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Energy
Brazil’s Braskem To Invest US$2.5 Billion In Petrochemicals
February 23, 2010
Brazil’s Braskem SA announced a plan last year to pair up with Mexican petrochemical company Idesa for an
ethylene project expected to involve initial investment of $2.5 billion. The investment will be Brazil’s largest in Mexico
and was announced after Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva meta
business leaders from both countries at a regional summit in the Mexican Caribbean. The project, located in the
Coatzacoalcos petrochemical complex in the Gulf state of Veracruz, was expected to begin operating in 2015 when it
was announced last November.
El Paso Corporation Announces Agreement To Sell Mexican Pipeline Assets
February 24, 2010
El Paso Corporation announced today that it has entered into an agreement to sell its interest in Mexican pipeline and
compression assets to Sempra Pipelines & Storage, a unit of Sempra Energy, for $300 million. The sale includes El
Paso’s 50% interest in a joint venture with the Mexican state oil company, Pemex, that owns various pipeline assets
in northern Mexico close to the Texas border, as well as a 100%-owned pipeline that originates at the Arizona border.
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2010 and is subject to lender consent, as well as
Mexican regulatory approval.
Pemex Signs Seismic Processing Contract With Ion
February 22, 2010
Mexico’s state oil company Pemex has signed a multiyear contract with the GX Technology subsidiary of U.S.
geophysical company Ion. The contract is for seismic data processing and imaging services for various offshore and
onshore projects over the next three years. The seismic images provided by Pemex will include deepwater Gulf of
Mexico. GXT has set up an office in Villahermosa, Tabasco State.
Pemex Sees January Production Reach Nine-Month High
February 25, 2010
Pemex saw its January production reach a nine-month high of 2.62Mb/d. Heavy Maya crude accounted for 1.47Mb/d
or 56.3% of total output, and lighter Istmo crude accounted for 831,000b/d or 31.8% of production. Output of extra
light Olmeca crude in January increased 34.6% from the same month last year to reach 311,000b/d or 11.9% of total
Pemex production. Offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico accounted for 76.5% of total output at 2Mb/d. Pemex
exported an average of 1.24Mb/d in January compared to 1.23Mb/d in the same month last year. Export revenues
rose 71% over the period to US$2.75 billion because of higher crude prices. Pemex natural gas production in January
reached 6.98Bf3/d (197.7Mm3/d).
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Mining
Cananea Workers Pushing For Boycott Of Grupo Mexico Copper
February 24, 2010
Mining-metalworkers union (Sntmmsrm) delegates representing workers from the Cananea copper mine, located in
northern Mexico’s Sonora State and controlled by Grupo Mexico, met with Bolivian President Evo Morales to request
a boycott of copper produced by the company. The union is also making the same request at other embassies in
Mexico. Workers started the boycott pressure after a Mexican court ruled in favor of dissolving the labor contract
between workers at the mine and Grupo Mexico, officially ending the more than two-and-a-half-year strike. Grupo
Mexico has missed out on around US$1.5 billion in sales during the strike. Cananea has capacity to produce some
190,000t/y of copper, 55,000t in cathode form and 135,000t contained in concentrates, along with some 7Moz/y of
silver.
Scorpio Produces 600,375oz Silver, 1,900t Lead In 2009 At Nuestra Señora
February 23, 2010
Vancouver-based Scorpio Mining reported production of 4.19Mlb (1,900t) lead, 1.19Mlb copper, 8.75Mlb zinc and
600,375oz silver in concentrates in 2009, the first year of commercial production at the Nuestra Señora mine in
Mexico’s Sinaloa State. During the fourth quarter, production totaled 1.37Mlb lead, 485,000lb copper, 3.33Mlb zinc
and 202,451oz silver, respective increases of 24%, 45%, 57% and 21%, quarter-on-quarter. Nuestra Señora’s cash
costs in Q4 were 27% lower than budgeted at US$35.47/t. Average monthly throughput
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Trade & Investment
Calderon, Lula Look To Foster Trade
February 23, 2010
Mexico and Brazil held the first formal meeting of a strategic business forum aimed at strengthening bilateral trade in
the petrochemical, automotive and biofuels industries. The forum was headed by Mexican President Felipe Calderon
and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The idea behind the forum is to design strategies for
collaboration and fair trade. Last year trade between the countries totaled US$5.94 billion, with Mexico running up a
deficit of US $1.05 billion as its exports to Brazil totaled US$2.47 billion while imports amounted to US$3.50 billion.
