Pursuit of the gunmen was foiled when they threw metal spikes onto the road, puncturing the tires of two police cars.
Armed men in eight vehicles caused panic in Culiacán, Sinaloa, late Monday night and early Tuesday as they drove through the city shooting out security cameras with automatic machine guns.
The gangsters destroyed 80 cameras at 25 different points in the capital of the northern state, home to the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.
The newspaper El Universal reported that the synchronized actions of the gunmen provoked hours of panic in Culiacán, especially in its downtown and surrounding areas.
“Families and workers who get up early had to take cover and throw themselves on the ground,” the newspaper reported.
The volleys of gunfire triggered memories of the mayhem in Culiacán in October 2019 when members of the Sinaloa Cartel took to the streets to carry out a wave of attacks to protest the arrest of one of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons.
Witnesses said the armed men began their camera-destroying rampage near the Culiacán airport before moving through several neighborhoods in the northern city.
Diego Castro Blanco, president of the Culiacán Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Services, called for a thorough investigation into the violent vandalism, adding that such incidents mustn’t be allowed to occur again.
Sinaloa Governor Quirino Ordaz said authorities have already initiated an investigation to identify and apprehend the culprits. He also said security would be bolstered in Culiacán and the damaged cameras would be replaced.
State Security Minister Cristobal Castañeda Camarillo said that police pursued the gunmen but the latter threw metal spikes onto the road that punctured the tires of two police cars.
Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell getting his flu shot last season in October 2020.
As the COVID inoculations pass the 100 million mark, another important vaccination campaign is set to start November 3: that of influenza.
The federal Health Ministry announced that it expects more than 32 million doses will be administered for the 2021–2022 flu season. The doses are intended for the most vulnerable: children aged six months to five years old, seniors, pregnant women, health workers and people at risk for complications. All health institutions have sufficient resources to vaccinate those groups, the ministry promised.
The ministry also reported that this season will probably see fewer influenza cases than the pre-pandemic normal, thanks to the COVID health measures in place, including hand-washing, the use of face masks and social distancing.
In other good news, a new study shows the flu shot might be good for more than just avoiding influenza: University of Miami researchers found that COVID-19 patients who had received a flu shot within the last six months had fewer related complications, emergency room visits and incidents of deep-vein thrombosis, according to infectious disease specialist Alex Guri. And unlike the COVID vaccine, the flu vaccine has been fully approved for use in children.
Durán will be the first openly non-binary person in the Veracruz Congress. They wish to be identified in non-gendered terms.
An incoming state lawmaker who identifies as neither male nor female wants to be referred to in non-gendered terms.
Gonzalo Durán Chincoya, who will take a seat in the Veracruz Congress in November, will advocate for a gender identity law and the use of and respect for inclusive language.
The incoming Morena party deputy asked reporters on Wednesday to be referred to by the neologism diputade, rather than the masculine diputado or feminine diputada.
Durán also advised the media to use the non-gendered pronoun elle instead of él. Durán will be the first non-binary person to sit in the Veracruz Congress.
“I feel very happy that there will be a real space in the next legislature to attend to this sector that has been relegated for years,“ they said.
Promoting the use of inclusive language from the halls of power “is a great commitment I have and one I will take on completely,” Durán said.
“It’s not about saying this is my language – as a society we must understand it and be open to it.”
“One of the first initiatives I will promote will be the law of gender identity,” the future diputade said.
“… The trans girls of our state need that legal … [protection], because maybe they already completed their hormonal and physical transition but they lack the legal part.”
“[But] let it be very clear: I’m not going to just legislate for the [LGBTQ+] sector [of the population] to which I belong. I’m going to legislate for all sectors, always looking out for the wellbeing of todas, todos and todes,” Durán said, using the feminine, masculine and non-gendered terms for “everyone.”
A government study published last year said that some 2.5 million illicit weapons have crossed the border into Mexico over the past decade.
