New whale watching zone declared in Oaxaca

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October 7, 2019

whales — Tourism is expected to benefit from the declaration.

The federal Secretariat of the Environment (Semarnat) has created a new whale watching zone off the coast of Oaxaca.

The 280-square-kilometer area stretches between the municipalities of Santa María Colotepec and San Pedro Mixtepec, just off the shores of Puerto Escondido.

“[We are] very excited,” said Gonzalo Ramírez Patiño, president of the local whale watching cooperative Rosa de los Vientos (Compass Rose), who worked with the University of the Sea (UMAR) to attain the observation zone designation.

“It’s a dream for all of us. I believe it’s a benefit for Puerto Escondido. We know that this will bring about a boom. With good publicity, it will bring lots of tourism,” he said.

The Oaxaca coast is a transit zone for many different whale species as they travel to and from their habitat in the Gulf of California and seas further south.

“The whales begin to arrive in December and they return to their feeding grounds, in the north of the country, in February, March, and by April there aren’t any whales,” said Francisco Villegas Zurita, a researcher at UMAR. “So the data tells us that the best months to see whales in the zone near Puerto Escondido, Mazunte and San Agustinillo are January and February.”

The creation of the zone includes a series of regulations for enjoying this spectacle of nature, among them the prohibition of boats to get within 60 meters of the whales. Tourism boat captains will also be required to take training to learn to observe them.

“The whales have done their part by migrating. It falls on us to have certification, and we will soon have it. I believe that the tourists that come for this will look for certified individuals, people with the knowledge and experience we’ve acquired through our research,” said Villegas.

Puerto Escondido is the second observation zone to be designated in Oaxaca. The first was created off the coast of Mazunte in 2015.

Source: Ciudadanía Express (sp)

Mexico City wants quick results from its new police chief

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MND Staff

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October 7, 2019

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Mayor Sheinbaum and the new chief of police, Omar García.

The new Mexico City police chief has a simple strategy to bring down crime rates: arrest more criminals.

Omar García Harfuch, who was sworn in as security secretary on Friday, told reporters on Sunday that Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum is seeking a rapid reduction in crime rates in the capital.

But that won’t happen unless lawbreakers are taken off the streets, he said.

“The main instruction we have from the mayor is to produce quick results. We know that there are very delicate issues that won’t be resolved if there are no arrests. There have to be arrests so that crime rates go down . . .” García said.

The police chief said the secretariat he heads will work closely with the Mexico City Attorney General’s Office in order to strengthen criminal investigations and thus make more arrests.

“The reality is that there is a large number of crimes, a large number of crimes that are affecting society and which have to be dealt with. They range from carjacking . . . to the robbery of passengers on public transit . . .” García said.

Statistics show that a range of crimes increased in Mexico City during the first eight months of 2019 compared to the same period last year.

Kidnappings surged 430%, extortion rose 69%, homicides increased by 12.5%, drug dealing offenses went up 30.7% and robberies grew by just under 1%.

García, a former Federal Police officer who most recently was in charge of the capital’s investigative police, said that a thorough review of the Mexico City police will be undertaken in the coming days in order to ascertain what is working and what is not in the government’s fight against crime.

The 37-year-old’s appointment as police chief came a day after the resignation of Jesús Orta Martínez, whose 10-month tenure was marked by several high-profile cases, including the murders of Norberto Ronquillo and Leonardo Avendaño.

Orta also came under fire for the Mexico City government’s response to a case in which four police officers were accused of raping a 17-year-old girl.

Two women’s protests in August that demanded the authorities take action against the alleged perpetrators of the crime, and declare a gender alert in the capital, turned violent as did the recent anniversary marches for the 43 students who disappeared in Guerrero in 2014 and the victims of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre.

García acknowledged that preventing violence at protests is an issue that authorities must confront. Sheinbaum said last week that the “Peace Belt” of civilian government employees that was deployed during the Tlatelolco protest march served its purpose and may be deployed again in future marches.

García said yesterday that “people who infiltrate the marches” are responsible for the violence and acts of vandalism committed recently on the streets of the capital.

“It doesn’t matter what the objective of the march is, it doesn’t matter what it’s about, [infiltrators] turn up to wreak havoc,” he said.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Hybrid, electric vehicles gain market share; July sales up 86%

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Simon Schatzberg

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October 7, 2019

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Mexico City leads the states in electric vehicle sales.