Some 99% of Mexican exports to Brazil cover the automotive, auto parts and telephony industries, while Brazil’s
exports to Mexico also include the automotive and auto part sectors. Mexico’s Economy Secretary Gerardo Ruiz
Mateos said that Mexico and Brazil will review their tariff policies in light of the potential agreement.
January Exports Grow By 26.7%
According to the National Statistical Institute (INEGI), January exports totaled US$19.302 billion, representing a
26.7% growth when compared with January 2009 figures, the highest variation for a month since April 2008 when
export figures amounted to a 28.2% increase. The result is the third consecutive growth figure following 13 months of
reductions. INEGI indicated that oil-related exports amounted to US$3.23 billion, 68.6% above the amounts recorded
for 2009. Nonoil exports amounted to US$16.071 billion, a 20.7% increase when compared to the year before. The
later exports were driven by the manufacturing and extractive sectors, which grew 21.5% and 23.5%, respectively.
Exports to the U.S. grew 18.6% while exports to the rest of the world increased by 29.5%. During the first month
period, imports amounted to US$19.634 billion, an increase of 17.8%, for an overall trade deficit of US$333.6 million.
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Banking, Insurance & Finance
Citi To Reshape Its Board As Three Directors Stand Down
February 26, 2010
Citigroup said it planned to reshape its board, nominating the former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo as a director
as three others declined to seek reelection. C. Michael Armstrong, the former chief executive of AT&T and the firm’s
longest-serving director, and Anne Mulcahy, the chairman of Xerox, will not stand for reelection. Citigroup previously
disclosed that John M. Deutch, a former director of central intelligence, would also decline to seek reappointment. Mr.
Zedillo, who served as Mexico’s president from 1994 to 2000, is currently the director of the Yale Center for the Study
of Globalization.
Financiera Independencia Closes Purchase Of Financiera Finsol
February 22, 2010
Mexico-based microlender Financiera Independencia has wrapped up the acquisition of fellow Mexican microlender
Financiera Finsol in a deal worth Mex$530 million (US$41.4 million). On November 30, 2009, Financiera
Independencia signed a purchase agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Financiera Finsol, as well as
related entities savings and loans company Financiera Popular Finsol, microinsurer Finsol Vida, service company
Finsol and Instituto Finsol Brazil, a group lending microfinance institution in Brazil. The acquisition of Financiera
Popular Finsol is still subject to the approval of Mexican banking and securities regulator CNBV, which is expected to
take place during 2Q10. Through the acquisition, Financiera Independencia increased its loan portfolio by Mex$795
million and added 173,179 new clients. As of September 30, 2009, the lender had a total outstanding loan balance of
Mex$4.79 billion. Financiera Independencia is the largest microlender to individuals in Mexico and Financiera Finsol
is the country’s second-largest group microlender.
Compartamos Looking To Grow Net Income 20% In 2010 After 33% Jump In 2009
February 24, 2010
Mexican microfinance bank Compartamos Banco will increase net income by some 20% in 2010, somewhat affected
by increased taxes, which due to a new law will rise to a rate of about 29% from the previous 27%. Compartamos saw
Mex$1.49 billion (US$116 million) in net income in 2009, up 33.0% on the previous year, as fourth-quarter profits
came in at Mex$516 million, up 49.1% year-on-year, according to the bank’s Q4 earnings release. The bank’s loan
portfolio should increase by about Mex$1.8 billion to Mex$1.9 billion this year as it signs on 350,000 new customers.
Those figures would mean increases of some 23% 25% in loans and 23% in clients from the bank’s end-2009 totals.
Compartamos ended 2009 with a loan portfolio of Mex$7.65 billion, up 33.4% in the year and 8.12% in Q4. Active
clients totaled 1.5 million as of end-December, up 30.0% from end-2008, for the bank’s highest-ever client growth.
The bank’s main product, working capital loans to groups of women, or "Credito Mujer," represented 74.0% of the
bank’s loans at the end of the year.
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Business & Industry
Constructors Speak Out Against Tax Reform Law
February 22, 2010
Local construction firm Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo (GMD) has become the latest company to speak out against
Mexico’s new tax consolidation law, citing the effects the law will have on Mex$152 million (US$11.9 million) of the
firm’s capital. "GMD has taken the corresponding legal action as it considers there are elements of unconstitutionality
and illegality in the reform," the firm said in a report to the city’s bourse BMV. Industry giants Cemex and ICA have
already said they will take legal action against the reform, with the latter having to pay out some Mex$2.7 billion in
deferred income taxes.
