Posts

During 2 days of diplomacy in Barcelona, Sheinbaum champions Cuba, reforestation and a new chapter with Spain

Image
President Claudia Sheinbaum used her address at a gathering of progressive leaders in Barcelona to propose that 10% of global spending on armaments be redirected to a reforestation program, speak out against any possible military intervention in Cuba and promote Mexico’s foreign policy principles. After traveling to the Catalan capital on a commercial flight , Sheinbaum spoke for just under 10 minutes at the “In Defense of Democracy” summit, hosted by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and attended by the leaders of various countries, including Brazil, Colombia and South Africa. In her speech at the In Defense of Democracy summit in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday, President Sheinbaum invoked Mexico’s rich cultural heritage as well as its most beloved president, Benito Juárez, quoting him, “With the people, everything [can be achieved]; without the people, nothing.” (Házel Cardenas/Presidencia) During her address, the president proposed that “10% of global spending on armaments” ...
Post a Comment
Read more

MND Local: San Miguel de Allende community roundup

Image
For more great local events, check out our MND Local events page! Spring brings purple jacaranda blossoms and occasional evening showers to San Miguel, and community activities start to pick up, too. A volunteer group is planning a special fundraiser to benefit projects for kids, a major mural project is in the works and a long-time San Antonio restaurant is closing. Read on for the details. Making sure local orphans and school kids aren’t forgotten  Nechelle and Tony Vanias (left) with a group of children from the “Wrapped in Love” gift drive. (Miritha Montoya) A group of San Miguel volunteers organized by Nechelle and Tony Vanias wanted to make sure children in local schools and orphanages receive gifts on their birthdays and for Christmas. Project Remembered was the result. Alongside other volunteers, they have spent the past few years raising funds, buying what the children request and delivering gifts for their “Cakes and Candles” monthly birthday events and their “Wra...
Post a Comment
Read more

After a Mexico City suburb euthanized 11,000 street dogs, Sheinbaum demands a review

Image
After revelations that nearly 11,000 street dogs had been euthanized in a Mexico City suburb, President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday said animal protection laws and animal euthanasia regulations must be reviewed. The controversy arose after Senator Mariela Gutiérrez, a member of Sheinbaum’s Morena party, admitted that the stray dogs were killed between 2019 and 2023 while she was mayor of Tecamac, México state, about 40 kilometers north of downtown Mexico City. Sen. Mariela Gutiérrez’s decision to have nearly 11,000 diseased or dangerous dogs put down has been controversial, to say the least. (Senado de México) Gutiérrez confirmed the actions in a Wednesday press conference after a video showing her arguing with municipal officials last year about the mass euthanasia was made public this week and went viral. The senator defended her actions, saying the animals were in “deplorable” health or had attacked people and that the procedure followed official protocols. Municipal record...
Post a Comment
Read more

After weeks of denials, Pemex admits responsibility for Gulf Coast oil spill

Image
The government finally admitted what it had denied for weeks: The oil that began washing up along 700 kilometers of Gulf of Mexico coastline in February did indeed originate from Pemex facilities.  An official investigation revealed that a leak had been detected in early February, but was deliberately hidden by operational divisions within the state-run oil company. More than two months after the spill, a panel of government experts this week confirmed what nonprofits had previously reported: that the spill originated from a Pemex pipeline. (Andrea Murcia / Cuartoscuro.com) As a result of Pemex’s internal analysis of the events, three high-ranking company officials were fired and a complaint was submitted to the Federal Attorney General’s Office to determine criminal liability. When complaints by fishermen and residents of Veracruz about oil slicks in the Gulf and tar balls washing up on shore became public in early March, Pemex issued a statement saying that “after conduct...
Post a Comment
Read more

Michoacán releases 1,000 endangered achoque salamanders in Lake Pátzcuaro in major conservation push

Image
The Michoacán Fisheries Commission (Compesca) released 1,000 Lake Pátzcuaro salamanders this week, marking a historic conservation effort for the critically endangered species. The salamanders, known locally as achoques ( Ambystoma dumerilii ), are close relatives to the axolotls ( Ambystoma mexicanum ) found in Xochimilco, Mexico City. In Pátzcuaro, achoques are seriously threatened by habitat pollution, drought, invasive species like the Asian carp and even human consumption, as residents of the region believe that axolotls have healing properties. In 2018, experts estimated that there were fewer than 100 left in the wild. “Today is an important day for Lake Pátzcuaro,” Ramón Hernández Orozco, head of the Michoacán State Fisheries Commission (Compesca) said during the release event. “We hope this is the beginning of the recovery of this endemic and mystical creature here in Lake Pátzcuaro.” Meanwhile, Armando González, resident of La Pacanda island in Pátzcuaro and head of the K...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mexico, US advance critical minerals pact ahead of their inclusion in the USMCA review

Image
Two months after a plan for preferential trade in critical minerals with the U.S. was outlined, Mexico’s Finance Minister Édgar Amador visited U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to discuss a broader binational strategy regarding these strategic resources. The two nations have been working for months to cobble together a joint strategy for arranging a stable supply of minerals deemed critical for the electronics and sustainable energy industries. With the critical minerals such as lithium taking on such vital importance, Mexico and the U.S. are discussing developing regulatory standards for their mining, processing and trading. (Unsplash) President Claudia Sheinbaum has emphasized the importance of lithium and copper for electric vehicle production and is working to position Mexico as a key supplier of critical minerals. Lithium — which President Andrés Manuel López Obrador nationalized in 2022 — is used in battery manufacturing, while other strategic minerals found in Mexi...
Post a Comment
Read more

US border wall construction damages sacred Cuchumá Hill on Mexico–US border

Image
To facilitate the construction of a section of wall on the border between the United States and Mexico, the U.S. government has been using explosives on a sacred hill, angering the Kumeyaay Indigenous people . The explosions on the rock-covered Cuchumá Hill (also known as Tecate Peak ) began in early April and have continued during the past week, according to residents of Tecate, a municipality in Baja California that borders California. Authorities in Mexico and Kumeyaay people say that the blasts are causing major damage to the hill, which straddles the U.S.-Mexico border just west of the Baja California city of Tecate. A 35-meter-high carved monolith that is considered sacred was reportedly damaged by one detonation. “They’re destroying it,” Indigenous rights advocate Norma Meza Calles said of the hill, which is considered intangible cultural heritage in Mexico and has been on the United States’ National Register of Historic Places since 1992. “It’s very sad because that m...
Post a Comment
Read more