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Energy
Government To Bet On Green Energy Sources, Including Nuclear
March 31, 2010
During the inauguration of the 12th International Energy Forum and the 4 th International Energy Businesses Forum
held in Cancun, Energy Minister Georgina Kessel acknowledged that Mexico must increase its use of alternative
energy sources, such as wind, solar, biomass, and even nuclear, in order to increase the use of the said sources from
the current 22%, to 26% in 2012 and 35% by 2024. Kessel indicated that the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE)
and the Energy Ministry (SE) are carrying out studies in order to determine the benefits of increasing nuclear power
generation as well as potential locations for new plants.
Pemex Will Bid Oil Shipping Contracts
April 6, 2010
Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) announced that by the end of 2010, it will bid out the purchase of six tankers at an
estimated cost of between US$240 million and US$280 million. The acquisitions will be performed under a financial
lease model.
Statoil May Be Interested In Pemex Deepwater Projects
April 9, 2010
Norway’s Statoil ASA may be interested in the second round of performance contracts with Petroleos Mexicanos
(Pemex), Latin America’s largest oil producer, according to President Felipe Calderon while speaking at a press
conference in Mexico City, which was also attended by Norway’s prime minister. According to Calderon, Pemex plans
to increase its collaboration with Statoil, Norway’s biggest oil and natural gas company, which merged with Norsk
Hydro ASA’s oil unit in 2007, which used to be a state-run oil producer as Pemex is now.
The National Hydrocarbon Commission (CNH) Slams Pemex’s Chicontepec Plans
April 9, 2010
The newly created oil and gas regulator issued a report that was highly critical of the country's flagship oil project,
calling the Chicontepec development rushed and decades away from profitability. Pemex has poured more than
US$4.5 billion into Chicontepec in a bid to make the unconventional field a major oil producer. Production levels at
Chicontepec have fallen far short of targets, despite Pemex drilling hundreds of wells in the area in recent years.
Chicontepec pumped just over 29,000 barrels per day of oil at the end of 2009, less than half of what Pemex had said
it would yield. The company scaled back its goal for the project to producing an average of 48,000 bpd this year,
down from its previous target of 176,000 bpd. The report calculated that the Chicontepec project was unlikely to
become cash flow-positive until 2015 and that Pemex would not recover its capital outlays until 2030, under the
current scenario. Among the major contractors at Chicontepec are Schlumberger Inc., Weatherford International Ltd.,
Haliburton Corp. and Baker Hughes Inc.
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Mining
Camimex Announces Investment Of US$13 Billion Between 2010 And 2012
April 7, 2010
The Mining Chamber (Camimex) announced investments of new projects to total US$13.08 billion between 2010 and
2012, which means that in the 2007-2012 period, this industry will have invested US$21.75 billion, a record for the
mining sector. In 2009 the mining sector contributed 1.6% of GDP and remained the fourth sector in terms of
revenues, only trailing oil, remittances and tourism.
Mexico 2010 Copper Output Seen At 250,000 Metric Tons
April 7, 2010
According to Grupo Mexico, Mexican copper output will rise about 5% in 2010 from last year to 250,000 metric tons,
which excludes any output from Cananea, the company’s major mine which has been shut for more than two years
due to a labor dispute. Mexico produced 238,400 metric tons of copper in 2009, according to the local mining
chamber. According to Grupo Mexico, as soon as the union ends their occupation of the Cananea facility, the
company will go ahead with a US$3 billion investment along with US$2 billion in start-up for the El Arco project in
Baja California, which is estimated to have the capacity to produce 140,000 metric tons of copper.
Gammon Finds Additional Gold And Silver Deposits
March 30, 2010
Gammon Gold Inc. discovered two new gold and silver deposits at its key mine in Mexico, and it plans to begin drilling
at its new exploration project, Guadalupe y Calvo, in April. The Nova Scotia-based mid-tier gold and silver producer
also reported
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Trade & Investment
Colombia And Mexico Sign Agreements On Deepening FTA Project
April 9, 2010
Colombia and Mexico have agreed to move ahead on the consolidation of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) project to
boost trade between the two countries, signing five agreements altogether. Regarding market access, the new
agreements would allow the preferential access of such Colombian products to Mexico as meat, powdered milk,
cheese, sweets, bakery products, palm oil, beverages, and cigarettes. The new agreements will also have a "growing
clause" with which the two countries will review the possibility of improving the commercial access conditions for other
goods in the future.
