Mexico Today

List of Chefs Interviewed on Imagen News...

2009-07-10T23:33:00.002-05:00

Chef Thierry Blouet
Chef Café des Artistes
http://www.cafedesartistes.com
http://www.cafedesartistes.com/es/cocina/fact-sheet.htm

Chef Martha Chapa
Pintora que cocina y mujer que escribe
http://www.marthachapa.net/

Cecilia Larrea
Chef y especialista en banquetes
http://www.artegastronomico.com/

Gerar Bellver
Chef del restaurante BIKO
http://www.biko.com.mx/

Fernando Espinoza
Chef de Angus Butcher House en Guadalajara
http://www.angus.com.mx/

Jared Reardon
Chef Restaurante Jasso
www.jaso.com.mx

News Summary for July 11th, 2009

2009-07-10T23:23:00.000-05:00

++ The Attorney General’s Office said that it began an investigation in 2007 into María Teresa Zambada Niebla, who is the daughter of drug trafficker Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada… The investigation also involves a day care center called “Niño Feliz,” in Culiacán, Sinaloa... Authorities suspect money laundering in the case.

++ The Social Development Secretariat will find new installations for eight out of 231 day care centers in Sonora, after revising all facilities… The eight day care centers that were shut down lacked security norms, sparking their closure.

++ French President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted that French citizen Florence Cassez, who is serving a 60-year prison sentence for kidnapping in Mexico should be transferred to France to serve out her term… Sarkozy made his plea even though Mexican President Calderón said last month that Cassez will serve out her sentence in Mexico, since there is no guarantee she’ll stay in prison for the full sentence in France.

++ The IFE is about ready to end official vote counting after last Sunday’s elections… It’s only waiting for returns from two electoral districts out of a total of 300… The IFE had tallied votes from 298 electoral districts, that is to say 99.99 per cent of the total.

++ PRD members and their leaders will meet over the weekend in Morelia, Michoacán, to analyze the beating the party took on July 5th. National leader Jesús Ortega said Andrés Manuel López Obrador was called to attend the meeting.

++ The latest INEGI figures indicate that Mexico’s population has reached 107.6 million people, of whom 50.9 percent are women and 49.1 percent are men… INEGI reported on the nation’s population in connection of World Population Day… Mexico is the world’s 11th most populated country and the third in the Americas, after the United States and Brazil.

++ School’s out! The 2008-2009 school year ended, sending more than 32 million kids and a million and a half teachers at private and government schools home for summer vacation… Classes are set to resume on August 24.

News Summary for July 10th, 2009

2009-07-09T23:45:00.001-05:00

++ The Chihuahua state Attorney General’s Office has identified both the person who pulled the trigger and the mastermind behind the murder of Mormon leader Benjamín Le Barón and his brother-in-law Luis Whitman… However, Chihuahua officials were not giving names so as not to spoil the investigation…The Federal Attorney General’s Office took on the investigation into the two murders… In a press release the Attorney General’s Office said the killings could be linked to an earlier kidnapping, that of Benjamín Le Barón’s brother Éric, and the arrest of 25 alleged paramilitaries in Madera, Chihuahua. Chihuahua Governor José Reyes Baeza said the state Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigations would help federal authorities with the investigation of Le Barón’s murder.

++ Justice Sergio Valls said the Supreme Court should take on the investigation into the ABC day care center fire in Hermosillo, Sonora, and investigate possible grave human rights violations… The fire led to the deaths of 48 infants…Health Secretary José Ángel Córdova Villalobos said it does not matter who the owners of privately-owned day care centers commissioned by IMSS to be part of their system are, but rather the important issue is that they have properly trained staff to care for children and contracts be awarded through contests.

++ Whose head will roll next? Could his name be Jesus? Dolores Padierna and Ricardo Ruiz, PRD national councilors, called for the head of party chief Jesús Ortega, saying he should voluntarily offer to quit after poor results in midterm elections last Sunday.

++ At the G8 plus G5 summit meeting in L'Aquila, Italy, President Felipe Calderón announced that Mexico joined the pledge by powerful nations to put an end to protectionism.

++ We still have the problem out there… And it will probably get worse. The Oaxaca Health Secretariat ordered health measures to close off the Isthmus of Tehuantepec after a number of A H1N1 influenza cases were reported in Chiapas.

