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☆ Mexican peso to stay strong despite end of central bank tightening cycle, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Noe Torres | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, May 19 (Reuters) - The Mexican peso could remain the top performer among major global currencies in the coming weeks, despite Mexico's central bank choosing to halt a nearly two-year rate-hike cycle, analysts said. The Mexican peso has gained nearly 10% so far this year, driven mainly by the dollar's decline and money entering the country since the central bank started hiking interest rates in June 2021. Reuters GraphicsIn the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, seen as a market bellwether, speculators on different types of assets have been increasingly betting that the Mexican currency will keep appreciating. These positions, anticipating further strengthening of the peso since mid-March, reached 70,007 contracts in favor of the currency last week, a level not seen since March 2020. Considering these factors, Mexican economists expect the peso to weaken to 19.13 by year-end, a survey by the central bank showed, while a poll of Citibanamex experts estimated the figure at 19.20.

☆ Mexican president backs referendum on electing Supreme Court justices
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 17 (Reuters) - Mexico's president on Wednesday backed a proposal to hold a national vote on whether Supreme Court justices should be chosen by citizens, the latest move in the leader's push to reshape an institution he considers "rotten." Mexico's Supreme Court justices are currently approved by the senate with a two-thirds majority from a shortlist selected by the president, and they serve terms of 15 years. "I hope the vote happens, that the question goes to the people," President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in his daily news conference when asked about the possibility, which his party has said they want Congress to vote on. Approval in a referendum would lend support for changing the constitution to create a system of citizen-elected Supreme Court justices, something the president said last week he would seek before leaving office in 2024. Reporting by Raul Cortes Fernandez; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexico president slams 'rotten' judiciary after electoral reform setback
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 9 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday criticized the country's judiciary as "rotten," one day after the Supreme Court invalidated part of a set of electoral reforms he had championed. The Supreme Court on Monday voted 9-2 to strike down a measure curbing elections authority INE's ability to police political communications. Critics of the elections overhaul have warned it will weaken democracy in a country set to hold presidential elections next year. Lopez Obrador has frequently attacked the agency, saying it allowed voter fraud to rob him of the 2006 and 2012 presidential elections. He has also squared off with Supreme Court justices, arguing they do not represent the people in the way lawmakers do.

☆ Mexico's top court invalidates part of president's electoral reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 8 (Reuters) - Mexico's Supreme Court on Monday struck down part of an electoral overhaul championed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that curbs the power of the country's elections authority, which the leftist leader has repeatedly attacked. A separate part of the legislative reform, which slashes the budget and staffing at the National Electoral Institute (INE), is still being evaluated by the tribunal. In March, the court temporarily suspended other parts of the overhaul, citing violations of citizens' political rights. Lopez Obrador says he was twice robbed of the presidency before he won by a landslide in the 2018 election, and argues the INE is too expensive and biased in favor of his opponents. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in February after lawmakers approved the reform, in one of the largest protests so far against Lopez Obrador's 4-1/2 year-old administration.

☆ Mexico president defends son after report alleging corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

This week Mexican news outlet Latinus published a report alleging that Andres Lopez Beltran, a son of the president, had helped friends snare public contracts worth over 100 million pesos ($5.6 million). Lopez Obrador ditched the airport upon taking office in 2018 on the grounds that it was too costly and tainted by corruption. Lopez Beltran could not immediately be reached for comment. Lopez Obrador acknowledged family friends had won government contracts, but said they posed no conflicts of interest. Lopez Obrador denied any conflict of interest at the time.

☆ Mexico president asks Biden to stop USAID funding opposition groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Sarah Morland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, May 3 (Reuters) - Mexico's president asked his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden to stop the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from funding groups hostile to his government, according to a letter presented to journalists on Wednesday, echoing previous Mexican criticism of U.S. interventionism. The letter calls for Biden's intervention, saying the U.S. State Department in recent days announced that USAID would increase its funding toward such organizations. Mexico had in 2021 sent a similar letter asking USAID to withdraw funding allocated to non-governmental organizations critical of the government. The State Department, USAID, MCCI and Article 19 did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The State Department has said there are credible reports on restrictions on free expression and media in Mexico - the deadliest country for journalists last year.

