Selfie with a tiger turns up man wanted for homicide

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August 11, 2018

Taking a selfie with a Bengal tiger proved to be costly in more ways than one for a casino owner in Yucatán.

Roberto Gabriel Lozano Támez, owner of a casino in Mérida, was attacked by one of two tigers he keeps on a ranch when his son entered the cage in order to take a photograph of himself with the animals.

When his father attempted to get the 150-kilogram tiger off his 15-year-old son, he too was attacked.

Lozano was last reported as being brain dead in a private hospital, but his son was recovering after surgery.

Lozano is not only under care in hospital, but under guard. A background check by police revealed he is wanted in Nuevo León for murder and theft.

In 2005, Lozano killed Juan Ramón Treviño Garza over an unpaid debt of 50,000 pesos (US $5,400 at the time) and stole 7,000 pesos in cash and jewelry.

Lozano was subsequently convicted of the crime and sentenced to 25 years in prison, but in 2010 a judge ordered his release on the grounds that there were errors by the prosecution and Lozano relocated to Mérida.

In the intervening years, however, the justice system of Nuevo León reversed the 2010 ruling and ordered that the original sentence stood.

Lozano is to be transported to Nuevo León if and when he recovers from his injuries. One report quoted medical sources saying his chances of recovery were slim.

Source: Milenio (sp), La Policiaca (sp), Diario de Yucatán (sp)

No incentives for business; instead, conditions favorable for investors

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MND Staff

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August 11, 2018

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Businessman Castañon, left, and businessman-bureaucrat Romo. — Businessman Castañón, left, and businessman-bureaucrat Romo.

There will be no tax incentives for business when the next federal administration takes office, says the proposed chief of staff of president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Instead, the new government will prioritize making savings and generating conditions that are favorable to investors, Alfonso Romo said.

Speaking after a meeting with the leadership of the influential Business Coordinating Council (CCE), Romo added that the government’s position wouldn’t be inflexible throughout its six-year term.

“Once we have the house in order, then we can speak. If there is an emerging plan, we’ll speak about it with the Business Coordinating Council,” he said.

Among the tax incentives implemented by the current government are a stimulus scheme to alleviate the burden of the excise tax on gasoline and a capital repatriation initiative that allows both individual and business taxpayers to bring funds generated by overseas investments back into Mexico at a lower tax rate.

However, the private sector has requested the introduction of more incentives, such as the ability to deduct employee benefits from tax payments, an investment tax deduction scheme for medium-sized businesses and a reduction in income tax.

Romo said that before the incoming government designs its tax package, it will conduct an analysis to determine what it can and can’t do but said that cutting debt and deficit would come first and that the López Obrador-led government would be “very austere.”

The president-elect has previously said that his administration will review energy sector contracts but Romo stressed that the review would extend across all government secretariats.

“There will be a detailed analysis of where we are and based on that the cabinet will coordinate the new budget. The Secretariat of Finance will bring it together and from that we’ll see how much room for maneuver we have,” he said.

For his part, CCE president Juan Pablo Castañón said that an agreement had been reached to hold 12 roundtable discussions with the incoming government during the transition period to look at ways to promote investment, certainty and employment.

He said the CCE will meet with the future secretaries of economy and labor, Graciela Márquez and Luisa María Alcalde, to discuss issues relevant to their roles, as well as the prospective interior secretary, Olga Sánchez Cordero, and the president-elect’s nominee for the economy portfolio, Carlos Urzúa.

López Obrador and his cabinet will be sworn in on December 1.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Petroleum thieves turn to other sources of funds after pipeline shut down

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César Hernández

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August 11, 2018

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No paramedics in this ambulance, just drums of fuel.

Shutting down a pipeline in Sinaloa has left thieves looking other sources of funds, and boosted sales of fuel at gas stations.

Pemex shut down a stretch of pipeline in February between the cities of Guámuchil and Culiacán due to the high incidence of illegal pipeline taps and the ensuing damage to infrastructure.

