Large crocodile captured in Puerto Vallarta park

By

-

July 14, 2022

The crocodile was captured and relocated.

Walkers and joggers on the walking path along the Pitillal River outside Puerto Vallarta got a surprise Wednesday when a large crocodile meandered across the path from the river to the woods. Captured on social media, the massive reptile, nearly 4 meters long, saunters across the walkway without seeming to even notice his human observers.

Called by onlookers, the “green patrol” of the local government’s Citizens Security Commission located and captured the crocodile, which is believed to have escaped from a reptile sanctuary nearby.

In an attempt to reinforce the municipality’s commitment to preserving the area’s flora and fauna, members of the patrol checked to make sure the crocodile was healthy and unharmed and then proceeded to tag it in order to eventually it him back into the wild.

Citizens that reported the sighting to the newspaper Noticias PV are reported to have asked officials not to demonize the animal for its presence, because the area where the park is located is the natural habitat of this kind of reptile and human beings have to learn to live with it.

Pasea cocodrilo en Marina Vallarta bajo la tromba de hoy | CPS Noticias Puerto Vallarta

Watch this video on YouTube

A crocodile was filmed crossing a flooded road in Marina Vallarta last year.

According to information from the University of Guadalajara there are approximately 250 crocodiles in the area, mostly around Boca de Tomatlán and Boca Negra, and only 40 of them are adults.

Ever increasing urban sprawl and human settlement in the areas that the crocodiles once called home are making sightings of them more and more common. Several crocodile sanctuaries have been set up along the coast near Puerto Vallarta including the El Salado estuary and La Cora.

With reports from Noticias PV

TikToker apologizes for blocking Guadalajara traffic

By

Lydia Carey

-

July 14, 2022

0

Fofo Márquez poses with a luxury sportscar. Facebook / Fofomqz

TikToker Rodolfo “Fofo” Márquez apologized for shutting down a Guadalajara bridge last week after the city’s mayor threatened charges against him for the stunt. Known for his boasts of extreme wealth and a high-end lifestyle of fancy cars, models and champagne, Fofo Márquez has almost 800,000 followers on TikTok.

Márquez appeared in the video posted to the social media platform boasting that he was going to shut down the Matute Remus Bridge by parking luxury cars across the three lanes of traffic “because he can.” As cars started to line up behind his parked cars and horns started to honk, Márquez made faces at the camera and outstretched his arms towards the empty bridge behind him. “This is what money and power can do,” he told his followers.

But following Márquez’s stunt, Guadalajara Mayor Pablo Lemus threatened to bring charges against him for blocking traffic and endangering drivers on the road. After the rebuke, Márquez went back to social media to publicly apologize, this time off TikTok as the company suspended his account after the video of the bridge blockade went viral.

In his apology, Márquez said he was sorry for the people that were offended by his stunt but that he had seen other influencers do similar things for content. He also said that his comments about money and power were perhaps stupid.

Fofo then apologized directly to Guadalajara’s mayor, explaining that he would be willing to pay a fine if necessary to stay in Guadalajara, and that he loves his city. He also said he didn’t expect the video to go so viral with over 10 million views in less than 24 hours.

Both his fans and detractors have reacted strongly to the stunt with some saying he’s a “headless imbecile” and others calling for people to stop following him on TikTok. The mayor responded to the apology by saying Márquez would have to complete community service, cleaning up below the very bridge he shut down.

With reports from El Universal

Navy’s plan to snag gillnets and protect vaquita is risky, say observers

By

MND Staff

-

July 14, 2022

0

The concrete blocks have hooks designed to snag fishing nets in the no-fishing zone. Semarnat

A new plan to protect the vaquita marina porpoise could in fact create an additional risk for the critically endangered mammal, according to experts.

The navy announced last week that it would drop concrete blocks onto the bottom of the upper Gulf of California to snag illegal gillnets that entangle and drown vaquitas. The nets are used to catch totoaba, a fish whose swim bladder is a delicacy in China and sells for thousands of dollars per kilogram.

The navy said in a statement it planned to start placing the blocks – each of which has a long hook attached to it – on the bottom of a no-fishing zone known as the zero tolerance area (ZTA) on July 8. Authorities have virtually abandoned efforts to keep small fishing boats out of the area, which is located off the coast of San Felipe, Baja California.