News Summary for July 9th, 2009

2009-07-08T22:41:00.000-05:00

++ PRI senators leader Manlio Fabio Beltrones said the time has come to recover growth as the path for Mexico since, he said, there is no greater punishment for any government than to lose its majority in Congress.

++ Speaking in Spain, central Bank of Mexico governor Guillermo Ortiz urged political actors to begin steps leading to serious reforms, not only the ones that are possible, he said, but also those that are necessary, such as fiscal reform, regardless of Congress’ new makeup.

++ The Finance Secretariat sent Congress an early draft of what will be the 2010 federal budget bill.. It is expected that the budget for 2010 will rise above three trillion pesos… Inflation is being set at three percent, the exchange rate at 14.6 pesos per dollar and the price of oil at 48.3 dollar per barrel…

++ At the summit meeting in L´Aquila, Italy, -- Mexico, Brazil, India, China and South Africa voiced their criticism of protectionism which, they said, is holding back efforts to overcome the world economic crisis.

++ In his appearance before the Congressional Permanent Committee, IMSS director general Daniel Karam, handed in information about more than 1,500 privately-run day care centers that are part of the IMSS nursery system… The information included owners and associates names… Karam said IMSS acknowledges its part of the responsibility in the fire that killed 48 children in the ABC privately-run day care center in Hermosillo, Sonora.

++ The Permanent Committee observed a minute of silence in honor of Mormon leader Benjamín Le Barón, who was assassinated in Chihuahua… after heading protests against kidnappings and extortion… Congressmen called on President Calderón to ensure security of the Mormon community Le Barón headed and asked Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora to take on the investigation into the killing…

Seguridad Total... Weekly TV show now on Youtube..

2009-07-08T00:40:00.002-05:00

Join me every Tuesday on Seguridad Total TV (Channel 40, Sky and Cablevision 140)Particularly popular is our weekly self defense and martial arts section. We have posted most of these capsules on my Youtube channel... go to www.youtube/SeguridadTotalTV Here is the Alfredo "Tsunami" Morales talking about Muai Thai in Mexico.

News Summary for July 8th, 2009

2009-07-08T00:19:00.002-05:00

++ President Felipe Calderón called on new members of the Lower House of Congress to be open to dialogue and to reaching agreements in view of the current situation in the world economic front. He is taking part in the G8 plus G5 meeting in L’Aquila, in Italy, where world leaders are discussing solutions to the world economic crisis, global warming and ensuring food for all.

++ PAN governor´s backed Germán Martínez, after he resigned as party president after the PAN suffered defeats in Sunday’s elections.

++ Now that Germán is gone, what will happen at the PRD? Well, Alfonso Ramírez Cuellar will submit a proposal to the PRD national council to hold a referendum on whether PRD president Jesús Ortega should stay on as party chief after poor results in the polls.

++ Federal reports say 10 suspects in the ABC day care center fire in Hermosillo, Sonora, which led to the deaths of 48 infants, have fled… The Attorney General’s Office requested help from INTERPOL to locate the suspects, mainly in the United States and Canada. (Comment: Of course they were going run off… And you know what, Mexico will not get them back…It takes years to extradite someone, especially from Canada. Since they are accused of manslaughter, it will be almost impossible to extradite them…)

++ Finance Secretary Agustín Carstens said the economic crisis in Mexico has fallen to reached its most critical point and there are now clear signs of recovery. However, Deputy Bank of Mexico governor José Sidaoui said the Mexican economy shrank by 10 percent in the second quarter… He said inflation will reach 4 percent by the end of the year…

++ The State Population Council warned that 40,000 Michoacán residents will fall into extreme poverty because of the drop in remittances, unemployment and the economic crisis.

++ Two Mormon leaders in Chihuahua were executed after they led protests against kidnappings and extortion in their community, called Le Barón.

Chef´s series on Imagen News...Thierry Blouet..