☆ Mexico bus plunges off cliff, at least 18 die
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Emergency personnel work on the site where a bus carrying tourists traveling to Guayabitos overturned, in Compostela, Nayarit state, Mexico in this handout image obtained from social media April 30, 2023. Secretaria de Seguridad y Proteccion Ciudadana de Nayarit/Handout via REUTERSMEXICO CITY, April 30 (Reuters) - At least 18 people were killed and 33 injured when a bus fell off a cliff in western Mexico, local authorities said Sunday. "From the first moment, we have worked in a coordinated manner with the various federal and state authorities to provide immediate attention to victims," the prosecutor's office said in a statement shared on Twitter. Authorities reported that 11 women and seven men were killed. Writing by Anna-Catherine Brigida; Reporting by Raul Cortes; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Head of Mexican migration authority charged over deadly Juarez fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, April 30 (Reuters) - A judge in northern Mexico has ordered the head of the national migration authority charged over a fire late last month that killed 40 migrants at a holding center in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, authorities said on Sunday. After a lengthy hearing, the court in Ciudad Juarez said there was sufficient evidence to charge Francisco Garduno, head of the National Migration Institute (INM), for unlawful exercise of public office, the Federal Judicial Council said. Garduno, an ally of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is not under arrest, but must report to authorities every two weeks. The fire, which authorities say began after one or more of the migrants set alight mattresses as a protest, killed 40 male migrants, most of them from Central America. Editing by Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexican Senate expeditiously approves set of laws, mining reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Raul Cortes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, April 29 (Reuters) - The Mexican Senate approved in an express session on Saturday a package of laws including two constitutional reforms and a new mining law rebuked by the mining chamber and Canada. The mining law shortens concessions in the mining sector to 30 years from 50, tightens water extraction permits, and requires some mining profits to be returned to local communities, among other modifications. Lopez Obrador has not granted any new mining concessions since he took office in the world's top silver producing country in late 2018. The national mining chamber Camimex has warned such reforms could cost the country some $9 billion in investments and up to 420,000 jobs. Mining giant Grupo México (GMEXICOB.MX) said on Thursday that the government's reforms to the sector did not represent a risk to its portfolio.

☆ Mexico president self-isolating after catching COVID-19: minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, April 24 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is receiving medical treatment and self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19, the country's Interior Minister Adan Augusto said Monday in a morning press conference. Augusto said that Lopez Obrador was at the presidential headquarters and that the president had shown cold-like symptoms since Saturday. He denied a media report that the president had suffered a heart attack. This is the third known COVID-19 diagnosis for Lopez Obrador, 69, who had a serious heart attack in 2013. He reported mild symptoms from both of his previous bouts of COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic.

☆ Search suspended for US sailors last seen in northwest Mexico, Coast Guard says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A view of the marina where three American sailors left earlier this month to San Diego, U.S. before went missing, as authorities suspended their search, in Mazatlan, Mexico April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo ResendizMEXICO CITY, April 20 (Reuters) - The search for three American sailors last seen in northwest Mexico has been suspended by the Mexican Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, a Coast Guard spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday. The three sailors, identified as Kerry O'Brien, Frank O'Brien and William Gross, were last seen on April 4 in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, the Coast Guard said last week. Los Angeles-based Coast Guard spokesman Richard Uranga told Reuters that after the Mexican Navy had suspended their search, the U.S. Coast Guard had followed suit. Uranga said he did not have further information on why the search was called off.

☆ Mexican president accuses Pentagon of spying; vows to restrict military information
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, April 18 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday accused the Pentagon of spying on his government following leaks in U.S. media, and said he would begin classifying information from the armed forces to protect national security. His comments came several days after the Washington Post reported on apparent tensions between Mexico's Navy and the Army, citing a U.S. military briefing revealed in online leaks of secret U.S. military records. "We're now going to safeguard information from the Navy and the Defense Ministry, because we're being a target of spying by the Pentagon," Lopez Obrador told his daily news conference. The Washington Post story said there was no indication the cited document came from intercepted communications of Mexican officials. Lopez Obrador has come under pressure to hold the military accountable for years of alleged abuses, including reported disappearances and killings.

