Posts

MND Local BCS: Hurricane Polo hits Baja California Sur, plus new regulations for swimming with whale sharks in La Paz

Image
On Monday, Sept. 21, Polo was designated a tropical storm off the southwestern coast of Mexico, with wind speeds of approximately 50 miles per hour (mph). Within 24 hours, winds had increased to 160 miles per hour , and Polo was suddenly one of the most terrifying types of natural disasters: a Category 5 hurricane.  The National Hurricane Center characterized the speed of Polo’s intensification as “truly remarkable,” not to mention historic. Indeed, it was one of the most rapid storm intensifications in recorded history, second only to that of Hurricane Patricia in 2015 , a monster Category 5 hurricane that reached sustained winds of over 200 miles per hour.  The destructive path of Hurricane Polo as it approached the Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur, on the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 27. (NOAA) By Tuesday afternoon, Hurricane Polo had reached sustained winds of 180 miles per hour (285 kilometers per hour), making it the third-strongest hurricane by that measure in the history ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Peso falls to 18 to the US dollar as oil, Fed worries weigh on both currencies

Image
The Mexican peso depreciated to 18 to the US dollar on Monday, a weakening of more than 1% compared to Friday and over 6% compared to its strongest position this month. The sharp depreciation on Monday came just weeks after the return of the “super peso” was proclaimed at a time when the peso was trading at below 17 to the greenback. A USD:MXN exchange rate of 18, as was the going rate early Monday afternoon, represents a depreciation of 6.2% for the peso compared to its strongest closing position this month — 16.89 to the greenback on Sept. 4, according to the Bank of Mexico (Banxico). At 3 p.m. Mexico City time, the peso was trading at 17.99 to the US dollar, according to Bloomberg. Banxico’s closing USD:MXN rate, reported daily at 2:10 p.m., was 17.94, a depreciation of 1.3% compared to the closing rate on Friday. The newspaper El Financiero attributed the peso’s decline on Monday to a greater aversion to risk, an increase in oil prices — which rose afte...
Post a Comment
Read more

Oregon woman, a ‘medical tourist,’ wins the right to have her Tijuana medical malpractice complaint heard

Image
While studies show that medical procedures in Tijuana can cost up to 75% less than in the United States, patients considering this option might want to embrace the maxim “caveat emptor.” Although cheaper dental work, plastic surgery and bariatric surgery might sound appealing, insufficient regulation and inadequate oversight are legitimate concerns. And when patients’ lives have been endangered, the question of where to turn has not always been encouraging. That might be changing, however. Julia Carpenter, recovering back in Oregon from complications after her surgery in Tijuana that turned out to have been performed by a doctor unlicensed for the procedure and who has since disappeared. (Julia Carpenter/Facebook) Early this month, a district judge in Baja California ordered the Baja California Medical Arbitration Commission (CAMEBC) to consider a complaint of medical negligence filed by an Oregon woman who suffered severe complications following weight-loss surgery in 2024. Julia...
Post a Comment
Read more

MND Local Guadalajara: Cirque du Soleil, Day of the Dead festivities and Ukrainian ballet coming to town, but mind the sinkholes

Image
There is an exciting slate of cultural activities in Guadalajara in the coming month, including the 20th edition of Cirque du Soleil, the Leyenda de la Noche theme park and a Ukrainian ballet performing “Swan Lake.” But before we dive in, let’s look at the myriad road closures around town stemming from dangerous sinkholes to help you navigate safely. Be careful out there: It’s sinkhole season in Guadalajara   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Migue Saldaña (@miguesaldanagdl) As the rainy season winds down in Jalisco state, this year’s storms have caused more than 3,000 sinkholes of various sizes around the city, with at least five massive ones creating havoc along major commuting corridors. The gargantuan holes have caused accidents, lengthy traffic jams and road closures as SIAPA (the public water authority) tackles repairs, creating new headaches for area motorists. To date, SIAPA has addressed only abo...
Post a Comment
Read more

2 UAEM prep school students killed in Cuernavaca, weeks after Spanish student’s femicide

Image
Just two weeks after the femicide of a Spanish exchange student in Morelos, two prep school students were shot dead in the state capital, Cuernavaca, on Saturday night. After attending a birthday party in the Chula Vista neighborhood, a group of teenagers was reportedly gathered on the street when attackers on motorcycles approached. They fired indiscriminately into the crowd, killing two boys and seriously wounding another.  This brings to six the number of students murdered in Morelos this year, including Claudia Tacoronte Aguilera, the 21-year-old Spaniard who was stabbed to death on Sept. 12 .  Like Tacoronte, the other three victims — Kimberly Ramos Beltrán and Karol Gómez Toledo, killed in March, and Michelle Itzayana Fuentes, murdered in June — were all studying at the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos (UAEM).  The two boys killed on Saturday — identified as Gael and Christian, both 17 years old — were students of the UAEM-affiliated high school, the “Antonio L....
Post a Comment
Read more

Mexico’s week in review: A record hurricane, a population milestone and doubts over a ‘historic’ fuel bust

Image
Hurricane Polo dominated headlines for much of the week, intensifying off Mexico’s Pacific coast at an unprecedented pace before oscillating between Category 4 and 5 as it pushed north. The storm dumped heavy rain and generated dangerous surf along Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco as it slowly moved up the coast, before curving north toward the Baja Peninsula. Mexico also crossed a demographic milestone, with INEGI reporting the country’s population had surpassed 130 million even as the fertility rate continued its steep decline. Meanwhile, questions mounted over what officials had billed as Mexico’s largest-ever fuel-trafficking bust, after the firing of a federal prosecutor involved in the case. Didn’t have time to catch this week’s top stories? Here’s what you missed. Hurricane Polo threatens Pacific coast Hurricane Polo formed Monday off the coast of Guerrero and intensified at a record pace, becoming the fastest system in the Western...
Post a Comment
Read more

How the government’s digital economy bill aims to reduce cash use in everyday payments

Image
The Mexican government is seeking to change the way everyday payments are made through a proposed new law that would accelerate the use of digital transfers as it gradually reduces reliance on cash. The Digital Economy Law for Digital and Electronic Payments, submitted to Congress as part of the 2027 economic package, is meant to expand financial inclusion and boost economic activity by facilitating exchange between individuals and businesses José Antonio Peña Merino, head of the Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications, said the proposal would particularly benefit small businesses and independent workers: “It paves the way for accessing financial products and credit.” (Facebook) José Antonio Peña Merino, head of the Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications, said Thursday that one of the objectives of the bill is to make it easier for people to make and receive payments via mobile phone, thus leveraging existing infrastructure in Mexico. T...
Post a Comment
Read more