Mexico is ready for any scenario – including a “dirty war” – in its legal battle against U.S. gun manufacturers, according to the in-house legal counsel for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE).
The manufacturers, among which are Smith & Wesson, Barrett Firearms and Colt’s Manufacturing Company, will fight the suit as a single block when they respond to Mexico’s allegations in a federal court in Boston in November.
The federal government will be represented by lawyers from the firm Hilliard Shadowen, which has agreed not to charge more than US $1 million annually for its services. The government secured a deal to pay the firm just half its usual hourly rates, which go as high as US $1,000.
Alejandro Celorio, legal counsel for the SRE, said in an interview that lawyers for the gun makers could accuse Mexico of corruption and an absence of “moral character” as part of a “dirty war” in defense of their client’s business practices.
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that cross-border arms trafficking will be the central issue in the Mexico City talks with the US, scheduled for October 8.
Celorio said that lawyers for the 11 companies could also question Mexico’s legal right to sue gun manufacturers in the United States.
With regard to the possible “dirty war” scenario, the SRE lawyer said attorneys for the gun manufacturers “could say to us, ‘You are corrupt.’”
“… Our response is, you can say we have skeletons in our closet but we’re suing you because of issues with your distribution chain, with your business practices. You can say what you like but what’s in dispute here are your business practices so don’t get distracted,” Celorio said.
Lawrence Keane also accused the federal government of being responsible for the “rampant crime and corruption” within Mexico’s borders.
“Mexico’s criminal activity is a direct result of the illicit drug trade, human trafficking and organized crime cartels that plague Mexico’s citizens. It is these cartels that criminally misuse firearms illegally imported into Mexico or stolen from the Mexican military and law enforcement. Rather than seeking to scapegoat law-abiding American businesses, Mexican authorities must focus their efforts on bringing the cartels to justice,” he said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday that illegal cross-border arms trafficking will be the main issue discussed at high level talks between Mexico and the United States scheduled for October 8 in Mexico City.
He said last week that reducing violence in Mexico will be very difficult if the United States doesn’t do more to stop the illegal flow of weapons into the country.
Learn to cook is professor Gerardo de León's advice to women.
A professor at the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes has been suspended after he suggested that women should learn to cook if they do not want to face domestic violence.
Dr. Gerardo de León, a medical professor, showed an example of a woman who had been stabbed by her partner after supposedly burning his dinner, then mentioned that women should learn to cook to avoid such incidents. After a female student objected, de León stood firm.
“If she does not know how to cook, why get married? A person gets home hungry and gets angry,” he said. “So that’s today’s lesson, learn to cook before getting married.”
The professor’s comments were shared on social media and the Office for the Protection of University Rights received a complaint on September 29 over various of de Léon’s actions and comments. The university responded that it condemns any act of harassment, discrimination or violence.
Following the official complaint, the professor was suspended for the protection of students while an investigation into his actions moves forward.
Protest turned violent on the Global Day of Action for Safe and Legal Abortion in Mexico City.
A violent pro-abortion protest in Mexico City was linked to “conservative feminists” by President López Obrador at his morning news press conference Wednesday.
Hooded female protesters demanding the total legalization of abortion and free access to it left 27 police, a female civil servant and nine other people injured in the city center Tuesday.
The Supreme Court (SCJN) effectively decriminalized abortion across Mexico in September. However, outside cases of rape and risks to the mother’s life, abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy is currently only legal in four states: Mexico City, Oaxaca, Hidalgo and Veracruz.
Despite the high political sensitivity which accompanies the abortion debate, the president hinted at conspiratorial forces behind the use of violence, aimed against his administration.
“There have been acts of violence that were not present before. I would say that it is a new phenomenon that has to do with the beginning of our government, so I even distrust its authenticity,” he said.
A conflict between protesters and police at the National Palace.
“You see that usually extremes come together. I see these movements as very conservative, very conservative … these conservative movements would like us to be repressive, to use force. They are provoking, provoking and provoking,” he added.
