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Mexico-US condor conservation program considers adding another CDMX zoo

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MND Staff
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California condor
The United States-Mexico Binational Program for the Recovery and Conservation of the California condor, uses zoos and national parks in Mexico and the U.S. to bring back the endangered condor, which once roamed from Canada to Mexico, but now is struggling against extinction. (Photo: CONAMP)

In order to protect the California condor from extinction, Mexico City’s San Juan de Aragón Zoo may soon host this prehistoric bird that once lived with mammoths, mastodons and sabre-tooth tigers.

Mexico City’s Environment Ministry (SEDEMA-CDMX) has proposed that the zoo join the United States-Mexico Binational Program for the Recovery and Conservation of the California condor.

Two zoos in Mexico are already part of the program: the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City and the Zacango Ecological Park in the State of México. Since 2007, Mexico City’s zoos have been charged by their charter with the Mexico City government to participate in wildlife conservation efforts. 

The 10th California Condor born at Mexico City's Chapultepec Zoo
In March of 2022, this California condor chick became the 10th of its species born in captivity at Mexico City’s Chapultepec Zoo. (SEDEMA-CDMX)

The Chapultepec Zoo currently has two pairs of reproductive condors who have bred 11 condor specimens that are now under the program’s protection of the program.

The Zacango Ecological Park is home to three female condors under professional care which currently contribute to environmental education work so that visitors can learn about the species.

SEDEMA’s General Directorate of Zoos and Wildlife Conservation suggested including the San Juan de Aragón Zoo in the program during a recent bilateral meeting in Mexico City of the program’s officials. The purpose of the meeting was to review the progress the program has made.

“Various strategies were discussed in this meeting to support the conservation of the species, which is in serious danger of extinction,” said Fernando Gual Sill, head of the General Directorate of Zoos and Wildlife Conservation for SEDEMA-Mexico City.

One of the fundamental strategies “is the reproduction of the species in Mexican zoos,” he said. 

The first major stage of the wildlife conservation project, managed nationally by the National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), has consisted of establishing a wild population of California condors in the San Pedro Mártir Sierra National Park in Baja California.

A California condor at the San Pedro Martir National Park in Baja California
A California condor at the San Pedro Martir Sierra National Park in Baja California, where about 45 of the birds live in the wild. (Photo: CONANP)

One of the program’s goals is to achieve a self-sustaining population of 150 condors in the Baja California wilderness. Birds have been bred in zoos and then released into the wild in the national park, where their recovery progress is tracked. The avian group there is currently made up of approximately 45 birds, including adults, young and offspring, some of which have been born in the wild. 

“Thanks to zoos around the world, and specifically zoos in the United States and Mexico, the California Condor has survived and has avoided extinction,” said Gual.

Gual stressed the importance of having other institutions join the program as “collaboration is vital to effectively promote recovery both in the wild and under professional care at zoos.”

Conditions in Mexico City zoos, however, have been questioned by Mexico’s media outlets. The investigative digital media outlet EMEEQUIS reported in December that 1,318 specimens in the capital’s zoos died between 2019 and 2022. Some of that period occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when zoos in the capital were closed to the public and their total budget was greatly reduced to 57.3 million, according to EMEEQUIS’ report.  

In 2019, Gual himself told the newspaper Reforma that about 100 million pesos was needed for rehabilitation work at San Juan Aragón and the Chapultepec Zoo.

EMEEQUIS also reported in December that since Claudia Sheinbaum has taken office as Mexico City’s mayor, zoos in the capital haven’t had comprehensive maintenance plans and have received “aggressive budget cuts” — from a budget of 212.2 million pesos (US $11.1 million) in 2019 to a budget of 104.1 million (US $5.5 million) in 2022. 

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum visiting San Juan Aragon zoo in Mexico City in January 2022.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum tours the San Juan de Aragón Zoo in January 2022 at an event marking the zoo receiving 26.8 million pesos for its rehabilitation. (Claudia Sheinbaum/Twitter)

The San Juan de Aragón Zoo did, however, receive an extra allocation of 26.8 million pesos (US $1.4 million) in January 2022 from Sheinbaum for rehabilitation work.

