mexico and the United States.

Upon completion, Tlapiani will join the ranks of other important space research and observation projects in Mexico, such as the San Pedro Martir Observatory in Baja California, the Guillermo Haro Astrophysical Observatory in Sonora and the Puebla telescope.

Source: La Jornada (sp)

Petroleum theft cartel leader arrested in Comonfort, Guanajuato

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César Hernández

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April 22, 2019

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A suspected leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel was arrested yesterday in Guanajuato by state and federal forces.

The state government said a search of two properties in Neutla, Comonfort, led to the arrest of Eliseo N., known also as “El Titi,” a 23-year-old believed to be a right-hand man to cartel boss José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, and two accomplices.

Police also found at least four bodies, along with 16 firearms, ammunition, a kilogram of marijuana, two packages of what is suspected to be cocaine, bulletproof vests, balaclavas, vehicles and a personal watercraft,

The arrest didn’t go without incident.

A gunfight ensued after several of the gangster’s accomplices attempted a rescue, but police repealed the attack, killing two of the aggressors and arresting a third.

El Titi is believed to have led cartel hitmen operating in Villagrán, Celaya, Salvatierra and Comonfort.

He is also thought to have led an attack on a Celaya police station a few days prior his arrest, in which a gangster was freed from custody.

The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel is believed to be behind much of the violence in Guanajuato.

Source: Milenio (sp), am (sp)

Canadian man stabbed to death in Progreso, Yucatán

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MND Staff

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April 22, 2019

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Part-time Progreso resident Bruce Allen, who was murdered on Friday.

A Canadian man was stabbed to death in Progreso, Yucatán, on Friday in what police have called a “crime of passion.”

Bruce Ivan Allen, 70, of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, was killed Friday morning inside his rented apartment in the Gulf coast port city.

He received multiple stab wounds to his chest and neck, according to social media posts by friends of the victim.

A Mexican man known by the nickname “El Pelón” (Baldy) was arrested in connection with the murder.

Police said nothing was stolen from Allen’s apartment and that he was found naked on a bed.

Herman Savoie, Allen’s partner of 38 years, found the body and alerted police.

The suspected murderer allegedly stayed with the deceased man the night before the attack, which is believed to have followed a heated argument.

According to media reports, Allen and Savoie had spent the winter in Progreso for several years and were well known in the community, especially in a restaurant district popular with foreigners.

A woman who said that she was the lawyer of the deceased denied the police version of events in a social media post on Saturday.

“Our friends [Allen and Savoie] were the victims of a thwarted robbery by a man who decided to take the life of another. This is the correct version [of events] and not the versions that are circulating on social networks. I am Bruce’s lawyer, rest in peace . . . Herman, I assure you that the bastard who committed this despicable crime will pay for what he did,” she wrote.

The online newspaper Progreso Hoy said it has received emails from Canadian residents of Progreso stating they have been victims of a range of crimes including assaults, robbery and fraud and that municipal and state authorities provide little assistance or security to the city’s large foreign community.

But another said in a Facebook post that Progreso was “very safe.”

Canadian Reg Deneau said, “. . . this type of occurrence is highly unusual in the local community.”

Source: Progreso Hoy (sp), ChronicleHerald (en)

Vehicles left stranded on Sonora beach after surprise high tide

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Madison Koen

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April 22, 2019

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Saturday's sudden high tide in Puerto Peñasco.

Dozens of vacationers were surprised on Saturday afternoon by a rare high tide that quickly left at least 20 vehicles in the water — some more than half submerged — at La Cholla beach in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora.

The vehicles had been parked on the beach several meters away from the water but were suddenly flooded by the incoming tide.

Beachgoers were left scrambling to rescue their vehicles, along with beach paraphernalia and other belongings.

Hours later the tide finally went out and several motorists were able to successfully drive their vehicles up and away from the beach, while others had to be towed.

A video of the incident on social media drew comments from residents that sudden high tides occur frequently and without warning in the area, often rising dramatically in less than an hour.

Marea viva en playa de Sonora

Watch this video on YouTube

Civil Protection officials said the sudden high tide was caused by strong seasonal winds.

Source: El Imparcial (sp), Sin Embargo (sp)

First quarter sets new homicide record; numbers are up 10% over last year

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MND Staff

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April 22, 2019

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Mexico has recorded its most violent first quarter in recent history: there were 7,242 homicide cases reported between January and March, an increase of almost 10% compared to the same period last year.

The National Public Security System (SNSP) said there were 8,493 victims, up 9.6% over last year.

In March, 2,410 new homicide cases were reported, a figure that equates to 77 cases a day or more than three per hour. There were 2,455 murder cases in January and 2,377 in February.

The figures for the first three months of the year represent increases of 13%, 15% and 1.9% respectively compared to January, February and March of 2018.

The SNSP data contradicts claims by President López Obrador that his government has “controlled” violence since taking office last December.

crime increases in mexico — Figures in blue are percent increases over last year for (starting from top) kidnapping, extortion, street robbery, femicide, drug trafficking and intentional homicide. milenio

Guanajuato – where the Santa Rosa de Lima fuel theft cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) are involved in a vicious turf war – continues to be the most violent state in the country, with 947 murders reported in the first quarter of 2019.