☆ Mexico Supreme Court strikes down law to put National Guard under Army control
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MEXICO CITY, April 18 (Reuters) - Mexico's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled unconstitutional the transfer of control over the country's civilian-led National Guard to the Army, a move which had sparked fears from critics and activists of increasing militarization of public security. In a move backed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Congress last year passed a reform to put the Army in control of the National Guard. The reform gave the Army operational, financial and administrative control of the National Guard, which had previously been under Mexico's security ministry. The ruling passed with eight votes in favor and three against. Reporting by Raul Cortes; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Anthony EspositoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Latam, Caribbean leaders meet to draft roadmap to tame inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, April 5 (Reuters) - Leaders of 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries agreed to work to outline measures seeking to tame inflation in the region, including better conditions for trade, according to a statement published by Mexico's presidential office Wednesday. Agreements reached include the creation of a working group of government representatives aimed at identifying regional measures to coordinate the trade of commodities, fertilizers and other goods. The group's action plan is set to be implemented "within a reasonable time frame," the statement added. The new anti-inflation alliance also agreed to invite more countries from the region to take part, the statement said. Reporting by Valentine Hilaire and Raul Cortes Fernandez; Editing by Brendan O'BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexico denies cartels control parts of country, rejecting Blinken remark
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"That is false," Lopez Obrador said in a regular news conference. Blinken had also said that the opioid fentanyl coming from Mexico was killing both Americans and Mexicans. Lopez Obrador has denied in recent days that Mexico is responsible for the quantities of the drug coming into the United States. "More fentanyl reaches the United States and Canada directly than reaches Mexico," Lopez Obrador said last week. "I can tell Mr. Blinken, we're constantly destroying labs," Lopez Obrador said.

☆ Search underway for four Americans kidnapped in Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, March 6 (Reuters) - Mexican and U.S. authorities said on Monday they were working to locate four Americans who were shot at by gunmen in northern Mexico and then kidnapped shortly after crossing the border. The armed men allegedly fired on the passengers shortly after their vehicle crossed into Mexico and then herded them into another vehicle before fleeing the scene, the embassy said. A Mexican official told Reuters three men and one woman were kidnapped. Mexico's president said the Americans had crossed into Mexico to buy medication. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the four and the arrest of those involved.

☆ Tesla can't build in northern Mexico if water is scarce, president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc. would be denied permits to build a plant in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, where it has eyed investing, if water is scarce, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday. Lopez Obrador called out arid Nuevo Leon for its water scarcity earlier this week, instead touting the benefits of Mexico's poorer southern region where he has sought to increase development. In 2020, he said he would withhold permits for a Constellation Brands (STZ.N) brewery in the northern state of Baja California after criticizing the project for consuming too much water in a dry zone. On Friday, the leftist leader praised Constellation for choosing to relocate to a state in southeastern Mexico. "They understood very well," Lopez Obrador said.

☆ Once tortured by criminals, Mexico 'survivor' dog looks to win top pet contest
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Alberto Fajardo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rescued as a one-year-old with his front limbs destroyed, Pay de Limon (Lemon Pie) found much-needed love at the Milagros Caninos sanctuary, a shelter south of Mexico City, which says he is thriving 12 years later. "He is a survivor of human cruelty and organized crime groups," Patricia Ruiz, founder of Milagros Caninos, told Reuters. Found abandoned in a dumpster in Mexico's central Zacatecas state, a hotbed for cartels and organized crime, Lemon Pie was later transported to the safety of the shelter in the capital. Now, he is ready to take a shot in the online contest for Americans' most dashing dog, albeit a non-native contestant. The contest, America's Favorite Pet, is open to pets on the American continent and runs as part of a charity fundraiser.

☆ Mexico president flags water-scarcity of northern state eyed for Tesla plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An aerial view shows a part of the urban area in the state of Nuevo Leon, where Tesla could build a new electric car plant, in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico December 19, 2022. "There are favorable conditions in Nuevo Leon. Lopez Obrador said he would emphasize to Tesla the need for careful planning around water, electricity and other services, noting certain northern zones ban water extraction while the southeast holds 70% of Mexico's water. Lopez Obrador has made it a priority to draw investment to southern Mexico, which has lacked the level of industrialization that has flourished along Mexico's northern border. Following Lopez Obrador's remarks on Monday, Nuevo Leon Economy Minister Ivan Rivas said water access had not been an issue for companies or held back investment, according to Mexican outlet Milenio.