With reports from Sedema , Milenio and  EMEEQUIS

Dozens reportedly missing from Sinaloa town following Guzmán’s arrest

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Cat Rainsford
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An aerial view of two camo vehicles driving past a flipped white pickup truck with bullet holes on a dirt road, in front of a house.
Soldiers drive past a flipped vehicle in Jesús María, Sinaloa, on Saturday. ( Omar Martínez Noyola / Cuartoscuro.com )

Residents of Jesús María, the town in Sinaloa where cartel leader Ovidio Guzmán was captured last week, protested outside Sinaloa’s Government Palace on Monday, saying that around 140 people have disappeared from their community since Guzmán’s arrest.

An estimated 200 demonstrators arrived at the Government Palace in the state capital of Culiacán in trucks Monday morning, waving placards and shouting slogans. They accused the Mexican army of human rights violations and demanded that the state government address the impact of military presence in their town.

“The children are afraid of seeing soldiers; we don’t want soldiers in the town,” one placard read.

“The government should tell the truth about what the town of Jesús María lived through,” read another.

Protesters broke some of the glass in the doors of the Government Palace, causing the state police to block their access to the building. Sinaloa governor Rubén Rocha Moya agreed to meet with community representatives a few hours later and reportedly promised that he would ask President López Obrador to withdraw military forces from the area.

Jesús María was the epicenter of the operation to capture Guzmán on the morning of Jan. 5, which included a fierce exchange of fire between Mexican military aircraft and gunmen on the ground. Following the operation, Guzmán’s followers terrorized the municipality with armed attacks and blockaded highways around the state for around 12 hours, leaving at least 29 soldiers and cartel members dead.

The army blocked access to Jesús María as searches were conducted, and shut off the town’s electricity, telecommunications and water supply. Although a humanitarian mission was dispatched on Sunday to attend to the community’s needs, residents expressed anger that their town remained occupied by soldiers several days after Guzmán’s capture.

In contrast to the government’s claims that the operation caused no civilian casualties, local people estimate that around 140 people are missing —  mostly young men and women between 12 and 35 years of age — and an unspecified number of injuries.

Sinaloa’s Public Security Secretary, Cristóbal Castañeda, confirmed that the state government had received reports of missing people during the humanitarian visit to Jesús María on Sunday, but said the exact number was unknown.

“We don’t really have a number of people not located,” he said. “They are waiting for the complaints to be established; we need to know whom to look for… we know that the Semefo [Forensic Medical Service] has been handing over the bodies of those identified.”

With reports from Animal Político, El País and Noroeste

Chinese supplier for Tesla invests US $100 million in new Monterrey factory

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MND Staff
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Noah Itech executives pose with Nuevo León Governor Samuel García at an event celebrating the breaking of ground for their company's first manufacturing plant in Mexico.
Noah Itech executives pose with Nuevo León Governor Samuel García at an event celebrating the breaking of ground for their company's first manufacturing plant in Mexico. (Gobierno de Nuevo León)

With an investment of US $100 million, the Chinese company Noah Itech started construction on Monday of its first factory in Mexico. It will produce automation equipment and is scheduled to be operational by May.

Located in Santa Catarina in the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Nuevo León, the plant will generate 100 highly specialized jobs close to the location reportedly planned for Tesla’s new vehicle plant, also in Santa Catarina. Tesla is one of Noah Itech’s main clients along with General Motors, Facebook and Google.

Governor Samuel García remarked during the placement of the plant’s first stone that with these investments, Nuevo León’s recent trend of announcing the arrival of a new company every week continues. “These investments arrive [in Nuevo León] because we know how to sell ourselves to the world. They are not going to come here by themselves,” he explained.

During his statement, García added that the municipality of Santa Catarina is part of the Saltillo-Monterrey corridor, which allows a quick exporting process to the United States. With the arrival of Noah Itech’s plant, he said that Nuevo León’s government has committed to improve the peripheral road and the beltway to Laredo, Texas.

The state Minister of Economy Iván Rivas pointed out that investment arrives in the state owing to its infrastructure and its human capital, which is the “best-prepared workforce in the country,” he said. According to the state government, 15,000 engineers and scientists graduate in Nuevo León every year in addition to 20,000 technicians from local universities.

Fang Te Chou, deputy manager of Noah Itech México, said that they chose Nuevo León due to its growth potential owing to its incomparable visionary spirit. “We firmly believe that this land is the right place to carry out our development,” he said.