As sales of fossil fuel-burning vehicles have been declining, those of electric and hybrid vehicles have been rising sharply in the past few years, according to data from the Mexican Automotive Industry Association (AMIA).

An AMIA report published by the national statistics agency Inegi said that 2,068 electric and hybrid vehicles were sold in Mexico in July 2019, an increase of 86% compared with the same month in 2018, when only 1,113 such vehicles were sold.

Mexico City saw the most sales, followed by México state and Jalisco. Those three states accounted for 65% of the total sales in July.

The increase in sales has continued for a little more than three years. In the first seven months of 2016, electric and hybrid vehicle sales numbered 3,439 units. Over the next three years, that number grew to 5,030, 8,163 and 11,503 respectively.

But the numbers are minuscule compared to all light vehicle sales, which in July totaled 105,699.

Meanwhile, sales of conventional vehicles have been declining for the past two years.

Source: El Economista (sp)

Guanajuato city wants marines back after 11 killed

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Simon Schatzberg

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October 7, 2019

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After 11 people were killed last week in the Guanajuato municipality of Apaseo el Alto, Mayor María del Carmen Ortiz wants the navy to send marines back to improve the security situation.

“I would say to the citizens that I am working with delegates to tell them what is happening, and that they aren’t alone, and that I’m doing everything I can to stop this,” she said in an interview with the newspaper Milenio. “The navy should come back, that’s what worked.”

Marines were withdrawn September 1, after which the mayor said she was unaware of the reason.

She stressed that last Thursday’s violence was not new, which she said shows that the security strategy being pursued by the state and federal governments is not working.

“I think that, seeing how the violence has increased, the strategies haven’t worked,” she said. “I think it has to do with communication.”

Security in Apaseo el Alto is carried out under a single-command model, where police are controlled by the state rather than municipal government, but the municipality will be given control of the police at the end of the year.

The killing began early Friday morning when a group of armed civilians attacked three homes in the community of San Juan del Llanito, killing six people. Five of the attackers were killed later in a confrontation with the National Guard.

After the murder two weeks ago of a municipal councilor, the Morena party mayor said she felt abandoned by the state, observing that violence was worsening after improvements had been seen in recent months. The state is governed by the National Action Party.

The mayor’s husband was murdered last year while running for mayor himself. His wife ran in his stead after his murder and won the election.

Source: Milenio (sp)

17 communities still cut off in Oaxaca as storm clean-up continues

By

Simon Schatzberg

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October 7, 2019

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Clean-up continues in Oaxaca after Tropical Storm Narda. — Clean-up continues after Tropical Storm Narda.

At least 17 communities in Oaxaca are still isolated because of damage to roads by Tropical Storm Narda, according to Oaxaca Highways and Airports Director David Mayren.

He said that of the 96 roads that were damaged by Narda, only 38 have been completely reopened, while the other 58 have only been partially opened because it has continued to rain.

He noted that the federal government is refusing to pay for fuel for machines and salaries for workers, and that the work is being organized through “internal economies.”

Most of the aid is being delivered to 60 municipalities in the Costa, Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mixteca and Sierra Sur regions.

Oaxaca Civil Protection coordinator Heliodoro Díaz Escarraga said that not all of the aid promised by the federal government has arrived and that emergency declarations have only been authorized for 22 municipalities out of the 122 that require declarations because the government is continuing to evaluate the damage.

Meanwhile, Oaxaca Agriculture Secretary Sofía Castro said that heavy rains from the storm have damaged 70,000 hectares of farmland, while a nine-month drought before the storm had already damaged 57,000 hectares.

The storm made landfall in Oaxaca a week ago before sweeping north through Mexico, causing extensive damage.

Source: Milenio (sp)

National Geographic reporter wounded during drug dealer interview

By

MND Staff

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October 7, 2019

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Scene of the Juárez shooting of a reporter.

A National Geographic reporter from the United States was shot in the leg on Friday while interviewing drug dealers in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.

The state Attorney General’s Office (FGE) said in a statement that the attack occurred at about 7:30pm at a house in the Valle de Los Olivos residential development that was used to sell drugs.

