By the time the boat reached shore, it was too late for medics to help the divers.
Two foreign tourists died near Cancún Friday when a boat ran over them while they were diving.
The men, aged 64 and 67, were part of a group of four divers on excursion with the company Squalo Adventures, a well-established Isla Mujeres dive company. Both were experienced divers and marine biologists, a company employee confirmed.
Initial reports disagreed on whether the men were Canadian or American, but authorities were working to get access to their travel documentation so as to confirm their nationalities.
The Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office said the group was diving at a popular shipwreck site about 12 kilometers south of the island of Isla Mujeres. The divers were using a buoy to indicate their presence to water traffic in accordance with a diving safety convention. The buoys are generally attached to ropes which divers use to ascend to the water’s surface.
Near the end of the dive, the group was returning to their boat when another craft entered the area. The Mr. Tom, a boat belonging to the mainland dive company Scuba Cancún, failed to notice the buoy and passed over them despite the shouts of the leader of the Squalo Adventures excursion.
The boat’s propellers struck two members of the group, killing one at the scene. The other died before reaching land.The captain of the Mr. Tom was arrested and the boat was seized, authorities said.
Mr. Tom, a boat belonging to the company Scuba Cancún, was seized after the fatal accident. Fiscalía General de Quintana Roo
The accident occurred near the wreck of the Cañonero C-55, a U.S. minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II, decommissioned in May 1946 and sold to the Mexican navy in 1962. The navy converted it into an oceanographic research vessel and sank it in 2000 to create an artificial reef.
Diving can be a precarious activity near Cancún: on February 8 a yacht hit a boat leaving a swimming instructor injured and two women have been wounded by boat propellers in the last three years, the news site Por Esto reported.
The tigers around the time of the arrest on February 15. Photos by FGE Guerrero
Three Bengal tigers under the responsibility of federal and state authorities have died of starvation in a cage in Guerrero.
The tigers went for days without food or water after the authorities failed to collect them from a house in Quechultenango, 40 kilometers east of the state capital Chilpancingo.
The felines were seized in an anti-drug-trafficking security operation that started on February 15 in Chilapa de Álvarez, 45 kilometers north of Quechultenango. Soldiers, agents from the state Attorney General’s Office and National Guardsmen arrested an alleged member of the Los Ardillos cartel, seized the tigers, 28 kilograms of marijuana, 11 vehicles, a stolen motorcycle and a gun.
According to some authorities, tigers are used by cartels to devour the corpses of their victims.
However, the security forces were prevented from leaving the area with the tigers and the seized items when they were detained by citizens for six hours. They were freed after signing an agreement saying that they would have to be accompanied by municipal police and the community police force in future security operations.
At the time of the arrest, authorities also confiscated 28 kilograms of marijuana, stolen cars and auto parts.
Twenty-four hours after the forces were freed, the Guerrero Attorney General’s Office said “the three tigers were under the responsibility of the competent authority,” which would mean the Environment Ministry or the federal environmental protection agency Profepa, the newspaper Milenio reported.
However, “they never came to pick them up. They locked everything … no one fed the animals, and in the end they died of hunger,” one citizen from Quechultenango told Milenio.
Ángel Almazán Juárez of the Guerrero Environment Ministry (Semaren) pointed the finger at the state Attorney General’s Office (FGE).
“I would like to give more information, but the reality is that Semaren does not know the whereabouts of those three felines. The FGE didn’t inform us of anything,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Guanajuato, a tiger on the loose appears to be thriving. It has been at large in Apaseo el Grande since December, although the mayor waited until February 19 to issue a warning after 16 cattle had already been attacked.
A spectator in a red Atlas jersey fights another man wearing the blue and white of the Querétaro team. Twitter
Twenty-six people were injured during a massive brawl at a professional soccer match in Querétaro city on Saturday.
Fighting between spectators broke out at the La Corregidora stadium during a Liga MX match between Querétaro and Atlas, a Guadalajara-based club that is the league’s defending champion.
The brawl – during which spectators were brutally kicked, punched and attacked with chairs and other objects – began in the stands before spilling onto the playing surface.