A total of 193 blocks were to be sunk in the ZTA, where a group of scientists recently sighted eight mature vaquitas and one or two calves. The Gulf of California is the only place in the world inhabited by the small porpoises, which can’t be bred in captivity.

With so few vaquitas left, spotting one of the elusive porpoises is extremely rare. Semarnat

The navy said that an environmental impact statement confirmed that the concrete block plan wouldn’t have a “significant environmental impact” on the marine ecosystem. “Mitigation measures will be carried out,” it added, one of which is a program to remove nets snagged by the long hooks.

According to an Associated Press report, environmentalists last week expressed concerns that the metal hooks may accumulate remnants of nets that could continue to entangle and kill marine species. Alex Olivera, Mexico representative of the Center for Biological Diversity, told AP that the plan was “a total surprise.”

“The environmental impact statement was approved in record time, in six weeks. It wasn’t opened to public comment,” he said.

“A net can be snagged on these hooks, and … we’re talking about nets that are hundreds of meters long, so we don’t know if a net snagged down there might be a double-edged sword, and trap vaquitas,” Olivera said.

“Ghost nets,” as abandoned nets are colloquially known, can continue trapping and killing marine species for years, AP said.

Another expert who spoke with the news agency said that the presence of large hooks under the water might discourage fisherman from fishing in the ZTA because they would run the risk of losing nets to snags. However, the person – who asked not to be identified due to fear of reprisals – stressed the importance of regularly removing snagged nets. If they remain in the ZTA, “other species could be killed,” he said.

The navy hasn’t said how often it intends to remove snagged nets. According to AP, divers would probably need to cut nets off each of the 193 blocks every few days to mitigate risks to marine life. Olivera said that the navy didn’t have the capacity to check the blocks for nets every day.

AP also said that fishermen might learn to avoid the hooks. “Given the defiance of the fishermen and the lucrative nature of the illegal trade in dried totoaba bladders, there is … no guarantee that fishermen might not mark — either physically or with GPS — the location of the blocks and fish around them,” it said.

With reports from AP

Walmart offers COVID test kits; 5th wave now bigger than the first two

By

MND Staff

-

July 14, 2022

0

Pedrestrians in Mexico City. — Mexico City has the highest per capita rate of active cases in the country.

More coronavirus cases have been recorded during the current fifth wave of the pandemic than during the first or second wave, according to official data analyzed by the Milenio newspaper.

Citing Health Ministry numbers, Milenio reported that 475,293 cases were recorded between May 31 and July 12. An additional 36,334 cases were reported Wednesday, pushing the fifth wave tally above half a million. Milenio used the end of May as the starting point for the fifth wave, although some experts said that it actually started at the beginning of that month.

Without citing specific dates, the newspaper said that 425,981 cases were reported during the first wave in the spring and summer of 2020, and that 463,702 were registered in the second wave in the winter of 2020-21.

The omicron-fueled fourth in late 2021 and early 2022 wave was Mexico’s biggest with over 721,000 cases, according to Milenio‘s report, while last year’s delta-fueled third wave ranks a close second with more than 720,000. Fifth wave infections – many of which are caused by highly contagious omicron sub-variants – could yet exceed those numbers as it is yet to peak.

Students in Colima listen to a nurses instructions as they get ready to receive a COVID vaccine.

Mauricio Rodríguez, spokesman for the National Autonomous University coronavirus commission, recently predicted that the wave would peak in late July or early August with some 70,000 cases per day. Wednesday’s tally of over 36,000 cases was the highest of the current wave.

About 60% of Mexico’s fifth wave cases were detected this month, with 304,389 reported in the first 13 days of July for a daily average of 23,414.

While case numbers during this wave have now exceeded those of the first two, COVID-19 deaths are much lower. Just over 1,400 have been reported since May 30, compared to tens of thousands in previous waves.

Mexico’s accumulated case tally currently stands at just under 6.34 million, of which over 220,000 are considered active, while the official COVID death toll is 326,261 after a fifth wave-high of 92 fatalities was reported Wednesday.

