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Mexico announces 3 forums to debate social media, AI regulation for minors

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The federal government is set to hold three regional forums to canvass views on children’s use of social media and artificial intelligence tools and platforms ahead of drafting a legislative proposal to regulate these technologies. The three forums, announced by President Claudia Sheinbaum at her Monday morning press conference, will be held in Nuevo León on Aug. 19, in Chiapas on Sept. 3 and in Guerrero on Sept. 17. Mexico’s Ministry of Public Education (SEP), on Sheinbaum’s instructions, initiated a study on young people’s use of new technologies a year ago. (Juan Carlos Buenrostro/Presidencia) “We don’t want this to be a government idea imposed on society,” Sheinbaum said, referring to planned legislation to regulate the use of social media and AI by Mexico’s children and adolescents. Rather, the aim is to build a “consensus” regarding the regulation of minors’ use of AI and “especially” social media s...

MND Local: July community activities in San Miguel de Allende

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A housing nonprofit is building hope in rural areas, an arroyo mural project is coming together, the municipal government is offering free summer camps for kids and the 2027 writers’ conference program will soon be announced. Read on for a sample of the many community activities happening in and around San Miguel de Allende this month. Casita Linda is building its 173rd rural home A San Miguel nonprofit that builds homes in poor areas outside the city is now working on its 173rd project, said Louise Gilliam, president of Casita Linda. It’s in Alonso Yáñez, a small town about 30 miles southwest of San Miguel. The Aguado Ramirez family of Puente del Carmen just moved into their new home in June, one of 173 that have been built by Casita Linda. (Casita Linda) The homes all have three bedrooms so parents, boys and girls have their own rooms, she said, adding that they’re built by construction teams using sustainable materials, including specially designed concrete blocks that fit to...

In accepting life sentence, cartel boss ‘El Mayo’ urges young people not to follow his path

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Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, the Sinaloa Cartel co-founder who was arrested in 2024 after he was kidnapped in Mexico and flown to the United States, was sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. on Monday, 11 months after he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges . Judge Brian Cogan handed down the sentence in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, saying that life imprisonment for Zambada was justified by “the uncountable amount of drugs attributed to him and the number of murders.” Cogan — the judge who presided over the trials of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and former Mexican Security Minister Genaro García Luna — also ordered Zambada, 76, to forfeit $15 billion in drug trafficking-related profits and assets. The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) noted in a statement that Zambada had “pleaded guilty to being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise and a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organi...

Zacatecas AG: Multihomicide of 10, including officials, may be linked to extortion and collusion

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The murders of 10 men whose bodies were found in three different municipalities in the state of Zacatecas on Saturday could be linked to extortion and collusion between criminals and public officials, the Zacatecas attorney general said Sunday.  The bodies — including that of Ignacio Castrejón Valdez, a former mayor of Sombrerete, Zacatecas — were found in the municipalities of Morelos, Pánuco and Saín Alto, all located north of Zacatecas City. Five of the bodies were found hanging from a bridge in Pánuco. Among the other victims were Fidel Alvarado de la Torre, an official with the Fresnillo municipal government, and Andrés Vázquez Gurrola, an ex-councilor in the municipality of Canatlán, Durango.  In a video message on Sunday, Zacatecas Attorney General Cristian Paul Camacho said that “various pieces of evidence have been collected, which indicate that the main lines of investigation involve possible acts of extortion and collusion by public officials.”    “This inves...

MND Local: Two art exhibits, a global diving competition and a comedy show in Guadalajara

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This week, we take a look at two thought-provoking art exhibits now showing at the Museum of Art in Zapopan , an international diving competition and a comedian who brings joy and irreverence in wine drinking to the Guadalajara Metro Area (GMA).   Two exhibits at the Museum of Art Zapopan tackle timely themes The current exhibition “ Unlevel Playing Fields” (“ Canchas Desiguales” in Spanish) by Costa Rican conceptual artist Priscilla Monge uses soccer to convey a deeper message about the human condition. Priscilla Monge’s new art exhibit examines what an unlevel playing field means, in both art and life. (Museo de Arte de Zapopan) Monge’s transformation of a traditional soccer field into a sloped, irregular surface is meant to highlight that not everyone in Latin America and the world starts on a level playing field.  The exhibition arrives at a time when Mexico is beset by enormous economic inequality, something that’s readily apparent with the Worl...

Quintana Roo moves to guarantee pet spaces at hurricane shelters

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Nearly two months into the tropical storm season, the Yucatán Peninsula state of Quintana Roo is now encouraging public hurricane shelters to feature specific provisions for pets. The new recommendation — established in the Operating Guide for Public Temporary Shelters in Case of Hurricane, as published in the state government’s Official Gazette — is meant to guarantee adequate conditions for families who come to these spaces during an emergency. When an approaching hurricane triggers an evacuation protocol, families have sometimes had to face the impossible choice between exposing themselves to danger by refusing to resort to a shelter with no space for animals or leaving their pet behind to fend for itself. (Margarito Pérez Retana/Cuartoscuro) “The guide is intended for state and municipal authorities … and for pet owners,” said Javier Carballar Osorio, director of the state’s Institute of Biodiversity and Protected Natural Areas of the State ( Ibanqroo ) . The measure acknowledg...

Mexico’s week in review: Sheinbaum keeps ICE deaths abroad in focus as US steps up claims of cartel-government ties

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July 13 to July 17 in Mexico was a week that swung wildly between the serious and the mildly absurd. Fittingly, the week’s biggest bilateral dust-ups both involved, one way or another, potentially “deadly connections” between Mexico and the U.S. On Tuesday, DEA Administrator Terry Cole’s claimed at a Florida conference that the Mexican government and cartel networks are “one … [and] the same,” an assertion that Mexico’s Security Cabinet flatly rejected, calling the remarks baseless and unfounded. Later in the week, Mexico’s Health Ministry issued a formal travel advisory warning citizens about a rapidly growing cross-border cyclosporiasis outbreak , the parasitic illness nicknamed the “explosive diarrhea bug” that U.S. health officials have traced to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in five states. Awkwardly for Mexico, the lettuce in question was grown on a Mexican farm , prompting supplier Taylor Farms to pull a...