State and municipal police did nothing to stop the violence, which forced the abandonment of the match that Atlas was leading 1-0.
Querétaro Governor Mauricio Kuri acknowledged at a press conference that the security response was too little, too late.
Querétaro vs Atlas termina en violencia; reportan heridos en Estadio Corregidora
“It’s evident that the public security force was insufficient and did not act as quickly as the situation merited. We are investigating accordingly,” he said.
The governor also said in a video message Sunday that three people were in serious condition in hospital. There has been speculation that people were killed during the melee, but Kuri asserted that wasn’t the case.
“My greatest commitment is to the truth. Official data indicates that up to this time we don’t have deaths due to the deplorable events yesterday,” he said.
“The images from yesterday are disturbing. Irrational violence saddens us and angers us. Unfortunately, names and images of people have been disseminated on social media, asserting that they died. Today we confirm that they are fortunately alive and receiving medical care,” the governor said. “… I have no motive to lie or hide anything.”
The Querétaro Attorney General’s Office (FGQ) said in a statement Sunday that an investigation had been opened into a range of crimes committed at the stadium, including attempted murder. It said it would initially focus on taking statements from those injured, provided they are in a condition to speak.
The FGQ also affirmed that no one had died in the brawl, and said that the prognosis for those injured was favorable.
Initial accounts reported multiple deaths, but the governor and state Attorney General’s Office confirmed that there were three serious injuries but no deaths. Twitter
“The Attorney General’s Office is gathering the videos circulating on social networks, in the media and those provided by citizens in order to identify criminal conduct,” it said.
Oscar Balmen, a crime reporter, said on Twitter Sunday that he had received information suggesting that the brawl between Querétaro and Atlas fans was related to organized crime.
“My sources confirm a line of investigation related to organized crime in #Querétaro,” he tweeted, adding that a Querétaro supporter known as “El Beto” may have taken a group of huachicoleros, or fuel thieves, to the stadium to “ambush and attack” Jalisco New Generation Cartel rivals who are “active members” of an organized group of Atlas supporters.
“It’s only a line of investigation that would explain the attack, … the institutional collaboration they received from Corregidora stadium personnel and the cruelty” with which they attacked their victims, Balmen said.
One video posted to social media showed stadium staff opening a gate that allowed Querétaro supporters to reach Atlas fans.
Liga MX said Sunday that upcoming matches scheduled to be played at La Corregidora stadium would be suspended.
“We are not going to have any soccer activity here until the case is resolved,” said Mikel Arriola, the league’s president.
López Obrador is sworn in on December 1, 2018. He won election after identifying Mexico's ills, but they have only worsened. shutterstock
President López Obrador was famous for defying political gravity. Mediocre economic growth failed to dent his popularity. One of the world’s worst excess death tolls from coronavirus did not damage the rude health of his poll ratings. Voters seemed not to blame him for shocking levels of drug-related murders, or for funnelling scarce public investment into vanity projects such as a US $12.5-billion oil refinery that lacks any economic logic.
The explanation lies in the strength of López Obrador’s political brand. His beliefs may be rooted in the nationalist, big-state Mexico of the 1960s but the president’s folksy, down-to-earth charm and frugal lifestyle convinced ordinary Mexicans he was one of them. Astute control of the political agenda via a marathon daily news conference broadcast live also helped. Above all, López Obrador promised a clean break with the corruption that he said flourished under his predecessors.
So when news broke that López Obrador’s eldest son, José Ramón, had been living in a luxury house in Texas with a private cinema and a large swimming pool, the news jarred with the president’s austere public image. The owner was a former executive with Baker Hughes, an oil services group that is one of the biggest contractors to Mexico’s state oil company Pemex. (Baker Hughes said an external audit found no irregularities.)
The president at first tried to brush off the affair. Then he lashed out at Carlos Loret de Mola, one of the journalists who broke the story, as a “mercenary coup-monger.” He showed a slide at his daily news conference detailing what he claimed was Loret de Mola’s annual income from various employers (the journalist said the numbers were inflated).