Mexican Congress Approves Resolution Denouncing U.S. States Imposing Remittance Taxes
April 9, 2010
The Mexican House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution denouncing U.S. states that impose
remittance taxes or that are currently considering such legislation, and calling upon the Mexican government to take
trade measures against those states. Such trade measures would be imposed in states like Oklahoma and Kansas as
a way to respond and retaliate against this category of tax laws. Mexican legislators consider recently passed
legislation in Oklahoma to be an "immoral, abusive and harmful" act against immigrants’ rights. Mexico is the numberone
international trade partner of both Oklahoma and Kansas and is the foreign market where they export the majority
of products and services.
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Banking, Insurance & Finance
Ministry Of Finance To Propose New Insurance Law
March 29, 2010
The Ministry of Finance (SHCP) has presented its project before the Federal Regulatory Improvement Commission
(Cofemer) for a new Bond and Insurance Law. The proposal lays down standards for comprehensive risk
management, audit and control, as well as for more comprehensive transparency and disclosure, strengthening
corporate governance, and information sharing and reporting. The provisions also include the transfer of powers to
grant or revoke authorizations, mergers and divestitures, from the Ministry to the Insurance and Bonding Commission.
Scotiabank Looks To Purchases To Add Branches, Credit Cards
April 6, 2010
Canada's Scotiabank is looking to better compete with the biggest players in the Mexican market by purchasing rivals
with large branch networks as well as players that will help the bank boost its presence in the credit card business.
Earlier this year, the Canadian group sold its small Mexican pension fund manager Scotia Afore to local Grupo
Profuturo's Afore Profuturo GNP to focus on its strategic financial services lines. Scotiabank Mexico has more than
doubled its branch network over the last three years to 661 today, and plans to open 30-35 branches this year, after
setting up 35 new ones in 2009.
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Business & Industry
President Calderón Proposes Antitrust Reforms To Spur Economic Growth
April 6, 2010
President Felipe Calderón said he plans to send a proposal to Congress to shore up the country's antitrust laws as a
way of promoting competition and greater economic growth. The proposal would fine offenders as much as 10% of
revenue and mean possible jail time for colluding on prices. It also involves fines of as much as 8% of revenue for
"relative monopoly practices" or restrictions such as exclusivity agreements that keep new competitors from entering
an industry. The proposal puts more power in the hands of the antitrust authority CFC, which would be able to
perform audits at short notice and demand information from companies suspected of unfair practices. In the past,
telecom companies Telmex and Telcel, beverage giant FEMSA and cement maker Cemex have been probed by CFC
because of the dominant positions they hold in their markets.
Mexico Most Affordable Place To Do Business
March 30, 2010
Mexico retained its top ranking as the most affordable place to do business, while the United States dropped to
eighth, according to KPMG's report about cost-effective competition among 10 countries. The Competitive
Alternatives 2010 study, which KPMG publishes every two years, found that Mexico had an 18.2% business cost
advantage relative to the United States, which was treated as the baseline. The study measured 26 cost components
such as labor, taxes, real estate, and utilities, as well as non-cost factors such as infrastructure and the regulatory
environment, as well as personal cost of living and quality of life.
Cemex Layoffs Begin In U.S. Plant
March 29, 2010
More than 100 employees have been let go at the U.S. Cemex facility in Wampum, located in western Pennsylvania.
Cemex said it hopes that the layoffs are only temporary, and the action comes after the company warned of the
possible move earlier this year. Union officials said that only 15 workers will remain to man the operations. Cemex is
said to plan to ship cement in by rail from Louisville, Kentucky, and truck it in from Fairborn, Ohio, instead of making it
at the plant. The Wampum plant will only be used as a distribution center.
Cemex To Invest US$100 Million In Cement Plant In Peru
April 8, 2010
Cemex says that it will invest US$100 million in a cement plant in Peru as a way to expand its presence in the South
American country. It will do so along with Blue Rock Cement Holdings investment fund, in order to build the US$230
million plant, which should be completed by 2013 and will have an initial production capacity of 1 million tons per year.
Vitro Rallies Most In Four Weeks On Debt Restructuring Proposal
March 30, 2010
Vitro SAB, Mexico’s largest glassmaker, had its biggest gain in almost four weeks after the company made a revised
proposal to restructure US$1.5 billion of debt. Monterrey-based Vitro is offering US$660 million of eight-year bonds in
exchange for US$1.5 billion of debt and will give creditors 20 cents for every dollar that surpasses annual cash flow of
US$250 million. The company defaulted in February 2009 as the global recession cut demand for auto glass and after
it piled up derivative losses of more than US$300 million on natural gas bets.