The unnamed journalist was taken to hospital in Juárez but was discharged on Saturday morning and left the Mexican border city the same day for El Paso, Texas, with three colleagues who were also present when the attack occurred.

Jorge Nava, attorney general for the northern region of Chihuahua, said that two members of Los Aztecas, an armed wing of the Juárez Cartel, were also shot by members of a rival gang while speaking on camera to the reporter.

One of the men died at the scene of the crime while the other succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

Members of the National Geographic team told police that they heard two women speaking outside the house after which two armed men broke in and started shooting at the Los Aztecas drug dealers, who returned fire. The reporter was caught in the crossfire.

Nava said that the team arrived in Ciudad Juárez a week before the attack to film a documentary about how violence has changed in the city during the past 10 years.

They sought statistical information from the Attorney General’s Office before arranging the “obviously risky” interview at the address where the attack occurred, he said. The team didn’t ask authorities for protection while working in the city, Nava said.

The attorney general said the house had previously been searched because it was the scene of a double homicide in April.

Nava added that footage from security cameras located in the surrounding area, and that recorded by the National Geographic team, will be reviewed as part of the investigation into Friday’s attack. Police have not made any arrests.

Mexico is the most dangerous country for journalists in the western hemisphere, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Five have been killed in the country in 2019.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

Jalisco steps up anti-dengue measures ahead of public events

By

Cody Copeland

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October 7, 2019

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Health authorities in Jalisco are stepping up protective measures against dengue fever ahead of the state’s October festivities.

Spraying is being carried out in Zapopan’s Benito Juárez auditorium, venue for the October festivals, where thousands of people will gather daily to enjoy rides, shows, concerts and other activities.

According to the State Workers’ Social Security Institute (ISSSTE), 705 civil servants had contracted dengue as of September 25, of which 15% were infected with the most dangerous strain.

Of those cases, 92 were serious and 17 were severe. The virus was detected in 18 pregnant women, one of whom died, as did the child she was carrying.

The traditional procession and mass for Zapopan’s Virgin of Guadalupe, also known as “La Generala,” will be held on October 12, when over two million people visit churches around the city.

Health brigades have been formed to prevent the spread of the disease in such large crowds.

“At least in the route in Zapopan, from the Plaza Patria to the Basilica, we have three medical assistance tents. They will have medicine for those who show up with symptoms [of dengue] and will be able to treat them,” said Zapopan Mayor Pablo Lemus.

Jalisco has the second-highest rate of dengue cases in the country, surpassed only by Veracruz, and an expert warns that with more rain and warm temperatures, those numbers will continue to rise.

“This has only just begun,” said Ezequiel Magallón, a researcher at the University of Guadalajara. “We’ve still got October to go and, if it doesn’t get cold, [we could continue to see cases of dengue] well into November.”

Recalling a similar outbreak about 10 years ago, Magallón said that a virus like dengue is cyclical, but also attributed the rise to a lack of preparation and the recent intense rains that have caused disastrous flooding and created more mosquito breeding grounds.

“The weather has favored [the mosquitoes]. We should have begun to act in March, when there wasn’t any rain. Furthermore, now there’s a second strain that has evolved and this has worsened the clinical picture.”

Magallón said the virus has evolved to survive in a more complicated environment, adapting to be able to survive inside the mosquitoes that ingest it. He added that spraying is merely palliative, as it only kill mosquitoes in the air and don’t affect breeding grounds.

With cases topping 5,000 infected people in the state, the Secretariat of Health (Salud) issued an epidemiological alert on September 25.

Sources: Milenio (sp), Informador (sp)

Exchange rate forecaster expects 20.30 pesos to dollar by year’s end

By

Simon Schatzberg

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October 7, 2019

0

The Mexican peso will lose almost 3% of its value by the end of the year, finishing up at 20.30 to the dollar, according to Gabriel Casillas, president of the Economic Studies Committee at the Mexican Finance Executives Institute and head of economic analysis at Banorte.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Casillas said the peso will decline because of a difficult international situation.

He added that so far this year, the peso’s variance has been minimal because of high interest rates and the fact that President López Obrador’s policies are regaining the trust of international markets.

