7 women jailed for refusing to provide dishes for mayor’s party

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August 2, 2019

The women in their cell after refusing to loan dishes.

Seven indigenous Mixe women were arrested in Santa María Alotepec, Oaxaca, on Thursday morning for refusing to loan dishes from a community dining hall for a party being held by the mayor.

In a video that circulated on social media, the seven women can be seen locked up in a cell in the municipal palace.

According to a complaint by their relatives, the women work at a community dining hall that can be rented out for community events. However, they said the mayor did not follow the proper protocol to use the space or the dishes, so the women refused to loan them.

According to the newspaper El Universal, the decision to have the women arrested was made by Mayor José Galván and other officials who initially ordered the arrests of 40 women who work in the community kitchen.

However, the majority were able to escape and municipal authorities were able to arrest only seven.

The Oaxaca Human Rights Commission (DDHPO) made a ruling in favor of the women, and ordered that the municipality must guarantee their human rights.

“Peoples and communities have the right to autonomy, and to organize themselves according to their internal systems, in ways that revalorize their identities and diversity,” the DDHPO said. “However, these practices need to take care not to lead to actions or omissions that could put at risk the physical integrity or personal liberty of others.”

The Women’s Secretariat of Oaxaca asked the mayor of Santa María Alotepec to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of the seven women.

The women were released around 8:00pm after an intervention by the state Government Secretariat.

Source: NVI Noticias (sp), El Universal (sp)

British tourists struck down by parasite — for the fifth year in a row

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MND Staff

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August 2, 2019

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cancun beach — Watch out for the salads.

For the fifth year in a row, British tourists have been struck down by a nasty parasite after eating contaminated food at resorts in Cancún and the Riviera Maya.

A report published today in the British newspaper Daily Express said that at least 14 British nationals have recently been infected with the cyclospora bug, which is spread by food and water contaminated with human feces.

The parasite causes nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea and loss of appetite, and can be particularly dangerous for people with weak immune systems.

The latest outbreak in Quintana Roo has prompted Health Protection Scotland to issue a warning that advises anyone who has recently visited resorts in Mexico and is feeling ill to seek medical attention.

A travel advisory on the public health authority’s website states that “all travelers to Mexico are strongly advised to maintain a high standard of food, water and personal hygiene even if staying in luxury resorts.”

Since 2015, almost 600 Brits have been affected by the cyclospora bug while visiting Cancún or the Riviera Maya or after they returned home. The area was the subject of a Public Health England warning three years ago after hundreds of people were struck down by the parasite.

Authorities in the United Kingdom believe that the number of cases this year will rise rapidly as a number of resorts in Quintana Roo are believed to be affected by the latest outbreak. Evidence suggests that food deliveries from third parties are to blame.

Salad ingredients such as lettuce, herbs including mint, coriander and basil, and soft fruits like raspberries are particularly susceptible to being hosts to the cyclospora parasite.

Nick Harris, a lawyer who represents more than 450 victims of past and current outbreaks, said that this year he has been contacted by people who fell ill while staying at five different resorts.

“But I understand there are others affected and as this is peak season like other years it has the potential to spread like wildfire,” he said.

“People have saved all year only to be let down by their tour operator at the first hurdle. They knew this bug is rife in Mexico but haven’t told people, preferring to keep quiet . . . Tour operators need to do more instead of putting profit before the safety of their customers who have put their trust in them.”

Source: Daily Express (en)

Six police investigated in killing of migrant in Coahuila

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Simon Schatzberg

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August 2, 2019

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Migrants' shelter in Saltillo where a migrant was killed Wednesday.

Six Coahuila state police officers are being investigated for the killing of a Honduran migrant in the city of Saltillo on Wednesday.

Coahuila Attorney General Gerardo Márquez Guevara told a press conference that the migrant was killed as the police were chasing down suspected drug dealers.

“A group of police investigators were searching for people who had been identified as drug dealers,” he said. “At least four people had been identified, and last week two people were arrested as a result of the investigations.”

Márquez said the officers attempted to arrest the drug dealers at about 9:30pm but the two suspects fled towards the Casa del Migrante, a nearby migrant shelter, and started shooting at the police, who returned fire.

