An attack on a municipal police station turned into soldiers, National Guard members and state police chasing down and killing 11 alleged criminals. (Fuerza Civil Nuevo León)
A shootout on Wednesday in the northern state of Nuevo León left at least 11 suspected gang members dead, according to state authorities.
Army, National Guard and state police agents were summoned before dawn to the municipality of General Terán after suspects fired upon municipal police headquarters.
According to the newspaper Infobae, the local police chief, Felipe Barush, said his men were able to repel the attack which occurred around 4:30 a.m., with no casualties reported.
The gunmen fled northeast in a white pick-up truck on federal highway 35 in the direction of the municipality of China, perhaps trying to draw the police into an ambush. The attackers apparently tossed spike strips along the highway behind them with at least one tractor-trailer seen along the side of the road with punctured tires.
Soldiers and National Guard members, joined by state police officials, soon gave chase. The authorities expanded their search to the neighboring municipalities of Los Herreras and Cerralvo, eventually coming upon a suspect in the municipality of Los Ramones, about 40 kilometers north of General Terán.
The man — dressed in fatigues and tactical gear, and carrying an automatic weapon — was arrested. Assuming the suspect was a lookout, the authorities remained on the alert and soon thereafter detected a convoy of eight vehicles approaching from Cerralvo further north.
Multiple helicopters provided authorities with air support the incident, which occurred roughly 50 km southeast of Monterrey. (Portal Tamaulipas/X)
The authorities — supported by four military helicopters — quickly took up pursuit and the shootout ensued.
According to the online news site Aristegui Noticias, the after-action report indicated that 11 gunmen had been killed while no soldiers or policemen were wounded.
The authorities also confiscated 11 automatic weapons, several ammunition clips, tactical gear and communication devices. Six vehicles — one of which was burned out — were also impounded.
Soldiers and police continued to patrol the area, declaring the situation under control at around 8 p.m. Wednesday night.
La realidad superó a la ficción. No es la escena de una película, sino de la narcoguerra ayer entre Fuerza Civil y el Cártel del Noreste #CDN, en límites de General Terán y Los Ramones, Nuevo León. 📸 Especial pic.twitter.com/HmtWfnZ6uJ
A scene from the Wednesday shootout in Nuevo León.
Security experts cited by Infobae said the suspects likely were part of a drug cartel whose primary operations are in a different state. The after-action report also hinted that the suspects were “linked to a criminal cell,” but no crime gang was identified by name.
A document outlining the security strategy that Claudia Sheinbaum will carry out during the first 100 days after taking office on Oct. 1 identifies the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cartel of the Northeast as criminal organizations that operate in and around Nuevo León.
The morning micro-quakes were intense enough that some residents evacuated to the street. (via Excelsior)
A series of nine small tremors rattled Mexico City starting early Thursday morning, worrying residents and rupturing a pipe in the Benito Juárez borough.
Five small earthquakes shook the northwestern portion of the city before dawn Thursday. Officials reported that the “microseisms” — faint earth tremors — caused no damage.
A sixth micro-quake was felt at 10:26 a.m., unnerving residents of the capital who are all too familiar with traumatic September earthquakes. It was followed by smaller tremors at 11:41 a.m. and 11:50 a.m. The newspaper Excelsior reported that the quakes broke a pipe in a building in the Nápoles neighborhood of Benito Juárez borough, flooding the building.
Then at 1:03 p.m., a 5.2-magnitude earthquake with its epicenter in Guerrero set off a national seismic alert. The Mexican Seismic Alert System reported alerts in Chilpancingo and Acapulco, Guerrero, as well as in Cuernavaca, Morelos, and Morelia, Michoacán. No alert was reported for Mexico City, though some CDMX residents reported hearing sirens and receiving phone alerts.
Mexico’s National Seismological Service (SSN) reported that the epicenter of Mexico City’s five early morning micro-quakes — ranging from magnitude 1.0 to 2.9 on the Richter scale — was in the borough of Miguel Hidalgo.
SISMO Magnitud 5.2 Loc 40 km al SUR de CD ALTAMIRANO, GRO 26/09/24 13:03:02 Lat 18.01 Lon -100.57 Pf 15 km pic.twitter.com/sbdYbziZw5
After a morning of micro-quakes, a 5.3-magnitude quake in Guerrero set off alarms in some areas of Mexico City.