Nuevo León offers economic and non-economic incentives to promote foreign investment, including helping foreign companies “manage all their municipal and state permits and [they] also offer training,” state Economy Minister Rivas said.

There’s also a tax incentive associated with the payroll tax (ISN), and if they export through the Colombia Bridge (one of four international vehicular bridges located on the United States-Mexico border in the city of Laredo, Texas) there is a stimulus available to offset toll fees, Mexico Industry reported.

Noah Itech provides design, installation and automation support services for the 3C manufacturing industry (computing, communication and consumer electronics) and its high-tech products account for more than 95% of its total sales.

With reports by Expansión and Mexico Industry

At 7.82%, headline inflation hits highest year-end level since 2000

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MND Staff
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Christmas shopper in downtown Mexico City in Dec. 2022
The holidays may have put people in the mood to buy last month, but with headline inflation at its highest year-end level in 22 years, shoppers faced higher prices. (Photo: Galo Cañas Rodríguez/Cuartoscuro)

Annual headline inflation rose slightly in December, reaching its highest year-end level in 22 years, but core inflation cooled after hitting a two-decade high in November.

National statistics agency INEGI reported Monday that the headline inflation rate was 7.82% in December, up from 7.8% the previous month. It is the highest year-end rate since December 2000, when inflation was just below 9%, but almost one point below the 2022 peak of 8.7%, recorded in August and September.

The annual core inflation rate, which strips out some volatile food and energy prices, was 8.35% in December, down from 8.51% in November. Despite the decline, core inflation was at its highest year-end level since December 1999.

Bank of Mexico Deputy Governor Jonathan Heath
Bank of Mexico Deputy Governor Jonathan Heath noted that a decrease in Mexico’s core rate of inflation, for the first time in 26 months, was “good news” but also that the outlook on inflation is still “extremely difficult.” (Photo: Jonathan Heath)

Jonathan Heath, a deputy governor of Mexico’s central bank, noted on Twitter that that the core rate declined for the first time in 26 months. He described the reduction as “good news,” but added that there is still an “extremely difficult” outlook vis-à-vis inflation.

“The 14.14% increase in [the prices of] food commodities is of particular concern,” Heath wrote.

The figure cited by the Bank of México deputy governor takes price increases for processed food, beverages and tobacco into account.

INEGI data also shows that meat prices were 11.5% higher in December than a year earlier, while fruit and vegetables were 7.2% more expensive. Prices for services were 5.2% higher on an annual basis, while those for energy including fuel and electricity rose 3.7%.

The overall headline rate at the end of 2022 was well above the Bank of México’s target rate of 3%, give or take one percentage point, and remained stubbornly high throughout last year despite efforts by the federal government, and the central bank, to tame the scourge.

The government said Friday that it would extend anti-inflation measures for another year, while the Bank of México appears likely to increase its benchmark interest rate after its next monetary policy meeting on Feb. 9.

“We think … [the next rate hike] will be a smaller 25 basis points increase, and that will mark the end of the tightening cycle,” said Jason Tuvey, senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, a London-based firm.

The central bank’s key rate is currently set at a record high of 10.5% after four consecutive 75-basis point increases last year, followed by a 50 bp hike in December. The bank has raised its key rate by 650 basis points since June 2021, when the current tightening cycle began.

With reports from El País, Expansión and Reuters 

AMLO urges Biden to lead further regional integration at bilateral talks

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MND Staff
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López Obrador speaks into a microphone while seated at a table with officials seated at his side and flowers in the center.
López Obrador called for an end to what he described as the neglect of the region by the U.S., and referenced a 20th century aid program by way of comparison.

President López Obrador called on United States President Joe Biden to end U.S. “abandonment” and “disdain” toward other countries in the region during frank opening remarks at bilateral talks in Mexico City on Monday.

Speaking after a welcome ceremony for Biden at the National Palace, López Obrador asserted that the United States has done little to aid development in the Americas since the end of the Alliance for Progress, an aid program initiated by former U.S. president John F. Kennedy in 1961.

“I consequently maintain that it’s time to end this neglect, this abandonment, this disdain toward Latin America and the Caribbean, [which is] in contrast to the Good Neighbor policy of that titan of freedom who was president Franklin Delano Roosevelt,” he said.

Earlier in his remarks, López Obrador called Biden a “humanistic and visionary leader” and urged him to lead a “new policy of economic and social integration on our continent.”