Walmart now sells antigen nasal tests, available in their stores, online and in Bodega Aurrerá.

Mexico City has the highest number of active cases on a per capita basis with over 600 per 100,000 people, followed by Colima and Baja California Sur, each of which has close to 400. Health authorities in Baja California Sur reported that the BA.4 omicron sub-variant has been detected in that state, and attributed the recent rise in case numbers to the strain.

Health official Alfredo Ojeda García said that the BA.5 sub-variant hasn’t been detected but it’s only a matter of time before it begins circulating in the state.

Meanwhile, Walmart announced that it is now selling the COVID-19 rapid antigen nasal test made by Roche, a Swiss healthcare company. Walmart, Mexico’s largest supermarket chain, said in a statement that the tests have been approved by Mexican health authorities. A box containing five tests costs 990 pesos (US $47.50). They are available at Walmart and Bodega Aurrerá supermarkets, and on the Walmart website.

With reports from Milenio, El Universal and El Financiero

Authorities say they have put the brakes on Sinaloa Cartel’s CDMX expansion

By

MND Staff

-

July 14, 2022

0

Los Chapitos, sons of drug lord El Chapo — Authorities say they believe henchmen affiliated with Los Chapitos, the sons of jailed Sinaloa Cartel drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, have been operating in Mexico City since 2020.

The Sinaloa Cartel’s Mexico City expansion has not gone as smoothly as it might have hoped: authorities have arrested numerous suspected members of the powerful criminal organization and seized large quantities of drugs and weapons from it.

Cartel henchmen affiliated with Los Chapitos – the sons of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán – are believed to have been operating in the capital since 2020. According to Mexico City Attorney General’s Office sources cited by the El Universal newspaper, the Sinaloa Cartel’s presence has been detected in Tlalpan, Xochimilco and Gustavo A. Madero, among other boroughs.

In September, those three boroughs, along with Álvaro Obregón, Cuauhtémoc, Miguel Hidalgo and Iztapalapa, were part of a Mexico City police initiative to increase patrol presence in high-crime areas of the city. At the time, officials said that they were trying to combat the activities of various organized crime groups, although the Sinaloa Cartel was not mentioned.

Fourteen suspected Sinaloa Cartel members were arrested Tuesday after a gun battle with police in Tlalpan, located in the capital’s south. It was far from the first time that authorities have conducted an operation against the cartel in Mexico City.

Sinaloa Cartel badges — Some suspects arrested in the firefight on Tuesday were wearing badges bearing the intials of the Sinaloa Cartel, left, and the initials of the cartel’s jailed ex-leader, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, left.

One of the biggest prior blows came in February 2021, when Mexico City police and soldiers seized 803 kilograms of cocaine and 15 firearms from a house in Tlalpan. Two suspected Sinaloa Cartel members were detained.

Days later, security forces raided a property in the Benito Juárez borough and seized an additional 60 kilograms of cocaine. A person identified as a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel was arrested during that operation.

A woman known as “La Chamaca” (The Kid), who allegedly had links to the cartel, was arrested in Mexico City in May of this year, while authorities last month seized 300 kilograms of cocaine during raids of 10 properties in the capital.

The El Universal sources said that authorities have established that the Sinaloa Cartel sends drugs from Sinaloa on buses that arrive at Mexico City’s northern bus terminal. They also said the cartel collaborates with local drug dealers to sell their illicit products. The criminals affiliated with Los Chapitos use medium- and high-value homes to stash their drugs, El Universal said.

Mexico City northern bus terminal — The Sinaloa Cartel reportedly sends drugs from Sinaloa on buses that arrive at Mexico City’s northern bus terminal.

One part of the capital where the criminal organization has attempted to take control of the drug market is Tlalpan, but Mexico City police detected its presence and were carrying out an operation against it when Tuesday’s confrontation occurred. The 14 people arrested after that clash – in which four police officers were wounded – allegedly belong to the Los Chapitos cell of the Sinaloa Cartel.

According to a report by the Infobae news website, some of the aggressors were wearing badges around their necks that indicated their affiliation. The badges feature an image of a mouse, a reference to Ovidio “El Ratón” Guzmán López, whose brief arrest in Culiacán in 2019 triggered a wave of cartel attacks that terrorized residents of the northern city. They also feature the J.G.L. initials of Joaquín Guzmán Loera. Other presumed cartel henchmen were wearing badges featuring El Chapo’s face.

