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Mexico City congressional committee to consider elimination of daylight saving time

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MND Staff
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Legislator Castillo is arguing for an end to daylight saving.
Legislator Castillo is arguing for an end to daylight saving.

A citizens’ committee of the Mexico City Congress will analyze a proposal to eliminate daylight saving time in the capital.

If approved, Mexico City authorities will ask the federal government to exclude the capital from putting clocks forward an hour on April 7.

The proposal is backed by the Morena party, which is in power both in Mexico City and nationally.

Carlos Castillo Pérez, a Morena lawmaker who represents the borough of Coyoacán, said in Congress yesterday that changing the time twice a year has “harmful consequences” on people’s health, claiming that the elderly and children are particularly vulnerable.

He also said that adopting daylight saving time doesn’t bring any economic benefits or help save energy.

To support his claim about the effects on health, Castillo cited a 2018 survey carried out by the European Commission which found that changing the clocks can cause stress and fatigue and affect people’s ability to concentrate.

“The survey is an indicator that the change of time disrupts people’s natural biological rhythm and becomes a factor for stress and disagreement among the population and that makes us reconsider its functionality,” he said.

The lawmaker said that daylight saving time was introduced in 1996 with the aim of making better use of natural light and saving electricity.

But “there are sectors that believe that the measure doesn’t generate energy savings and on the contrary, it has a negative impact on the lives and well-being of families,” Castillo said.

“Several studies have shown that the possibility of suffering a heart attack increases by 5% for three days after a time change. There are also statistics that show that on the Monday after a time change, there are more accidents on the road and at work,” he added.

Castillo also said people’s performance at work and school can be affected, contending that time changes can cause extreme fatigue, irritability, insomnia, anxiety and poor concentration “while the body adjusts to the new schedule.”

President López Obrador has been a longtime opponent of the summer time regime, clashing frequently on the issue with former president Vicente Fox while he was mayor of Mexico City between 2000 and 2005.

He has also floated the idea of holding a national public consultation on the matter.

Daylight saving time will start this year on April 7 and conclude on October 27.

Most of Mexico observes the same time changes but municipalities on the northern border follow the daylight saving time schedule of the United States.

Source: Notimex (sp) 

Telecoms giant Huawei to install fibre optic cable for Baja

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MND Staff
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Route of the fibre optic cable to be installed by Huawei.
Route of the fibre optic cable to be installed by Huawei.

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei will lay a 250-kilometer-long underwater fiber optic cable across the Gulf of California between La Paz, Baja California Sur, and Topolobampo, Sinaloa.

The US $14-million project, a joint venture with the Mexican company Megacable, is designed to make telecommunications services cheaper, faster and more reliable in Baja California Sur.

Megacable received government authorization to complete the project last year and at a signing ceremony in July, then communications and transportation secretary Gerardo Ruiz Esparza said the government would provide the company with technical support.

At the time, it was anticipated that installation of the cable would be completed this month but it is now unclear when the project will be completed.

Huawei said in a statement in August that that work was under way on a marine survey for the project and that the system is planned for delivery in the second quarter of 2019, but with installation expected to take six months that appears unlikely.

The company’s communications director in Mexico, Juan Carlos Zamora, didn’t shed any light on the expected commencement or completion dates, telling the newspaper El Sol de México that he had no knowledge of the project.

The delay in starting it could be related to the design and construction of the cable system.

Huawei said in its August statement that “the terrain and environment in the gulf and peninsula region is complex and places high requirements on the design and construction of the submarine cable.”

However, the company added that “Huawei Marine’s rich experience in working on difficult projects around the world will ensure the Topolobampo-La Paz project will be completed smoothly.”

When that will be, however, is not yet known.

Source: El Sol de México (sp) 

Judge dismissed for corruption in 4-year-old sexual assault case

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MND Staff
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Assault suspect Cruz, left, and the judge who has been dismissed.
Assault suspect Cruz, left, and the judge who has been dismissed.

A Veracruz judge who freed a man accused of sexually assaulting a minor on the grounds that there was no “lascivious intent” has been dismissed for corruption.

The Federal Judiciary Council (CJF) said that Anuar González Hemadi had been fired for “acting against evidence” presented and making “inexcusable mistakes” in the so-called “Porkys” case in which a 17-year-old girl was allegedly assaulted by four young men from affluent families in Boca del Río, Veracruz, in January 2015.

González granted an injunction to Diego Gabriel Cruz Alonso in March 2017 that released him from custody, ruling that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case.

The CFJ, which oversees Mexico’s courts, said in reference to the injunction that “jurisdictional decisions must always be instruments that impact positively on people and generate a social change through their precedents and never subject to private or economic interests.”

