Mexico News Today Monday, August 31, 2020

MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2020

López Obrador rejects opinion poll findings The president has rejected polls showing his approval rating is below 60%, saying he has information proving he is considerably more popular. FULL STORY No guarantee that decline in virus case numbers will continue: ministry New coronavirus case numbers have declined in recent weeks but there is no guarantee that the trend will continue, Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell said Sunday. FULL STORY Share this email and introduce friends to Mexico News Daily Forward

10 states now yellow on coronavirus stoplight map The risk of coronavirus infection changed to yellow light “medium” in 10 states as of Monday. Colima is the only state at the red light “maximum” risk level. FULL STORY Rains, flooding isolates 30 communities in Jalisco Heavy rains and flooding from Tropical Storm Hernán had left 30 communities in Jalisco without power or communications and an estimated 630 homes and nine schools damaged as of Sunday afternoon. FULL STORY Tortilla maker equips classroom in back of a truck for kids without resources A Mexico City tortilla maker began providing food for the hungry a few months ago. Now they have turned to helping children who don’t have access to the technology they need to go back to school. FULL STORY Hotel opens to students, provides internet and TV Hotel Don Nino in Oaxaca has opened to children in need, providing two rooms and the dining room as classrooms, and TV, computer and internet. FULL STORY It could take Puerto Vallarta tourism 5 years to recover The current estimate is that it will take three to five years to get back to the visitor numbers and revenue levels of 2019. FULL STORY ADVERTISEMENT AMLO accuses NGOs, news portal of receiving foreign donations to fight train Government claims US foundations have provided resources to Mexican organizations to fund critical research and coverage of the project. FULL STORY Zihuatanejo beach earns Blue Flag designation La Ropa beach has been awarded the distinction, joining El Palmar I, II and III as the four beaches in the tourist destination to have achieved the international certification. FULL STORY Fighting corruption: analysts criticize government’s approach Three corruption analysts have criticized the approach to combating corruption, charging that it should broaden its focus beyond high-profile former officials and make greater use of the National Anti-corruption System. FULL STORY Anonymous call leads mother to find missing son in secret grave Searching for the bodies of missing loved ones in secret graves doesn’t usually yield quick results. But that wasn’t the case for a Sonora woman on Saturday. FULL STORY Protesters demand justice for missing persons Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in at least 14 states Sunday — the International Day for Victims of Forced Disappearances — to demand justice in the thousands of missing-persons cases across the nation and to put an end to high rates of kidnapping. FULL STORY 6 marines arrested in Tabasco for home robbery Six navy marines are in the custody of Tabasco state authorities after local police in Cunduacán arrested them for robbery. FULL STORY Morena launches campaign for public vote on prosecuting ex-presidents Mexico’s ruling party is attempting to collect 2 million signatures of support for a public consultation to decide whether the five most recent former presidents should face justice for crimes they allegedly committed while in office. FULL STORY Through residents’ own initiative, Puebla town has its first doctor Thanks to the efforts and financial contributions of its residents, a town in northern Puebla has a medical doctor for the first time in its history. FULL STORY Real estate firm fires #Lady3Pesos after confrontation at Walmart A woman was fired from her job after she was captured on a video berating a Walmart security guard in Azcapotzalco, Mexico City. FULL STORY THE MND POLL THE STORY: Electricity commission, union agree to reduce retirement age from 65 to 55 FULL STORY THE QUESTION: Do you think the electricity commission's reduction in workers' retirement age is a good move? VOTE HERE LAST POLL: Should children be permitted to attend bullfights and cockfights? 79% said they shouldn't. VIEW FULL RESULTS

MEXICO LIFE What to look for when selecting a good watermelon Mexico News Daily food writer Janet Blaser used to rely on her farm-girl mother’s advice and listen for a hollow sound when tapping a watermelon. But it turns out there’s a handful of other things to look for in the quest for the perfect sweet, juicy sandía, she writes. FULL STORY The Tarahumara Project: one woman’s arrival home to a much different world After her Jeep broke down in a remote area of Chihuahua, Libby Townsend found a new family among the Rarámuri, writes Leigh Thelmadatter. FULL STORY

Mexico News Today Friday, August 28, 2020

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

Coronavirus: Guerrero is second state to go yellow, Mexico City remains orange Guerrero will be the second state in Mexico to switch from orange to yellow on the coronavirus “stoplight” risk map while the infection risk level will remain at orange light “high” in Mexico City for a 10th consecutive week. FULL STORY ‘A new Tenochtitlán:’ park at site of abandoned airport will cost 17bn pesos Work on the 12,225-hectare Lake Texcoco Ecological Park, to be developed on and around the site of the abandoned Mexico City airport, will begin next year. FULL STORY Share this email and introduce friends to Mexico News Daily Forward

Bank drops growth forecast; worst-case scenario -12.8% The Bank of México offered two other scenarios, a best-case with economic growth of -8.8% and an intermediate scenario of -11.3%. FULL STORY AMLO asks people to stay home after crowds ignore health protocols President López Obrador urged residents of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, not to attend events he was to preside over on Friday. To further dissuade people from going, he said anyone who does will be dubbed a 'conservative.' FULL STORY Coronavirus restrictions to ease in Baja California Sur As of Monday businesses will be able to operate at 40% capacity and churches,  theaters and gyms may open for the first time in five months. FULL STORY Mexico spends 2.5% of GDP on health; at least 6% is recommended Mexico is spending less than half the amount it should on its health system, according to Pan American Health Organization recommendations. FULL STORY ADVERTISEMENT Students offered free tablets for distance learning: 5,000 applied on first day The free tablets are being provided by the municipal government of Parral, Chihuahua, to help students during the coronavirus pandemic. FULL STORY Actors, entertainers rally in support of temporary income initiative Several well-known actors and entertainers have added their voices to calls for the government to provide a temporary basic income to people who have lost their jobs and livelihoods due to the coronavirus pandemic. FULL STORY Hibiscus is key ingredient in face masks developed by Hidalgo researchers Researchers at the Autonomous University of Hidalgo have developed masks with filters strengthened with extracts of the hibiscus flower. FULL STORY THE MND POLL THE STORY: Municipal council in Hidalgo decides kids shouldn’t be barred from bullfights FULL STORY THE QUESTION: Should children be permitted to attend bullfights and cockfights? VOTE HERE LAST POLL: Do you support banning the use of the herbicide glyphosate? 80% said yes. VIEW FULL RESULTS Evacuations in Colima and Jalisco in wake of Tropical Storm Hernán Faced with the flooding of homes and roads due to Tropical Storm Hernán, local governments have installed shelters for residents at risk. FULL STORY Military patrol finds narco-tunnel running beneath river Mexican authorities have discovered a tunnel under the Rio Grande connecting the cities of  Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Brownsville, Texas. FULL STORY Local cops disarmed after murder of family in Veracruz The National Guard and state police have taken control of public safety in the municipality of Altotonga, relieving the 43-member local police force of duty. FULL STORY Most Mexicans want justice for ex-presidents: poll An overwhelming majority of Mexicans believe that former presidents and other ex-officials who committed crimes while in office should face justice, according to a new opinion poll. FULL STORY Never again will there be ‘García Lunas’ in government, president says In an effort to show that his administration is rooting out corruption López Obrador uses the name of an unconvicted suspect to make his point. FULL STORY Central bank boss denies insinuation that he approved suspicious loan The governor of the central bank has rejected an insinuation by President López Obrador that he approved a suspicious, potentially corrupt loan while head of the state-owned development bank Bancomext. FULL STORY Conagua finds no evidence of discharge in Acapulco Despite photos uploaded to social media earlier this week showing a large black plume of water entering Acapulco’s Santa Lucia Bay, the National Water Commission declared there was no discharge of sewage. FULL STORY RELATED: Another sewage discharge reported in Acapulco. FULL STORY AMLO says concerns over Nuevo León refinery are politically motivated President López Obrador has ruled out any possibility of closing the oil refinery in Cadereyta due to the high levels of contamination it emits and charged that current concerns about it are politically motivated. FULL STORY Austerity at Education Ministry means leather furniture and bar fridges The Ministry of Education is planning an office remodeling that appears to contrast sharply with the president’s philosophy of austerity. FULL STORY

MEXICO LIFE Animal rescue has been dealt a hard blow in Mexico but is bouncing back Mexico used to have 11 rescue centers around the country and all of them had a marvelous reputation for their dedication and efficiency, writes John Pint. Now, thanks to biologists who care, that network of centers is being replaced FULL STORY