According to Antonio Nieto, a Mexico City-based journalist who reports on organized crime and is the author of a book on the history of La Unión Tepito, a crime group based in the notoriously violent Tepito neighborhood, cartel members affiliated with Los Chapitos met with Mexico City officials in the borough of Coyoacán in February 2020. The following year they began to speak about a criminal pact, according to an Infobae report that quoted the journalist.

At a meeting last September, Nieto said, Mexico City police were warned not to interfere with the criminal activities of Los Chapitos and advised to instead focus their law enforcement efforts on La Unión Tepito. “In exchange for that, none of the officers would be touched,” Infobae said.

Ironically, in 2019, Mexico City Police Chief Omar García Harfuch conducted a major drug and weapons raid on La Unión Tepito in the Morelos neighborhood, narrowly missing capturing its leader, Oscar “El Lunares” Flores. García claimed at the time that his office had made the raid because it had knowledge that Mexico City authorities had made a pact with La Unión Tepito.

If a pact did exist between Los Chapitos and Mexico City police, it appears that it was broken before Tuesday’s shootout in Tlalpan. According to Nieto, another Sinaloa Cartel faction called Los Mayos – operatives loyal to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada – also operates in Mexico City, but it’s not as violent as Los Chapitos.

With reports from El Universal and Infobae

Doctor’s murder highlights health crisis in Sierra Tarahumara

By

MND Staff

-

July 14, 2022

0

Mexía, described as a upbeat and professional by friends and coworkers, was survived by her young daughter. — Mexía, described as upbeat and professional by friends and coworkers, is survived by her young daughter.

The murder of a doctor in a violence-plagued mountainous region of Chihuahua has not only left the residents on edge, but the heinous shooting also has raised concerns that the remote area has been plunged into a medical crisis.

Massiel Mexía, the bubbly and outgoing mother of a 5-year-old, was shot in her home and later died in the same hospital where she worked, the Rural Welfare Hospital in the community of San Juanito. An IMSS facility, it is located high in the Sierra Tarahumara, a good three-hour journey from the capital of Chihuahua city.

According to the newspaper Milenio, “the hospital staff where [Mexía] worked now live in fear” because there are no municipal or state police, or anyone from the army or National Guard, “that can arrive without taking more than an hour.”

A black bow above the entrance serves as a reminder to doctors, nurses and other hospital staff about an 8 p.m. self-imposed curfew they have established. “From the hospital to the home is the rule,” is their new motto as cited by Milenio.

The hospital is strategically located in the highest part of the mountainous municipality of Bocoyna, and there is no other hospital within 100 kilometers. Pregnant women and people who sustain injuries resulting from crime are among the patients that the hospital treats.

The hospital is already beset by short staffing and union problems, and Mexía’s death has reduced the number of anesthesiologists on staff to only two. Milenio talked to doctors and nurses who are now worried that an anesthesiologist might not always be available.

Moreover, a residency program is ending July 28, meaning a number of helping hands will be leaving to carry out their studies elsewhere; plus, Milenio added, a warning has been issued by the faculty at the medical school of the Autonomous University of Chihuahua to not send any more interns to the dangerous mountain region.

Mexía was remembered as a “true professional” who was “dedicated to her work.”

[wpgmza id=”365″]

According to Milenio, she was killed by an 18-year-old in a gray sweatshirt. He first shot a dog as he was roaming the streets around 5 a.m. Later he entered Mexía’s home and allegedly shot her with the same weapon, an AK-47, also known as a cuerno de chivo (goat’s horn).

Not long thereafter, residents of the area tracked down the alleged killer and severely beat him, then tied his motionless body to a post. Next to him was an AK-47 and a cardboard sign (“in the style of any drug cartel,” Milenio wrote) that read, “This happened to you for having killed the doctor and raped a girl.” The suspect also allegedly committed a rape in the nearby town of Talayotes.

He was arrested and taken to the same hospital where Mexía worked. Reports said he was in a coma, receiving care from the same doctors and nurses who had seen Mexía alive the previous day.