Casillas also predicted that U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an agreement with China in late December in an attempt to speed up the economy, which will help the peso maintain an average exchange rate of 19.80 pesos per dollar in the first half of 2020.

“Trump needs to avoid a recession,” he said. “That might not lead to a complete agreement with China, but it will lead to some advances in the right direction.”

Casillas added that such an agreement could strengthen the dollar and hurt the peso.

“It’s probable that the Mexican currency will fall to 21.30 pesos to the dollar in the second half of 2020,” he said.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

Security forces detain 15 CJNG suspects in Michoacán

By

Cody Copeland

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October 7, 2019

0

Federal and state security forces have detained 15 members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Michoacán.

The arrests were made by National Guard and state police officers in the municipalities of Sahuayo and Ecuandureo.

In Sahuayo, authorities captured 11 alleged hitmen presumed to be operating in the west of the state.

After street pursuits and shootouts, government forces were able to break up the criminal cell involved in trafficking synthetic drugs, extorsion and kidnapping. They confiscated firearms and ammunition of various calibers.

The operation also seized four automobiles, three of which had been reported stolen.

In Ecuandureo, four subjects believed to belong to a CJNG cell were arrested on Saturday. Authorities confiscated six firearms, 78 magazines, two vehicles and five bulletproof vests.

A 2018 report from the National Security Commission (CNS) labeled the CJNG as one of the main purveyors of violence in Michoacán, along with the cartel known as Los Viagras. The two organizations have recently been embroiled in violent territorial battles in the state.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

It’s ‘life or death’ in battle against ride-sharing apps, claims taxi leader

By

MND Staff

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October 7, 2019

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taxi protest — 'Get out, pirates,' says the sign. 'Thieves!'

Taxi drivers are protesting across Mexico to demand stricter regulation of ride-hailing services such as Uber, Didi and Cabify.

Taxis affiliated with the National Movement of Taxi Drivers (MNT) began gathering at different points of Mexico City on Monday morning to travel to the Angel of Independence monument on Reforma avenue, from where they were scheduled to converge on the zócalo at 10:00am for a four-hour rally.

The congregation of taxis caused traffic chaos on several roads this morning including Avenida de los Poetas in Santa Fe and the México-Toluca and México-Pachuca highways.

Taxi drivers from the México state municipalities of Ecatepec, Nezahualcóyotl, Naucalpan, Atizapán and Cuautitlán were expected to join their Mexico City counterparts at the protest in the capital’s central square.

Similar protests against the ride-sharing apps were scheduled to take place in cities in 28 states.

Mexico City MNT president Ignacio Rodríguez said in an interview on Monday that ride-hailing services have grown to such an extent that they pose an existential threat to the taxi industry.

“We’re at risk of disappearing as a sector, for us it’s life or death,” he said.

“These services grow without any control. They don’t want to abide by any regulations or any rules and that has an impact on us,” Rodríguez added.

According to the MNT, taxi drivers have to pay a range of fees and fulfill requirements that don’t apply to drivers who work for app-based ride-hailing services.

Rodríguez said that meetings with authorities have failed to yield any progress on establishing a level-playing field for everyone who works in the transportation sector.

“We’ve favored dialogue but seeing the indifference of our authorities, who are still not respecting the transportation law, we decided to protest,” he said.

The MNT leader offered an apology for the “inconvenience” caused by the Mexico City protest but added that taxi drivers “don’t have any other option.”

The organization previously held a protest against the ride-hailing services at the beginning of June.

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said on Sunday that she didn’t understand why the taxi drivers were protesting again, asserting that authorities have listened to their concerns and are looking at ways they can be addressed.

MNT leaders were scheduled to meet at 1:00pm with federal Interior Secretariat undersecretary Ricardo Peralta to discuss their demands.

The organization’s national leader, Bersaín Miranda, called on President López Obrador to intervene.

“. . . We want him to listen to us, to assist us and not leave taxi drivers in a state of defenselessness . . .” he said.

“We may have neglected . . . the quality of service, we admit and recognize that and apologize to [taxi] users. Our challenge is to improve the quality of service as long as we’re given guarantees [from the government] . . .”

Miranda said that 30,000 taxi drivers in Mexico City alone have stopped working in the transportation sector, the result of competition from multinational ride-hailing services.

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

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