The shaking of the fourth and strongest of these tremors at 12:39 a.m. was felt in the neighboring boroughs of Álvaro Obregón, Benito Juárez and Cuauhtémoc, according to Animal Político, an online news site.
The sixth and seventh micro-quakes — measuring magnitude 2.4 and 2.2 — were centered in the Benito Juárez borough, causing some concern about the increasing frequency of these tremors. The eighth micro-quake, magnitude 1.5, was centered in the Álvaro Obregón borough. The Miguel Hidalgo borough was the center of a ninth micro-quake of magnitude 1.4 just after 2:30 p.m.
According to the SSN website, the six tremors in Mexico City were very shallow — roughly 1 kilometer beneath the surface of the earth — a factor explaining the low magnitude of the quakes.
A government bulletin issued in January explained that earthquakes originating less than 10 kilometers below the earth’s surface are typically of short duration, and usually of very low magnitude, rarely exceeding 4.0 and generally not even reaching 3.0. According to the SSN, these tremors are perceived only by the population within a radius of 2 or 3 kilometers.
Experts say that shallow earthquakes like those in Mexico City today typically have a low magnitude and are only felt near the epicenter. (Shutterstock)
The Mexico City microseisms are primarily due to friction produced by geological fault lines and the resulting dissipation of energy occurs over a very short and localized period of time, producing a sensation like a jump.
According to Pedro Vera Sánchez, a geologist at the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), the result is “a very short and intense shake, due to the shallow depth, but also due to the short duration of the event, since in the end, the seismic waves released dissipate in this small space.”
The bulletin was produced after nearly 60 micro-quakes occurred in Mexico City last year, including a Dec. 12, 2023, tremor in Benito Juárez that caused structural damage to several buildings.
According to a December 2023 report published by Monterrey Tech, the size of faults generally governs the length of earthquakes and since the faults in Mexico City are relatively minor, the tremors will be minimal.
This notwithstanding, Thursday’s seismic activity still spooked many residents familiar with Mexico City’s history of destructive earthquakes in September. The magnitude 8.0 earthquake on Sept. 19, 1985 (and a large magnitude 7.5 aftershock the following day) killed an estimated 10,000 people and a 7.1 magnitude quake on Sept. 19, 2017, claimed 370 victims.
Thursday’s phenomena came just one week after those tragic anniversaries, anniversaries that are commemorated annually on Sept. 19 by a national earthquake drill.
Hurricane Helene left flooded streets and downed trees in Cancún, causing havoc but no tragedies. The Category 1 hurricane has now left the Yucatán but is leaving a parting gift of heavy rains throughout the Peninsula Thursday. (Chrono Breaker/X)
Hurricane Helene, which made landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula as a Category 1 hurricane, has moved away from the region and is now heading to Florida’s Gulf Coast. However, weather authorities predict that heavy rain may continue to fall in the Yucatán for the next two days.
In the past week, Mexico has seen two hurricanes on two of its coasts — John on the Pacific coast and Helene on the Atlantic coast.
A user on the social media platform X recorded Helene in Cancún as it bore down on the Yucatán Peninsula as a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday night.
Although the overall impact of Helene on the Yucatán Peninsula was mild, its passage left fallen trees, flooded streets, power outages and canceled flights in its wake.
Helene, the fifth cyclone of 2024’s Atlantic hurricane season, brought heavy rains to the state of Yucatán from Tuesday night through Wednesday morning. In the state capital of Mérida, authorities reported an accumulated rainfall of 42.93 millimeters. The state’s Civil Protection reported high waves, strong winds and heavy-to-torrential rain in several parts of the state.
Nowhere in Yucatán were there any reports of citizens being transferred to temporary shelters, but schools in eight municipalities were closed on Wednesday as a precaution.
In the adjoining state of Quintana Roo, Cancún bore the brunt of Helene, with authorities reporting stranded vehicles due to flooding in and around the downtown, including in Punta Cancún. Several thoroughfares, including Avenida Chichén Itzá, Avenida Bonampak and Avenida Donceles also saw flooding, and fallen trees were reported on Palenque, Chichén Itzá, Leona Vicario and Las Torres avenues.
Benito Juárez, the municipality where Cancún is located, was on red alert throughout Wednesday, as were the municipalities of Lazaro Cardenas, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and Puerto Morelos. Helen forced the shutdown of public transportation and taxi service, and most restaurants were closed. In Cancún’s hotel zone, guests were advised to shelter in place.