Mexía, who had bought a home in San Juanito just five months ago, was described as irreproachable and a non-drinker by friends and coworkers. They theorized she was not a targeted victim, but rather that she was “collateral damage from the lack of security” in the violent area. She reportedly was shot twice, once in the chest and once in the head at dawn on July 11, but was still able to speak when assistance arrived; she died upon admission to the hospital. Originally from Guasave, Sinaloa, she earned certification as an anesthesiologist 16 months ago. Her daughter, Antonella, is barely 5 years old.

She is the cousin of actor Miguel Martínez, who was on the reality show “Código Fama.”

In a heartfelt message to his cousin, Martínez wrote: “I want to thank you for your little messages and your signs of affection. Thank you for worrying about me and my family … All of us are going to continue to put effort into what we do and make you feel proud, little cousin in heaven.”

The newspaper Terra also quoted Martínez as saying that insecurity “is an issue that a lot of people” have to deal with, but “when we do not experience it in the first person we do not realize it.” He called his cousin “a great woman, a great mother, a great person, always happy, always with the best attitude of making others happy.”

With reports from Milenio, El Norte and Terra

Government announces US $40 billion in investments after Mexican, US CEOs meet

By

MND Staff

-

July 14, 2022

0

The president poses with politicians and business leaders in the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C. Twitter @lopezobrador_

United States companies will invest US $40 billion in Mexico over the next two years, Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday after he, President López Obrador and other officials attended a meeting in Washington with U.S. and Mexican business executives.

Ebrard wrote on Twitter that López Obrador told the U.S.-Mexico CEO Dialogue that U.S. companies have committed to invest $40 billion between now and 2024. “Good news for Mexico,” he added.

López Obrador noted on his social media accounts that he had met with Mexican and United States business leaders at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington. “We spoke about economic cooperation, investment, sovereignty and progress with justice,” he wrote.

López Obrador announced last month that 17 U.S. energy companies had committed to invest in solar and wind projects in Mexico.

President López Obrador met with U.S. President Joe Biden the day before in the White House. — President López Obrador visited with U.S. President Joe Biden in the White House, the day before he met with business leaders. Twitter @lopezobrador_

The United States Chamber of Commerce, which co-hosted the 12th U.S.-Mexico CEO Dialogue with Mexico’s Business Coordinating Council (CCE), said in a statement that the meeting allowed participants to “take stock” of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the free trade pact that took effect in July 2020.

According to the statement, the CEOs “expressed serious concern over the deteriorating investment climate in Mexico,” where the government has been particularly hostile to energy sector companies as it endeavors to “rescue” the state-owned Federal Electricity Commission and state oil company Pemex.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said that business executives called on the Mexican government to uphold its USMCA commitments by:

Eradicating energy sector policies that unfairly favor state-owned enterprises at the expense of private sector providers.
Eliminating burdensome “Carta Porte” requirements and associated USMCA Article 7 implementation challenges.
Addressing systemic delays and denials in permitting and licensing across key sectors such as hydrocarbons and customs.
Ceasing closures of installations such as energy terminals, mines and quarries in actions often devoid of due process.
Accelerating significantly the pace of approval processes for biopharmaceutical, agricultural biotech, medical device and food products.

CCE president Francisco Cervantes said López Obrador “listened very carefully” to both the U.S. and Mexican CEOs and was “very receptive.”

Economy Minister Tatiana Clouthier, who also attended the meeting, reported on Twitter that the president remarked that he had come to listen to energy companies. Pemex CEO Octavio Romero acknowledged that concerns were raised about Mexico’s energy policies and said that the government “offered to resolve them.”

Speaking to reporters after leaving the meeting, the state oil company chief said the concerns were expressed in “very good terms” and agreed that “we have to speed up a lot of things in order to make [bureaucratic] procedures quicker.”

One major concern of U.S. companies was allayed in April when a proposed electricity reform that would have guaranteed CFE over half the market failed to pass the lower house of Congress.

Wednesday’s business breakfast in the United States capital – which U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack also attended – came a day after López Obrador met with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House. The two leaders subsequently issued a joint statement that announced that Mexico would invest US $1.5 billion on border infrastructure between 2022 and 2024.