Cofeco Fines Pharmaceuticals For Collusion
February 24, 2010
Mexico’s antitrust watchdog (Cofeco) fined Eli Lilly, Laboratorios Cryopharma, Probiomed and Laboratorios Pisa for
colluding to inflate prices in government tenders for human insulin. According to the ruling by Cofeco, the
pharmaceutical companies took turns placing winning bids in government tenders from 2003 to 2006, eliminating
competition and ensuring artificially high prices, the antitrust commission said. The companies have been fined 22
million pesos ($1.7 million) each, the maximum allowed prior to 2006, when Mexico’s competition laws were beefed
up. In a parallel ruling, Cofeco also fined Laboratorios Pisa, Baxter International and Fresenius Kabi Mexico for illegal
coordination of bids in tenders for physiological salt and Hartmann solutions. All tenders referred to purchases by the
Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS).
Mexico’s Bimbo 4th-Qtr Net Jumps 38%, U.S. Sales Helps
February 25, 2010
Mexican bread maker Bimbo said its fourth-quarter net profit rose 38% as sales got a lift from U.S. operations
acquired a year ago. Bimbo, which also operates in other Latin American countries, said it earned Mex$1.76 billion
(US$134 million) in the October-December period, compared with Mex$1.27 billion in the same quarter of 2008.
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Automotive
Elektra Ends Chinese Automotive Venture
February 26, 2010
Just over two years ago, during the fourth quarter of 2007, Chinese automaker First Automotive Works (FAW) and
Mexican partner Grupo Salinas (GS) had announced they would look to tap into the market for inexpensive cars by
selling cars through GS retailing unit Elektra. The venture entailed an initial phase of imports followed by the
establishment of a plant in the state of Michoacan. In Elektra’s fourth-quarter report for 2009, the group revealed that
it has suspended the marketing of FAW’s cars "as a result of the automotive industry’s difficult situation worldwide."
Grupo Salinas had estimated a 6 million-customer potential market, given that 80% of the customers of their Banco
Azteca banking unit either had no car or possessed only used units.
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Housing, Real Estate & Mortgaging
SHF Directs US$312 Million To Back Housing Sector
February 22, 2010
Mexico’s federal mortgage bank Sociedad Hipotecaria Federal (SHF) announced it has Mex$4 billion (US$312
million) ready to support the country’s housing sector. The funds are aimed at the country’s special purpose finance
companies (Sofoles) and multiple purpose finance companies (Sofomes), which have not yet begun to demand these
resources, according to SHF CEO Javier Gavito. Housing financing by Sofoles and Sofomes dropped during 2009
due to the economic crisis, which severely limited their access to funding sources.
New Housing Inventory Is Depleted
February 23, 2010
According to housing industry consultant Softec, the Mexican housing inventory will run out in the short term, and
developers are not engaging in a sufficient number of projects to replace that stock. According to the report, the
situation, even with the support of institutions like Infonavit, will generate a shortage of new units in the coming years
due to the slow start of projects. Currently only 313,000 new homes are available countrywide. The low-income
segment has a 10 month inventory, while midlevel housing has only an 8 month inventory.
New Financing Company To Target Home Construction, Mortgage Markets
February 22, 2010 Apoyo Integral Inmobiliario, a new Mexican multiple purpose finance company (Sofom), will target
the home construction and mortgage loan markets, beginning in April with Mex$200 million (US$15.6 million) in
capital. The target market is houses with a value below Mex$500,000. The lender will fund the loans with its own
resources and also with funds from Mexico’s federal mortgage bank Sociedad Hipotecaria Federal (SHF).
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Construction & Infrastructure
Guadalajara Seeks Funding For Repaving Program
February 23, 2010
The municipal government of Guadalajara in Mexico’s state of Jalisco is seeking resources from the country’s
national repaving fund to repave the city’s streets with hydraulic concrete. The initiative is still in the planning phase,
as authorities are evaluating whether to carry out the project before or after the rainy season. The repairs will cost
some Mex$100 million (US$7.75 million) and will receive additional funding from state government. Earlier this month
Guadalajara’s municipal government signed an MOU with the national construction industry chamber and the state
college of civil engineers to promote paving and resurfacing works across the city, the municipal government said in a
release.
