Mexico News Today June 12 2020

FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2020

Virus contagion peak in July: deputy minister The peak of the coronavirus pandemic could occur in July, Hugo López-Gatell said on Thursday. There were 4,790 new cases reported, the second highest single-day increase recorded, and 587 additional Covid-19 fatalities. FULL STORY RELATED: Covid-19 deaths surpass 15,000; cases accelerating with nearly 5,000 on Wednesday. FULL STORY Expats in 3 states help put food on the table for virus’s jobless victims As Mexico endures a third month of Covid-19 shutdowns, new charitable initiatives have emerged as expat communities seek to help their Mexican neighbors. FULL STORY Share this email and introduce friends to Mexico News Daily Forward

Health workers in 5 states demand unpaid virus bonus Workers in Guerrero, Morelos, Tamaulipas, Hidalgo and Querétaro have protested to demand payment of the 20% coronavirus bonus announced by federal authorities in April. Some were paid the bonus only to see it deducted from a subsequent paycheck. FULL STORY Deceased doctor required to work, denied Covid-19 test A doctor stricken with the coronavirus who was denied testing for six days and forced to work despite presenting symptoms has died from a series of heart attacks, his family said. His widow plans on filing a human rights complaint. FULL STORY Industrial output plummeted 30% in April The coronavirus pandemic and associated economic restrictions took a heavy toll on the industrial sector last month, the first full month in which all nonessential economic activities were suspended. FULL STORY Day in jail is punishment for no face mask in Oaxaca town The mayor of this mostly indigenous municipality in the Mixtec region is imposing some of the strictest coronavirus restrictions in the country. FULL STORY Thousands of oil jobs lost as Pemex suspends contracts The company has suspended contracts with at least eight oil-service providers and suppliers in order to save money. FULL STORY Nonessential activities resume June 17 in Querétaro The coronavirus risk level will change to orange, allowing some businesses to reopen at reduced capacity and with strict health measures in place. FULL STORY 10 beaches receive Blue Flags Mexico now has 63 beaches that have been awarded the Blue Flag distinction, an international standard to certify that beaches have met stringent environmental, educational, safety and access-related criteria. FULL STORY Pajarete, the drink of death A drink made from fresh milk, chocolate, sugar and cane alcohol is coming to be known as the “drink of death” in Jalisco, where 25 people have died and 20 more have been sickened after drinking the concoction. FULL STORY Adulterated liquor has killed 189 people since May 1 14 deaths were reported this week in the state of Guerrero alone. FULL STORY Judge suspends policy that puts brakes on renewables A federal judge has issued a suspension order against a new energy policy that seeks to consolidate control of the electricity market in the Federal Electricity Commission and limit the participation of renewable energy companies. The Energy Ministry vowed to fight the order. FULL STORY Cops killed Jalisco man while in custody: commission The Jalisco Human Rights Commission has concluded that the death of Giovanni López, a 30-year-old man apparently arrested for not wearing a face mask, was an extrajudicial killing at the hands of municipal police. FULL STORY UN rights office accuses abuse by police in five cities As new reports of police brutality and excessive force continue to surface, the Mexico Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights says that police in several parts of the country have violated citizens’ rights. FULL STORY Police kill youth, 16, mistaking him for criminal One officer is in custody after police in Acatlán de Pérez Figueroa, Oaxaca, allegedly shot and killed the aspiring professional soccer player. FULL STORY Narco’s testimony to US drug agency links ex-president to cartels A convicted drug lord provided information to United States authorities between 2008 and 2010 that linked former president Felipe Calderón and members of his government to Mexican drug cartels. FULL STORY Woman tells harrowing tale of beating, torture by police Two women went into hiding after allegedly being beaten, threatened, robbed and tortured last Sunday by police officers in Nezahualcóyotl near Mexico City. FULL STORY Morena proposes merging 3 regulators; opposition calls it power grab President López Obrador has backed a ruling party senator’s proposal to merge three regulatory agencies into one, a plan described by the largest opposition party as a power grab. FULL STORY Fireworks blast kills trike rider in religious procession A 68-year-old man was killed and his 11-year-old son seriously injured when the bike they were riding in a religious parade exploded in Tabasco. FULL STORY Fishermen catch rare oarfish Fishermen from Cozumel, Quintana Roo, encountered the six-meter-long oarfish, which is usually found in deep waters. FULL STORY 2 contracts awarded for supervising Maya Train construction The contractors will oversee work on two sections of the train where construction is set to begin. FULL STORY THE MND POLL THE STORY: Number of businesses seeking health certification well over expectations FULL STORY THE QUESTION: Any holiday travel plans this year, or will you wait till 2021? VOTE HERE LAST POLL: Is it too early to ease coronavirus restrictions? 79% said it is. VIEW FULL RESULTS

MEXICO LIFE Ultra-thin obsidian spangles from 100 BC present a mystery There were more than a hundred thin disks of obsidian no more than an inch in diameter, each one with a tiny hole right in the center, in a Jalisco museum. How were they made, wondered John Pint, and how did they ever manage to drill a hole through them? FULL STORY OPINION Now is the time to shine a light on police brutality in Mexico Human rights groups regularly identify Mexico as one of the countries with the most corrupt and unmonitored police forces in the world, writes Jack Gooderidge. FULL STORY