The disclosure of a private individual’s financial information would be reprehensible anywhere. In one of the world’s most deadly countries for journalists, with five reporters murdered this year, it was indefensible.
Weeks after the initial disclosures, the president has failed to quash the “Grey House” affair and his ratings have slipped to their lowest level since he was elected, though a still-respectable 54%. The promise of an official investigation does not reassure: the attorney-general helped advise the president’s election campaign.
When running for office, López Obrador correctly diagnosed many of Mexico’s ills: rampant corruption, mediocre economic growth and gaping inequalities. His landslide victory in 2018 gave him the strongest of mandates to tackle them.
Yet, in the first half of his term, these problems only worsened: poverty increased and drug violence is out of control. Mexico is the only major Latin American economy yet to recover pre-pandemic levels of output, thanks to a misguided government refusal to support the economy during coronavirus. Foreign investors have been scared off and the country’s institutions are under attack from an increasingly intolerant and quixotic leader.
Nearshoring should represent a golden opportunity for a large manufacturing economy located on the U.S. border, yet López Obrador’s government has signally failed to capitalize on it. The same is true of renewable energy.
The “Grey House” affair offers Mexico’s president an opportunity to rethink his policies and deliver on his election promises. If he fails to do so, his “fourth transformation” project risks being remembered as one that dragged Mexico back to the 1960s rather than propelled it forward into the 21st century.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2022. All rights reserved.
Only Querétaro remains medium risk yellow on the most recent pandemic risk map. Semáforo COVID-19
All but one of the 32 federal entities are low risk green on the federal government’s new coronavirus stoplight map as the fourth wave of the pandemic continues to recede.
Querétaro is the outlier, remaining medium risk yellow on the updated map, which takes effect Monday and will remain in force through March 20.
There were 16 yellow states on the previous map, but the risk level was downgraded in all but Querétaro, where there are just over 30 active cases per 100,000 people, according to the Health Ministry’s latest coronavirus report.
The Bajío region state ranks sixth in the country for per capita active cases behind Baja California Sur, Mexico City, Aguascalientes, Colima and Tlaxcala.
It has the fourth highest occupancy rate for general care beds in COVID wards, with 28% taken, and the second highest rate for beds with ventilators, of which 22% are in use.
Active COVID cases are trending down as the fourth wave recedes.
The federal Health Ministry uses 10 indicators to determine the stoplight color in each state, including hospital occupancy levels, the effective reproduction rate of the virus, the weekly positivity rate and case numbers per 100,000 inhabitants.
Each stoplight color is accompanied by recommended restrictions to slow the spread of the virus but it is ultimately up to state governments to decide on their own rules. Authorities have lifted most restrictions on business and social activities as the omicron-fueled fourth wave wanes, but the use of face masks is still required in most indoor settings.
The last time Mexico had so many low risk states was the two-week period between November 15 and 28, when 31 were green and Baja California was high risk orange.
The entry into force of the latest almost exclusively green stoplight map comes as reported case numbers continue to decline.
An average of 9,393 cases per day were reported during the first six days of March, a 54% reduction compared to the daily average in February.
There are currently 30,652 estimated active cases across the country, whereas the number exceeded 300,000 at the peak of the fourth wave in January.
Mexico’s accumulated case tally increased to 5.56 million on Sunday with 1,905 new infections reported.
COVID-19 deaths increased sharply in February, with 12,058 reported, compared to 6,663 in January. An additional 1,710 fatalities were reported during the first six days of March for a daily average of 285. That’s a 34% decline compared to the average of 431 deaths per day in February.
Mexico’s official death toll rose to 319,859 on Sunday with 35 additional fatalities reported. The country ranks fifth in the world for total deaths, and 28th on a per capita basis with 250.5 per 100,000 people, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
More than 85.3 million Mexican adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the Health Ministry reported Sunday, while 4.7 million adolescents have also received shots.
Traditional torito being set off and danced in the crowd at the Festival of Music and Lights in Santiago Zapotitlán, Mexico City. Alejandro Linares García
Centuries ago, in the Old World, a kind of a cult focusing on bulls emerged, taking on various forms with the passage of time. By the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, bulls were no longer regarded as gods, but they still held an important role in the imagination and in local celebrations, the most famous in Spain being the running of the bulls in Pamplona.