2009-07-07T00:03:00.004-05:00

Chef Thierry Blouet, founder of Café des Artistes in Puerto Vallarta, one of the best restaurants in the world, will be in Mexico City with Jared Reardon and Sonia Arias, chef owners of Jaso. All three of them will provide a extraordinary evening with a "menú de degustación" on July 7th and 8th. I interviewed Thierry on Imagen News and the description of the fares for this evening. For more info go to www.jaso.com.mx or call 5545.7476

News Summary for July 7th, 2009

2009-07-06T23:46:00.000-05:00

++ Germán Martínez resigned as PAN national leader following Sunday’s disastrous election results for the ruling party. PRI deputy Emilio Gamboa said his party’s triumph in the polls constituted a great responsibility towards citizens who backed the PRI. And PRD chief Jesús Ortega, said he would not quit despite poor results for the party.
++ The PRI nabbed five out of six governor’s posts that were up for election on Sunday… It held on to Colima, Campeche and Nuevo León and managed to wrest Querétaro and San Luis Potosí from the PAN.
++ And in a tight race for governor in Sonora, State Electoral Council tallies had PAN ahead of PRI... PRI governor Eduardo Bours acknowledged that the ABC day care center tragedy affected the way citizens in Sonora cast their votes.
++ The PRI also swept the Chamber of Deputies, recapturing the majority from the PAN and the PRD returned to third place in number of seats.
++ According to official returns IFE confirmed that PRI garnered 36.83 per cent of votes, PAN 27.96 percent, PRD 12.23 percent, the Green Ecologist Party, 6.72 percent, the Labor Party 3.69 percent, Convergencia 2.5 percent, New Alliance 3.41 percent and the Social Democratic party only received 1.03 percent, losing its registry.
++ In Jalisco the PRI won Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlaquepaque and Tonalá municipalities.
++ And in the State of Mexico, the PRI took Ecatepec, Nezahualcóyotl, Valle de Chalco, Texcoco, Chalco, Amecameca and Ixtapaluca, formerly ruled by the PRD.
It also was able to triumph in Naucalpan, Toluca, Tlalnepantla, Atizapán and Cuautitlán Izcalli that were previously in PAN hands.
++ Meanwhile in the Federal District, the PRD managed to hold on to 12 boroughs while PAN continued in power in Benito Juárez and Miguel Hidalgo and won Cuajimalpa. The PT won in Iztapalapa.

Elections results: www.anamariasalazar.com and a special one hour broadcast tonight at Imagen.

2009-07-05T18:49:00.002-05:00

I just started to blog at www.anamariasalazar.com (in both languages) and don´t forget a one hour broadcast of Imagen News radio at 23:00 hrs (central time). In Mexico City we are at 90.5 FM, for local stations check out the list at the sidebar of this blog. Also, you can listen to the show live at www.imagen.com.mx

Update: 13:00 hrs...

2009-07-05T12:43:00.004-05:00

Esta mañana transmití por IMAGEN con mi colega Ciro Di Constanzo y uno de los entrevistados fue Luis Carlso Ugalde quién fue el Consejero Presidente del IFE durante las elecciones del 2006... Fue interesante los comentarios de Ugalde, donde el señala los grandes limitaciones de la nueva ley electoral. Le parece la ley restrictiva en terminos de libertad de expresión y coloca al arbitro (el IFE) en una posición de constante litigio con empresas, organizaciones sociales y partidos políticos. Dijo que la culpa no era del IFE, sino de los partidos políticos... Ciro pregunto si el IFE esta mas politizado que ciudadanizado. Ugalde se tarde responder y dijo que nunca hablaría mal del IFE, pero le parecía que habían limitado grandemente al IFE. Ciro concluyo, con su manera tan particular de expresarse esto es un "Moco Electoral"... Ja...

It is 8:00 am..Midterm elections in Mexico... Voting starts..Now..

2009-07-05T08:20:00.002-05:00

I will be blogging through out the day, in English and Spanish, at www.anamariasalazar.com CNN did a nice background piece on what is at stake today... Click here

Interamerican Human Rights Court...Justice for the daycare victims?

2009-07-04T01:05:00.003-05:00

Should the family of the victims of the daycare center fire in Hermosillo go to the Interamerican Human Rights Court to seek justice. It may be their only option. This is the topic for this weeks column...

Injusticia nacional a justicia internacional
La justicia tendrá que venir del exterior. No hay otra opción. Está tan viciada la investigación penal del incendio de la guardería ABC en Hermosillo, que las posibilidades de que las investigaciones penales concluyan con sentencias justas son casi nulas. Los padres de las víctimas deberán recurrir ya sea a la Corte Penal Internacional o a la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos para asegurarse de que la muerte de sus hijos no quede impune.