Helene also affected flights on the Yucatán Peninsula. According to the newspaper La Jornada Maya, Mexican airport operator Grupo Aeropuertos del Sureste (ASUR), owners of Cancún International Airport and Mérida International Airport, reported 97 canceled flights and 75 delayed ones.
Navy emergency crews help remove downed trees, which caused residents in affected parts of Quintana Roo to be without power Wednesday. (Defense Ministry)
On Wednesday, the Maya Train suspended its operations on its Quintana Roo routes, but by Thursday morning, authorities reported finding no damage on the train’s railway system and resumed operations with all routes functioning on their regular schedules.
Local media in Quintana Roo were reporting by Thursday morning that most regular activities had resumed, except for some schools that remained closed for repairs caused by Helene. However, the remnants of the storm remain: the National Meteorological Service has predicted heavy rains Thursday for all three states on the Yucatán Peninsula.
Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Helene is heading towards the Florida Gulf Coast and is expected to bring potentially devastating storm surges, strong winds and heavy rains as it intensifies to at least a Category 3 hurricane.
What can Mexicans expect from the new President when it comes to sustainability and environmental policies? (Gobierno de CDMX/Cuartoscuro)
More than three months have passed since Mexicans elected not only their first female president but also the head of state with the most formal background in climate change and environmental sciences out of all current world leaders. Claudia Sheinbaum, who is an energy engineer by training and served as the Environmental Secretary of Mexico City from 2000 until 2006, will be sworn in as president on Oct. 1. But what can the world expect when it comes to Sheinbaum’s green policies, and will she live up to her billing as an environmentalist?
After pursuing her career in Physics and a master’s degree in Energy Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), she moved to California to work on her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, where she focused on analyzing energy consumption in Mexico’s construction and transportation sector.
Sheinbaum’s green credentials have been oft-touted by supporters, but what has she actually promised to do about Mexico’s desperate water situation? (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
The 61-year-old Mexico City native has published on the energy transition and greenhouse gas emissions and has co-authored a Nobel Peace Prize-winning report on the mitigation of climate change.
Mexico City’s air quality is infamously poor, but many other areas of the country struggle equally with smog. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
“We found out that mobility, air quality, waste management, energy sovereignty and water conservation are the most important issues,” he added.
According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), Sheinbaum’s energy agenda closely aligns with the policies of AMLO. She aims to maintain the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and Pemex as the primary source of Mexico’s energy and enhance its capacity to generate electricity, particularly from renewable resources.
In addition, she promised to decarbonize the energy grid and take advantage of coking plants to leave fuel oil behind and for CFE to generate 54% of the country’s electricity. If she follows through on advancing a low and just carbon transition, an analysis by the WRI that Mexico could see the creation of around 763,000 jobs and a 1.6% rise in GDP.
Álvarez-Icaza pointed out that as part of Sheinbaum’s energy transition strategy, the president-elect has invited the private sector to participate actively in renewable energy projects.
Mexico City has long struggled to ensure a consistent water supply. President-elect Sheinbaum is advocating a collaborative approach from not only the city but also surrounding regions in order to ensure that these problems are dealt with. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
“Her administration aims to build infrastructure for electric vehicles, including charging stations and advance the use of critical minerals like lithium under state control,” he said.
During her presidential campaign, Sheinbaum proposed building photovoltaic, wind, hydraulic, geothermal, and green hydrogen plants as well as promoting solar panels in homes and businesses.
In terms of water-related issues, the president-elect’s plans contemplate changes in the National Water Law, reviewing the real use of water concessions and promoting the modernization of agricultural irrigation, as well as increasing the infrastructure of water supply and wastewater treatment.
Asked about Sheinbaum’s plans to combat Mexico City’s ongoing water issues, Álvarez-Icaza stressed that the president-elect emphasizes regional coordination between all the states that make up the capital’s megalopolis, supported by public policy to pursue objectives like protecting the forests around Mexico City and the Valley of Mexico’s aquifer.
“With the collaboration of the region’s governments, she’ll be able to make a singular effort to address the water issue in Mexico City and the country,” the environmental expert said.
Disputes, challenges and opportunities
Given her close alignment with López Obrador, some experts believe Sheinbaum will continue the outgoing president’s environmental policies.
The López Obrador presidency has been characterized by heavy investment in oil and gas production. (Pemex/X)
Pacific Council on International Policy president and CEO Duncan Wood thinks this course would harm Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena, who was recently named the new environmental and natural resources minister and may struggle to fulfill the president-elect’s environmental pledges.