He said that the North American free trade agreement, the USMCA, has been a “valuable instrument to strengthen our productive processes” and take advantage of the “great potential” of the region, but expressed misgivings about the level of imports from Asia.

“The arrival of ships full of merchandise from Asia continues growing at our Pacific ports. And the question we’re asking is the following: Couldn’t we produce what we consume in America? Of course we could. It’s a matter of … planning our future development together,” AMLO said.

“… The productive integration we’re proposing must have the support of public and private investment, for the well-being of all the peoples of America without excluding anyone,” he said.

Flanked by high-ranking officials including Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard and Interior Minister Adán Augusto López, the president — who has advocated the economic integration of Western Hemisphere nations on several previous occasions — told Biden he has “the key to open and substantially improve the relations between all the countries of the American continent.”

“I know that it’s a complex and controversial initiative and I’m aware that putting it into practice involves numerous difficulties, but in my judgement there isn’t a better way to guarantee the prosperous, peaceful and fair future that our people … as well as all the people of the continent, and future generations, deserve,” he said.

Biden in a wood paneled room, with two out-of-focus officials in the foreground
Biden’s response to President López Obrador’s comments highlighted the funds the U.S. has spent on development projects in the hemisphere in recent decades. (Presidencia de la República)

“The proposal, President Biden, is comprehensive. It involves consolidating ourselves as an [important] economic region in the world, strengthening fraternity in the American continent, respecting our differences and sovereignty and ensuring that no one is left behind,” López Obrador added.

“…There are a lot of us who haven’t stopped dreaming of a fair and fraternal integration of all the people and countries of our continent.”

Making his opening remarks after his Mexican counterpart, Biden retorted that “just in the last 15 years,” the U.S. has “spent billions of dollars in the hemisphere — tens of billions of dollars.”

“And what we have to do, and what we’ve done, is continue to support and build democratic institutions in the hemisphere. One of the things that I was able to do at the G7 was get the G7 to agree that we would have a multi, multi-billion dollar project for infrastructure for the Western Hemisphere, for Latin America, and for Africa,” said the U.S. president, who was also accompanied by a delegation of senior officials.

In a readout published by the White House, the U.S. government said that Monday’s meeting between Biden and López Obrador “builds upon 200 years of bilateral relations between the United States and Mexico, an enduring partnership that reflects our shared values and the cultural and familial bonds between our two countries.”

The statement said that the two leaders discussed the violent protests in Brazil on Sunday — along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau they issued a joint statement condemning the violence — and reviewed security cooperation under the Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe Communities.

On social media, President López Obrador shared a video montage of some of the moments he spent with his U.S. counterpart over the first days of the official visit.

They also “discussed increased cooperation to prosecute drug traffickers and dismantle criminal networks, disrupt the supply of illicit precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl, shut down drug laboratories, and prevent trafficking of drugs, arms, and people across our shared border.”

The meeting came just four days after Ovidio Guzmán, son of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was arrested in Culiacán, Sinaloa.

In addition, Biden and López Obrador “reaffirmed their commitment” to the USMCA, “discussed their shared vision for greater economic integration to increase productive capacity and promote inclusive growth” and “reaffirmed their commitment to implement innovative approaches to address irregular migration.”

Ahead of trilateral talks at the North American Leaders Summit on Tuesday, the two presidents were joined by Trudeau for an official dinner at the National Palace on Monday night. Later in the evening, López Obrador shared a slickly-produced video of his meeting with Biden to his social media accounts.

“Welcome to your home, President Biden,” he wrote above the footage.

“You are our friend and the United States people are as well. Together we can drive a new era for the nations of the continent based on mutual respect and assistance. There are unbeatable conditions to strengthen the economic and social integration of America.”

Mexico News Daily 

En Breve Business: Mexican digital startups, work-life balance and GM’s move to electric

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MND Staff
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GM's plant in Ramos Arizpe.
General Motors will only manufacture electric vehicles at Ramos Arizpe plant by 2024. (GM)

Mexican digital startups receive seed funding

Three Mexico-based companies – Welbe, Hero Guest and Kuona – have secured seed funding despite venture capital registering an overall decline in Latin America during 2022.

