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Mexico’s week in review: Guadalajara water protest fallout, IMSS demands and another Pacific hurricane

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Protests over contaminated water in Guadalajara and over pay and medicine shortages at IMSS, along with another hurricane approaching the Pacific coast, set the agenda in Mexico the second week of October. Clashes between police and protesters in Guadalajara on Sunday left dozens hurt and 39 arrested, and the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) is now investigating alleged police abuses. IMSS workers demonstrated in nearly every state, rejecting a 2.9% pay offer and demanding 10%. On the Pacific coast, Hurricane Trudy is forecast to pass by Colima and Jalisco over the weekend, as coastal states continue to recover from a close brush with Hurricane Simon and deadly flooding after Tropical Storm Rachel touched down in Baja California. The week also brought mixed news on the security front: Homicides continue to trend down, but organized crime notched a win after Morelos exchanged an alleged criminal leader to save three kidnapped police officers. Exports hit a record in the first e...
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‘MND Hits the Streets’: A perspective from our CEO

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At MND, we have a team culture that encourages everyone to continue to innovate and bring new ideas to our readers. It is precisely that culture that has brought you recent new content ideas like: MND Intelligence — to help you better understand Mexico through indices, data, numbers, and surveys MND Tutor — to help you learn Spanish! MND Kids — to help your kids or grandkids learn about Mexico in Spanish or English El Jalapeño — to give you a light-hearted, satirical perspective on the news It has also led to the creation of our MND TV YouTube channel and our “Confidently Wrong” podcast. Now, we are excited to bring you another new video series: “MND Hits the Streets.” The idea is to bring you the perspectives of everyday people on a range of topics related to Mexico. The MND team is hitting the streets to talk to people of all ages — locals, foreign residents, tourists and businesspeople — about how things are going in the country. We hope this ser...
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Rotting meat stench from US-backed screwworm fly plant triggers protests in Chiapas 

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Residents of a small Chiapas town took to the streets again on Thursday to demand the relocation of the sterile fly production plant used to control the New World Screwworm (NWS). Protesters in Metapa de Domínguez have complained about the smell emanating from the plant since it began operating in June . Locals describe the foul odor as akin to rotting meat and say the plant’s proximity to homes and schools poses a health risk. En #Metapa, #Chiapas, pobladores protestan y exigen la reubicación de la planta de moscas contra el gusano barrenador, construida por #México y #EUA. Acusan grave contaminación, daños a la salud y afectaciones a la vida cotidiana. https://t.co/F2lzS8yvcH — Cheché Torres (@Chechetc) October 15, 2026 They ended a three-day sit-in in early September after government officials agreed to address their complaints. Residents told Reuters that the smell now regularly wafts across the town, even disrupting classes at nearby schools. Mercedes Becerra de la Cruz, ...
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Rachel death toll rises to 8 in Baja California as newly formed Hurricane Trudy heads for Jalisco coast

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While Pacific Coast residents are still reeling from the passage of Polo, Rachel and Simon, the newly formed Hurricane Trudy threatens to bring more chaos and disruption to the region. Eight deaths have been attributed to Hurricane Rachel, while at least four people remain missing and the military has been actively carrying out search and rescue operations . And Simon, lurking near the Jalisco coast south of the tip of the Baja California Peninsula, is expected to remain a Category 1 hurricane through Friday. A graphic released by the National Hurricane Center shows the location and projected course of Hurricane Trudy, as of Thursday 4 p.m. CST. (U.S. National Hurricane Center) In light of the devastation, President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday activated the Defense Ministry’s  DN-III emergency protection plan and the Navy’s “Plan Marina.”  Sheinbaum also ordered the Interior Ministry to stay in close contact with the Baja California governor in order to provide any support that m...
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Mexico in Numbers: Which states have the most welfare beneficiaries?

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In her second annual report speech on Sept. 1 , President Claudia Sheinbaum said that federal welfare, social and employment programs would benefit almost 43 million Mexicans in 2026. In other words, about one in three Mexicans was slated to receive money from a federal program, among which are pension schemes, employment initiatives and scholarships for public school students. Sheinbaum held up the reach of the various programs as a major achievement of her government, which, like its predecessor, has embraced the motto, “For the good of all, the poor come first.” “Me dediqué a servir al Pueblo. Me siento muy orgulloso, muy contento, de que atendimos a todos, escuchamos a todos, respetamos a todos, pero les dimos preferencia a los más necesitados. ‘Por el Bien de Todos: Primero los Pobres’”. Última Mañanera del presidente @lopezobrador_ . pic.twitter.com/reAmS0qjgR — Michael Oviedo (@Mike_Oviedo) September 30, 2024 Spending one trillion pesos on government welfare,...
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The IMF casts doubt on Mexico’s chances of cracking the top 10 of world economies by 2030

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has thrown cold water on Mexico’s ambitious plan to  return to the world’s Top 10 economies by 2030 by declaring in its latest World Economic Outlook , released on Tuesday, that the goal is unlikely to be reached until at least 2031, if then.  Citing underinvestment as a major factor, the IMF indicated that the expected maximum GDP growth rate over President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first term (ending in 2030) is 2.2%, not enough to reach 10th place among world economies. Sheinbaum had announced that goal shortly after her first 100 days in office two years ago in presenting her Plan México, which has guided Mexico’s economic policy since. In announcing its 2026 World Economic Outlook, the IMF declared the world economy surprisingly resilient, but with an uncertain future. It also noted that Mexico’s projected annual growth rate toward the end of the current decade will be lower than the Latin American average. (IMF) The IMF expects the ...
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First migrating monarchs are spotted in Coahuila

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The monarch butterfly’s annual migration from southern Canada to central Mexico is in full swing, with the first sighting confirmed in the border state of Coahuila last week.   Linabeth Flores with the Mexican NGO Profauna confirmed, “We can now officially say that the migration is here.”   The monarch butterflies undertake a perilous southward migration each year from Canada, through the United States, and to Mexico starting in late August to reach their winter resting spot in the pine forests of Michoacán before the bacchanalian breeding season. New generations then migrate north to the Canadian Prairies for spring and summer.   Sightings so far have been concentrated in the cities of Acuña, Múzquiz, Monclova and Cuatro Ciénegas and are expected to increase in the coming days. At the Higher Technological Institute of Múzquiz, several monarchs were spotted feeding on polocote (Mexican sunflower) and pomegranate blossoms.   Before this year’s migration began, two dozen monarch b...
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