La creación de la Corte Penal Internacional, como una jurisdicción internacional de carácter subsidiario, fue para actuar contra criminales cuando el Estado no actúe o elabore una farsa para proteger a los responsables. El que México aceptara la jurisdicción de esta corte fue por demás un proceso tardado y acrobático, pues en el fondo implicaba el aumentar los estándares de la justicia penal en México, a efecto de que ningún caso mexicano pudiese llegar a esta Corte Penal Internacional. La Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos es la instancia en la que individuos u organizaciones pueden recurrir ante violaciones del Estado.

En el caso de la tragedia de la guardería de ABC, podría haber jurisdicción de ambas cortes: la investigación penal parecería que se está llevando a cabo para asegurar la impunidad o castigos irrelevantes. Además, ya se habla de que ya hay violaciones de las garantías individuales, por eso la Comisión Permanente del Congreso solicitó a la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación que atraiga e investigue. Será difícil que la Corte tenga la capacidad operativa o la voluntad política de atraer este caso. ¿La alternativa para los padres? La Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. To continue click here...

News Summary for July 4th...

2009-07-04T00:36:00.003-05:00

++ Interior Secretary Fernando Gómez Mont guaranteed there will be calm on election day on Sunday… He said he’s been informed about areas where there might be trouble, and the Army will strengthen its presence there… President Felipe Calderón called on Mexicans not to fall into apathy and to go to the polls on Sunday… He asked Mexico’s citizens not to lose faith that the country can be transformed… Calderón said that for to happen, citizens must fulfill their civic duties…

++ Senate speaker and chairman of the Congressional Permanent Committee, Gustavo Madero, said IMSS director Daniel Karam, will appear before Congress on July 6, 10 days earlier than the previous date set for his appearance to speak about the fire that killed 48 infants at a day care center in Hermosillo. (Comment: But the hearing is still going to take place AFTER the elections... I am sure they will release the names of the owners of the IMSS daycare centers this weeks. Must be politically explosive... Why wait... Mmmm who is on the list? ) The Nation’s top court, the Supreme Court, is considering whether it takes on the investigation into the Hermosillo ABC day care center fire tragedy.

++ Health Secretary José Ángel Córdova Villalobos said the A H1N1 influenza outbreak in Mexico cost the country four billion dollars, or 0.4 per cent of Gross Domestic Product.

++ There’s an Interpol request out for the arrest of Lucía Morett, the UNAM university student accused of links to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC… Morett is running for a federal deputy’s post on the Labor Party ticket.(Comment: Morett really needs to win if she is going to avoid being arrested...Must be nice to be offered a seat in congress in order to avoid a criminal trial...)

++ The Federal District Attorney General’s Office confirmed the death of four people in a botched operation to rescue a woman who had been kidnapped in Xochimilco, in Mexico City. The victims were the worman, two special agents with the anti-kidnapping force and one of the kidnappers.

++ Zacatecas state judicial authorities said that Manuel Batres Miranda, one of 53 inmates who broke out of the Cieneguillas prison, was killed during a shootout between armed groups in the town of Guadalupe last Wednesday.

News Summary for June 3rd, 2009

2009-07-02T23:14:00.000-05:00

Thank you Mexico!!!
++ During his inaugural speech at the International Meeting on Lessons Learned from the Influenza Outbreak, President Felipe Calderón said that even though Mexico was vilified and paid a high price for saying the truth about the pandemic, the decision to be truthful saved thousands of lives. World Health Organization director general Margaret Chan paid tribute to Mexico’s leadership role in the health emergency… She said it was unclear how the influenza pandemic would develop, making it impossible to say when a vaccine against the new virus would be ready. Mirta Roses, head of the Pan-American Health Organization, acknowledged that Argentina had a slow reaction to the influenza threat… She said Argentina was more concerned about elections than about infections…(Comment: Once the WHO declared the AH1N1 influenza a pandemic, it made it impossible for the PRD and the PRI to use the President´s decisions to literally close- down the country as a political liability against the PAN…)

++ Senate speaker Gustavo Enrique Madero, announced that IMSS director Daniel Karam, will appear before Congress on July 16 to speak about the case of the tragic fire in the ABC day care center in Hermosillo that claimed the lives of 48 infants. (Comments: Why wait so long to call for this hearing… Could it have to do with the elections?)

++ IFE council chairman Leonardo Valdés Zurita, said IFE is ready for midterm elections set for Sunday… The IFE chief urged citizens to go to the polls. He also asked parties to respect the campaigning ban now in place…(Comments: I have to admit it is kind of nice not to have to put up with the stupid political ads on TV and radio.)