Founded in 2021 by Brazilians Eduardo Medeiros and Marcus Paiva, Mexico-based Welbe secured a U.S. $4.1 million seed-round led by Volpe Capital and Nazca, with the participation of SVLC, Kortex and GreenRock.

Welbe is a health-tech company that offers a comprehensive occupational medicine and health platform for companies, their employees, and their families. The platform provides complete employee health records and gives access to in-person or virtual medical consultations, as well as laboratory tests.

Hero Guest, a digital academy that trains front-line workers in the restaurant and hospitality industries, also secured funding by closing a U.S. $2.3M pre-Series A round with participating companies Grupo MVS, Variv Capital fund, and Grupo Anderson. After the financial round, the company’s valuation went to U.S. $8.8 million.  

“By being trained, the staff has a better performance in their work, more tips are generated, they have a lower turnover and thus have a positive impact on the business, which generates a virtuous circle,” CEO of Hero Guest, Gabriel García, said on Latam List.

Finally, SaaS (software as a service) startup Kuona, which uses machine learning to optimize product prices for retailers, closed a U.S. $6 million seed round led by COMET with the participation of Seaya Cathay, Latam and FEMSA Ventures.

The funds will be used to expand the company into strategic areas in Latin America, Europe and the United States. 

GM plant in Mexico will only produce electric vehicles starting in 2024 

The General Motors (GM) plant in the northern city of Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, will only produce electric vehicles (EV) starting in 2024, Economy Secretary Raquel Buenrostro announced. 

The company also shared that by the year 2035, they will convert their other two Mexican plants to EV manufacturing.

In April 2021, General Motors announced a one-billion-dollar investment to expand the Ramos Arizpe plant and have it ready to produce EV. The company seeks to make this plant the fifth larger manufacturer of EV within General Motors North America. 

The Economy Ministry announced that General Motors has created 4,500 new jobs since President López Obrador took office, at their plants in Ramos Arizpe and San Luis Potosí.

Mexico ranks low in work-life balance according to UN report

“Innovative working time arrangements such as those introduced during the COVID-19 crisis, can bring benefits to economies, companies and workers, including higher productivity and a better work-life balance,” the International Labor Organization (ILO) said. However, Mexico doesn’t seem to be part of the trend. 

According to the ILO’s Working Time and Work-Life Balance report, Mexico is part of the group of nations that have a greater labor imbalance including the Philippines, Chile and Venezuela. 

Either because there are those who work fewer hours than they need, or because there are people who have longer working hours than those legally mandated, 41.7% of Mexico’s workforce suffers from work-life imbalance, only surpassed by the Philippines (43.2%) and slightly above Chile (40.9%).  

The nations with the lowest levels of imbalance among their labor force are Croatia (11.0%), Austria (14.2%) and Hungary (14.2%).

Streaming services closed 2022 with boost in subscribers in Mexico

Disney Plus, HBO Max, Netflix, Vix and other streaming platforms went from 12.8 million users in the third quarter of 2022 to 13.1 million by the end of the year, a jump of 300,000 new subscribers in Mexico, reported consulting firm The Ciu.

According to The Ciu analyst Radamés Camargo, consumption tends to increase in December because a subscription to a streaming platform is a “classic gift”. Moreover, people usually have more time in December to consume content, Ramadés said, which gives “an additional boost to the platforms.” The challenge then, is to retain those users. 

With a possible recession ahead and continued inflation, companies like HBO have issued promotions to retain consumers. Advertisement is another strategy for customer retention  because the monthly fee is less expensive.

Camargo said that the streaming services must find new options to keep them ahead of their competition, not only in terms of pricing, but in terms of new products.

With reports from Expansión, Latam List, Latam List, Bloomberg, El Economista and Forbes

Justin Trudeau arrives for trilateral North American Leaders’ Summit

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MND Staff
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has arrived in Mexico City for talks with President López Obrador and United States President Joe Biden at the 10th North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS).

Accompanied by his wife, Sophie Grégoire, Trudeau flew into the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), where he was met by López Obrador and his wife, Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller.

“Over the next few days, I’ll be meeting with @POTUS Biden, President @LopezObrador_, and business leaders to strengthen our economies, create good jobs, and build a better future for people across North America. More to come — stay tuned,” the Canadian PM wrote on Twitter.


President Lopez Obrador tweeted optimistically about Trudeau’s visit to Mexico as part of the North American Leaders’ Summit.