“The group of people that was present in the area dispersed, probably because of the chase that was going on,” said Márquez. “When the police arrived, they found a person on the ground with a gunshot wound.”

The six officers who were involved in the operation have been removed from field duty while the investigation is carried out. Márquez would not say how many times the migrant had been shot.

The victim was identified as Marco, the father of a young girl.

According to accounts by neighbors and migrants who witnessed the event, the police started shooting first, and the incident took place at 8:00pm and not at 9:30pm.

“They shot at us like we were animals,” one migrant told the newspaper Vanguardia. “I heard four shots, and then they killed Marco.”

Márquez added that state police have interviewed four witnesses who said that Marco and his daughter were planning to hop a train to reunite with their family in the United States.

Marco is the second migrant to be murdered since December.

Source: Vanguardia (sp), E-Consulta (sp)

13 homicide suspects arrested in Cajeme, Sonora

By

Madison Koen

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August 2, 2019

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Police attach a closed notice at gang's safe house.

Federal Police detained 13 homicide suspects in Sonora who are believed to be a part of a criminal organization operating in the municipality of Cajeme.

Among other crimes, the suspects are thought to have been responsible for the death of a 3-year-old boy and his father in Ciudad Obregón on June 27.

With information gleaned from the investigation into the murder, police were able to identify the location of a residence the suspects were using as a safe house.

After obtaining a warrant, police stormed the house and arrested the suspects, who were handed over to local authorities for processing. Police also seized a firearm, a motorcycle, a van and seven cellphones.

Information from the July 12 arrests of Edgardo Sánchez and Brayan Valentín, who are thought to have been members of the same gang, also contributed to the capture.

Cajeme is on the list of the 50 most violent municipalities with a murder rate of 62.9 per 100,000 people. There were 147 homicides between January and June, and at least 65 of those occurred in the latter month.

Source: Milenio (sp), La Jornada (sp)

Some 10,000 people enjoy piece of world’s biggest torta

By

Madison Koen

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August 2, 2019

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Officials chow down at the opening of Mexico City's Torta Fair.

Close to 10,000 people tucked into a 900-kilogram torta — the world’s largest — at the 16^th edition of the annual Torta Fair in the Mexico City borough of Venustiano Carranza.

Fans of the hearty Mexican sandwich converged on the borough’s central plaza on Wednesday morning, where Mayor Julio César Moreno inaugurated the festival by devouring a portion of torta to the music of cumbia superstars Sonora Dinamita.

The mega-torta was measured at 72.3 meters long before a notary public, who assured that it broke the Guinness world record for the world’s largest.

Others lined up early to seek out their favorite torterías from all over Mexico, including those of Sonora Steak, rare shrimp tortas and pre-Columbian tortas complete with grasshoppers and ant larvae. There were even a few visiting stands from other countries.

One early bird said it was worth missing work, to laughing agreement from her office colleagues between bites.

“I’m currently on the clock. I come every year, and missing [work] and being chastised is worth it for this truly Mexican food. [Also] I believe that you have to accept the risk, with a little guilt that — well, they make you fat,” said Silvia Morales.

Eight-year-old torta enthusiast Marina gave reporters atip on how to choose a good torta:

“If your napkin or paper bag isn’t soaked in grease, it’s not any good.”

The mayor said he expects the five-day festival to draw over 300,000 people, generating over 5 million pesos (US $260,000). It runs till Sunday.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Sargassum-free beaches in six weeks; more than 57,000 tonnes removed

By

MND Staff

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August 2, 2019

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Navy Secretary Ojeda reports on sargassum removal at the president's morning press conference.

The sargassum problem will be resolved in six weeks, Navy Secretary José Rafael Ojeda declared yesterday.

Speaking at the presidential press conference, Ojeda said that the joint efforts of the navy – which in early May was given responsibility for combatting the seaweed’s arrival – and the public would ensure that beaches are sargassum-free in a month and a half.

The coastline of the northern municipalities of Isla Mujeres, Benito Juárez (Cancún), Puerto Morelos and Solidaridad (Playa del Carmen) are already free of the seaweed, he said.