“Sheinbaum will also face many hot-button issues left over from the previous administration that she won’t give the attention to environmental concerns,” Wood told Mexico News Daily.
The expert on supply chain policy, energy transition, Mexican politics and North American relations believes that Sheinbaum will continue her predecessor’s policies and stay true to AMLO’s commitment to oil and gas production rather than prioritizing the clean energy transition.
“Pemex is in big trouble…it needs to address its debt situation and its overall liabilities that were from 100 billion to 240 billion; the company has been effectively bankrupted and the only reason it is continuing to borrow money is due to the fact it’s a state entity,” he noted.
As a result, he believes despite Sheinbaum’s experience, Mexico must adopt U.S. ESG and CSR standards for the president-elect’s cabinet to succeed, especially in energy efficiency.
Wood also stated that during the first years of Sheinbaum’s presidency, she may allow Pemex to enter joint ventures to the private sector including companies from Mexico, China and Russia that “would raise eyebrows in Washington.”
Originally from Texas, Nancy Moya has two degrees from New Mexico State University and the University of Texas at El Paso. With 15 years of experience in print and broadcast journalism, she’s worked with well-known outlets like Univision, The Associated Press, El Diario de El Paso, Mexico’s Norteamérica and Mundo Ejecutivo, Germany’s Deutsche Welle and the Spanish-language El Ibérico of London, among others.
Hurricane John made landfall as a Category 3 storm on Monday in Guerrero, but after moving back out to the Pacific, is now approaching Mexico's coast again on Thursday. (Germán Martínez Santoyo, Conagua/X)
After battering the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca earlier this week, Tropical Storm John strengthened back into a hurricane early Thursday after drifting out over the Pacific a day earlier.
John is now poised to slam into the Mexican mainland again, threatening communities along the Pacific coast after causing floods and landslides that killed at least five people.
As of Thursday morning, the national weather agency expects Hurricane John to make landfall later in the day near Manzanillo, Colima. (SMN)
A U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) advisory published at 9 a.m. CST (and updated at 12 p.m.) cautioned that “Hurricane John is producing catastrophic life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides over portions of southern Mexico.”
The NHC forecast John’s center will approach and move along the coast of southwestern Mexico and head inland later Thursday.
As of Thursday morning at 10 a.m., Mexico’s national weather agency (SMN) forecast Hurricane John will make landfall between Aquila, Michoacán and Tecomán, Colima (60 km south of Manzanillo, Colima) by Thursday night or early Friday morning.
There is a hurricane warning in effect from Tecpan de Galeana, Guerrero to Punta San Telmo, Michoacán, and a hurricane watch in effect from west of Punta San Telmo to Manzanillo.
#John has reformed off the coast of Mexico and is likely to restrengthen before making another landfall over Mexico, this time further up along the eastern Pacific coastline toward Manzanillo. pic.twitter.com/d2vBKsw6Cx
Maximum sustained winds were reported to be hovering near 120 km/h with higher gusts. The NHC bulletin said “hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 10 miles (20 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km).”
The NHC said John is expected to strengthen until the center moves along the coast or inland, a situation that should cause the storm to weaken to a tropical depression some time Friday, though it will continue drenching the Pacific coast through Saturday.
The strength and breadth of John has been producing heavy rains all along the Pacific Coast. An early morning bulletin issued by the SMN forecast extraordinarily heavy rains for Guerrero and Oaxaca (more than 250 mm), torrential rains in western Chiapas (150-250 mm) and intense rains in Michoacán (75-150 mm).
The SMN said the storm’s impact would also be felt in Puebla and Veracruz (75-150 mm) as well as in Mexico City, México state and Morelos (50-75 mm).
Acapulco has experienced flooding this week caused by Hurricane John. (Cuartoscuro)
After coming ashore in Guerrero as a Category 3 hurricane on Monday night, John weakened to a tropical storm and lingered in the coastal mountains, impacting major cargo ports and shutting local airports. Reuters reported that John also cut power to tens of thousands and littered roadways with uprooted trees and fallen electricity posts.
Meanwhile, the Yucatán Peninsula in southeastern Mexico, saw Helene — a Category 2 hurricane — dump rain on the states of Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatán.