The infiltration of “conservative feminists” was commonly recognized among the wider feminist community, the president claimed, declaring that the feminist movement was a recent phenomenon. “You have to see what is behind it because about two years ago, when the feminist movement started, many women participated but they began to realize that [the movement] had been turned into conservative feminists just to damage us,” he said.
AMLO has consistently sidestepped questions about his view on the Supreme Court’s decriminalization of abortion. “I can’t express an opinion. I’m not washing my hands of it … it’s better for all Mexicans that a president doesn’t take sides on an issue of this nature,” he said at his press conference on September 21.
The president proposed holding a referendum on the subject prior to the Supreme Court’s decision, but has since said that he respects the ruling.
Mexico is still a largely conservative nation with the second highest number of Catholics in the world after Brazil, and is the most populous country in Latin America to decriminalize abortion.
Largely peaceful pro-abortion protests were also held Tuesday in Chilpancingo, Guerrero; Xalapa, Veracruz; and Cuernavaca, Morelos; and Toluca, México state.
The Star Médica private hospital chain had the most consumer complaints, the Profeco chief revealed.
Private hospitals are guilty of increasing their prices well beyond the inflation rate and committing a range of other abuses, the head of the consumer protection agency Profeco said Wednesday.
“Inflation was 2.83% last year and is 5.59% this year. However, the [price] increases at private hospitals have been 15% to 20% – well above inflation,” Ricardo Sheffield told reporters at President López Obrador’s regular news conference.
He accused some private hospitals of deliberately charging patients amounts that exceed the limits of their insurance coverage.
“[That’s] something we’re looking at very carefully,” Sheffield said.
The Profeco chief said that some private hospitals order studies that aren’t necessary and overcharge for medications and medical supplies they use to treat patients.
Profeco chief Ricardo Sheffield reported on the excesses of private hospitals at the president’s Wednesday morning press conference.
Sheffield said Profeco has detected that some are charging patients deposits without explaining to them how the money can be recovered. “A lot of the time it’s above the deductible,” he added.
“What are the reasons why we’ve visited hospitals? For not displaying prices, for not respecting prices that are displayed and for improper, unjustified and excessive charges,” Sheffield said, adding that Profeco has responded to more than 800 complaints during the past two and a half years.
“The last operation we carried out was last weekend in several hospitals in Monterrey, Mexico City and México state,” he said.
“… The hospitals that have had the highest number of complaints are Star Médica with 11, nine at Ángeles hospitals, six at Médica Sur hospitals, five at the Centro Hospitalario Universidad and three at the Centro Médico del Noreste, … several of these hospitals are national chains,” Sheffield said, adding that Profeco has issued 64 fines.
“What do we recommend to consumers? Make sure that the [health care] provider … shows you its list of prices and medical rates. If they ask you for a deposit, they should explain how they will return it to you, what it will be used for and why [they’re asking for] that amount,” he said.
Sheffield also said that hospitals should be upfront about the prices they will charge for medications and medical supplies.
Contracts between hospitals and patients should be registered with Profeco and the former should advise the latter how they can file a complain should the need arise, he added.
“And the most important thing, if you are a victim of a hospital that exceeds the limit [of acceptable conduct] please call us … so we can advise you and support you.”
Former governor Alejandro Tello of Zacatecas and new governor David Monreal speak at a press conference in July, before the transition of power.
Six new governors have accused their predecessors of leaving their states in financial ruin, a common occurrence following any election.
The governors of Chihuahua, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Sonora, Campeche and San Luis Potosí expressed discontent with the economic situations they inherited.
María Eugenia Campos, National Action Party (PAN) governor in Chihuahua, said that Javier Corral, who also represented the PAN, bequeathed her an 11-billion-peso (US $536.3 million) debt owed to government suppliers.
“Corral’s government lived on short term loans and when it couldn’t go into more debt it started to survive on credit,” she said. “We plan to begin paying suppliers [but] there are so many of them.”