Letting bulls loose in the streets of Mexico does happen in a few places, but in most communities, bull figures and dances replace the highly dangerous and unpredictable animals. However, one of the draws of Pamplona and the like is the rush of adrenaline of putting your life on the line and beating the odds, so one bull-themed tradition here does seek to reproduce that rush.
The Mexican tradition of toritos, (little bulls) is not generally about realistic depictions but rather bulls made of papier-mache and/or wood, cane or wire that are painted in bright colors and with intricate designs. They are small enough and light enough to be mounted on a dancer’s head and shoulders or simply held in the air.
So where does the adrenaline come in? One word: fireworks.
The toritos are laden with as many firecrackers and rockets as the maker/dancer can afford. While in most towns, they are paraded in the daytime, their real purpose is to be set off at night as the bearer runs around the crowds, showering people with sparks and flying rockets.
Young man dancing with traditional torito in celebration of the Virgin of Candelaria. Rishytx/Creative Commons
These toritos can be found in many communities large and small all over central and southern Mexico, down into Guatemala. They are particularly popular on patron saint feast days.
But for some communities in and around Mexico City, these little bulls aren’t dangerous enough. They have grown in size to monumental proportions, along with the number and types of fireworks.
In towns like Teyahualco, Zapotitlan and others, these monumental beasts can reach up to three meters in height. They dominate festivities not because of their numbers but because of their sheer size. These torotes (large bulls) are often paraded around during the daytime so that the public can see the work and care that went into making and decorating each one.
In these towns, the smaller version still dominates, mainly because of cost: most are not willing or able to put together up to 20,000 pesos to create one of these beasts.
With one exception.
Tultepec is an edge city, part of Mexico City’s metropolitan area. It has produced fireworks (and gunpowder) since the colonial period, but its current fortunes came about when the making and storage of fireworks were banned in Mexico City proper in the mid-20th century.
Colorful torote being paraded with its crew on the streets of Tultepec, México state. Leigh Thelmadatter
Today, Tultepec is Mexico’s primary maker of handcrafted fireworks. By extension, it is also an important maker of traditional fireworks arrangements such as toritos and castillos — the latter a wooden frame with mobile parts powered by fireworks.
Early March is important to this city not only because its patron, St. John of God, is celebrated on March 8 but also because since 1989 it has hosted Mexico’s International Pyrotechnics Fair. This year the fair is taking place in Tultepec from March 4 to March 14.
The “running” of toritos in Tultepec has a history going back to the middle of the 19th century. It is even called the Pamplona.
The growth of the toritos into torotes likely began here starting in the early 2000s. They are now so large that they need to be wheeled around by a group of people rather than danced on the head and shoulder of one person.
The group heaving the monstrosity around is also the one that spent months and thousands of pesos to create it — one of over 300 bulls paraded around the town during the day. At night, almost one by one, the fireworks on the bull’s back are set off. Each bull is usually spent in less than 20 minutes, rendering the work ruined, but the sheer number of bulls means that there are fireworks going off in Tultepec almost all night.
My first experience with this “Pamplona” was in 2016, and I was fortunate because very soon afterward, local authorities decided to make changes.
Gigantic torito at the Festival of Music and Lights. Alejandro Linares García
The bulls are still paraded around the town, a spectacle to enjoy itself, but the nighttime “burning” of these bulls was moved to a field outside of town. The main reason was practical: there simply isn’t enough room to maneuver figures over three meters tall into the small-town plaza where they had been set off for over a century.
The field they use nowadays has been set aside specifically for fireworks-related events, including the castillo-making contest that is the heart of the National Fair and is now called the torodromo (bulldrome).
Fortunately, the change does not mean that you can no longer risk your skin. You can still dance and run around the moving bulls and flying rockets, or you can hang back (an option that I admit was difficult to exercise before).
The only thing missing is what’s left of Tultepec’s small-town feel, which you can only experience in its historic center.
Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico 18 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019). Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily.