On July 24, Pemex Logistics announced that the pipeline would remain out of service until further notice while it continued to assess the damage and determine whether it could be repaired.

Ricardo Jenny del Rincón of the State Council for Public Security said there were 322 illegal pipeline taps in the state between January and July, up 70% over last year.

One effect of shutting off the flow of fuel was felt by local gas stations. They reported increases in sales of up to 30% after suffering declines of 50% to 70%.

But now others are suffering as the criminals turn to other illicit activities, such as stealing vehicles, machinery and products from local farmers.

However, the huachicoleros, as the petroleum thieves are called, are still busy elsewhere in the country and in some cases are coming up with unique methods of moving their product.

In Hidalgo, state police discovered 1,600 liters of stolen fuel in an ambulance

An anonymous tip led them to check the vehicle as it was traveling on the Pachuca-Sahagún highway. Instead of a patient, it was carrying eight drums of fuel reported stolen in Tlalnepantla, México state.

Two people were taken into custody.

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

Trade talks extended another week; new sticking points have surfaced

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MND Staff

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August 11, 2018

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Guajardo talks to reporters about NAFTA progress.

Trade talks between Mexico and the United States will continue next week as new sticking points have surfaced over U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Mexican-made vehicles.

Officials from both countries have been meeting in Washington D.C. for the past three weeks to try to iron out their differences over bilateral issues before Canada retakes its place in negotiations for a new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Automotive industry officials with knowledge of the talks told the news agency Reuters that the Trump administration wants the capacity to enforce national security tariffs on future production from new auto assembly and parts plants in Mexico.

The officials said United States negotiators had essentially agreed that existing automotive plants in Mexico would be exempt from any “Section 232” tariffs that Trump may impose but they don’t want to extend the same guarantee to new plants.

The United States imposed tariffs on Mexican and Canadian steel and aluminum on national security grounds effective June 1, while at Trump’s direction the U.S. Commerce Department in May launched an investigation into whether vehicle imports pose a national security risk.

White House officials and United States congressional aides have said that both the metal tariffs and the auto probe are in part aimed at winning concessions in the ongoing NAFTA renegotiation process.

Ildefonso Guajardo, Mexico’s Secretary of Economy and lead NAFTA negotiator, said yesterday in Washington that “a lot of progress” had been made over the past three weeks of discussions and that a deal was still possible by the end of the month.

However, he acknowledged that “we still have a lot of work to do.”

Asked about progress on rules of origin for the automotive sector, Guajardo said “nothing is closed until everything is closed but there are items in every element that are being discussed.”

Once bilateral issues between Mexico and the United States have been resolved, Canada will rejoin the talks, he said, adding that could take place in “the next few days or weeks.”

Industry officials said the United States had barely softened its stance of wanting 75% regional content in order for a vehicle to be afforded tariff-free status while it is also pushing for 40% to 45% of content to come from high-wage areas, which would currently exclude Mexico.

However, Guajardo last week publicly accepted for the first time the United States’ proposal to include set minimum wages for the auto industry in a new NAFTA deal.

Auto industry officials said that Mexico sought reassurances that new content rules would not lead to the loss of existing facilities and jobs.

Another contentious issue — the so-called sunset clause that would see the trade pact automatically expire after five years if it is not renegotiated — has not been raised during the current talks and will be left until the end of negotiations, Guajardo said.

Both Mexico and Canada are opposed to its inclusion in a modernized version of the 24-year-old agreement.

Trump, who has called NAFTA “the worst trade deal ever” and repeatedly threatened to terminate it, wrote on Twitter yesterday that the “deal with Mexico is coming along nicely,” adding that “autoworkers and farmers must be taken care of or there will be no deal.”

He also wrote that president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador “has been an absolute gentleman.”

Jesús Seade, whom López Obrador has tapped to be his chief trade negotiator, has also been in the United States capital for the trade talks.