Conagua Spending US$43 Million On Michoacan Flood Repairs
February 22, 2010
Mexico’s state water authority Conagua is spending 550 million pesos (US$43.0 million) to repair damaged hydraulic
infrastructure in Michoacan State, which was hit by flash floods earlier this month. While 70% of the affected areas
now have access to potable water and sewerage, some Mex$7 million will be used to restore services in the rest of
the state, Conagua’s potable water, drainage and sanitation head Jose Ramon Ardavin Ituarte said on a tour of
Michoacan. The remainder of the funds will be spent on long-term rehabilitation and flood protection work, including
the construction of a spillway channel for the Tuxpan dam. At the same time, environment and natural resources
ministry Semarnat is spending Mex$710 million to help recover damaged ecosystems in Michoacan, the ministry said
in a release. Efforts include repairs and channeling work on state waterways, as well as reforestation to be carried out
by the national forestry commission (Conafor).
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Telecommunications & Technology
SCT Denies Renewal Of MVS 2.5GHz Concession
February 24, 2010
Mexico’s transport and communications ministry SCT has refused to renew a concession license of Internet and TV
provider MVS Comunicaciones in the 2.5GHz band, where the company was hoping to offer WiMax. In a display of
muscle flexing that the government body said was designed to ensure greater transparency in the telecoms industry,
the SCT said it refused to renew the contract in the 2.5GHz band, arguing that MVS has failed to use the spectrum
and that global trends show that the spectrum would be put to better use for offering 3G and 4G technology (namely,
LTE). MVS has argued that uncertainty about whether the license was going to be renewed prevented it from
investing in offering a service using the frequency.
SCT Fines TV Azteca For Digital TV Service
Mexico’s transport and communications ministry SCT fined broadcast giant TV Azteca for illegally offering a digital TV
service, the SCT said in a statement. In terms of TV Azteca’s HiTV digital TV service, the SCT said that the
broadcaster did not have a license to offer such a service and so it was fining the company Mex$4.4 million
(US$346,548). It demanded the service be removed. In addition, the ministry decided not to renew cable TV operator
Cablevision’s right to broadcast pay TV Channel 46 and MVS’s Channel 52, saying that both companies had failed to
request the license renewal within the allotted time frame.
EchoStar Could Acquire Mexican Satellite Operator Satmex In $374 Million Deal
February 27, 2010
Looking to expand its footprint into Latin America, EchoStar is acquiring a stake in Mexican satellite company Satmex
in what will ultimately be a $374 million cash deal. EchoStar’s existing Mexican partner, MVS Comunicaciones, the
operator of the Dish Mexico satellite TV service, is assisting the Englewood, Colorado-based company through a joint
venture. Together, EchoStar and MVS Comunicaciones will acquire all of the outstanding stock of Satmex. The deal
initially calls for EchoStar and MVS to put up $267 million in cash. At the deal’s closing, which is expected by Q3
2010, the companies have pledged up to $107 million in cash on top of that initial amount. When it’s all completed,
Satmex says it will buy back all of its outstanding Senior Secured Notes for cash. The companies’ announcement did
contain several caveats, one of which states that the approval of Satmex’s bondholders, some of whom have
indicated opposition to the EchoStar offer, is required.
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Economy
Mexico Says Economy Shrank 6.5% In 2009
February 22, 2010
The government says Mexico’s economy contracted 6.5% in 2009, one of the worst performances in decades. The
figures from the National Statistics Institute (INEGI) are slightly better than initial government estimates of a 6.9%
contraction in gross domestic product. Mexico suffered the worst repercussions in Latin America from the U.S.
economic downturn. Mexico sends 80% of its exports to the U.S. The Statistics Institute said in a statement that
fourth-quarter GDP shrank 2.3%, led by contractions in manufacturing and construction. However, Mexico says
recovery has begun.
FDI Plummets 50% In 2009
February 25, 2010
Mexico’s foreign direct investment (FDI) during 2009 dropped 50.7% in a year when the world experienced one of the
worst economic crises in recent history. During 2009 FDI amounted to US$11.417 million, while the previous year had
achieved US$23.17 million, according to reports by the Ministry of Economy (SE) and the Bank of Mexico (Banxico).
This is the worst fall ever registered, surpassing the 29.79% fall in 2003, and 28.75% in 1984. Additionally, the figure
is the lowest since 1996, when FDI amounted to US$9.185 billion. By sector, 42.3% of the funds went to
manufacturing, 22.6% in financial services, 16.1% other services and 10.4% for trade. The U.S. led with 50.9% of the
inflow, followed by the Netherlands with 12.8%, Puerto Rico 10.2%, Canada 9.1%, Spain, 5.5%, and the United
Kingdom with 3.7%. Mexico was the Latin American country most affected by the international crisis, falling 6.5%, its
worst performance in nearly eight decades.