On Wednesday, Jalisco's government lit landmarks across the state in the Ukrainian flag's colors as a symbolic show of support, including Guadalajara's arches.
Like most of the rest of the world these days, I’m fixated on Ukraine. And along with the rest of the world, I’ve been watching in disbelief as Russian President Vladimir Putin defied the warnings and threats of pretty much everyone except for China and North Korea and invaded a sovereign nation.
It’s not that I’m surprised that a power-hungry macho bully thinks it’s a good idea to take over another country; our human psychology might not ever fully catch up to our higher selves, after all. Dudes like that exist all over the world.
It’s that he’s totally getting away with doing it. Regular people – people like you and me, people like our kids and parents – are being driven from their homes and killed simply because a powerful leader decided that a place that isn’t his should belong to him anyway.
I’m still in disbelief, though I know that at this point, nothing should surprise me. After all, bad guys are getting away with exactly the same thing here in Mexico.
But this is giant, and it’s taking place on the world stage. Where are the grown-ups around here? Can’t someone tackle this guy and lock him in a room somewhere?
Una inmensa fila de autos con familias, adultos mayores y ciudadanos de todo tipo, dejan sus hogares temiendo por su vida y ante el silencio sepulcral del mundo.
No saben si volverán…
Si se quedan, su integridad y su vida estarían en enorme riesgo.
A Twitter post noting that these photos showing people fleeing their homes in fear for their lives aren’t from Kyiv but cartel-infested Jerez, Zacatecas.
Many countries are certainly trying, though they’re doing so economically. I wish I could say it was working, but the rich barbarian in charge doesn’t seem so far to be deterred, perfectly happy to let his people suffer for his vanity.
It’s like we’re trying to punish a kid who kills people by taking away his allowance, something that’s just not going to cut it.
Mexico is notably not one of the countries trying to punish Russia. Though Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard condemned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, support for the Ukrainian people has mostly been symbolic.
And though Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Dramarétzka called on the Mexican government to boycott trade with Russia and support Ukraine with weapons and humanitarian aid, Mexico has declared its intention of nonintervention, making a point to let Russian tourists know they would be welcomed.
I’ve got nothing against the Russian people, who I suspect probably do not support their leader’s invasion of a sovereign nation, but it did seem to be quite a tone-deaf message to send in this particular moment.
Well, that’s rich given his distaste for homegrown journalism and repeated suggestions to censor anyone critical to his government in a country that just witnessed its sixth murder of a journalist this year.
It’s not that I’m surprised by Mexico’s position on a war halfway around the world. I suppose I just thought we’d collectively have more to say about it, considering Mexico’s been invaded plenty of times by other countries, as well.
And it’s true we’ve got other things on our plate, which includes very real invasions on the lives of citizens here within the country.
People are fleeing Ukraine because they’re being attacked by an outside army. People are fleeing communities here in Mexico because they’re being invaded by criminal groups from which the government has so far been unable to protect them.
Cartels are using military weapons and tactics against their fellow cartel enemies and regular citizens alike, so how much difference is there between what’s going on here and there, really? When it comes to the lives of ordinary people being affected, not much, I’d say.
The Mexican military has at least upped its firepower in certain areas, though AMLO’s policy of “hugs, not bullets” is still the official strategy. So if we’re simply allowing bad guys to invade communities in Mexico, I hardly see how we’d make any major moves to prevent or fight against the invasion of communities in a country on the other side of the world.
As former President Calderón has said, “Today, the national emergency is to recover the rule of law.”
President López Obrador wasn’t happy with what he had to say, of course, blaming his government for Mexico’s current problem with cartel violence. While he certainly has a point, I think it’s also fair to say that AMLO fought tooth and nail for the job of fixing it. So far, it seems that there have been many more complaints than solutions.
So far, of course, we’ve been unable to prevent invasions in Mexico or in Ukraine.
Might there be a strategy that actually works for all of us out there?
Perfectly crisp bacon is a snap to make — and clean up — when you bake it in the oven.
It wasn’t until recently that I learned about cooking bacon in the oven.