Helene is now moving away from the Mexican coast as it heads north towards the U.S. Gulf Coast, where it is anticipated to make landfall in Florida on Thursday night.
"The Empire Strips Back" brings to life the teenage fantasies of the 1970s. The show is now touring in Mexico City. (All images courtesy of The Empire Strips Back)
Travelers from around the world flock to Mexico City to soak in a cultural legacy that both predates and transcends the Spanish conquest. From the ramparts of Chapultepec Castle to the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacán to high-priced sushi in Polanco, this city truly has it all. But seriously, can any of those attractions compete with Darth Vader and her evil cleavage?
The global phenomenon “The Empire Strips Back” has landed in CDMX after conquering Paris, San Francisco, Sydney and other cities far, far away. Yet, the crowd at El Foro 1869 on Sept. 12 seemed more than ready to battle the dark side with… well, the dark side. The only “force” on display was the struggle to hold back laughter and cheers.
Princess Leia and Jabba the Hutt remain just as scantily-clad as they were in “Return of the Jedi.”
Burlesque never claimed to be highbrow. Almost by definition, it’s a spectacle designed for hooting and hilarity more than titillation. Dating back to the 17th century, this art form has surged and receded throughout history, notably flaring up in the United States on the eve of the Civil War. Perhaps a few more tassels might have kept the North and South from four years of bloodshed.
Despite the show’s title, this isn’t a strip show in the tawdry sense. It’s more like a journey through your favorite Star Wars characters, bringing to life the teenage boy fantasies of the ’70s. Yet the screams from the women in the crowd were louder than the men’s. Think of it as Geeky Date Night… with G-strings.
In recent years, other shows have embraced clever juxtapositions with a touch of saucy dancing. Major cities have been enchanted by burlesque versions of zombies, Marvel characters, Harry Potter and even the sacred Wizard of Oz. And let’s be real — who’s sexier: Dorothy or the Wicked Witch of the West? The latter, of course. And so it goes with “Empire.”
The current show keeps the tradition of cheesecake and grinding while staying within the bounds of legality. And who could argue with Princess Leia soaping up a spaceship, Chewbacca and Han Solo raising the roof with a little help from Run DMC or Obi-Wan Kenobi wielding a lightsaber in a decidedly less-than-deadly manner?
“The Empire Strips Back” has performed across the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Keeping the ball rolling is a master of ceremonies who starts as an Imperial general and ends as a Jedi pilot, cracking wise jokes between numbers. As the beer and tequila flow, the crowd’s interactions with him become increasingly… galactic.
The show-stopping number is, naturally, Darth Vader and her sensual stormtroopers — The only men in the show are Han Solo and, presumably, Chewbacca. It’s during this act that you realize the regalia is as much a star as the dancers, if not more so.
The costuming is cleverly skimpy. With realistic replicas of trooper masks, all it takes are strategically placed plastic patches on arms and thighs to recreate the iconic white armor. And with a spot-on helmet, Darth Vader’s most formidable weapon is, of course, her legs.
The choreography is reminiscent of “Flashdance” or “Magic Mike” in its simplicity. Again, this is burlesque, not the national ballet. It’s hard to tell who might be a professionally trained dancer — but who cares? The roars of approval erupt from the seats the moment a character is recognized.
One can only wonder what George Lucas would think of this latest incarnation of his 1977 masterpiece. Given his genius for marketing action figures and other toys, it’s hard to imagine he’d be surprised. There have been animated shows, novelizations, shows on ice and more. Maybe burlesque is the final — and fitting — installment.
“The Empire Strips Back” runs through Oct. 27 at El Foro 1869.
Jimmy Monack is a teacher, photographer and award-winning writer. He profiles interesting people all around the world as well as writing about and photographing rock concerts. He lives in Mexico City. www.jimmymonack.com
Mexicans from around the country held protests at various government buildings in Mexico City, to mark the 10th anniversary of what is known as the "Ayotzinapa 43" missing persons' case — which has never been conclusively solved. Multiple investigations in the last decade, however, have implicated politicians, criminal groups and the Army. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
Demonstrators marked the 10th anniversary of Mexico’s Ayotzinapa 43 kidnappings and massacre with multipronged protests across Mexico City this week, which included throwing firecrackers in the Senate courtyard and spray-painting the building in response to a constitutional reform vote to place the National Guard under control of the Defense Ministry.
