By RICARDO CASTILLO The talk of the day in Mexico continues to be the arrests for trial of alleged Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) budget-sacking artists Emilio Lozoya Austin and José Antonio Yépez Ortiz. The first is accused of crooked moves as director of the national oil company ,and the second actually is said to have called himself “owner” of the Pemex-owned
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By RICARDO CASTILLO José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, alias “El Marro” or “The Sledgehammer,” rose up the ranks of Mexico’s crime hierarchy from a petty thief to leader and founder of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel. El Marro was arrested on Sunday, Aug. 2, and is to be arraigned at the maximum-security prison at Almoloya de Juárez in the State
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Legal “Drug Cartel” Busted One day after a fast track bill altering a federal government law was approved by the Senate, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday, July 31, oversaw the signing between the United Nations Office for Projects and Services (UNOPS) and the Public Health Secretariat of a $6.5 billion contract for the purchase
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Lozoya’s Very Staged Internment What a hoax! The elaborate circus staged in the wee hours of Friday, July 17, by the Fiscal General of the Republic (FGR) for the arrival in Mexico of extradited prisoner and former head of the state-run Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) oil company Emilio Lozoya Austin has a name: an outright farce. Throngs of
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Pandemic Politicizing Contrary to what is happening in the United States, where the White House is downsizing the extent of covid-19 and the disparaging the image of the country’s coronavirus czar, Anthony Faucet, here in Mexico, President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) on Tuesday, July 14, reiterated his support Health Undersecretary and chief epidemiologist Hugo Lopez-Gatell. AMLO’s
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XINHUA Armed assailants attacked a rehabilitation center in the central Mexican town of Irapuato on Wednesday, July 1, killing 24 people and injuring another seven, local media reported. The afternoon attack targeted a rehabilitation center for young drug addicts in the community of Arandas, near Irapuato in the state of Guanajuato, local daily Correo quoted Irapuato Police Chief Pedro Cortés
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By RICARDO CASTILLO AMLO Joins the Energy Fray Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) joined the mounting energy fray after the Supreme Court admitted a challenge by the Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece) against the Energy Secretariat (Sener), stopping the implementation of the Policy for Trustworthiness, Security, Continuity and Quality in the National Electrical System, which was published in
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By RICARDO CASTILLO The sudden cancellation of a coal-purchasing contract by Mexico’s state-owned Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) came as a bucket of ice water to supplier mining company Micare, a subsidiary of steel mill Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA). The issue, however, is a lot more complicated than just a breach a contract. The first thought that comes to mind
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Three Executives Resign on AMLO After three women government executives resigned their posts on Friday, June 19, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) retorted: “All those who are not in agreement with the Fourth Transformation should consider resigning too.” AMLO also questioned the existence of some organizations that “sprouted like mushrooms” in past administrations, and now
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Officially, the calendar for Mexico’s 2021 midterm elections kicks off in October. But let there be no doubt that since President Andrés Manuel Lopez Abrader (AMLO) had his press secretary, Jesús Ramirez, read aloud the Broad Opposition Front (BOA) anonymous document, he either inadvertently or shrewdly kicked off the electoral year debate. For background, please read my
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