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Politics
PRI Proposes Congress Reduction
February 24, 2010
The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) presented an initiative that proposed, among other things, to reduce the
number of members of the Congress. The Chamber of Deputies would consist of 400 deputies instead of 500 and the
Senate of 96 senators instead of 128. Also, the initiative proposed the reelection of lawmakers, one time for senators
and twice for federal and local deputies, as well as a modification to their constitutional privileges. Additionally, it
would allow the Senate to ratify all state secretaries and directors of PEMEX, the Federal Commission of Electricity
(CFE), as well as the Navy and National Defense Secretaries. State secretaries would present half-yearly reports at
the beginning of each period of sessions of Congress. Lastly, in case the President of Mexico is unable to carry out
his responsibilities, the Interior Secretary would replace him. Up until now, this issue had not been addressed.
Supreme Court Ruling Sparks Debate
February 24, 2010
The decision of the Supreme Court to limit the opinions of lawmakers divided House members. The National Action
Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) all said that
limiting the constitutional privilege of deputies and senators is a matter that must be analyzed carefully, because even
though sometimes they commit abuses, it is important to emphasize the importance of their work. A PAN legislator
stated that constitutional protection allows deputies to express their opinions regarding their work, and it must be kept
safe. Nevertheless, he continued, it is essential that the decision of the Supreme Court not be interpreted as a motive
to silence lawmakers or inhibit public debate.
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Justice, Safety & Crime
Mexican Drug Lord Sentenced In U.S.
February 26, 2010
Osiel Cardenas Guillen, one of the most brutal and feared drug kingpins in Mexican history, was sentenced to 25
years in prison and will forfeit to the United States $50 million in illegal proceeds, during a highly secretive hearing
here that was closed to the public to protect the lives of everyone involved, according to a court transcript. Cardenas
Guillen, 42, was the leader of the Matamoros, Mexico-based Gulf cartel until his capture in 2003. He was
subsequently extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking charges in 2007. The sentencing and the two
years of legal maneuvering before it were handled with the utmost secrecy. At the request of prosecutors, U.S.
District Judge Hilda Tagle sealed dozens of documents in the case. The final hearing was not even put on the court’s
docket until hours after it was over and the affidavit requesting the unusual level of secrecy was itself sealed. Judge
Tagle handed down the sentence following an earlier guilty plea by the drug kingpin. Under Cardenas Guillen’s
leadership, the Gulf cartel was responsible for smuggling thousands of kilograms of cocaine and marijuana into the
United States, the FBI said in a news release. Tagle also fined Cardenas Guillen $100,000 and ordered him to five
years’ probation once his sentence is served. He is not eligible for parole.
Mexico Captures Sinaloa Cartel Cocaine Trafficker
February 22, 2010
Federal police have captured a man described as a key operator of the powerful Sinaloa cartel who served briefly in
the U.S. Army before taking on the trafficking of two tons of cocaine a month into the United States. Jose Vasquez
Villagrana, 40, was arrested in his hometown of Santa Ana, Sonora, which borders Arizona. He joined the U.S.
military in Arizona in 1990 and deserted a year after getting his U.S. citizenship, according to Mexico’s federal Public
Safety Department. He is believed to have returned to Mexico, where he began trafficking. Vasquez is accused of
smuggling Colombian cocaine through Panama and other countries to the northern Mexican state of Sonora. The
drugs were stored at his ranch and then sent to the United States. U.S. officials could not immediately confirm
Vasquez’s citizenship or his role in the U.S. military. Police described Vasquez as a key player in the Sinaloa cartel,
although he does not appear on a list of Mexico’s most-wanted traffickers.