While the kidnappings on Sept. 26, 2014, of 43 male teaching students in Iguala, Guerrero, has never been solved to nearly anyone’s satisfaction, some investigations have alleged that members of Mexico’s military were involved at some point.
Demonstrators protesting the 10th anniversary of the Ayotzinapa 43 kidnapping case without resolution protesting outside the Interior Ministry offices in Mexico City on Monday. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
The 43 kidnapped students at the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College in the state of Guerrero, had commandeered three public buses for transportation to a demonstration. They were abducted in Iguala, Guerrero, and never seen again.
In the decade that followed, multiple investigations by Mexican officials and human-rights organizations have implicated a wide variety of suspects, including drug gangs, a former mayor of the city of Iguala, former Iguala police, and members of the Army.
The protests this week have centered around:
The tenth anniversary of the mass kidnapping, with commemorations including forums and roundtables in addition to marches.
The lack of satisfactory answers about the 2014 incident from President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration, which ends next week.
A reform law passed by Congress Wednesday, placing the National Guard under the Defense Ministry, an institution that critics say is not transparent, not accountable to anyone and above the law — particularly with regard to the Ayotzinapa disappearance.
Current students from the Ayotzinapa teacher’s college and many others began gathering in Mexico City to protest on Monday, along with some parents of the disappeared and other activists and representatives.
On Monday, the first target was the Interior Ministry (Segob), which doesn’t oversee the military but is involved in homeland security and government administration.
Parents of the kidnapped 43 students also were part of the protests in Mexico City this week. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
On Tuesday, protesters moved to the Senate, where legislators were about to vote to put the National Guard under military command — a decision criticized by many, including Vidulfo Rosales, a lawyer for the parents of the missing students.
“That is why we are here today in front of this institution: to make a clear protest against [the reform],” he said. “How are they going to make the National Guard part of the Army? An army that has been opaque, an army that is not accountable to anyone, an army that is above the law, that is above the Constitution.”
Following the protests at the Senate — during which some protesters briefly broke into a courtyard — there were reports of damage to the legislative building’s railings and some offices. But it wasn’t as violent as an Ayotzinapa protest in May at the National Palace.
“The operation that was carried out to protect the building has worked,” reported Senate President Gerardo Fernández Noroña, a Morena party member.
Four firecrackers thrown from the courtyard into the Senate building “did not explode,” Fernández said, though he did say Senator Lucía Trasviña (Morena) of Baja California Sur suffered injuries to her right eye and a case of hypertension.
The media outlet Desinformémonos reported that “hundreds of activists, artists and academics” had signed a letter demanding “the immediate delivery of the 800 military files on the disappearance [of the normalistas] … the cessation of harassment via the media from the presidency toward the mothers and fathers of the 43 and human rights organizations … and the re-establishment of investigations into the case.” Among the signatories were actor Gael García Bernal and writer Juan Villoro, Desenformémos reported.
“We all know that the government has been in charge of hiding the truth because it is not in any of their interests for anyone to know who was involved because they are one and the same,” an protester from the Federation of Socialist Peasant Students of Mexico (FECSM) told Desinformémos.
Recently, parents denounced López Obrador for constructing his own “historical truth,” by steadfastly supporting the Army in the Ayotzinapa case and refusing to hand over the 800 files.
On Wednesday, López Obrador said that he’d sent a letter to the missing students’ parents a day earlier and that he’s lived up to his commitment to the families to find out what happened.
“Progress has been made — not as much as we would have liked — but it is not a closed case,” he said. “The investigation will continue. Several things that were not known have been clarified.”
In that letter, which he read at his press conference Wednesday, López Obrador promised that President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who takes office Oct. 1 would continue the investigations.
With the Senate passage, only ratification by state legislatures stands in the way of putting the National Guard, a civilian police force, under Defense Ministry control. (GN/X)
After a long overnight debate, Mexico’s Senate approved a constitutional reform that had already passed in the lower house of Congress last week to place the National Guard under military control, as well as endowing it with investigative powers.
The Senate approved the bill with 86 votes in favor, 42 against and zero abstentions. The vote was split almost perfectly along party lines, with the Morena Party and its allies making up 85 of the favorable votes.
The ruling Morena Party and its political allies in the Senate argued for the reform, saying that placing the National Guard under the Defense Ministry would ensure “military discipline” for the federal civilian police force. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
As with the recently approved judicial reform, Senator Miguel Ángel Yunes gave Morena the 86th vote it needed to complete its supermajority and pass the constitutional bill. (Yunes, a former National Action Party (PAN) member, was expelled from that party after his vote on judicial reform.)
