Mexico is sending 2,000 elite police to try to smother a fresh surge in drug killings on the U.S. border as the army intensifies its operations, denying it plans to withdraw troops.
“The soldiers are not leaving. On the contrary, we are redoubling patrols with 100 percent of our personnel. There will be soldiers everywhere,” said army spokesman Enrique Torres in Ciudad Juarez.
Calderon’s strategy in the border city, the bloodiest front in his war against drug cartels, is stumbling as rights groups accuse soldiers and police of rounding up innocent residents in violent house raids and beating confessions out of suspects.
Calderon, who has sent soldiers across Mexico to fight drug cartels, has said the unprecedented military presence in Ciudad Juarez is only temporary and soldiers will be replaced by newly trained police.
Beer Battle Begins in Mexico as Heineken Buys Brewer
The attractive and highly profitable beer market in Mexico draws a new customer south of the border as Dutch brewer Heineken announced it was acquiring the beer unit of Mexico’s number-two brewer, FEMSA.
Between Heineken and Belgian brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev, the two companies now own almost all of Mexico’s brewing industry. The purchase leaves the world’s second-largest brewer, SABMiller, on the outside looking in at the lucrative Latin market. The purchase puts such brands as Dos Equis, Tecate and Sol into Heinek
Mexican security forces captured a top drug trafficker “EL TEO”
Mexican security forces captured a top drug trafficker behind much of a surge in violence in the northern border city of Tijuana on Tuesday in a fresh victory for the country’s drug war, government and police sources said.
Teodoro Garcia Simental, known as “El Teo” or “Tres Letras” for the three letters in his nickname, was caught in the beach town of La Paz in southern Baja California, a police officer who participated in the operation told Reuters. A government official also confirmed the arrest. Garcia Simental is thought to have split off from the Tijuana-based Arellano Feliz cartel to help efforts by Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman — head of the rival Sinaloa cartel and Mexico’s most wanted man — to wrest control of key smuggling corridors in northern Mexico from the Arellano Felix cartel.
He and his hitmen are known to use gruesome killing methods including torture and then dissolving the bodies of his enemies in corrosive acid.
Immigration Reform Doesn’t Help Mexico as much as the American economy and its Immigrants , as a blogger of Mexico.vg and a person very familiar with the immigration topic i can tell you that it will most likely help the immigrants and the American economy the most , as the immigrants get “the papers” and set down roots , they are going to buy homes , new cars and other things they would probably had held back from buying because of the fear of deportation. in a way the legalization of immigrants could be powerful stimulus for the American economy at this critical moment in time. Thus Immigration Reform would end up being another powerful tool in helping the U.S economy rebound. that said , Mexico would not totally be at a loss from immigration reform as it would help its export-sales to America improve.” soft drinks , beer , and Mexican pre-packaged food that are a favorite of immigrants in the states.
if they do this immigration reform properly it has the opportunity to help each country in this economic environment.
Wal-Mart de Mexico opened 78 new stores in the country in December 2009 and thus generating more than 2,200 permanent jobs in 13 states: Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Mexico City, Durango, Estado de Mexico, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Nuevo Leon, Puebla, Sonora, Tabasco, Veracruz and Yucatan.
“We are committed to growth in the country, which we do by creating permanent jobs and bringing our value offers to more families, including 9 populations of Pabellón de Arteaga, Aguascalientes, Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Vicente Guerrero, Durango; Cananea, Sonora Libres, Puebla, Centro, Tabasco; Huichapan, Hidalgo, Catemaco, Veracruz, and Ticul, Yucatan, where we are present for the first time with the openings made in December. With these 78 new stores we are now in 265 cities, “said Raul Arguelles, Sr. VP of Corporate Affairs and Human Resources Walmart de Mexico.
Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB de CV (WALMEX) is Mexican retail chain operator. Its business is structured in three segments: Self-Service, Apparel and Restaurants. In the Self-Service segment, the Company operates Sam’s Club, a wholesale store; Bodega Aurrera, a general merchandise store, and two supermarket chains, Superama and Wal-Mart. The Company’s Apparel segment operations are carried out by its subsidiary, Suburbia SA de CV, which owns the Suburbia department stores.
Mexico’s government archaeological agency says the images of the Aztec calendar stone and the Pyramid of the Moon from the pre-Aztec ruins of Teotihuacan are the intellectual property of the Mexican nation. The agency will decide how much Starbucks should pay.
Starbucks Corp.’s Mexico unit says it is willing to pay for permission to sell coffee mugs featuring pre-Hispanic images, after the Mexican government notified it about potential violations of intellectual property rights.
Canada lending H1N1 vaccine to Mexico. Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq says “5 million doses” will be shipped south starting this week; Mexico to replenish Canada’s supply by end of March Canada is lending, not donating, 5 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine to Mexico – and the federal government remains mum on what it will do with its expected surplus of the pandemic vaccine.
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced today that the doses, being shipped to Mexico starting this week, will help with that country’s immediate pandemic vaccine requirements. Mexico will replenish Canada’s supply by the end of March.
“Provincial and territorial governments unanimously agreed to the request. Canada already has distributed and has stockpiled enough vaccine in Canada to meet its immediate and ongoing needs, as well as to accommodate Mexico’s request,” the government said in a news release.
Signs of confidence in the region are plentiful, with foreign direct investment as a good barometer. Ford intends to invest $2.3 billion in Brazil while Infosys, India’s second largest software producer, plans to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary. Wal-Mart aims to re-launch its banking operations in Mexico, and Wendy’s/Arby’s is firmly committed to expand throughout Latin America.
While 2010 will be one of recovery for Latin America, the impacts will be uneven and intractable problems, beyond politics and society, will remain. In this scenario, pro-market democracies such as Chile, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Mexico will see their fortunes improve. The statist economies of Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Nicaragua will not. (Were it not for wheat and soybean exports, Argentina would barely improve.)
from – latinbusinesschronicle.com
Mexico’s Energy Ministry said Tuesday it will establish minimum fuel economy standards for new cars and heavy trucks, along with tougher rules to import used cars from the U.S., as part of an energy savings plan.
As part of a 2009-2012 sustainable energy plan approved in November, the transport portion will set the fuel economy minimums based on categories–”light” and “medium” for cars, and “heavy” for trucks.
The goal of the new rules is to “accelerate the adoption and implementation of technology and best practices in design…in order to progressively increase the average national fuel economy,” the ministry said.
Other countries, like the U.S., have long mandated minimum average fuel economy standards per manufacturer based on weighted sales rather than auto categories.
Authorities will also set separate limits on fuel economy for vehicles used by the federal government.
As a result of the transport plan, the ministry expects to save the energy equivalent of nine terawatt hours worth of energy by 2012 and 2,736 terawatt hours by 2030. A terawatt is equal to 1 trillion watts.
Mexico has 21.4 million vehicles, 95% using gasoline, 4% with diesel engines, and 1% that use alternative fuels, the statement said.
Mexicos Real estate agents in the area are quick to point out that most communities along the oceanfront have their own security forces, and that they all feel safe living and working around Tijuana and Rosarito. (Tijuana has implemented a police reform program over the last year, with plans to hire 150 new officers in 2010.)
Oceanfront homes in the area range from $500,000 to $1 million, said Diane Gibbs, owner of Gibbs and Associates in Rosarito Beach, the listing agent for the property featured here. Houses within view of the ocean, but built behind the oceanfront properties in mexico, begin around $300,000, she said.
There are a number of condominium developments along the coastline, including a complex called La Jolla Real just south of Rosarito. There, Mr. Biondolillo said, he has recently sold 10 units, with prices ranging from the low $200,000s to the $600,000s. Larger units can sell for as much as $1 million, he said.
from – nytimes.com