México state was next, with 769 homicides, followed by Jalisco, Baja California, Chihuahua, Guerrero and Michoacán.

Colima recorded the highest per-capita murder rate, with 7.5 homicides per 100,000 residents followed by Guanajuato, Chihuahua and Baja California, all of which registered a rate of 5.2.

The number of femicide cases reported increased by 15% to 227, while kidnappings and extortion surged by 59% and 51% respectively.

At his morning press conference today, López Obrador predicted that insecurity will decrease in six months because by then the government will have implemented all of its proposed social programs and created the National Guard.

“I believe that all of the programs will be operating in six months, that’s the most important thing. The other action, don’t forget, is that the National Guard will be established . . .” he said.

Speaking in the port city of Veracruz, the president said he deeply regretted the deaths of 14 people who were shot dead in Minatitlán on Friday night and pledged that his government will “guarantee peace” in the state.

López Obrador will today chair a meeting to discuss and coordinate security strategies in the Gulf coast state, which has seen an increase in cartel violence since Governor Cuitláhuac García took office on December 1.

Source: Milenio (sp), ADN Político (sp)

Dog lover’s project installs feeding stations in Oaxaca city

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MND Staff

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April 21, 2019

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The collective and one of their Oaxaca dog feeders.

A love for dogs inspired a young man to pursue a project in Oaxaca city to ensure that animals living on the street have something to eat and drink.

Jonathan Tonatiuh Hernández Eslava, a 24-year-old México state native, paints and installs PVC tubing which functions as feeding stations for street dogs and other domestic animals that don’t have a home.

Two other people contribute to the project which Hernández called Tetheo, a variation of a Náhuatl word that means universe.

The activist told the newspaper El Universal that the idea for his project came after seeing dogs eating garbage and drinking from puddles in the street.

“You grow up in a social paradigm in which it’s normal, that it should be that way, not just for animals but also for people who live on the street,” he said.

“We need to learn the value of life . . . We want to create awareness . . . and a culture of helping animals.”

Hernández and the two other members of his team initially asked municipal authorities for permission to go ahead with their project but even though they got a negative response, they proceeded all the same.

Their first feeder, which was made out of a large water bottle and another plastic container, was placed outside a Oaxaca church last September.

However, it didn’t last long: a parish priest threw it away and was captured on video in the act, drawing the ire of animal rights activists who saw the footage on social media.

After that, Hernández decided to take a different approach by using PVC pipes to make the feeding stations and affixing them to posts.

There are now four brightly colored feeders adorning the streets of Oaxaca city and, according to Hernández, they have been largely accepted by residents because they help to beautify the city.

Each hand-painted pipe features the Náhuatl word for food or water depending on what its feeder section contains as well as a poem in the indigenous language.

Hernández said that promoting indigenous identity and culture is another important aspect of his project.

To ensure there is enough money to buy food and keep the feeders filled, the Tetheo collective carries out fundraising initiatives such as raffles. Locals have also donated money and dog food to the cause.

In the future, Hernández hopes that his project will grow with the assistance of other people who want to improve the lives of street dogs.

“The collective’s intention is for the project to expand to all of Oaxaca . . . The idea is that little by little people will get to know the project and join the initiative by helping us to fill the containers or installing one in their neighborhood.”

Source: El Universal (sp)

Spanish hotelier to invest US $250 million in Riviera Maya project

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César Hernández

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April 21, 2019

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The Barceló complex on the Riviera Maya where the new hotel and convention center will be built.

The Spanish hotelier Barceló Group will invest over US $250 million in a new resort and convention center in the Riviera Maya of Quintana Roo.

To be called Barceló Maya Riviera, the new all-inclusive and adults-only resort will have 850 rooms, all of which will have hot tubs on their balconies.

Five hundred of the rooms will have a sea view and 110 will be swim-up or junior suites. Five restaurants, five bars and four pools will also be part of the facility.

The project includes a 21,000-square-meter area dedicated to business tourism and a convention center that will accommodate up to 8,000 people. It will be set at the Barceló Maya Grand Resort,

With 22 hotels and 8,156 rooms in its portfolio, Barceló Group is the third largest hotel chain in Mexico.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Temporary migrant employment program begins in Chiapas

By

Madison Koen

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April 21, 2019

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Migrants wait to see immigration agents in Mapastepec.

The National Immigration Institute (INM) said registration began Friday for a temporary employment program for migrants, an initiative of the federal department of Social Wellbeing.

Federal authorities said there are currently 5,365 migrants in Chiapas in refugee camps, waiting for special permission from the Mexican government to stay in the country or continue their journey north to the United States.

The INM said it is overseeing the distribution of medical care, food, water, basic products for children and infants.