Most of you probably know this, but for me, it was a game-changer. Although I don’t cook bacon much at home, the oven method makes it so much easier when I do. (Directions below.) And if you’re cooking bacon for a crowd, the oven is the way to go.
Here in Mazatlán, bacon (tocino) at restaurants is usually served rather limp. I’ve learned to ask for it bien dorado (extra crispy). I’ve also been disappointed in the quality of packaged bacon available in grocery stores; they all seem to be too thin-cut and salty for my taste.
A friend recently took me to Garate, her favorite butcher in the big Pino Suárez mercado here, and we had Mauricio slice Corona brand bacon to the thickness we wanted. Peering over piles of pig’s feet and other less easy to identify body parts, I asked him what part of the pig bacon comes from. He pointed just below his ribs and then, in English, said, “the belly.” Of course, I thought — where the fat is.
One would think that cooking bacon wouldn’t be that complicated, right? Heat management is key: once the pan, bacon and/or fat get too hot, it’s only a matter of seconds before it burns; low to moderate heat is best.
These sweet potatoes combine a classic favorite: bacon and maple syrup.
And for stovetop cooking, a cast iron pan is your number-one choice. Next would be a nonstick skillet, although some argue that the heat gets higher than recommended for a nonstick surface. Then there’s stainless steel, but do you really want to deal with that much cleanup?
All of this leads us back to the oven (or toaster oven), where the even heat cooks the bacon perfectly and cleanup is a breeze.
Whichever way you cook bacon, there’s no need to wait for the pan or oven to heat up. Just lay the bacon in the pan or place it on a prepared baking sheet in the oven as they’re heating. You’ll get a head start on the cooking, and the bacon will come out just fine.
Bacon in the Oven
12 slices bacon
Preheat oven to 425 F (218 C). Decide on a cold start or wait until the oven reaches target temperature. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment. Arrange bacon strips on pan, trying not to overlap.
Bake 10 minutes; rotate pan; continue baking until bacon is as browned as you like, 5–10 minutes more for thin-cut/10–15 minutes more for thick-cut.
Remove from oven, drain on paper towels.
Bacon Swizzle Sticks
8 strips thick-cut bacon
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Pierce top of each bacon strip with a skewer, wind bacon around the skewer, and then pierce the bottom of the strip with the other end to hold bacon strip in place. Put completed skewers on parchment-lined baking sheet; bake 10 minutes.
Using tongs, flip and cook 5–10 minutes more to desired crispness. Remove from oven, transfer skewers to paper towels and cool.
Blot excess oil. Gently slide skewers out of bacon.
One-Pan Fish with Bacon & Sweet Corn
Use fresh sweet corn if possible!
4 (6-ounce) fish fillets (snapper, dorado, tilapia)
Salt
½ cup chopped parsley
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 lemon
4 Tbsp. olive oil
4 bacon slices, chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cups corn kernels
Lightly season both sides of fish with salt. In large bowl, combine ¼ cup parsley with red pepper flakes, garlic and thyme. Zest lemon into bowl; add 2 Tbsp. oil. Transfer fish to bowl; turn to coat. Cover, marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Cut zested lemon into 8 wedges; set aside.
Heat large skillet over medium. Add bacon, cook, stirring, until crispy. Transfer to paper towels, leaving drippings in pan.
Get your veggies the fun way with these bacon-stuffed cherry tomatoes.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to drippings in skillet. Place fish in pan; cover with any leftover marinade. Cook until fish is firm, opaque and flakes easily, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to platter; keep skillet on stove.
Lower heat to medium, add shallots and reserved bacon. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add corn, stir 2 minutes more.
Season with salt. Squeeze in juice from 3 lemon wedges. Add remaining parsley; spoon over fish. Serve with remaining lemon wedges.
Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
5 slices crisp cooked bacon, chopped finely
1 shallot/small onion, minced
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup mayonnaise
Black pepper
Using a sharp paring knife, cut small circle around stem of each tomato. Discard core and, using the handle of a small spoon, carefully scoop out seeds until interior is hollow. Set tomatoes stem-side down on paper towels; let drain 1 hour.
