By RICARDO CASTILLO Wind and Solar Energy Thwarted The publication in the Mexican government’s Official Gazette on Friday, May 15, of a change in federal electricity policies, titled the Policy of Trustworthiness, Security, Continuity and Quality in the National Electricity System has irked many a foreign corporation that has invested in renewable electricity. Mexican Energy (Sener) Secretary Rocío Nahle has
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Unemployment: Mexico’s New Nightmare Over 555,000 Mexican workers lost their jobs in April alone. Those who lost jobs in May are not yet counted in a report issued on Tuesday, May 12, by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS). The bulk of the lost jobs, according to the IMSS, was in manufacturing, including high-employment maquiladoras, auto industries and
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Financial desperation and back-to-work decision-making just as Mexico enters what is expected to be the peak of its covid-19 pandemic are definitely poorly timed. But then, that’s the reality the Mexican government is facing today. As of Tuesday, May 12, Mexico’s National Health Council announced the approval of four agreements for a progressive lifting of stay-at-home measures
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Pressure to Restart Work Pressure on the Mexican government to get the economy going again is mounting from all sides. Health Secretary Jorge Alcocer, who is responsible for determining which municipalities and industries can reopen, however, does not yet have an answer. “In general there are approximately 990 municipalities applying to restart, but only about a third
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Mothers and Doctors The Mexican Public Health Secretariat, the National Social Security Institute (IMSS) and the National Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers (ISSSTE) reported that the 9,600 female doctors on call due to the covid-19 spent Sunday, May 10, Mother’s Day, on duty. The report was made by the nongovernmental organization Mom Doctors,
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Budget Change Controversy Harsh times demand harsh measures, and this week Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) sent a bill to the Chamber of Deputies proposing to rearrange the government’s budget to meet the inevitable health and financial crisis looming for the nation. AMLO’s adversaries, through the non-governmental organization México Evalúa (Evaluates) has claimed that the
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By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF In the face of growing demand for medical care and hospitalizations due to the mounting coronavirus pandemic, the Mexican government signed an agreement on Monday, April 13, with major private hospitals to allow government institutions to use up to half of their hospital beds over the course of the next month. Under the agreement,
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By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS While at least 85 percent of Mexicans are aware that exposure to the sun can lead to skin cancer, less than 11 percent use sunscreen on a regular basis, according to the Mexican Dermatology Foundation (FMD). “That number is significantly lower than the comparable figure in other developed parts of the world,” said FMD president Rossana Janina
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Covid-19, Imported From Italy Mexican Public Health Undersecretary Hugo López-Gatell informed the public on Sunday, March 1, that there are now five confirmed cases of Covid-19 (also known as novel coronavirus), plus 11 suspected cases. Hence, he said, the nation is not in a state of emergency. López-Gatell said that the outbreak of the virus in Mexico
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Child Gunman Shocks Nation Eleven-year old elementary school student José Ángel Ramos requested permission to go to the bathroom on Friday, Jan. 10, but when he did not return, English teacher María Assaf Medina went looking for him in the washroom and found him. José Ángel had changed out of his uniform and dressed himself
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