Campos, who took office on September 8, recently applied for an 800-million-peso loan to start paying off debts, the newspaper Reforma reported.
Ex-governor of Chihuahua Javier Corral, left, and incoming governor María Eugenia Campos, right.
David Monreal, the new Morena party governor in Zacatecas, accused his Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) predecessor Alejandro Tello of leaving the state’s coffers empty. There won’t be funds to pay teachers until December at the earliest and there is no money to undertake highway projects or provide support for the agricultural sector, he said.
“Our debts easily exceed our income. The finances of the municipalities are in tatters, our state is dying,” Monreal said.
The new governor went to the offices of the federal Interior Ministry on Monday to seek federal support to pay teachers’ salaries and pensions this year and next.
Miguel Ángel Navarro, Morena governor in Nayarit, also petitioned the federal government for help, asking that it cover the salaries of health workers so the state can pay a 3.45-billion-peso debt owed to the Nayarit Autonomous University and 9 billion pesos in debts payable to the Mexican Social Security Institute, the federal tax agency SAT and the National Workers Housing Fund.
“Nayarit wants to wake up and get ahead,” he said after urging Morena party federal senators to “lend a hand.”
Navarro succeeded PAN governor Antonio Echeverría on September 19.
Nayarit’s new governor, Miguel Ángel Navarro, asked the federal government for help covering health worker’s salaries shortly after he took office.
In Sonora, Morena Governor Alfonso Durazo said he inherited a 23-billion-peso (US $1.1 billion) debt from his PRI predecessor, Claudia Pavlovich, while Layda Sansores, who took the top job in Campeche for Morena two weeks ago, said she was left with a 700-million-peso tax debt.
Carlos Aysa González preceded Sansores as governor of Campeche after replacing Alejandro Moreno, national president of the PRI, in mid-2019.
In San Luis Potosí, Green party Governor Ricardo Gallardo said he received a 16-billion-peso debt from the PRI’s Juan Manuel Carreras. “They said our state debt was 4.7 billion pesos but that was just the tip [of the iceberg],” he said.
The inheritance of difficult financial situations is not limited to new governors. Abelina López Rodríguez, who becomes mayor of Acapulco on Thursday, will inherit a “financial crisis” from Adela Román Ocampo, Reforma reported.
One challenge López will face is finding 203 million pesos needed to pay salaries and benefits to municipal employees. The incoming mayor said Wednesday that officials in Román’s government failed to tell her the whereabouts of the money.
Both López and Román won power in the resort city as representatives of the Morena party, founded by President López Obrador.
A recently used extermination camp was discovered near Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, a city on the United States border, said the head of the National Search Commission, Karla Quintana.
The Tamaulipas Search Commission found human remains, shovels and axes near abandoned housing off kilometer-26 of the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway. Quintana has since confirmed the camp was used as a clandestine crematorium for systematic murder.
The search relates to the disappearance of at least 100 people near the state border with Nuevo León, the majority of whom are thought to be truck drivers and taxi drivers. Disappearances are often related to organized crime, and Tamaulipas is home to the violent Gulf Cartel, based in Matamoros. The criminal group has long dominated criminal activity in the state and has been undergoing an internal power struggle since 2017 to control drug and human trafficking routes.
In response to the spate of disappearances, a cross-state working group was set up to enable collaboration between the Attorney General’s Offices of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas and to bring together the National Search Commission and local search commissions in Nuevo León, Coahuila, México state, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí and Veracruz.
The first discovery came in June when Tamaulipas authorities found voter credentials, cell phones and clothing near the highway.
Quintana said that further investigation would be necessary to identify the bodies but that it was the responsibility of state authorities. “We are going to recover these human remains in a dignified manner and with due diligence … it is the state Attorney General’s Office of Tamaulipas which is responsible for the respective identification … in forensic matters,” she said.