Mix bacon, shallot/onion, cilantro/parsley, Parmesan and mayonnaise; season with pepper. Slice a thin sliver from bottom of each tomato so it sits flat. Gently fill hollow with bacon mixture using small spoon.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours before serving.
Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
2 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes), scrubbed and dried
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. maple syrup
8 oz. thick-cut bacon
Flaky salt
Heat oven to 425 F (220 C). Line baking sheet with parchment. Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise, then slice each half into 3 or 4 wedges, 1- to 1½ -inches thick.
In large bowl, toss potatoes with oil and salt. Spread onto baking sheet in single layer, leaving a little space between pieces. (Use two baking sheets if necessary).
Bake 20 minutes; drizzle with 2 Tbsp. maple syrup, toss. Cook another 15–20 minutes until wedges are deep brown on both sides.
Meanwhile, cook bacon as desired. Drain. Chop into ½ -inch pieces; toss with potato wedges and remaining maple syrup. Sprinkle with salt and serve.
Candied Bacon
¼ cup packed brown sugar or grated dark piloncillo
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
Black pepper to taste
1 pound thick-cut bacon
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Mix sugar/piloncillo, vinegar, maple syrup and pepper in small bowl. Place bacon slices on parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with sugar mixture. Bake 10 minutes, remove from oven, flip and baste again with sugar mixture.
Return to oven, bake another 10 minutes and baste again. Repeat basting every 5–10 minutes until bacon is browned and crisp, about 30 minutes total. Cool on wire rack.
The president speaks at his Monday press conference. Presidencia de la República
President López Obrador, an avid talker, is being forced to watch his words. There is an electoral silence in place due to a referendum on whether his six-year term should continue, limiting what he can say in the conferences. The vote takes place on April 10.
In a previous electoral silence, the president controversially insisted on continuing the morning news conferences, agreeing not to promote himself or the government. He maintained that his freedom of speech should not be curtailed.
Monday
A journalist questioned the president on his weekend comments about retiring. AMLO said that he still had the mettle for the job.
“They interpreted that I was already tired, that I could no longer do it … since I became president, [I’ve worked] 16 hours a day,” he said.
President López Obrador highlights his 65% approval rating at Monday’s press conference. Presidencia de la República
He then spared few details about a mass killing in Michoacán, where up to 17 people were forced to leave a wake and shot dead.
“No bodies have been found … there are shell casings, I think some remains, but no bodies … I wish with all my soul that it is not as they are reporting … in some bags there are human body parts.”
Later in the conference, the president confirmed that a plane had arrived in Bucharest, Romania, to rescue Mexicans fleeing from the conflict in Ukraine.
Tuesday
In the pandemic update, Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell confirmed that case numbers were down for the fifth consecutive week.
On the massacre in Michoacán, the Deputy Security Minister, Ricardo Mejía Berdeja, said it was likely due to a feud between two members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel: El Pelón (Baldy) and El Toro (The Bull).
Deputy Security Minister Ricardo Mejía Berdeja explains what was known about the criminals allegedly involved in the massacre in Michoacán. Presidencia de la República
On Europe, the president said there would be no economic sanctions on Russia and that Twitter was wrong to censor on matters related to the conflict.
“I wish Twitter would clarify this matter, because it is very serious … Since yesterday there are allegations that whoever has a favorable opinion of Russia is removed or a label is put on their account. That is censorship,” he said.
Brazil’s former president, Lula da Silva, was in town. Da Silva left office in 2010 with an 83% approval rating and was later imprisoned for more than a year on corruption charges.
“We’re going to have breakfast … he was the victim of an authoritarian, repressive act … unjustly kept in jail,” AMLO said.
However, the Tabascan added that the government had no qualms with Brazil’s right-wing President Bolsonaro.
Wednesday
Elizabeth García Vilchis revealed the fake news stories that had caught her attention. She said a video of Putin criticizing AMLO was fake and the Russian flag wasn’t being beamed onto buildings in Mexico City (it was the colors of the Dominican Republic’s flag).
“Let’s say no to war, yes to peace, yes to the free movement of content and to the right of reply. No to violence, yes to dialogue,” she added.
On refugees, the president said Mexico was an open house.