Next, the bill needs the ratification of at least 17 state legislatures to become law, a likely scenario, as the Morena coalition commands majorities in the congresses of more than 20 of Mexico’s 32 states.
The constitutional reform puts the National Guard, currently a civilian security force, under military command.
Assuming ratification is successful, the Guard will become part of the National Defense Ministry (Sedena). The approved version of the reform also gives the Guard the power to investigate crimes “within the scope of its jurisdiction,” similar to public prosecutors.
President of the opposition National Action Party (PAN) Marko Cortes argued against the reform, saying that under the current administration — which opted to have the military respond to major crimes along with local police and the National Guard — major homicides had only gone up. (Cuartoscuro)
The bill also adds language to the Constitution specifying that “soldiers, marines, National Guard members, foreign service personnel, public prosecutors, forensic experts and police force members will be regulated by their own laws.”
President López Obrador has pushed for the National Guard to be under military command since its creation at the beginning of his administration. Lacking a supermajority to make constitutional reforms, the president tried to transfer control of the Guard to the military through legislative statute and presidential decree. That effort was stymied by the Supreme Court, which ruled the move unconstitutional.
But then this month, a new congressional term began, with newly elected legislators who are overwhelming members of the Morena party members or its allies, giving the president a supermajority in the Chamber of Deputies and a near-supermajority in the Senate.
With five days left in his term, AMLO is making the most of his remaining time to push through constitutional reforms that didn’t move forward under the previous Congress.
Debate over the controversial reforms has been raucous and lengthy. The Senate debate over the National Guard reform started at 10 p.m. Tuesday and continued through the night. The bill wasn’t approved until 6:20 a.m. Wednesday morning.
PAN legislators spoke out repeatedly against the militarization of the National Guard.
“Militarization of security is not the solution; this government’s own numbers show how homicides and violence have increased.”
Morena senators and allies insisted that placing the National Guard under Sedena’s control did not equal militarization but at the same time argued that the force — created by President López Obrador in 2019 — would benefit by being run with “military discipline,” according to signs of support displayed by some senators in the marathon session.
Senator Yunes asked rhetorically “if anyone really could defend the idea that it is possible to combat organized crime with only local police, without the support of the armed forces.”
The National Guard’s most high-profile duties are arguably combatting illicit trafficking of drugs and migrants, and fuel theft. In all these duties, they work in tandem with the military, blurring the line between civilian and military forces in Mexico. Opponents fear the reform will blur the line even further. (National Guard)
Senator Omar García Harfuch, who will become Mexico’s federal security minister starting Oct. 1, also denied the accusations that the Guard was being militarized under the reform. The Security Ministry, a civilian government agency, will still lead the country’s strategy for combating crime and violence, he said, arguing that placing the National Guard under the Defense Ministry’s control will not militarize the nation’s law enforcement.
García Harfuch also revealed upcoming changes for the Security Ministry under his leadership, La Jornada reported. A new Department of Intelligence and Investigation will be created, and the National Intelligence Center will come under the Security Ministry’s control. The two agencies will support the National Guard and state governments in criminal investigations.
To pacify Mexico, García Harfuch said, what’s needed is a long-term plan and strong security institutions, something Mexico lacks “with the exception of the Navy Ministry and the National Defense Ministry.”
Moving forward, he said, the National Guard will develop “under the model of successful police corps in Chile, Italy, France and Spain, created in the heart of their defense ministries” and will have “strict regulation to guarantee respect for human rights — but with military discipline and coordination.”
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made the announcement at the Microsoft AI Tour 2024's stop in Mexico City Tuesday. (Microsoft)
Microsoft plans to invest US $1.3 billion in Mexico over the next three years to enhance Mexico’s AI infrastructure and promote digital and AI skills, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during a keynote speech Tuesday at the Microsoft AI Tour 2024 event in Mexico City.
La inversión de Microsoft permitirá aumentar nuestras capacidades en inteligencia artificial rápidamente. Ya son 38 años de trabajo conjunto Microsoft y México, vienen 6 más !!! pic.twitter.com/Cg6UeftENV
A clip of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s speech at the Microsoft AI Tour 2024 event at Mexico City’s Citibanamex Center.