++ Business leaders said they were confident that once elections are over, parties will concentrate on building the necessary accords to move forward in approving pending structural reforms.

++ Two rubber wheels on an Aviacsa plane were damaged upon landing at the Mexico City airport… No one was hurt…(Comment: Scary stuff…)

++ The Mexican army arrested Fabián Ortega Piñón, lead singer for the “El Halcón de la Sierra” group. The arrest took place in Ensenada, Baja California. Ortega Pinón is accused of being linked to a criminal organization headed by Teodoro García Semental, “El Teo”.

News Summary for June 2d, 2009

2009-07-02T01:55:00.001-05:00

++ President Felipe Calderón, his Colombian counterpart de Álvaro Uribe and newly-installed Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, agreed to establish a “grand alliance” to fight and defeat organized crime.

++ The Attorney General’s Office said that criminal legal action has been taken against another nine people in connection to the fire in the ABC day care center in Hermosillo, Sonora, that led to the deaths of 48 infants… Those charged include public servants from IMSS – the Mexican Social Security Institute – as well as private citizens who are accused of wrongful homicide.

++ Congress’ Permanent Committee approved a measure to request that the Supreme Court begin an investigation into the ABC day care center fire… The Committee also requested that IMSS director general Daniel Karam, provide a list of all privately-owned day care centers that are part of the IMSS nursery system.

++ All political campaigning was set to halt as mid-term elections approach on Sunday… No party or candidate will be allowed to conduct campaign acts… Mass media will also be banned from broadcasting polls, surveys and statistical studies until 8 p.m. on Sunday.

++ Experts forecast that the state of the economy in the second quarter in Mexico will be the worst in its history, showing a 9.45 percent annual contraction. Negative growth is expected to be greater than in 1995, when Gross Domestic Product shrunk 9.2 percent.

++ Finance and Budget committees said the 2010 Spending Budget will be restricted, in view of falling petroleum prices and fiscal revenues.

++ Two underground explosions rocked Mexico City’s historic quarter… Authorities ordered the evacuation of buildings and stores… No one was reported hurt… Authorities suspect the explosions were caused by a short circuit in underground electricity cables.

News Summary for July 1st, 2009

2009-06-30T23:03:00.000-05:00

++ President Felipe Calderón underscored the importance of all Mexicans taking part in elections on July 5, since their votes will set the nation’s agenda, he said. (Comment: Will we set the agenda if the parties don´t care what we think? Voting should be the way to pressure change.. This has not happened until now…What is the difference now? Don´t get me wrong I think everyone should go out and vote..legally…But there has to be more ways to make sure congress, governors and mayors are more accountable..)

++ The Businesses Coordinating Council launched a campaign to get the vote out, through two spots on the Internet. José Woldenberg, former IFE chairman, said spots – whose broadcast was sponsored by the electoral institute --- had lowered the level of public debate about elections. (Comment: The electoral reform has lowered the debate, which is the bottom line… Now what is going to happen for the 2012 elections? )

++ Current IFE chief Leonardo Valdés Zurita said null or blank votes have increased in recent years… He said that elections in 1997 saw 844,000 null votes and that figure grew to more than a million in 2006. (Comment: Since the presiding magister at the Federal Tribunal already warned that there will be 70% abstention rate... Is he basically warning what could happen on Sunday?.... By the way a survey by GEA-ISA pollster found an expected 39 percent turnout rate on Sunday, two percent annulled votes and failure to go to the polls by 59 percent of voters. Off the record, a well-known pollster told me that he believed that there would be a 70% rate…)

++ The head of the Michoacán Congress Governance Committee Enrique Bautista, said the three mayors freed on Monday after having been arrested by the Attorney General’s Office will be able to resume their jobs with no need for additional paperwork… Nonetheless, the state government said all officials detained on charges of alleged links to drug traffickers had been dismissed.

++ Chief Supreme Court justice Guillermo Ortiz Mayagoitia met with the parents of some of the 48 children killed in the fire in the ABC day care center in Hermosillo, Sonora... They requested that the nation’s top court investigate possible human rights violations …

++ The Finance Secretariat said the nation’s public finances reported a 10-billion-peso deficit from January to May… This was due to falling tax and oil revenues… (Comment: How bad is it going to get?)