Immigration authorities said 1,100 migrants are camped in Ciudad Hidalgo, where the agency serves 3,300 food rations every day. In Tapachula, 1,527 migrants awaiting deportation are given 4,500 food rations, while in Mapastepec, federal authorities continue to provide humanitarian aid to the 650 asylum seekers who remain at the refugee camp.

On Friday afternoon, the INM detained more than 200 Central American migrants in Mapastepec as they stopped to rest and wait for a larger caravan of migrants. Those that managed to evade capture continued towards Pijijian, where they hoped to find temporary shelter and rest.

As the numbers of migrants entering Mexico’s southern border spiked dramatically in recent months, so have deportations by the INM, though Mexican immigration authorities denied that the increase in migrant detentions has been due to pressure by the United States.

As the migrant numbers have increased, the welcome they have received has been cooler.

One Mapastepec resident who said she helped provide food for migrant caravans last year told Reuters that migrants “are pouring on to the land” and regularly ask residents for money, rejecting offers of food.

A recent poll of close to 500 adults by the Center of Public Opinion at the University of the Valley of Mexico (UVM) found that 83% believed that migrants could cause problems for Mexico, and 62% said that they believed Mexico should be tougher on them.

Source: Milenio (sp), Reuters (en)

Pipeline taps up 10% in February; Hidalgo leads with 994 of them

By

MND Staff

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April 21, 2019

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Illegal taps on petroleum pipelines increased in both January and February compared to the same months last year despite the federal government’s crackdown on fuel theft.

The state oil company reported that 1,342 new pipeline perforations were detected in February, an increase of 9.6% over the same month in 2018.

In January, a month when the federal government was implementing an anti-fuel theft strategy that caused widespread gasoline shortages, there were 1,519 new pipeline taps detected, a 45% increase compared to a year earlier.

Hidalgo, where more than 100 people were killed in January by an explosion at a tapped pipeline, recorded the highest incidence of the crime in both months.

There were 994 illegal taps in the state in the two-month period, or just under 35% of the total number that was detected across the country.

México state recorded the second highest number of perforations, with 340, followed by Guanajuato with 287.

Three weeks after he took office on December 1, President López Obrador began implementing a strategy aimed at combating high levels of fuel theft, a crime that costs Pemex billions of pesos a year.

The strategy included the closure of several major pipelines and the deployment of the military and Federal Police to protect fuel infrastructure.

With pipelines closed, Pemex was forced to make greater use of tanker trucks to transport fuel, a situation that was blamed for causing prolonged gasoline shortages that affected more than 10 states.

López Obrador proclaimed the strategy a success, stating on February 21 that fuel theft had been slashed by more than 90% since November.

In a report to mark his first 100 days in office, the president said on March 11 that his government’s crackdown on the crime would generate savings of 50 billion pesos (US $2.6 billion) this year.

Earlier this month, López Obrador said that fuel theft had been reduced to an average of 5,000 barrels per day compared to an average of 56,000 barrels a day in 2018.

“The average in January of this year was 18,000 [barrels stolen]. In February: 9,000. In March: 8,000. So far in April, the daily average is 5,000 barrels a day,” the president told reporters on April 10.

The government’s claims that fuel theft has been significantly reduced appear incongruent with the new Pemex statistics on illegal taps in January and February, although a higher number of perforations doesn’t necessarily mean that greater quantities of gasoline were stolen.

The López Obrador administration is currently facing increased scrutiny of the data it presents to tout its successes since taking office almost five months ago.

The accuracy of the government’s daily homicide statistics has been questioned, and the president’s claim this week that job growth figures for the first quarter of 2019 were the best in 10 years was exposed as false.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Fuel theft cartel issues second threat against AMLO

By

Madison Koen

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April 21, 2019

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El Marro, left, has issued another threat against AMLO. — El Marro, left, has issued a new threat against the president.

For the second time this year, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel has issued a threat to President López Obrador to halt the fight against fuel theft and crime in Guanajuato.

But this time, the message was more personal.

The narco banner appeared Friday hanging from a pedestrian overpass in Celaya, Guanajuato. In the signed message, cartel boss José Antonio “El Marro” Yépez included a personal threat against the president’s life.

“If you continue to sentence innocent police officers, next time I will deliver the gift I sent to the refinery directly to Cuitláhuac #90 in the Toriello Guerra neighborhood on Tlalpan avenue,” listing the address where the president lives with his wife and youngest son.

The “gift” mentioned in the threat refers to a van stuffed with explosives that was parked in front of the oil refinery in Salamanca on January 31, together with a signed message that warned the president to withdraw federal forces from the state or innocent people would die.

The most recent narcomanta also made reference to a confrontation between police and gangsters on Thursday after the gang attempted to free suspected plaza boss Armando Soto González from a Celaya police station. Soto, another prisoner and a judge were killed.

The banner said “for every one of my people you take down, two of yours are going to pay.” It was signed, “Yours sincerely, Señor Marro.”

Yépez’s fuel theft gang is believed to be behind much of the violence that made Guanajuato Mexico’s most violent state in 2018, especially in areas where it is engaged in a turf war with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Source: Infobae (sp)