Industrial Electric Rates Surge
April 1, 2010
According to the Confederation of Industrial Chambers (Concamin), medium tension electric rates rose 28.6% as of
April 1, while high tension will rise 23.3% in terms of April 2009 rates. The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE)
indicated that the increase is the result of the rising cost of fuels used to generate electricity: fuel oil, national and
imported coal, natural gas and diesel.
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Housing, Real Estate & Mortgaging
Homex Announces JV With India’s Puravankara Projects
March 29, 2010
Puravankara Projects Ltd. (Puravankara) and Desarrolladora Homex, S.A.B. de C.V., through its subsidiary Homex
India Private Limited (Homex), announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding through which the
companies have established the rules for a nonexclusive Joint Venture Company to undertake projects in the
affordable entry-level housing segment. The first project of the Joint Venture Company is expected to be in the metro
area of Chennai, in South India.
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Construction & Infrastructure
Mexico City Launches Bid To Build Two Elevated Toll Road Extensions To Periferico
April 6, 2010
According to Mexico City’s public works officials, the construction of a new elevated toll road will help link Querétaro
and Cuernavaca, via the Federal District (DF), with a project that will cost an estimated Mex$30 billion (US$2.46
billion). The new highway involves extending two stretches of the capital's Periferico beltway and connecting them to
the new Supervia Sur-Poniente highway, which was awarded directly to local firm Controladora Via Rapida Poetas.
The tenders to design, build and operate both stretches of the Periferico toll road extension consist of building a 9km
stretch running from the San Antonio intersection to the border with the state of Mexico, and a second stretch
involving 21km connecting San Jeronimo to the Muyuguarda intersection and México-Cuernavaca highway.
SCT Launches 9-Point Plan To Meet PNI Goals On Highway Infrastructure
March 30, 2010
According to the Undersecretary of Infrastructure at the Transportation and Communication Ministry (SCT), the global
financial crisis has forced a series of adjustments to highway projects to make them more attractive and feasible,
such as a scaling down of projects to US$100-$400 million to reduce the amount of financing needed, the mixing of
greenfield and brownfield projects to reduce traffic risk, the offering of a financing package from (national
development bank) Banobras and (local infrastructure fund) Fonadin, and the development by the SCT of risky
projects with public funds in order to bid them out for concession their operation once they are finished.
Agua De Hermosillo Launches Tender For US$48mn Wastewater Treatment Plant
March 29, 2010
The water utility serving Mexico's Sonora state capital (Hermosillo), Agua de Hermosillo, has launched a tender to
build a Mex$600 million (US$48.1 million) wastewater treatment plant. Financial and technical offers must be received
by July 20. The wastewater treatment plant will have the capacity to treat 2.5m3/s in a first phase, and will be built
under a public services provision contract, whereby the municipal government pays the awardee a fixed price for
wastewater treatment.
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Transportation
Airlines Can Access Mex$1 Billion Credit Extension From Bancomext
April 5, 2010
The Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT) said that Mexico’s National Foreign Trade Bank
(Bancomext) has authorized the Federal Airport Operator (ASA) to contract a Mex$1 billion credit for fuel supplies and
outstanding loan extensions. Since the early 1980s, ASA Fuels has been managing, preserving, and maintaining a
network of 63 fuel stations in Mexico, where 2,000 airplanes stock up on fuel each day on average, generating a daily
demand of 9 million liters of fuel.
SCT And AAMVA To Reinforce Security On NAFTA Highways
April 8, 2010
The Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT) and the American Association of Motor Vehicle
Administrators (AAMVA) will develop strategies to reinforce road security in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
The Mexican Car Transportation Bureau and the AAMVA updated their agendas for 2010 and 2011 in order to cover
technical issues of: improving road security strategies, implementing training courses for drivers, and integrating the
Mexican highway system into U.S. and Canadian systems. It seeks to connect the three federal governments of North
America with local administrations, agencies, lawmakers, and service providers at the state, municipal, and city levels
in order to improve transportation for the international community.