News summary for June 30th, 2009

2009-06-29T23:07:00.001-05:00

++ The Río Group, the Central American Integration System, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas and the Organization of American States agreed to use trade and international lobby mechanisms to put pressure on coup leaders in Honduras to make them accept the reinstatement of Manuel Zelaya as president of Honduras… The regional groups warned that if Zelaya is not allowed to return to power, Honduras might be expelled from the OAS.

++ In a separate decision, countries that make up the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, that are Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Cuba, agreed to pull their ambassadors from Honduras as reprisal for the coup d’etat.

++ Meanwhile, skirmishes between police and Zelaya sympathizers left scores of wounded…

++ President Felipe Calderón expressed his support for a return to constitutional order in Honduras, and therefore his support for president Manuel Zelaya.

++ U.S. President Barack Obama said the coup d’etat in Honduras is illegal and that Zelaya continues to be the country’s president.

++ A judge in Sonora indicted seven of the state employees who have been charged in connection to the fire at the ABC day care center fire that killed 48 infants. They will remain free during the trials having posted bail.

++ Federal police agents detained Mariano Ortega Sánchez, a member of the PRD who is mayor of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán. He is accused of links to the Familia Michoacana drug gang, as is Israel Tentory García, chief advisor to the Michoacán Rural Development Secretariat who was also arrested.

++ Federal Electoral Tribunal judge María del Carmen Alanís Figueroa, said that in Sunday’s midterm elections, 70 percent of voters will stay home.

Latest Political News in Mexico...

2009-06-29T18:49:00.001-05:00

Arrested the mayor of Lázaro Cárdenas, Morelia--possible links to drug trafficking organizations. (Milenio) Employment falls 8.4 % in the manufacturing sector in April. Worst in 14 years according to INEGI. (La Jornada) Split in the PAN? Who will lead the PAN legislators? Josefina Vázquez Mota, Francisco Ramírez Acuña or César Nava? (El Universal) Attack on PAN congressional candidate in Guerrero, Jorge Camacho Peñaloza. They burn his car. (Milenio)

Felipe Calderon... Big loser in the Midterm Elections?

2009-06-29T16:40:00.001-05:00

June 29 (Bloomberg) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s National Action Party may lose its position as the biggest political group in the lower house of Congress in July 5 elections after the economy shrank the most since 1995.

The economy is the most important issue for 40 percent of Mexicans, according to a Consulta Mitofsky poll, up from 17 percent when Calderon took office in 2006. That’s bad news for Calderon amid record unemployment and predictions by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. that the economy will shrink the most since 1932 this year, said Jesus Cantu, a public administration professor at the Monterrey Technological Institute in Monterrey.

Calderon’s unfulfilled campaign pledge to create jobs may doom legislation he backs to change labor laws, raise fines for monopolies and modify fiscal rules to collect more taxes. The president also wants lawmakers to unite local and state police forces under federal control to streamline the fight against narcotics trafficking and reduce corruption. To continue click here...

News Summary for June 29th, 2009

2009-06-28T23:55:00.002-05:00

Blast from the past… Coup in Central America..
The Honduran Army and Congress toppled Honduran President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales... Military troops arrived at the president’s residence early in the morning and out him on a plane, against his will, to Costa Rica… The Honduran Congress held a special session to approve the coup against Zelaya… Lawmakers accused Zelaya of repeatedly violating the Constitution… The Honduran Congress appointed Roberto Micheletti as interim president until January 27, 2010… Prior to that the Honduran Congress showed a letter, allegedly signed by Zelaya, in which he announced his resignation because of “the strained political situation” in Honduras and because of “severe health problems.”…Shortly afterwards, speaking from Costa Rica, Zelaya said he continued to be the president of Honduras and denied that he had resigned… The surprising chain of events came on the same day that Honduras was readying to take part in a referendum sponsored by Zelaya and opposed by most of the other branches of government, which could have allowed him to seek reelection in November polls…(Comment: Lets see, the Honduran military went to the president´s home, picked him up and dumped him in Costa Rica. ARE THEY IDIOTS OR WHAT??? Oh yeah… and the letter…and the supposed “severe health problems”… WHAT!!!! How do they possibly think that they are going to get away with this without any type of sanctions…Of course they probably don´t care, what the rest of the world thinks…)