 

López Obrador posted a photo to social media that showed the two leaders walking down a red carpet at AIFA accompanied by their wives.

“Our relations are more than good,” AMLO wrote on Facebook and Twitter.

“Canadian companies invest in Mexico without obstacles, and the government of that country has been generous in granting temporary work visas to our compatriots.”

Trudeau’s arrival at AIFA came a day after Biden flew into the same airport, located just north of Mexico City.

The Mexican, Canadian and U.S. leaders will participate in trilateral talks on Tuesday at the National Palace. It will be the second NALS attended by López Obrador, Trudeau and Biden, coming 14 months after they met at the 2021 edition in Washington D.C.

Immigration, energy, trade and transnational crime will be among the issues up for discussion.

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at 10th North American Leaders' Summit in Mexico
US President Joe Biden, who arrived a day before, shares a hug at the National Palace with, going counter clockwise, First Lady Jill Biden, Mexico’s First Lady Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller and President López Obrador. (Photo: Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

López Obrador and Biden met late Monday afternoon at the National Palace for bilateral talks. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said earlier Monday that the two presidents would discuss ways in which the two countries can “enhance and elevate” cooperation to combat the fentanyl trade.

“President López Obrador and President Biden will [also] have the opportunity to discuss questions related to supply chains, to clean energy cooperation, and to a larger economic vision of North America,” Sullivan said.

A day before their formal trilateral talks, the three North American leaders issued a statement condemning the events on Sunday in Brazil, where supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court.

“Canada, Mexico, and the United States condemn the January 8 attacks on Brazil’s democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power,” they said.

“We stand with Brazil as it safeguards its democratic institutions. Our governments support the free will of the people of Brazil. We look forward to working with President Lula on delivering for our countries, the Western Hemisphere, and beyond.”

With reports from Reforma 

Federal government buys defunct Mexicana airline brand for over 800 million pesos

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MND Staff
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Old Mexicana plane at Mexico City International Airport
A Mexicana plane parked at Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City over a decade ago. (Archival photo/Creative Commons)

The federal government has reached an agreement to buy the brand and some assets of defunct airline Mexicana de Aviación (better known as simply Mexicana) for more than 800 million pesos.

Government officials signed a deal last Friday – worth 815 million pesos (US $42.6 million), according to an El Universal newspaper report – with several unions that represent former Mexicana workers.

The agreement comes after President López Obrador said late last year that an army-run commercial airline would begin operations in late 2023. The state-owned carrier is slated to be called Mexicana, which was the name of Mexico’s flagship airline until it ceased operations in 2010.

Mexican military guarding Mexicana airline ticket booth in Mexico City International Airport from former employees of airline.
As recently as in September, the military was guarding Mexicana’s old ticket desk in the Mexico City International Airport from former Mexicana employees’ protests. Now it’ll be running the airline. (Photo: Tomás Acosta Ordaz/Cuartoscuro)

El Universal reported that the government, via the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport, agreed to purchase the Mexicana de Aviación brand and associated sub-brands as well as a building in Guadalajara, a section of a building in downtown Mexico City, a training center near the capital’s airport and a flight simulator.

José Alonso, a spokesman for the pilots’ union, ASPA, told Reuters that a time frame for the payment has not yet been agreed. The news agency reported a slightly lower purchase figure of 811.1 million pesos.

Alonso said that the government will lift existing legal actions against Mexicana on Monday.

The airline’s downfall was marked by corruption and mismanagement, and it left over 8,000 employees without jobs. López Obrador has said that the new airline, consisting of a fleet of 10 leased planes, will be staffed by the former workers.

Alonso told Reuters that the government’s payment will be divided between ASPA, the flight attendants’ union ASSA, the former aviation workers’ union AJTEAM and the transportation workers’ union SNTTTASS. The amount each will get will depend on what members were owed when Mexicana ceased operations, he said.

Alonso said that the government payment is only a small fraction of what was owed to Mexicana workers, but that “it’s a little bit of justice after 12 years.”

Mexico's president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
President Lopez Obrador has said that the new airline should be in operation sometime this year. (Photo: Presidencia)

López Obrador has said that the Defense Ministry’s airline and tourism firm, Olmeca-Maya-Mexica, will run the new state-owned airline.