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Telecommunications & Technology
Iusacell To Face Televisa For CFE’s Fiber
April 7, 2010
Grupo Iusacell SA, Mexico’s third-largest wireless carrier, applied to bid in a government auction for the use of fiberoptic
lines, aiming to boost competition with Telefonos de Mexico SAB. Iusacell will face a coalition formed by Grupo
Televisa SA, Telefonica SAs and Megacable Holdings SAB, which said last month that they would bid jointly. The
group and Iusacell were the only registrants for the auction. The fiber lines will give the winning bidder a way to route
long-distance phone and Internet traffic across Mexico without having to contract with Telmex, the nation’s largest
landline phone carrier. The lines are owned by Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), the state-run power utility.
Telmex’s Monopoly Affecting U.S. Consumers
April 5, 2010
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has requested that Mexico’s Federal Telecommunications Commission
(Cofetel) implement the necessary measures to ensure that Telmex offers competitive rates in 70 telephone regions
in Mexico. In its annual review of the telecommunications sector, the agency identified the inability of the Mexican
regulators to consolidate regional telephone codes and rates as one of the remaining trade issues with Mexico. The
issue of local calling areas (ASLs) is of particular concern to the U.S., given the number of Mexican Americans
wishing to call relatives who are forced to pay premium rates because of high interconnection rates charged by
Telmex.
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Media & Entertainment
Axtel Aims At Satellite TV And Broadband
March 30, 2010
Axtel’s investment priority is in broadband enhancement, as the company aims to operate 900 radio-based stations
by the end of 2010, up from the 570 it had in December 2009. In a presentation made recently, the company also
indicated that its strategy includes preparing the company to offer satellite TV (DTH), video, residential fiber access,
and data transfer.
Elton John Performs At Chichen Itza
April 4, 2010
Pop legend Elton John entertained nearly 6,000 fans at an open-air concert at the ancient Mayan pyramids of
Chichen Itza in southeastern Mexico, with the pre-Hispanic Temple of Kukulkan as a backdrop. The 90-minute
concert went ahead amid the majestic pyramids despite indigenous leaders' complaints and an accident Thursday
that saw the stage collapse, injuring three workers. John was the fourth major international star to perform at Chichen
Itza, a UNESCO World Heritage site, after British soprano Sarah Brightman (2009), Spanish tenor Placido Domingo
(2008), and Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti (1997).
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Economy
Ministry Of Finance Raises 2010 Growth Forecast To 4.1%
April 1, 2010
The Ministry of Finance (SHCP) has increased its forecast for economic growth this year to 4.1% as a recovery in the
United States is seen spurring growth in industry on both sides of the border. Roughly 80% of Mexican exports head
across the northern border. SHCP had previously anticipated a 3.9% expansion for 2010. The Ministry also said it
was raising its forecast for the average price of Mexico's export oil this year from $59 to $65 a barrel. Mexico relies on
revenue from oil exports for roughly a third of the federal budget.
Mexico Consumer Prices Increase
April 8, 2010
Mexico’s annual inflation rate rose to the highest level in seven months as costs increased for vegetables, airline
fares, and tourist packages. Prices rose 4.97% in March from a year earlier and 0.7% from a month earlier, according
to the central bank (Banxico), which said that core inflation, which excludes some food and energy prices, was 0.36%
in March. Last month Banxico held the benchmark interest rate unchanged at a record-low 4.5% for a seventhstraight
meeting, saying inflation will stay in line with its first-quarter forecast of 4.25% to 4.75%.
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Border & Migration
U.S. Delivers Border-Protection Equipment
March 30, 2010
In a ceremony in Tucson, Arizona, the U.S. Homeland Security Department (HSD) delivered to the Mexican
Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) equipment to combat drug trafficking along the U.S.-Mexican border, consisting
of all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, and mountain bikes, as well as GPS systems and binoculars, amongst other
items. The equipment was delivered under the Declaration of Principles and Cooperation signed by the Secretary of
the HSD, Janet Napolitano, and the Secretary of the SSP, Genaro García Luna, on February 18. The equipment will
be dispatched to areas considered to be inaccessible so far.
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Politics
Mexican Lawmakers Say Their U.S. Counterparts Will Review Arms Trade
March 30, 2010
Many of the weapons sold in the United States supply Mexican drug cartels, which are blamed for the rising level of
violence along the Mexico-U.S. border. U.S. lawmakers have promised to Mexican senators and deputies to discuss
in both the House of Representatives and the Senate weapons trafficking between the countries.
Parties Demand Changes In The War-On-Drugs Strategy
March 30, 2010
PRI, PAN, and PRD leaders in the state of Durango condemned the murder of ten youngsters and children in the
mountain community of Los Naranjos, in the municipality of Pueblo Nuevo, and called for a rethinking of the war on
drugs, due to the shortfalls and effects resulting from the current national security strategy.