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The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama urged respect for democracy in Honduras and said it recognized only Zelaya as constitutional president…Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez said that in conjunction with his allies, the coup in Honduras would be aborted… Chávez threatened military action if another president was appointed… Mexico’s government also expressed concern over the political crisis in Honduras and expressed its willingness to help by promoting dialogue to resolve the crisis… (Comment: Who would of thought…Obama, Chavez and Calderón seem to agree on something… However, watch out… Chavez may use this as a perfect excuse to finally divide the continent with military action….Obama and Calderon will be in a very uncomfortable situation. They will not support a coup d´état, but…they will not allow Chavez to invade another nation…mmmmm…very interesting dilemma…)

National news..
* And in connection to the ABC Day Care center tragedy in Hermosillo, that led to the deaths of 48 young children, a judge indicted Irma Crescencia Díaz Gómez, in charge of regional IMSS day care centers… She is accused of homicide, and abuse of public service among other charges…
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Authorities ordered 40-day detainment for 94 Hidalgo state government officials… They are under investigation for alleged links to the Los Zetas hired gunmen’s group…
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Army soldiers in Monterrey arrested former elite police officer Omar Ibarra Lozano, known as"El 34," and who is accused of being an operative for the Beltrán Leyva drug cartel, in charge of drug distribution in San Pedro...
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Authorities said that two of the 12 hired gunmen killed in a shootout with state and federal forces on Friday in Apaseo El Alto, were inmates who escaped from the Cieneguillas prison in Zacatecas on May 6 de...
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The Mexico Archdiocese said that the July 5 elections are a good chance to put an end to practices such as the corporate vote, buying votes and manipulating votes… The Church called on citizens to exercise their right to vote…
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Mexico City mayor inaugurated the renovated Bicentennial Circuito Interior inner city highway after construction work over 14 months that cost 3.3 billion pesos…

Updates on the midterm elections through out the day… Check up on us on a regular basis.. I will be blogging and twitting (amsalazar) or join me on Facebook (Ana Maria Salazar Slack…)

Political news update for June 28th, 2009

2009-06-28T20:49:00.002-05:00

Governor Bours has done nothing to solve the daycare fire PAN (El Universal), Sodi accuses Guevara of orchestrating a fraud on elections day. (Milenio) Mexico's Calderon plans September tax proposal: Aide (Reuters) Brugada claims that letter signed by AMLO is false: PRD conflict continues in IZTAPALAPA borough in Mexico City. (La Jornada)

More news later on on Imagen News tonight at 23:00 hrs (central time) www.imagen.com.mx

News Summary for June 27th, 2009

2009-06-27T00:10:00.000-05:00

Sonora continues to make headlines… More bad news…
++ The number of children killed in the ABC day care center fire in Hermosillo rose to 48… The latest death was that of a three-year-old girl who was being cared for at the Shriners Hospital in Cincinnati. Interior Secretary Fernando Gómez Mont said that in view of the poor results obtained by the Sonora State Attorney General’s Office in the investigation into the fire at the ABC day care center, it will be up to the federal Attorney General’s Office to capture those truly to blame. Former IMSS director Juan Molinar Horcasitas, who is currently Communications and Transportation Secretary, denied any responsibility in the ABC day care center tragedy. (Comment: Ahhhhhhhhh this bickering is disgusting and demeaning…At the end of the day, there is probably going to be 50 dead infants and no one is to blame…or they will blame the lower one on the ladder of guilt…Another march taking place in Hermosillo this weekend, and also they are announcing a march next weekend in Mexico City…Will this mobilization actually matter? Probably not…You can kill close to 50 infants in Mexico and nada…nada… nada…)

Also in Sonora…Political assassinations?
++ An armed commando opened fire on a car that was transporting the PAN candidate for federal deputy in Sonora, Ernesto Cornejo… Two of his aides were killed… The Attorney General’s Office will take on the investigations into the attack… PAN repudiated the attack against Ernesto Cornejo and accused PRI governor Eduardo Bours of creating a climate of confrontation in the state…

More law and order news… Well, lot´s of violence and arrests…
++Twelve members of the los Zetas hired gunmen’s group were killed in a shootout with soldiers and police in Apaseo el Alto in Guanajuato… Three policemen were wounded. Federal Police in Hidalgo for the third day in a row carried out operations to locate more agents possibly linked to organized crime… To date, 92 state police have been detained and taken to the organized crime special prosecutor’s office. Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora acknowledged that Mexico has become a drug center where illegal drugs are produced, trafficked and used.