The airline will lower the cost of airfares while serving cities that current routes do not frequently reach, according to the president, who has also proposed allowing foreign airlines to fly domestic routes to cut costs for passengers.

With reports from El Universal and Reuters 

Biden visits U.S.-Mexico border before Mexico City summit

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MND Staff
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López Obrador and Biden walk away from the Air Force 1 down a red carpet with military cadets standing at attention with rifles on both sides of the walkway.
President López Obrador greets U.S. President Joe Biden at Felipe Ángeles International Airport outside Mexico City, after Biden's surprise pit stop at the border. (LopezObrador.org.mx)

Amid ongoing calls for the United States government to do more to stop illegal immigration via Mexico, U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday visited the Mexico-U.S. border for the first time since he took office in January 2021.

Biden visited El Paso, Texas, where alongside Border Patrol agents he toured a section of the wall that divides the United States and Mexico.

According to a Reuters news agency report, the president’s visit to the wall was an effort to show he was taking the illegal immigration issue seriously.

Bundled-up migrants in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, wait to cross into the U.S.
Migrants in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, wait to cross into the U.S. via El Paso in December. (David Peinado / Cuartoscuro.com)

His trip to El Paso came after U.S. border officials apprehended a record 2.2 million migrants at the border in U.S. fiscal year 2022, which ended in September. That figure includes individuals who attempted to enter the U.S. between official ports of entry on multiple occasions.

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency last month due to the high number of migrants sleeping on the street in the border city, and the thousands of border-crossers being detained on a daily basis.

The Biden administration last Thursday announced a set of measures to enhance security and reduce unauthorized migration at the United States’ southern border.

The new plan, detailed in a White House fact sheet, includes increased border and immigration personnel, media campaigns to counter smuggler misinformation and increased support to Mexico and Central American countries to address the humanitarian needs of refugees. It also includes a commitment by Mexico to accept as many as 30,000 Venezuelan, Nicaraguan, Haitian and Cuban expelled asylum seekers per month.

In addition to touring a section of the border wall, Biden on Sunday visited the Bridge of the Americas, which links El Paso to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. Accompanied by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the president inspected equipment used by border officials to detect illegal drugs.

His visit to the Texan city came occurred a prolonged clash with Republicans over border policy and alleged failure to enforce existing laws. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is one of the president’s fiercest and most outspoken critics on immigration, and presented a strongly-worded letter to Biden upon his arrival in the Lone Star State.

A car passes through a scanner at the San Ysidro border port between the U.S. and Mexico.
A car passes through a scanner at the San Ysidro border port between the U.S. and Mexico, part of U.S. measures to prevent contraband from entering that country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection

“You have violated your constitutional obligation to defend the States against invasion through faithful execution of federal laws,” wrote Abbott, who has bused migrants out of Texas, and said last November that he had “invoked the invasion clauses of the U.S. and Texas constitutions to fully authorize Texas to take unprecedented measures to defend our state against an invasion” of migrants.

Biden told reporters on Sunday that he hadn’t yet read the governor’s letter. He said on Twitter Sunday night that “our problems at the border didn’t arise overnight” and “won’t be solved overnight.”

“But, we can come together to fix this broken system. We can secure the border and fix the immigration process to be orderly, fair, safe, and humane,” Biden added.

In a blow to his administration and a victory for the Republicans, the U.S. Supreme Court last month blocked the discontinuation of Title 42, pandemic-era legislation that allows asylum seekers at the U.S. border to be immediately expelled to Mexico, without recourse to legal hearings.

Following his visit to El Paso, the U.S. president flew to the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) north of Mexico City, where he was greeted by President López Obrador.

“I welcomed President Joe Biden at AIFA and accompanied him in his vehicle to his hotel. He will be with us at the National Palace tomorrow. We will continue talking about matters of interest for our people and nations,” López Obrador wrote on social media.

The two presidents will be joined in the capital by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a three-day North American Leaders Summit, at which immigration as well as energy and trade will be among the issues up for discussion. López Obrador and Biden will also hold bilateral talks.

First Lady Jill Biden, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and presidential climate envoy John Kerry arrived at the Mexico City International Airport earlier on Sunday.