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Justice, Safety & Crime
Seven Children And Three Youths Murdered In Durango
March 29, 2010
Unknown gunmen, presumably drug traffickers, who had set up a fake checkpoint on a road near the town of Pueblo
Nuevo in southern Durango, gunned down ten people between the ages of 8 and 21. The victims were in a pickup
truck, returning to their homes after having traveled to pick up money to support their school as part of a government
social program. The gunmen motioned the truck to stop, but the victims, out of fear of being robbed or assaulted, did
not comply. Local press indicated that organized crime has for years operated barricades in order to question people
traveling the mountainous roads.
Mexican Drug Lord Ismael Zambada Provides Rare Interview
April 5, 2010
In a clandestine interview with Proceso, one of Mexico’s leading news magazines, one of Mexico's top drug lords,
Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, says he would contemplate suicide rather than be taken alive, and that he lives "in panic"
of being imprisoned but that if he were eliminated, there would be little impact on the flourishing narcotics trade. The
interview did not reveal new or surprising information but was remarkable for simply having taken place. Zambada
and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman lead the Sinaloa cartel, the largest and oldest of Mexico's drug-trafficking rings, and
have been on the lam for years. Asked if he thinks he will ever be caught, Zambada says, "At any moment, or never."
Some Mexicans suspect that the government is not making a serious effort to capture Zambada, but the trafficker
says the army has closed in on him four times. Zambada criticizes the government's military-led offensive against his
and other cartels, saying it's too little, too late if the goal is really to hurt the drug trade. "The problem with the narco
business is that it involves millions. How do you dominate that?" Zambada said. "As for the bosses, locked up, dead
or extradited, their replacements are already standing by."
Armed Men Storm Prison To Free 13 Inmates
April 5, 2010
Thirteen inmates escaped when armed men arrived in 10 vehicles and stormed a prison in the border city of
Reynosa. Three prisoners died during the raid, but it was unclear who shot them. Authorities have put 31 prison staff
under investigation in connection with the April 2 escape. It was the second big jailbreak in a week in Tamaulipas
State, which has seen an increase in violence blamed on a split between rival drug gangs. On March 26, 40 prisoners
escaped from a jail in Matamoros, also in Tamaulipas.
U.S. Curbs The Flow Of Deportees To Avoid Their Joining Drug Cartels
March 29, 2010
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun directing deported criminals away from Ciudad Juarez amid
concerns of mounting bloodshed in the border town. Starting March 4, Mexicans who have served time for crimes in
the U.S. and who were set to be deported into Juarez have instead been transferred to other entry points into Mexico,
including Eagle Pass, Laredo, and Del Rio, Texas, in response to Mexican complaints that deported criminals were
joining the deadly cartel war in Juarez.
Police Take Over From Army In Ciudad Juarez
April 10, 2010
Mexican army troops were pulled off Ciudad Juarez's streets and replaced by thousands of federal police officers who
will take over the fight against drug-related violence that claimed over 2,600 lives last year in this border city. About
412 federal vehicles, 8 armored units, 90 motorcycles, and 4 aircraft will patrol this city of 1.3 million. The change of
strategy is intended to bring more community policing and intelligence work to the problem of gang and drug cartel
violence, while soldiers will remain at checkpoints at border crossings, entrances to the city, and a few other strategic
locations.
Mexican Army Detains Gang Leader Involved In U.S. Consulate Murders
March 29, 2010
The Mexican army has detained the leader of the gang "Los Aztcas," who was allegedly involved in the murder of
three people related to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua State, in the north of Mexico. The detention
was made after investigations by Mexican and U.S. authorities working in coordination.
Murdered Rancher's Family Asks For Troops Along Mexican Border
April 4, 2010
Robert Krentz was killed March 25. Some Arizona officials say he was likely a victim of Mexico-based drug traffickers,
but Cochise County investigators say they don't have a motive or suspects. In a statement, Krentz's family urged the
U.S. government to "immediately order deployment of the active U.S. military" to the border. Arizona's ranching
community has been asking for increased border security for years, an issue that's now getting the attention they say
it deserves. New Mexico ordered more National Guardsmen to the border to beef up surveillance in the wake of the
rancher's death.
In Texas, Fear Follows Mexicans Who Flee Drug War
March 29, 2010
Fear has settled over Fort Hancock, a border town of 1,700 about 50 miles southeast of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico,
epicenter of a bloody drug war. Mexican families fleeing the violence have moved there or just sent their children, and
authorities and residents say gangsters have followed them across the Rio Grande to apply terrifying, though so far
subtle, intimidation. At schools in Fort Hancock and nearby Texas towns, new security measures and counseling for
young children of murdered parents have become a troubling part of the day. Mexican drug gangs have not fired a
single shot in Fort Hancock, and no one has disappeared, but as drug violence continues unabated in and around
Ciudad Juarez, residents of Texas border towns fear it will spread their way.
Obama Yet To Fulfill Gun Pledge With Mexico
April 9, 2010
Nearly a year after President Obama personally promised Mexican President Felipe Calderon that the White House
would push the Senate to ratify a small-arms treaty as part of the effort to combat drug violence, the measure is
stalled and the administration has shown few signs it is pressing hard for passage. Known by its Spanish acronym
CIFTA, the 1997 pact seeks to cut down illegal firearms manufacturing and trafficking by imposing standardized
controls on the import, export, and transit of weapons and related materials for countries throughout the Western
Hemisphere. Though most other members of the Organization of American States adopted the treaty soon after its
drafting, the document has languished unapproved by the U.S. for more than 10 years. During an April 2009 visit with
President Calderon in Mexico, President Obama condemned escalating drug violence on the border and revealed
that he was "urging" his former colleagues in the Senate to ratify the treaty.
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Environment
Mexico City Making Progress Against Pollution
April 7, 2010
In 1992 the United Nations declared Mexico City the most polluted city on the planet. High ozone levels were thought
to cause 1,000 deaths and 35,000 hospitalizations a year. Today, efforts to clean the smog are showing visible
progress, revealing views of snow-capped volcanoes—and offering a model for the developing world. As Mexico
prepares to host world leaders at a U.N. climate-change conference later this year, international experts are praising
the country's progress. Many say that its determined efforts to control auto emissions and other environmental effects
of rapid urbanization offer practical lessons to cities in China, India, and other fast-growing countries. International
officials say steady improvement of Mexico City's air could bolster President Felipe Calderon's bid for a leadership
role among developing countries addressing global warming.
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Other
Legion Of Christ Apologizes To Abuse Victims
March 27, 2010
The Legion of Christ, a Catholic religious order whose late founder was revealed to have molested many young
seminarians, formally apologized to his victims after years of defending its founder, Marcial Maciel. The Legion fully
repudiated Father Maciel, who died in 2008 at age 87, two years after Pope Benedict XVI forced him to retire to a
"private life of penance and prayer." For the first time, the Legion also apologized to Father Maciel's victims, who
include nine former seminarians who presented their accusations to the Vatican during the 1970s and in 1989. The
Legion raised millions of dollars and built schools across Latin America. In Mexico the order reaches the upper
echelons of business, the church, and government.
Strong 7.2 Quake Jolts Baja California
April 4, 2010
A strong 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck in Baja California, Mexico, rocking buildings and panicking residents as far
away as Tijuana, Los Angeles, and Phoenix and scattering destruction along the U.S.-Mexico border. Emergency
services in both the U.S. and Mexico scrambled to assess the extent of casualties and damage, including fallen
buildings, buckled roads, cracked water canals, fires, and telephone and electrical outages. It appeared that most of
the damage was in the twin border cities of Calexico, California, and Mexicali, Mexico, where at least two people were
reported killed and several injured. The relatively shallow quake was centered in a lightly populated area in
northeastern Baja California near the U.S. border. Multiple aftershocks were reported immediately after the quake,
including a 5.1 shock centered near the U.S.-Mexico border in Imperial, California.
Ex-Survivor Producer Barred From Leaving Mexico
April 9, 2010
The producer of Pimp My Ride and formerly of Survivor is barred from leaving Mexico while authorities investigate the
death of his wife, whose body was found in the sewer of a Cancun resort with scratches on her neck, signs of
asphyxiation, and evidence of a heavy blow to the right temple. Bruce Beresford-Redman was released from custody
because investigators don't have enough evidence to hold him, said Francisco Alor, the attorney general in Quintana
Roo State, where Cancun is located. The producer was handed to U.S. Consulate officials and taken to an
undisclosed hotel, but Alor said Beresford-Redman remains a suspect and can't leave the country. Monica Beresford-
Redman—who owned and managed the Zabumba bikini bar and restaurant in Los Angeles—would have turned 42
on Thursday. Brazilian media reported that she was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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