Today’s report from the Cancún sargassum monitoring network shows that no beaches between Tulum and the north of Quintana Roo are affected by excessive amounts of seaweed compared to 33 at the start of last week.

The network said conditions at beaches in Cancún and the Riviera Maya are “improving considerably” every day thanks to ocean currents and a radical change in the direction of prevailing winds.

The red zones have disappeared from the sargassum map published Friday morning.

Ojeda said that 57,603 tonnes of sargassum were collected from beaches between May and July and 287 tonnes were removed from the sea. A total of 10,701 people contributed to the clean-up efforts, he added.

Ojeda said the navy is in the process of purchasing three tractors, four sweepers and containment barriers with a combined length of 4,000 meters to assist with the anti-sargassum efforts. The navy is also building four sargassum-gathering vessels.

The navy secretary said that the first vessel will be ready in October and the other three will be completed soon after.

Although at least one scientist has warned that decomposing sargassum is a serious environmental problem, Ojeda discounted the warning, saying that a study has shown it has had no negative effect on the beaches of Quintana Roo.

President López Obrador, who in June said that sargassum wasn’t a very serious problem, told reporters yesterday that his government was always confident that there was a solution to the seasonal arrival of the smelly and unsightly seaweed.

“. . . What we did is establish order. Politics was invented to establish order,” he said.

However, the head of the Cancún sargassum monitoring network said last week that the navy’s strategy is not effective in preventing the arrival of seaweed on Quintana Roo beaches.

“The navy’s efforts are almost being exceeded. I believe that the navy has [just] one [sargassum-gathering] vessel and obviously for 700 kilometers of coast in Quintana Roo, it’s not enough . . .” Esteban Amaro said.

“. . . Most of the sargassum is being collected from the beaches and only a minimal amount is being contained at sea.”

Source: El Economista (sp)

US Senate ratifies Landau as ambassador to Mexico

By

Simon Schatzberg

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August 2, 2019

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The United States Senate approved the appointment of Christopher Landau as ambassador to Mexico on Thursday, filling a post that has been vacant for 15 months.

Landau, 55, will now take office at the embassy in Mexico City, which has been without a chief since the resignation of Roberta Jacobson in May 2018. Landau will take the place of John S. Creamer, who has been serving as interim ambassador.

Although he has no diplomatic experience, Landau was born in Spain and spent parts of his childhood in Latin America when his father, George Landau, was an ambassador to Paraguay, Chile and Venezuela. He speaks Spanish and French, and has a certificate in Latin American studies from Harvard.

As a young lawyer, he clerked for Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas before moving to private practice.

Since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Landau has been considered for a variety of appointments, including attorney general. He was first floated as a possible successor to Jacobson in November 2018, and in March of this year he was appointed by Trump and approved by the Mexican government.

A former Mexican ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukhan, lauded the confirmation of Landau and expressed his optimism for the bilateral relationship.

“Finally, after 15 months, the U.S. has a new ambassador in Mexico,” Sarukhan wrote. “I wish Chris Landau the best in what will be a trying and challenging posting. Our two countries deserve better than the Mexico policy — and that’s being overly generous and diplomatic — emanating from the Oval Office.”

Source: Milenio (sp), Infobae (sp)

10-year manhunt ends with arrest of Guerrero gang leader

By

MND Staff

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August 2, 2019

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The leader of Los Rojos is blamed for much of the violence in Guerrero and Morelos.

A 10-year manhunt came to an end yesterday with the arrest in Guerrero of the suspected leader of the Los Rojos crime gang.

Santiago “El Carrete” Mazari Hernández, identified as one of the principal instigators of violence in both Guerrero and Morelos, was detained in the Sierra region municipality of Leonardo Bravo in a joint operation by Federal Police, the army and the navy.

The federal Security Secretariat (SSPC) said that Mazari was arrested on charges of organized crime, drug trafficking and kidnapping. The 43-year-old is the subject of more than 15 criminal investigations at the state and federal levels.

Security forces also took into custody a suspect identified as Marco “N,” who was with “El Carrete” when he was captured. The SSPC said that he could be Mazari’s principal criminal operator.