“We are entering a new era of AI with the promise to create inclusive economic growth and opportunity across every role, industry, and country, including in Mexico,” Nadella said. “Our investments in AI infrastructure and skills in Mexico will help ensure people and organizations across the country realize the benefits of this technology shift.”
Nadella said Microsoft wants to democratize access to AI skills and reach 5 million people in Mexico through the Artificial Intelligence National Skills program, which he also announced at the Microsoft AI Tour 2024 stop.
The initiative aims to improve connectivity and encourage AI adoption by 30,000 small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), enabling them to update their business practices, enhance their market competitiveness, expand their reach to potential customers and prepare for integration into international supply chains.
In his speech Tuesday at Mexico City’s Citibanamex Center, Nadella shared successful examples of AI adoption in Mexico: companies like Grupo Bimbo and Cemex have adopted AI to streamline their internal operations, he said.
Microsoft also highlighted an example of AI use in education in Mexico, at the Tec de Monterrey, which used Microsoft technology to develop TECgpt, a generative-AI platform used by students, professors and administrative employees at the university.
“This is great news for our country,” incoming Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard tweeted in a post on the social media platform X after meeting with Nadella at the Tuesday event.
TECgpt: Enhancing Education with AI at Tec de Monterrey
A video in Spanish with English subtitles made by Microsoft, profiling how Tec de Monterrey uses an internal generative-AI platform created with Microsoft.
In addition to the investment, Microsoft said the company will also address health, connectivity, and sustainability challenges in Mexico.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates Microsoft’s trust and commitment to Mexico supporting inclusive economic growth in the country,” Rafael Sánchez Loza, general manager of Microsoft México, said. “With this, we are empowering individuals, companies, and society to enhance innovation and democratize the use of AI.”
From Jan. 1 to Sept. 22, Mexico saw 579.6 mm of accumulated rainfall. (Semarnat/Cuartoscuro)
Drought conditions across Mexico have declined following unusually high levels of rainfall throughout the summer.
In May, nearly 76% of the national territory was experiencing some degree of drought conditions, with the most severely impacted regions being the northwest, central-west and east. Now, thanks to the rainy season, drought levels have dropped considerably in most areas of Mexico.
MÉXICO REVERDECE 🌲🇲🇽
En imágenes satelitales compartidas por NOAA, el reverdecimiento de México es muy visible
En mayo, el país afrontaba una sequía que afectaba a casi el 75% del territorio. Ahora, el verano ha sido más lluvioso de lo habitual y la flora está recuperándose pic.twitter.com/hWgvn2DJWK
Satellite images of Mexico show that several areas of the country have flourished following the summer rain.
How much of Mexico’s territory is currently affected by drought?
According to the latest drought monitor from the National Water Commission (Conagua), 22.41% of Mexico’s territory is currently affected by drought — that is 6.59 percentage points less than in August and a whopping 53.55 points less than in May.
Exceptional drought conditions still persist in isolated regions of the northwestern states of Chihuahua, Durango and Sinaloa. Areas of Sonora and southwest Oaxaca are also showing moderate to severe drought conditions.
How much accumulated rainfall has Mexico seen this year?
From Jan. 1 to Sept. 22, Mexico saw 579.6 mm of accumulated rainfall, the Conagua reported.
Rain will continue to fall in the remaining days of September and October, particularly in the southern Pacific from Jalisco to Chiapas, the Yucatán Peninsula, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, the central region and the Valley of Mexico.
By the end of August 2024, most drought-affected areas of Mexico showed improvement over July. (North American Drought Monitor)
Reservoirs are recovering nationwide
In its latest report, the Conagua said that the average water level of 210 main dams in Mexico increased from 57% to 60% due to the recent two weeks of rain. The combined volume of these reservoirs has now reached 75.6 billion cubic meters, which is 10% below the historical average for this time of year.
These dams store 92% of the country’s water reservoirs.
What’s the fall forecast?
These swift changes in climate behavior — from extreme heat to heavy rainfall — are due in part to a weather pattern called El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This natural and cyclical weather phenomenon happens when El Niño, which usually brings warmer-than-normal temperatures, transitions to La Niña, which brings colder-than-normal temperatures.
According to the United States National Weather Service, the La Niña weather pattern is expected to arrive in the following weeks. Meteorological models forecast that La Niña will persist during the fall and the winter, with weak to moderate intensity. Some weather models predict it will remain until the spring of 2025.
The transition to La Niña will bring more intense rainfall in several parts of the country.