“All those who ask us for refuge in our country … will be received, protected and welcomed,” López Obrador said.
He added that he was pleased with U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday. Biden said the U.S. needed to fix its immigration system, catch human traffickers and review asylum cases faster.
AMLO called again for an economic region “like the European Union of the Americas.” He offered the words of historic German statesman Otto Von Bismarck to support the idea: “A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman of the next generation.”
Elizabeth García Vilchis presents her weekly conference session, “Who’s who in the lies of the week.” Presidencia de la República
Thursday
There was an economic update on Thursday. The cabinet technical minister, Carlos Torres Rosas, said more jobs were created in February than any other month in history and that debt had risen 24% under AMLO, relatively low compared to recent former presidents.
On his breakfast with Lula, the president said they shared common ground on their vision for the Americas.
“Yesterday I talked with Lula about that, how to think not only about the Bolivarian dream of the integration of Latin America and the Caribbean, but of the integration of all the Americas,” López Obrador said.
Bolívar, more elaborately known as Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Ponte Palacios y Blanco, was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led many countries to independence from the Spanish Empire in the 19th century.
A journalist was later forced to abandon a long question when an earthquake siren began to sound.
The Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, confirmed that an Air Force plane had returned from the Romania-Ukraine border with 81 relieved passengers: 44 Mexicans, 28 Ukrainians, seven Ecuadorians, one Peruvian, one Australian and a puppy. The president wanted no family to be left behind, Ebrard explained, and that pets were included.
“We strongly condemn the invasion of Ukraine. There’s nothing more to say,” Ebrard added but said there would be no sanctions on Russia unless the U.N. introduced them.
On taxation, the president showed a list of companies that were excused from payment in the two previous administrations. Some of Mexico’s biggest companies featured, including media house Televisa, cement company Cemex and Banamex.
The international companies included car makers General Motors and Volkswagen and the global bank HSBC.
Power, AMLO added, should be distributed widely and consulted the dictionary to clarify his point: “What is an oligarchy? … ‘A system of government in which power is in the hands of a few people who belong to a privileged social class’. Well, that’s not democracy and it’s not what we want for Mexico … That’s how it was before, wasn’t it? Didn’t they amend the Constitution and the laws to benefit a privileged social class and abandon the people?”
“Well, I have to go, goodbye,” the Tabascan declared, shortly before striding away to attend to the nation.
The capital and neighboring México state have been yellow on the current map.
Mexico City and México state will both switch to low risk green on the federal government’s coronavirus stoplight map, authorities said Friday.
The neighbors are among 16 entities that are medium risk yellow on the current map, which will remain in force through Sunday.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced the switch to green for the week starting Monday.
“Green light in CDMX starting this Monday, March 7. All activities will open. Thanks to everyone who participated in the vaccination against COVID-19,” she tweeted.
The vast majority of adults are vaccinated in the capital and all have been offered booster shots.
México state Governor Alfredo del Mazo said the switch to green was possible “thanks to the effort of everyone.”
Mexico City coronavirus spokesman Eduardo Clark said that cases, hospitalizations and deaths were all trending down in the capital. However, there are still 739 hospitalized COVID patients, and just over 8,400 active coronavirus cases.
The capital has recorded far more cases and deaths than any other entity during the two years of the pandemic, with 1.35 million of the former and 55,291 of the latter.
México state ranks second in both categories with over 525,000 confirmed cases and 34,380 fatalities. The state, Mexico’s most populous, currently has just over 3,100 active cases, according to federal data.
Nationally, there are 38,587 estimated active cases, with the highest per capita rate in Baja California Sur, where there are about 120 current infections per 100,000 people.
Mexico’s accumulated case tally rose to 5.54 million on Thursday with 10,558 new infections, while the official COVID-19 death toll increased by 461 to 319,296.
The omicron-fueled fourth wave has receded significantly since case numbers reached a new monthly high of almost 963,000 in January. An additional 566,039 cases were recorded in February, a 41% decline compared to January, albeit with three fewer days in the month.
However, deaths were up 81% last month, rising to 12,058 from 6,663 in January.