News Summary for June 26th, 2009

2009-06-26T01:09:00.001-05:00

++ Mexican and Chilean presidents Felipe Calderón and Michelle Bachelet agreed to strengthen trade between their two countries and take advantage of opportunities that will surface once the global recession is over. Navy Secretary Francisco Saynez said the government’s fight against narcotics trafficking knows no rest and neither does it tolerate criminal groups.

++ Ninety police officers have been arrested in Pachuca, Hidalgo, because of alleged links to organized crime.

++ IMSS director general Daniel Karam acknowledged that the Mexican Social Security Institute is partially to blame for the tragedy at the ABC day care center in Hermosillo, Sonora… But he said city and state governments are equally to blame… Sonora governor Eduardo Bours Castelo hailed the Attorney General’s Office decision to take on the investigation into the fire at the ABC day care center that killed 47 young children… Bours however, called on Interior Secretary Fernando Gómez Mont to stop acting as if he were attorney general. PRD chief Jesús Ortega said the federal government and the Sonora government are playing “tit for tat” in relation to the ABC nursery tragedy… Both governments are failing to acknowledge their responsibility in the fire that led to the deaths of 47 children, according to Ortega.

++ State of Mexico governor Enrique Peña Nieto warned Congress that he will continue to campaign for PRI candidates on his time off, when he’s not on the job, since it is legal, he said…

News Summary for June 25th, 2009

2009-06-25T10:47:00.001-05:00

++ The Attorney General’s Office took on the investigation into the fire at the privately run ABC nursery in Hermosillo, that was part of the IMSS day care centers system… The fire led to the deaths of 47 infants…

++ Interior Secretary Fernando Gómez Mont said the decision by the Attorney General’s Office to take on the investigation is evidence of its commitment to get to the bottom of the matter.

Gómez Mont called on Sonora Governor Eduardo Bours to tone down his accusations against President Calderón in connection to the day care center tragedy.

++ In response, Bours asked Interior Secretary Gómez Mont to stop playing victim, since, he said, the true victims are the 47 children who were killed and their families.

++ Meanwhile Michoacán Governor Leonel Godoy said that cooperation and subordination are not to be confused, this in response to President Calderón’s claims that state government provide little support in the battle against organized crime.

++ President Felipe Calderón said he agreed with the demand that legislators be allowed to run for consecutive terms in Congress… He also asked citizens to renew their interest in politics…And the chairman of the SOS citizen’s group Alejandro Martí lashed out once again at the inefficiency and corruption rife among Mexico’s political class…

++ There will be no debating on the night PRI, PAN and PRD leaders take part in a program to be broadcast on Televisa’s Channel 2… They’ll only be “chatting” or at least that’s what spokespeople for those parties would have us believe…(Comment: Why run away from the opportunity to debate, to explain to the voters what your position is? No wonder people don´t want to go out and vote!!)

++ Unemployment rose to 5.31 percent in May… That level is higher than the April unemployment rate.

++ U.S. drug officials announced that the United States will in July send special land units to Mexico… Those units are to help in the search for arms and drugs… In December, Washington send five helicopters to shore up the fight against organized crime.

News Summary for June 24th, 2009

2009-06-24T08:31:00.000-05:00

In Sonora, State Attorney General Abel Murrieta said that more criminal arrests are expected in connection to the ABC day care center tragedy that led to the deaths of 47 infants… He called on the Mexican Social Security Institute, the IMSS, to acknowledge its role in the incident as well…

++ French citizen Florence Cassez said that 60 years in prison in Mexico is the same as being sentenced to death …In a telephone interview from prison with French media Cassez insisted she is innocent and said the accusations against her are unjust. The French government expressed its disappointed at the Mexican government’s one-sided decision to step away from negotiations about the matter…

++ Narcotics traffickers in Baja California Sur may have used a building complex known as Bahía de Los Sueños, as a logistics and operations center, according to documents found there on June 17th.

++ Senate Political Affairs chairman Manlio Fabio Beltrones led a meeting to analyze, discuss and evaluate current electoral law so as to improve and adjust current measures before the 2012 elections.

++ Civic organizations SOS and Lupa Ciudadana, or Citizen’s Magnifying Glass, announced that starting on September 1, candidates elected to public office going about their tasks will be reviewed and will be publicly chastised if they fail to keep their pledges.

++ Tropical storm Andrés was upgraded to a Category One hurricane, this season’s first… An alert was in place from Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco to Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán.