By RICARDO CASTILLO Pemex Drops Fitch, But It’s Not Reciprocal The Mexican state-owned oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) dropped the international ratings firm Fitch from its budget on Tuesday, March 2, saying that it “no longer needs” the New York-based company’s services. Fitch’s ratings of the humongous Pemex debt has been harsh, and in its latest move. Fitch downgraded
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By RICARDO CASTILLO A Birds Story Birds of a feather flock together, says the old adage. This week began with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, Jan. 11, visiting part of his “wonderful wall” in Alamo, a township just east to McAllen, along the Mexico-Texas border. He took the occasion to praise Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) with
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Free Covid Vaccines Attention, expat seniors: Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced Tuesday, Jan. 12, that vaccinations against covid will be free for all residents, regardless of nationality. The top priority groups in Mexico, in terms of urgency, are medical personnel on covid duty, who are first in line for the covid inoculation, followed by
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Yes for Mexico Alliance May Be a No-Go After last week’s announcement that a new political front to combat Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) and his National Regeneration Movement (Morena) party majority in Congress by business representative and Sí por Mexico (Yes for Mexico) movement conceivers Claudio X. González and Gustavo de Hoyos with the
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Although only one out of seven new applications for registration as a political party was accepted last Friday, Sept. 5, by Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE), that does not mean the quest for registration is over for those dissatisfied with the decision. The only party admitted for registration was the Solidary Encounter Party (PES). Three of the
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By RICARDO CASTILLO There can be no doubt that with the over 200 press conferences he’s held since being sworn in 10 months ago on Dec. 1, 2018, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has shaken up the old and very rusty and corrupt system of journalism information availability in Mexico. The number of journalistic casualties is high. The
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By RICARDO CASTILLO One day yes and the next day no. Again we’re getting bombarded with news of judges ordering the cancellation of the still-to-be-built Santa Lucía Airport located just northwest of the Teotihuacán pyramida, to the north of Mexico City. As of last week, 80 suits had been filed on environmental grounds stating that the damage the airport would
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By RICARDO CASTILLO How the press views the Mexican presidency has definitely changed in more than few ways since Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) was sworn into office last December. To begin with, AMLO established from the very beginning of his term his Monday-through-Friday press conferences, which start at 7 a.m. and end when they’re over, ranging in length from
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By RICARDO CASTILLO It’s no big surprise in Mexico that a single word, taken out of context, can reek havoc nationwide. It is happening right now! Last Sunday, Sept. 16, President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) began his “thank you voters” tour (which he will extend over the next month to the rest of nation for awarding him with a landslide victory
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By RICARDO CASTILLO The good news is that more Mexicans are – at long last – interested in a presidential race. The figures for some foreign observers may not be impressive, but, locally, the audience participation results of last Sunday’s debate issued by the National Electoral Institute (INE) showed that 11.4 million Mexicans watched it and that two out of every
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