With reports from Reuters, NPR, Reforma and El Universal 

INAH to inspect Maya Train route’s final sections as scientists voice concerns

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MND Staff
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INAH has completed excavation and restoration work on sections 1-4 of the Maya Train (Foto: Martín Zetina / Cuartoscuro.com)

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) reported last week on the excavation and preservation work being done in conjunction with the construction of the Maya Train.

Diego Prieto Hernández, the INAH’s general director, explained that sections 1 through 4 of the train’s planned route have been thoroughly examined, and that artifacts in those zones have been salvaged and that further excavation work has been identified.

Thus, the INAH team, working under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, will now concentrate its efforts on sections 5, 6 and 7.

A map demonstrating progress on archaeological excavation along Maya Train route (INAH)

During President López Obrador’s morning news conference on Thursday, Prieto Hernández said the aim is to investigate, protect and conserve the area’s archaeological heritage — while also building train tracks that will cut a swath up to 14 meters (46 feet) wide through some of the world’s most unique ecosystems.

In noting that the investigative work has progressed satisfactorily, and that basic prospecting has been completed in six of the seven sections, the anthropologist gave a breakdown on what had been salvaged as of Jan. 4.

He said the team had found and preserved 35,700 stationary structures, 1,651 movable elements, 463 human bones, 1,114 natural features, 739,274 ceramic fragments and 591 vessels.

Prieto Hernández further explained that “within Section 7 — which goes from Bacalar, Quintana Roo, to Escárcega, Campeche — we have defined a line [for future train tracks] that will protect 26 monuments classified as Category 4, that is, those that have a particular relevance and must be preserved in their entirety.”

Prieto Hernández’s address to the media came a day after Reuters published an article headlined “Collapse, contamination: Mexican scientists sound alarm at Mayan Train.” 

The article contended that “droves of scientists and environmental activists” are saying that the “railway and its hasty construction critically endanger pristine wilderness and ancient cave systems beneath the jungle floor.”

Gran Cenote
The Yucatán peninsula is known for its karst limestone topography and vast subterranean network of caves and sinkholes (Photo: Depositphotos)

The 1,470-kilometer (910-mile) railway “is splitting the jungle in half,” Ismael Lara was quoted as saying. A guide who leads tours to a cave near the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve that contains “millions of bats,” Lara fears the train will disrupt wildlife and attract too much development to fragile ecosystems. (The plan is to construct nine visitor centers, so that people can visit the archaeological zones near the railway route.)

Set to be powered by diesel and electricity, the Maya Train will connect Cancún (Mexico’s top tourist destination) to the ancient Mayan temples of Chichén Itzá in Yucatán and Palenque in Chiapas.

Fonatur, Mexico’s tourism agency charged with the project, has said the railway will lift more than a million people out of poverty and could create up to 715,000 new jobs by 2030. Construction costs are seen at up to US $20 billion, López Obrador said in July.

With the project billions of dollars over budget and behind schedule, scientists and activists say the government cut corners in its environmental risk assessments in a bid to complete the project by López Obrador’s deadline of December 2023.

“Years are not required. Expertise, knowledge and integration capacity are required,” Fonatur said in response to questions from Reuters.

The agency declined to comment on a United Nations statement last month in which experts warned that the railway’s status as a national security project allowed the government to side-step usual environmental safeguards. The statement called on the Mexican government to protect the environment in line with global standards.

Maya Train rendering
Scientists and environmental activists have sounded alarms about the massive train project since work began in 2020 (Photo: Fonatur rendering)

If built badly, the railway risks breaking through the fragile ground that sits atop a system of thousands of subterranean caves, said Emiliano Monroy-Rios, a Mexican geochemist with Northwestern University who has extensively studied the area’s caves and cenotes, which have been carved out off soft limestone bedrock by water over millions of years.

Diesel fuel, he added, could leak into pools and rivers, the main source of freshwater on the peninsula.

Several scientists interviewed by Reuters said such damage could limit important geological discoveries, as less than 20% of the subterranean system is believed to have been mapped.

“They don’t want to recognize the fragility of the land,” said Fernanda Lases, a scientist with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) who is based in Mérida, Yucatán. He called the situation “highly worrisome.”

“They want to do it fast and that’s part of the problem,” Monroy-Rios added. “There’s no time for the proper exploration.”

Countered Fonatur: “The Maya Train project is, of course, safe, monitored and regulated by the environmental authorities.”

With reports from Infobae, INAH and Reuters

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