She added that searches would continue in the area over the next few months. Search teams are supported by the National Guard, Tamaulipas police officers, Nuevo León security forces and the army.
Fifty-seven extermination sites have been found and documented in Tamaulipas by relatives of missing people, Animal Político reported.
Fifty-three of those sites have been discovered in southwestern Tamaulipas in five municipalities: Mante, Xicoténcatl, Llera de Canales, Gómez Farías and Ocampo.
The northeast has been the region of the country where the most extermination camps have been unearthed, Quintana confirmed.
Politics is a murky business in Tamaulipas. Federal authorities accuse state Governor Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca of having ties to organized crime but have been unable to take him into custody due to his immunity from prosecution in Tamaulipas.
Over the last 15 years, more than 80,000 people have disappeared in Mexico. According to a report by the federal government in April, Tamaulipas and Nuevo León are among the five states with the highest number of disappearances reported.
Mexico reached the 100-million mark Tuesday for vaccinations given.
The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Mexico passed 100 million on Tuesday, 278 days after the first shot was given on Christmas Eve.
The federal Health Ministry reported Wednesday that just over 100.5 million shots have been given after 648,293 jabs were administered Tuesday.
Only eight other countries have administered more vaccines than Mexico, according to The New York Times vaccinations tracker. They are China, India, the United States, Brazil, Japan, Indonesia, Turkey and Germany.
However, on a per capita basis Mexico ranks 75th with 78 shots given per 100 people. Exactly 50% of Mexicans have received at least one shot, according to the Times tracker, while 35% of the population is fully vaccinated.
Among the eligible population – people aged 18 and over – the first dose vaccination rate is just over 70%, according to the Health Ministry.
Despite having vaccinated 100 million people, Mexico could end up breaking last month’s pandemic record of 594 deaths from COVID-19 per day.
Despite the growing vaccination rate, Mexico continues to record hundreds of COVID-19 deaths every day. An average of 594 fatalities per day were recorded last month as case numbers reached a pandemic peak, while the average in the first 29 days of September was 608.
The vast majority of people currently dying from COVID-19 are unvaccinated, data indicates. Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell said recently that over 95% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are not vaccinated.
In other COVID-19 news:
• The Health Ministry reported 9,796 new coronavirus cases and 596 additional COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, lifting Mexico’s accumulated tallies to 3.65 million and 276,972, respectively.
There are 62,098 estimated active cases, a 1.4% increase compared to Tuesday.
• The coronavirus positivity rate in Mexico is currently 34%, according to Health Ministry data, meaning that one in three people tested is infected. Data shows that the rate is above 50% in three states: Campeche, Puebla and Quintana Roo.
A student at the National Polytechnic Institute gets her temperature taken at a COVID-19 checkpoint.
According to World Health Organization guidelines, a coronavirus outbreak cannot be considered under control if the positivity rate is above 10%.
Mexico’s positivity rate has been high throughout the pandemic as testing has mainly been used to confirm the cause of serious illness rather than to control the spread of the virus.
On a monthly basis since November, Bloomberg has graded 53 countries with economies larger than US $200 billion to determine where the virus has been handled most effectively with the least amount of disruption to business and society.
“The United Arab Emirates and Mexico rose nine and seven places respectively, as domestic restrictions became less stringent amid falling cases and deaths,” Bloomberg said in its “notable movers” explainer.
Ireland currently ranks as the best country to be in, while the Philippines is in last place.
• There are just over 7,500 hospitalized COVID-19 patients across Mexico, according to federal data, which also shows that general care COVID wards are at capacity in 63 hospitals.
Puebla has the highest occupancy rate for general care beds among the 32 states with 48% currently taken. Aguascalientes and Morelos rank second and third with rates of 48% and 46%, respectively.
Tabasco has the highest occupancy rate for beds with ventilators with 45% currently in use. Close behind are Aguascalientes and Mexico City with rates of 44% and 40%, respectively.