After leaving a nightclub in Boca del Río, Dafne Fernández was forced into a vehicle by four college students who took her to one of their homes in the Costa de Oro residential estate and allegedly assaulted her.

The victim testified that one of the men fondled her breasts and the other inserted his fingers into her vagina.

But the judge said that “an incidental touching or fondling will not be considered sexual acts if proof is not presented that it was done to satisfy a sexual desire.”

González also ruled that Fernández was not “defenseless,” which he claimed the law required, because she had been able to move to the front seat of the car after pleading with her attackers to stop.

The judge was previously suspended by the CJF in March 2017 pending an investigation into his conduct.

The “Porkys” case gained national prominence in March 2016 after a video was posted on YouTube in which the four students – privileged sons of politicians and business leaders – apologized for their actions.

Diego Cruz Alonso fled to Spain shortly after but was arrested in January 2017 and extradited back to Mexico but was soon freed as a result of the injunction granted by González.

Only one of the men involved in the case, Enrique Capitaine, is currently in custody but he has not been formally charged.

A judge granted an injunction to Gerardo Rodríguez after ruling that while he was present when the abuse occurred he didn’t participate in it while the fourth man, Jorge Cotaita, is currently a fugitive from justice.

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

Senators negotiate unanimous agreement on new national guard

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MND Staff
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Senators at this morning's session at which a new security force was given the green light.
Senators at this morning's session at which a new security force was given the green light.

Federal senators have reached an agreement that will see the government’s national guard proposal pass unanimously in the upper house of Congress.

After days of intense negotiations, lawmakers from the ruling Morena party and its coalition partners reached a deal with opposition party senators in the early hours of this morning.

The agreement is based on the national guard being a civil force with a civilian command rather than a military one although soldiers and marines will be permitted to be members for a maximum of five years after its creation.

“For five years following the entry into force of this decree, while the national guard develops its structure, capacities and territorial establishment, the president of the republic will be able to make use of the permanent armed forces in public security tasks in an extraordinary, regulated, controlled, subordinated and complementary way,” the modified proposal says.

Until 2023, the secretariats of National Defense (Sedena) and the Navy (Semar) will cooperate with the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) to establish the “hierarchical structures [and] discipline regimes” of the new security force and share responsibility for recruitment and training, among other operational areas.

The national guard is expected to be on a par with the armed forces in terms of its professionalism and the salaries and benefits its members will be paid.

At a press conference this morning, Morena’s leader in the Senate stressed that the national guard will be a civil force.

“Let it be clear, the national guard will be of a civil nature, responsible for public security tasks as well as the preservation of public peace,” Ricardo Monreal said.

Leaders of all eight parties that entered into the agreement spoke of its importance to achieving improved security in Mexico and said it was the product of constructive dialogue and negotiation.

“We went from being a closed Congress to an open parliament. We heard different voices, even insults . . . but insisting on these types of mechanisms and open processes is worth it. I respect everyone equally and I respect each parliamentary group leader because they all contributed,” Monreal said.

Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong, a former interior secretary and the current leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in the Senate, said the changes to the proposal would contribute to making the national guard “a better institution . . . an institution in accordance with human rights treaties [and] an institution with counterbalances and parliamentary control.”

Mauricio Kuri, Senate leader of the National Action Party (PAN), the party which had been most strongly opposed to the national guard’s creation, said the modified proposal “avoided the militarization” of the security force and guaranteed “respect for human rights.”

Earlier this week, the National Human Rights Commission urged members of Congress to put respect and protection for human rights first in the constitutional amendments that must be approved in order for the new security force to be created.

President López Obrador said this morning that he accepted the arrangement for the armed forces to leave the streets in five years and return to their barracks and expressed confidence that the national guard will be a success.

Once the Senate has formally approved the creation of the force, its decree will be returned to the lower house of Congress for review.

If approved by the Chamber of Deputies, state congresses must ratify the decree after which the government can promulgate it and go ahead with the creation of the national guard.

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

Migrants routed around Chiapas city to avoid Mara Salvatrucha gang

By
Madison Koen
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Migrants on the road in Chiapas.
Migrants on the road in Chiapas.

A new caravan of migrants was forced to take a detour in Chiapas after encountering dangers similar to those from which they were escaping.

Nearly 1,000 migrants from Central America who crossed the border into Mexico yesterday were told to avoid the city of Tapachula, Chiapas, in light of a recent wave of violence provoked by the Mara Salvatrucha gang, which is also active in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Representatives from the national Civil Protection agency assisted and led migrants to the small town of Viva México, bypassing the city.

A Honduran refugee told the newspaper Reforma that authorities had told the migrants they could not be allowed to enter Tapachula on account of the murder of two local police officers the day before.