Trump concluded his tweet by declaring that “Canada must wait. Their tariffs and trade barriers are far too high. Will tax cars if we can’t make a deal.”

Trump has previously floated the possibility that the United States could seek separate trade deals with both its neighbors but reaching a new agreement with Mexico and Canada that is favorable to the U.S. could work to his benefit at the upcoming midterm elections in November.

In a July 20 letter to López Obrador, Trump wrote that he believed that a successful renegotiation of NAFTA will lead to more jobs and higher wages in both Mexico and the United States before adding “but only if it can go quickly, because otherwise I must go a very different route.”

The Mexican government is also eager to reach a deal before President Enrique Peña Nieto leaves office at the end of November.

Source: Reuters (sp)

Costco opens its fourth gas station in Mexico

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August 11, 2018

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Costco has opened a gas station in Celaya, its first in Guanajuato. — Costco's new station in Celaya.

Costco opened its first gas station in the state of Guanajuato this week, its fourth in Mexico.

The 63-million-peso (US $3.3-million) station is on Tecnológico avenue in Celaya, and includes a convenience store.

The company has already opened stations in Culiacán, Sinaloa; Saltillo, Coahuila; and San Luis Potosí, selling Costco’s Kirkland Signature gasoline brand.

The company assured customers that they will receive the exact quantity of gasoline they pay for.

Costco only accepts credit or debit cards for payment. Members who use their Costco card get a 3% discount.

Source: Via Noticias (sp)

Liverpool to sell dolls made by artisans in Querétaro

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César Hernández

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August 10, 2018

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Artisan dolls, available soon at Liverpool.

The Liverpool department store chain is going to sell artisanal rag dolls made by the indigenous people of Amealco, Querétaro.

The store has agreed to carry the products following months of negotiations that started in December, when customers complained that Liverpool stores were selling cheap knock-off dolls of Chinese manufacture.

Querétaro Sustainable Development Secretary Marco Prete Tercero announced that the sale of the dolls, known locally as pachas and throughout Mexico as Muñecas Marías, will start in September, without specifying the stores that will carry them.

Residents of Amealco have traditionally created their dolls by hand, spending anywhere from two to seven days to complete each one. They sell for up to 500 pesos (just over US $25).

The state has also decided to further protect the Amealco dolls by declaring them cultural intangible heritage, a declaration that will take place at a ceremony on August 15 in the Constitución Plaza of Amealco.

“It’s good that [government] agencies gave us their support, because we don’t want other states to come and pirate [the dolls] and steal from us,” said one of the artisans.

Secretary Prete added that the state is still negotiating the sale of the rag dolls on Amazon’s Mexico website, observing that the process is complex, because the online retailer’s system requires standardized product measurements and characteristics.

Source: Milenio (sp)

President agrees to López Obrador’s proposals for security secretariat, prosecutors

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MND Staff

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August 10, 2018

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López Obrador, left and Peña Nieto met for a second time yesterday.

President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador said yesterday that President Enrique Peña Nieto agreed to initiate his proposals to create a federal public security secretariat and to have an attorney general and anti-corruption and electoral prosecutors in place when he takes office on December 1.

Speaking to the media following a two-hour meeting with Peña Nieto at the National Palace, López Obrador said the president would send the initiatives to the new federal Congress, which will first sit on September 1.

“From the beginning of the government we want to have the Secretariat of Public Security and the federal Attorney General’s office with the two complementary prosecutors’ offices [in place] . . . We reached an agreement that we’re going to work together so that in these two cases we can have results soon, so that we don’t waste time,” he said.

López Obrador added that Peña Nieto hadn’t asked for anything in exchange, declaring “he is behaving very well and we acknowledge his goodwill.”

The political veteran also said he told Peña Nieto that he plans to incorporate the institution charged with protecting the president of Mexico — the Estado Mayor Presidencial — into the Secretariat of Defense.

That proposal will also be sent to Congress for consideration.

The president-elect reiterated that he will forgo secret service-style protection and instead have a security detail made up of 10 women and 10 men who will accompany him unarmed on a national tour scheduled to start on September 16.