Ebrard said in an interview that the money wouldn’t be designated to stopping irregular crossings into the United States. It will be used to “modernize ports of entry, guarantee [the efficient functioning of] customs, … [and] facilitate trade,” he said. “We need more technology on the border.”

With reports from Milenio and EFE

Volaris drops flights to Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche

By

MND Staff

-

July 13, 2022

0

Budget airline Volaris will cease operations between Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, and Mexico City at the end of the month.

Its last flights between the two cities are scheduled for July 31. Ciudad del Carmen tourism coordinator Nelsy Sánchez Vega confirmed that Volaris was following the lead of Viva Aerobús and dropping flights from Mexico City.

However, Aeroméxico is set to add one additional flight per day to Ciudad del Carmen, according to staff at the city’s airport.

Sánchez told the newspaper Por Esto! that business travelers would be most affected by the absence of Volaris flights. “However, I believe that companies are already preparing for that,” she added.

Sánchez said it was surprising that Volaris had decided to stop flights between the two destinations given that they were generally 80-90% full. The reason for its decision was unclear.

“We’re going to ask for a meeting with the company’s [Ciudad del Carmen] representative to see in what way we can contribute” to a change of heart, Sánchez said, raising the possibility that Volaris was unhappy with the taxes or fees it pays at the airport.

She said that there was no indication the airline was planning to stop flights between Mexico City and Campeche city, located some 200 kilometers from Ciudad del Carmen.

Situated on a narrow island between the Gulf of Mexico and the Términos Lagoon, Ciudad del Carmen is home to large numbers of oil sector workers. Tourists visit the city and surrounding area for the beaches, including those at Isla Aguada, a magical town about 40 kilometers away.

With reports from Por Esto!

Elephant seal joins beach goers, enjoys some sun on Baja beach

By

Lydia Carey

-

July 13, 2022

0

An elephant seal enjoys some beach time in Baja California Sur.

Beach goers on the east coast of the Baja California peninsula have had some unusual company in the past few weeks as a massive female elephant seal has been enjoying the beaches near Mulegé, Baja California Sur.

An unaccustomed sight in this part of the world, it is believed that a combination of the effects of climate change, the search for food and possibly getting lost on its migration route have led this elephant seal to the Baja shores.

While local authorities are asking residents and visitors to keep a polite distance from the animal, the sentiment has not exactly been reciprocated: on Monday, the seal came up onto the El Coyote beach to sunbathe just meters from a family of humans who were there to do the same.

Videos have been circulating all over social media of “encounters” with the new local celebrity in which unaware beach goers have been sent running at the sight of it. Officials believe this was the same elephant seal seen in March on a beach in a nearby part of the Gulf of California.

In the northern hemisphere, elephant seals are generally found along the United States and Canadian coast where the waters are cooler. They are almost never found as far south as Baja California. In the southern hemisphere, they are found in Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa.

The animals can weigh up to 11,000 pounds and — if this particular seal is any example — spend the majority of their time eating and sunning on the beach without much fear of human beings.

With reports from El SudCaliforniano and BCS Noticias

Travel + Leisure readers name Oaxaca world’s best city

By

Lydia Carey

-

July 13, 2022

0

A street in downtown Oaxaca, world's best city. deposit photos

Oaxaca has been named the world’s best city by Travel + Leisure Magazine and is one of three Mexican cities in the top 10. Magazine readers voted San Miguel de Allende as No. 2 and Mexico City No. 6.

A small city, Oaxaca’s capital only has a little over 250,000 residents and sits among the rugged terrain of the Central Valleys region of southwest Mexico. Known for its moles and mezcals, Oaxaca has become one of Mexico’s most popular destinations in the last decade and not just for visiting.

According to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography close to 20,000 foreigners live in Oaxaca and that number has only increased since the pandemic as many U.S. residents sought out a place to work remotely that would be relatively close to home.

A separate list for the best resort hotels in Mexico named the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas as No. 1 and the One&Only Mandarina in Riviera Nayaritas No. 2. Readers’ choice for the five best cities in Mexico included the previously mentioned three as well as Mérida and Guadalajara.

Mexico News Daily