“They told us that the situation is heated there right now, that we should avoid [Tapachula], and that’s why they led us this way.”

The caravan crossed into Mexico yesterday via the Rodolfo Robles bridge after overwhelming immigration authorities who attempted to contain them.

In mid-January the federal government created a humanitarian visa program. The new visas were issued to more than 12,000 migrants who entered the country at the southern border but it has since been discontinued.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Pemex abandoned 4,500 oil spills, denying responsibility for clean-up

By
César Hernández
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pemex station

A probe by the federal auditor’s office (ASF) has found that state oil company Pemex abandoned over 4,500 oil spills, denying any responsibility to mitigate their impact on the environment.

The investigation revealed that Pemex stopped cleaning up oil spills in May 2016. A total of 4,509 fuel spills were recorded between that date and December 31.

Pemex based the decision on a ruling by the Supreme Court that said it was not required to mitigate the effects of spills when they are the result of a crime, in this case illegal pipeline tapping.

The ASF charged that Pemex had failed to verify that the oil spills and ensuing contamination were the result of criminal acts, and observed that the Supreme Court’s ruling was only valid for a single specific case.

The company also failed to failed to conduct mandatory tests of contaminated sites, meaning that public health and that of plants and wildlife could be at risk.

According to the Energy Secretariat, there were 14,894 illegal pipeline taps in 2018, a 43.72% increase over 2017.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Big meth haul found in shipment of frozen strawberries

By
César Hernández
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The meth seized at the Pharr-Reynosa border crossing.
The meth seized at the Pharr-Reynosa border crossing.

Meth-flavored strawberries are the newest export from Mexico to the United States.

A haul of methamphetamine worth US $12.7 million was found last Saturday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in a commercial shipment of frozen strawberries from Mexico.

The CBP said the berries were found at at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in Texas.

Agents found 350 tightly sealed packages amounting to 411 kilograms of the drug concealed in a semi-trailer.

The 42-year-old truck driver, a Mexican citizen, was arrested.

“This was an outstanding interception our officers accomplished this weekend,” said David Gonzalez, director of the port of entry, adding that the officers’ “astute sense of awareness and tenacity is unparalleled and truly commendable.”

The Pharr-Reynosa bridge is a major port of entry on the Mexico-U.S. border. According to officials, about 175,000 vehicles cross the bridge every month.

According to the CBP, 87% of methamphetamine seized at the border in the first 11 months of 2018 was being smuggled at legal crossings.

Source: Sin Embargo (sp), USA Today (en), CNN (en)

Pemex chief highlights major reduction in daily fuel theft numbers

By
Madison Koen
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The president, left, and Pemex boss Romero speaking at this morning's press conference.
The president, left, and Pemex boss Romero speaking at this morning's press conference.

President López and Pemex CEO Octavio Romero said this morning that fuel theft has been slashed by more than 90% since November and projected major savings as a result.

Romero told reporters that the president’s anti-theft strategy had brought theft down from a daily average of 56,000 barrels last year to 15,600 barrels since the strategy was implemented.

In November the average peaked at 81,000 barrels stolen daily, he said. The first 20 days of December saw a daily average of 74,000, but after shutting off the pipelines from December 21 to 31 there was a decrease to 23,000 barrels a day.

“In January, an average of 18,000 barrels of fuel were stolen daily, and so far in February the average is 8,000,” Romero said. “In this sense, the results have been very evident and positive.”

The president was even more upbeat at his morning press conference and thanked citizens who backed his strategy and waited in long lines during the period when gas shortages triggered a crisis in many states for residents and businesses alike.

“Despite resistance, fuel distribution has been normalized throughout the country . . . . Those who tried to destabilize us didn’t achieve their goal.”

He also thanked the armed forces for their essential role.

Defense Secretary Crescencio Sandoval said since December 21 the army has thwarted 1,260 fuel thefts. Navy chief José Rafael Ojeda said that four major shipping operations linked to fuel theft had also been stopped and their cargo seized.

Security Secretary Alfonso Durazo explained that 175 people have been detained for stealing fuel since the new administration took office December 1.

Romero estimated that 7.8 billion pesos (US $404,000) has already been recuperated through the strategy. The president projected that long term the anti-fuel theft project will save 50 billion pesos (US $2.6 billion) by the end of his six-year term.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Auditor questions spending of 68 billion pesos in 2017

By
MND Staff
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Workers on the site of the cancelled airport
Workers on the site of the cancelled airport. There was no comprehensive vision for the project, according to the federal auditor.

The Federal Auditor’s Office (ASF) has questioned the use of more than 68 billion pesos in a new package of audits relating to government spending in 2017.

The ASF says that government departments and agencies must clarify how they spent 68.13 billion pesos (US $3.5 billion at today’s exchange rate) of public money during 2017, the last full year of Enrique Peña Nieto’s six-year presidency.