Los Rojos have been involved in turf wars in Morelos with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and cells of the Beltrán Leyva organization and the Guerreros Unidos gang, while in Guerrero it has clashed frequently with Los Ardillos.

With the arrest of Mazari, the gang has been “practically dismantled” in the former state, the newspaper El Universal said, explaining that 90% of its criminal structure was taken apart when Alberto Capella Ibarra was Morelos security commissioner.

Mazari was previously arrested on trafficking charges in 2008 but released in early 2009. At least three of his family members have also been arrested.

Gabriela Mazari Hernández, sister of the detained capo and a logistics chief for Los Rojos, was arrested in March last year, while his son, Alexis Oswaldo Mazari, was detained in August.

Alfonso Miranda Gallegos, Mazari’s uncle and a former mayor of the Morelos municipality of Amacuzac, was arrested in May 2018 on charges of organized crime and kidnapping his political rivals.

He also allegedly provided protection to Los Rojos. In 2017, Capella said that there was evidence that 13 Morelos mayors were paying extortion fees to Mazari’s gang.

Morelos Governor Cuauhtémoc Blanco yesterday praised the work of security authorities and described the arrest of “El Carrete” as a “strong blow against organized crime.”

The governor’s chief of staff, José Manuel Sanz Rivera, called on residents of Morelos to remain calm, explaining that intelligence reports indicated that there was no imminent risk of revenge attacks.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Interjet to compensate 21,000 passengers affected by cancellations, delays

By

Simon Schatzberg

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August 2, 2019

0

interjet aircraft — Interjet has promised full compensation to travelers for cancellations and delays.

Budget airline Interjet said on Thursday that service was getting back to normal after three days of delays and cancellations affecting thousands of passengers.

According to Profeco, the consumer protection agency, 133 flights were cancelled between Monday and Wednesday of this week, affecting 18,247 passengers. Another 22 flights were delayed, affecting 2,998 more.

The airline said it will offer extra flights to the destinations where there were more disruptions, and compensation packages to affected passengers that go beyond the legal requirements.

In a tweet, Interjet CEO William Shaw offered his apologies to inconvenienced passengers.

“On behalf of Interjet, and for myself, I apologize to the customers who have been affected over the last 72 hours,” he wrote. “We are working on a protection plan to compensate everyone.”

He said the airline is working with Profeco and the Communications and Transportation Secretariat to create the compensation packages.

Profeco said in a press release that it had reached an agreement with Interjet to refund passengers the costs of their tickets.

To receive a refund, passengers must write to indemnizaciones@interjet.com.mx or call customer service at 11 02 55 11 from Mexico City or 01 800 322 5050 from other states, and provide the operator with the flight’s reservation number.

The airline also agreed to hire 63 pilots and flight attendants to prevent similar disruptions in the future.

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

Students learn civil disobedience, ‘social struggle’ in union’s plan

By

MND Staff

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August 1, 2019

0

CNTE representatives at the National Palace in Mexico City.

The CNTE teachers’ union will present an alternative education plan to President López Obrador that includes instruction on civil disobedience and social resistance and struggle.

Under the plan, students are taught from a “humanist” and “emancipatory” perspective using a curriculum that, according to the CNTE, breaks the model of traditional education.

It will be submitted to the president during a meeting scheduled for September 10.

The plan also says that parents need to form an “important part of the social, political, educational and cultural struggle against the imperatives that the system tries to impose.”

Learning is divided into five broad areas – territory and mother nature, language of the people, society and critical history of Mexico and the world, economy and productive work and popular culture.

Students evaluate their own educational progress and that of their peers.

The CNTE union, which organized countless protests against the former government’s educational reform, has also developed ideologically loaded “alternative” textbooks that have been distributed in Michoacán and Oaxaca.

Juan Melchor, a member of Section 18 of the CNTE, said the union has been working on an alternative education plan since 2015 and hopes that it will be disseminated nationally.

“The education we propose is an alternative to the privatization model of [former president] Enrique Peña Nieto’s educational reform . . .” he said.

Source: El Universal (sp)

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