Mexico And U.S. Analyze Drug Use In Meeting
February 26, 2010
Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos declared on February 23 that the Mexican government is
against the legalization of drugs. Cordova Villalobos’ point of view coincides with the vision of American antidrug
"czar" Gil Kerlikowske, who believes keeping drugs illegal is the best way to reduce drug use. "We are convinced that
the legalization of drug use is not only dangerous and improbable; it is also a pragmatic mistake … Drugs aren’t
dangerous because they are illegal, they are illegal because they are dangerous," Cordova said. Cordova and
Kerlikowske inaugurated the eighth bilateral working session on the reduction of drug use in Mexico and the United
States, seeking to exchange information on existing experiences in order to reduce the demand for drugs in both
countries. Although the legalization of drugs was not to be officially discussed during the working session, Cordova
referred to the issue in his opening speech. Mexico and the United States agreed to reduce the abuse of illicit drugs
and its consequences on public health by establishing national, bilateral and regional measures. The conference also
included discussions on innovations in the judicial system. "The abuse of illegal drugs affects society, endangers
families, and generates illegal profits that feed corruption, crime and violence," a joint report said. "We will try to make
progress in practices of effective social reintegration, including the development of diverse treatment, work,
counseling, and rehabilitation options." The United States said that it will soon publish the National Drug Control
Strategy that will include an early warning system for identifying new narcotics and a continuous report on the
efficiency of policies that aim to reduce drug trafficking. In the United States more than 22 million people over 12 are
undergoing drug rehabilitation. Mexico treats about 500,000.
The U.S. Treasury Freezes "La Familia" Drug Cartel’s Assets
February 26, 2010
In a move to stifle transborder shipment and finances, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets
Control (OFAC) identified seven members of La Familia Michoacana as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers
(SDNTs). Specifically, OFAC is targeting Nazario Moreno Gonzalez ("El Chayo") and Jose de Jesus Mendez Vargas
("El Chango") and five of their lieutenants. OFAC also labeled Transportadora Purepecha S.A. de C.V., a company
owned or controlled by one of the cartel’s lieutenants, as an SDNT. The move forbids U.S. citizens from carrying out
financial or commercial transactions with these SDNTs and the company and freezes any assets they might have
under U.S. jurisdiction. The measure falls under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act). OFAC
Director Adam J. Szubin said that the designation will provide "greater effect" to President Barack Obama’s 2009
decision to include La Familia among criminal groups subject to these sanctions. La Familia is one of the newest and
most violent drug cartels in Mexico which operates primarily in the state of Michoacan.
U.S. Closes Consulate After Mexico Border Gunfights
February 26, 2010
The United States has temporarily closed its consular office in the Mexican border city of Reynosa, across from
McAllen, Texas, after gun battles with drug gangs rocked the area this week. Four suspected cartel gunmen were
killed outside the nearby city of Matamoros after they attacked an army patrol on a highway, Mexico’s Defense
Department reported. The department also announced that a series of clashes farther west along the border killed six
gunmen and one soldier. Ten soldiers and a police officer were wounded. The U.S. consulate in Matamoros posted a
message on its Web site advising U.S. citizens to be aware of the recent violence.
Mexico Arrests Third Juarez Massacre Suspect
February 27, 2010
Mexico has arrested a third suspect in last month’s massacre of 15 people in the border city of Ciudad Juarez.
Chihuahua state prosecutors say he is a former police officer believed to have worked as a hit man for the Juarez
cartel. A statement says he confessed to killing at least one victim. On January 30, armed men blocked off a deadend
street in a working-class neighborhood and shot up three houses. Many of the victims were teens with no known
cartel ties, and the attack outraged even hardened residents of the violent city across from El Paso, Texas.
Investigators say the gunmen may have been acting on mistaken information. Drug violence killed over 2,300 people
last year in Ciudad Juarez.
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Environment
Semarnat To Spend US$43 Million On Waste Management
February 23, 2010
Mexico’s environment and natural resources ministry (Semarnat) has been allocated Mex$550 million (US$42.8
million) to spend on waste management projects in 2010, according to environment minister Juan Rafael Elvira
Quesada. The funds will be spent on the construction of transfer stations, waste separation plants and sanitary
landfills, maintenance work and new machinery, as well as the cleanup and closure of abandoned landfills in 29
states. Elvira Quesada was speaking at the launch of the second phase of the Limpiemos Mexico (clean up Mexico)
campaign, which aims to promote the correct disposal of solid waste throughout the country. The campaign, run by
environmental NGO Fundacion Azteca and local holding company Grupo Salinas, encourages the reuse and
recycling of domestic solid waste.
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Other
Constitution In Náhuatl Presented To Congress
February 26, 2010
The first draft of the Mexican Constitution translated into Náhuatl was presented to the Senate. With more than 150
articles, the translation was at times difficult due to linguistic variances from community to community, according to
Patricia Galeana, director of the Senate’s Bicentennial-Centennial committee. However, it is updated to include the
newest amendments. Náhuatl has some 1.6 million speakers and is Mexico’s most widely spoken native language.
There are more than 60 indigenous languages with 360-plus variants.
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