“They are 20 professionals; lawyers, doctors, engineers, men and women. They are surely going to take a course, some training, but not for the handling of weapons but so that there is minimal protection . . . There is this concern [about my security] but the police, soldiers, marines and citizens are going to look after me,” he said.

Questioned about the release from house arrest of former teachers’ union boss Elba Esther Gordillo earlier this week, López Obrador rejected any suggestion that it was related to his official designation as president-elect.

“It was a decision of the judicial power . . . I no longer want to speak about those things,” he said.

The two leaders also agreed that members of the current cabinet would meet with the nominees for cabinet positions in the incoming government on August 20, while López Obrador put to bed speculation that his former presidential rival. José Antonio Meade. could be offered a position in his government.

“He [Meade] is not planning to work in the government, that is not his intention,” he said.

López Obrador, who won the July presidential 1 election in a landslide, also explained that his decentralization plan to move several federal secretariats from Mexico City to regional cities wouldn’t be carried out in the space of a year nor would it be enforced by decree.

For his part, Peña Nieto wrote on Twitter after the meeting that he had reiterated the federal government’s “willingness to support and collaborate [with López Obrador] for an efficient and effective transition for the benefit of Mexico.”

Source: El Universal (sp)

Winemakers gather for annual competition in Querétaro

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August 10, 2018

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Vinaltura is one of the Querétaro winemakers that the Concours Mondial will visit.

Mexican wine and tequila are being showcased this week in the city of Querétaro at the second annual Mexico Selection of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles.

Thirty-five judges from Mexico and around the world will taste 500 entries from Mexican wine and tequila makers during the three-day event, which began August 9.

The event also features workshops on topics such as the history and characteristics of winemaking in Mexico and the difficulties facing wine producers in the state of Querétaro.

Vineyard and winery tours are also on the agenda, with visits planned to Paso de Serra, Vinícola Vinaltura and Finca Sala Vivé to sample wines and get to know the state’s winemaking projects.

The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is an international wine competition held in a different country every year. This week’s event in Mexico is a regional one that his held annually in a different winemaking region.

According to the Concours Mondial, Querétaro’s wine industry is growing at the rate of 70 to 100 hectares of new vineyards a year, with an average of two to three new wineries opening in the same period.

Like many other winemaking regions of the world, the state’s winemakers are using tourism to promote their wines.

Mexico News Daily

Auditor accuses ex-governor Duarte of embezzling 6 billion pesos

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MND Staff

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August 10, 2018

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The Interpol Red Notice for César Duarte.

The Chihuahua Auditor’s Office (ASE) has filed criminal complaints against former governor César Duarte and 42 officials who served during his administration for the embezzlement of 6 billion pesos (US $317 million).

The irregularities relate to the state’s public accounts for the 2016 fiscal year, and were first detected by the Chihuahua Congress and referred to the ASE for review.

The Auditor’s Office said the complaints, filed with the state Attorney General’s office, are the result of an exhaustive technical investigation which detected the possible crimes of diversion of resources, bribery and embezzlement, among others.

The auditor’s report said that various officials in Duarte’s government “failed to comply with the principles of legality, honesty, loyalty, impartiality and efficiency, which they should observe in carrying out their employment.”

Auditor Jesús Raymundo Mata said the 6 billion pesos disappeared between January and October 2016, when Duarte’s six-year term concluded.

The former Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) governor is a fugitive from justice and believed to be living in the United States.

Current Governor Javier Corral has accused the federal government of protecting his predecessor from corruption charges by dragging its feet on attempts to extradite him to Mexico.

Earlier this year, the Chihuahua government staged a protest march to Mexico City, whose aim, in part, was to pressure the federal government to expedite the process to bring Duarte home to face justice.

But not even an Interpol Red Notice, first issued a year and a half ago, has succeeded in securing his arrest.

Source: El Financiero (sp), Animal Político (sp)