A total of 9,514 observations were made to the audited entities as part of the third and final assessment of 2017 public accounts.

Presenting the audit package to lawmakers, ASF chief David Colmenares said that 1,675 individual audits were carried out.

Of that number, “1,517 relate to reviews of financial compliance, 150 relate to performance audits and eight [were] public policy evaluations,” Colmenares said.

He said that no criminal complaints have yet been filed in relation to the use of public money in 2017 but reminded lawmakers that during his administration of the ASF, a total of 54 complaints have been made to authorities following audits carried out in previous years.

Just over 4 billion pesos (US $207.1 million) flagged by the ASF relates to three infrastructure projects initiated by the past federal government: the new Mexico City International Airport (NAICM), the Mexico City-Toluca passenger train and the Cuernavaca Paso Express highway.

The NAICM was subjected to three audits which detected irregularities in the project’s planning and execution to the tune of just over 3.2 billion pesos.

“The assessment carried out by the ASF showed that there was not a comprehensive vision of the project, which resulted in deficiencies and limitations in the coordination between [federal] departments and entities and between the three levels of government involved,” the report said.

To date, only 26.4 million pesos – less than 1% of the total irregularities detected – has been recovered, the ASF said.

Audits of the airport also found that the government took on total debt of more than US $6 billion for its construction.

The partially-completed project was cancelled by the new federal government following a public consultation last October that found 70% support for an alternative plan to convert the Santa Lucía air force base in México state for commercial aviation and to upgrade the airports in Mexico City and Toluca.

With regard to the unfinished intercity rail project, the ASF detected irregularities totaling 745.5 million pesos related to spending on planning, construction and the obtaining of rights of way. Only 25.4 million pesos has been recovered.

The project has been plagued by a range of construction and legal problems and its cost has blown out by more than US $1 billion, according to a 2018 study.

The audit of the Paso Express – on which a sinkhole opened in July 2017, trapping a car and killing both occupants – detected negligence in the management of the project and determined that the highway was poorly built. Irregularities totaling 76.5 million pesos were detected.

The ASF is also seeking clarification about the use of more than 1.2 billion pesos that was allocated by federal authorities in 2017 to the México state government to develop a new income policy.

The auditor considers the money to be recoverable because it was unable to establish how it was used.

The 68.1-billion-peso figure that the ASF has flagged for possible recovery is 21.7% less than the amount identified in the audit of the 2016 public accounts.

Between 2001 and 2017, the ASF said, it recovered 103 billion pesos (US $5.3 billion) whose use was questioned in its annual public accounts audits.

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

Last month’s homicide total of 2,452 made it the worst January ever

By
MND Staff
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Homicides month by month since January 2018.
Homicides month by month since January 2018. snsp/milenio

Last month was the most violent January on record with 2,452 intentional homicide cases, official statistics show.

The figure is 13% higher than the 2,171 cases reported in the same month a year earlier, which was previously the worst January for homicides.

According to the National Public Security System (SNSP), the total number of homicide victims last month was 2,853 as two or more people were killed in some cases.

There were also 70 cases of femicide with 75 women killed, taking the total number of murder victims in January to 2928.

The figure equates to more than 94 murders a day or just under four an hour.

The number of homicide cases in January is also above that seen in December albeit by just eight cases.

Just over 70% of all homicides last month were perpetrated with firearms while 8% involved the use of knives or other bladed weapons.

The month-over-month increase in homicide cases for the first two months of the six-year administration of President López Obrador and the record January figures are especially concerning considering that 2018 was the most violent year on record with more than 33,000 murders.

Compared to January 2018, the number of intentional homicides last month increased in 16 of Mexico’s 31 states as well as in Mexico City.

Guanajuato recorded the highest number of homicides in January with 293 followed by México state with 262; Baja California with 261; Jalisco, with 232; and Chihuahua with 194.

In per capita terms, Colima and Baja California Sur were the most violent states with respective rates of 7.65 and 6.33 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

Kidnappings are also up, according to SNSP statistics, with 140 cases in January compared to 76 in the same month of 2018 – a 46% increase.

The number of kidnapping victims – 164 – is the highest ever recorded in the first month of a year.

Comparisons of January 2018 and January 2019 statistics also show that extortion cases surged by 60%, robberies increased by 5% and reports of retail drug dealing were up 16%.

The new crime data was released yesterday as public debate over the creation of a national guard intensifies.

López Obrador has made it clear that he wants the new security force to be created as soon as possible, arguing that it is needed to combat the high levels of violence in Mexico, but the National Human Rights Commission this week repeated its criticism of the national guard proposal, declaring that it “is not appropriate or viable.”

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

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