☆ Spain offers freed Nicaraguans citizenship after move to make them stateless
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueMADRID/MANAGUA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The Spanish government offered citizenship to more than 200 Nicaraguan political prisoners who were freed and flown to the United States on Thursday, Spain's top diplomat said on Friday. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares made the announcement to Servimedia news agency, following the surprise release of 222 Nicaraguan prisoners later expelled to the United States. After their release, lawmakers loyal to authoritarian President Daniel Ortega voted to strip them of their Nicaraguan citizenship, which could thwart plans to return home someday. He added that Spain stood ready to receive others, noting that Madrid's decision had been made "after news reports that proceedings had begun to declare them stateless." Spanish authorities will reach out to the prisoners, who were allowed into the United States under a temporary humanitarian visa, so they can formally apply for citizenship.

☆ Mexico reaches deal with airlines on cargo transfer to new airport, president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The Mexican government and some airlines have reached an agreement to move cargo operations to a new airport on the outskirts of Mexico City to ease congestion at its main hub, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday. Lopez Obrador said earlier this month cargo flights would be moved due to lack of space at the Benito Juarez International Airport. Around 3% of flights at the airport last year were for cargo, according to flight data. Lopez Obrador said cargo operations will be transferred to the new airport in about four months. The first cargo plane will arrive at the Felipe Angeles International Airport the third week of February, Lopez Obrador said.

MEXICO CITY, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Electric carmaker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) is considering setting up an assembly plant near a new Mexico City airport, which would serve as an export hub for the firm, Mexican presidential spokesman Jesus Ramirez said. "Tesla will invest there ... in an assembly plant, to export directly by air," Ramirez told the newspaper. Separately, a Mexican official told Reuters that Tesla had been shown the site, but had given no indication of its plans. Ramirez told El Heraldo de Mexico that Tesla was aiming to invest in the T-MexPark, a major industrial park being built close to the Felipe Angeles airport. Reporting by Diego Ore; Editing by David Gregorio Additional reporting by Raul Cortes Fernandez and Dave Graham in Mexico City, and Hyunjoo Jin in San FranciscoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Peru elections could come later this year, president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Peru's President Dina Boluarte speaks as she meets with foreign press, in Lima, Peru January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Angela PonceJan 27 (Reuters) - Peruvian President Dina Boluarte said on Friday she was considering moving up general elections to later this year, as the Andean leader struggles to keep a hold on protests demanding her resignation that have left dozens dead. Congress is set to debate a proposal later on Friday to move national elections forward to April 2024, from 2026, but several legislators have proposed amending the bill to move up the elections even earlier, to late 2023. "They won't let us go ahead with our peaceful march, we're demanding Dina Boluarte resign," one protester, Abraham Copatayapa, told Reuters. She added on Friday that national elections could come in December or sooner, depending on how quickly the proposal is passed.

☆ Peru recalls ambassador to Honduras for 'unacceptable interference' as diplomatic spat deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Peru's President Dina Boluarte speaks as she meets with foreign press, in Lima, Peru January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Angela PonceJan 26 (Reuters) - Peru withdrew its ambassador to Honduras, Jorge Raffo, due to Honduras' "unacceptable interference" in the internal affairs of Peru, the South American nation's foreign ministry said on Thursday. The step is part of a deepening showdown between Peru President Dina Boluarte and her regional peers, including the leftist leaders of Mexico, Bolivia and Honduras. "As a consequence of the position adopted by Honduras, bilateral relations with said country will be maintained, indefinitely, at the level of chargé d'affaires," the foreign ministry said on Twitter. Boluarte became president in December after Castillo attempted to illegally dissolve Congress, was ousted and detained.

☆ Mexico economy minister meets with Canadian energy firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Mexican Economy Minister Raquel Buenrosto met with Canadian energy firms to follow up on agreements made at a meeting with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the ministry said Monday. Buenrostro will meet with the firms again next month to discuss progress made on the agreements, the ministry said on Twitter. A Mexican official told Reuters last week a "framework" for each of the companies' problems with Mexico's energy sector had been agreed upon. A spokesperson for Mexico's economy ministry could not immediately confirm whether the four companies were those present at the meeting with Buenrostro. The United States and Canada last year initiated dispute settlement proceedings against Mexico's push to prioritize state-run energy companies under a regional trade pact.

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