Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador warned Friday he would not allow the US to conduct cross-border armed operations after Donald Trump vowed to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups.

The US president has been talking tough on the powerful drug cartels since one was allegedly responsible for the massacre of nine women and children from a US-Mexican Mormon community in northern Mexico on November 4.

Trump tweeted after the killings that the US was ready to help Mexico "wage war on the drug cartels," and he followed up this week by vowing to add Mexican cartels to the US blacklist of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

That insulted national pride in Mexico, which resents a long history of armed interventions by its giant northern neighbour, and where Trump's comments have been taken as a threat of armed cross-border operations.

"Armed foreigners cannot intervene in our territory. We will not allow that," Lopez Obrador said.

He was quick to add that he considered any such operations unlikely, saying there was "great cooperation" between the neighbours and that Trump had always treated him "respectfully."

"In the unlikely case that a decision is taken that we consider affects our sovereignty, then we will act within the framework of international law, but I see it as unlikely," said the leftist leader, who took office one year ago.

US Attorney General William Barr will visit Mexico City next week for talks, said Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.

Lopez Obrador, for his part, is due to meet Monday with family members of the slain Mormons.

Mexico deployed its army to fight drug trafficking in 2006, but experts blame the so-called "drug wars" for a spiral of violence, as fragmented cartels fight each other and the military.

The country has registered more than 250,000 murders since deploying the army into the streets, including an all-time high of 33,743 last year -- a record that looks set to be broken again this year.

Drone strikes?

Trump made his controversial comments in a radio interview with conservative media personality Bill O'Reilly.

"Are you going to designate those cartels in Mexico as terror groups and start hitting them with drones?" O'Reilly asked.

"I don't want to say what I'm going to do, but they will be designated," Trump said.

Mexican authorities reacted swiftly, with the foreign minister warning against a "violation of national sovereignty."

His office said it had contacted US officials "to understand the content and the reach" of Trump's statements.

Mexico said it would also seek a high-level meeting with US officials to hear their views and present the Mexican government's concerns -- which include stemming the illegal flow of American-made weapons south of the border.

The two countries share a 3,200-kilometer (nearly 2,000-mile) border. Mexico lost more than half its territory to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican-American War -- just one on a long list of grievances.

However, the two countries cooperate closely in the fight against drug cartels.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has a large operation in Mexico, American planes routinely conduct counter-narcotics operations in Mexican airspace and US personnel work with the Mexican military -- on condition that they are unarmed.

The two countries also work together to crack down on cartel money-laundering operations.

Experts say little would likely change on the ground if the US added Mexican cartels to its terror blacklist.

"There are DEA agents based here permanently, American personnel embedded with the Mexican marines, accompanying them on their missions.... All this is happening already," Jorge Castaneda, a Mexican academic and former foreign minister, told AFP.

"If the United States tells Mexico, 'I want to send in a drone tomorrow,' ... Mexico is going to say, 'Yeah, go ahead.' There's no need to treat it like an invasion."

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador warned Friday he would not allow the US to conduct cross-border armed operations after Donald Trump vowed to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador warned Friday he would not allow the US to conduct cross-border armed operations after Donald Trump vowed to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups. The US president has been talking tough on the powerful drug cartels since one was allegedly responsible for the massacre of nine women and children from a US-Mexican Mormon community in northern Mexico on November 4. Trump tweeted after the killings that the US was ready to help Mexico "wage war on the drug cartels," and he followed up this week by vowing to add Mexican cartels to the US blacklist of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. That insulted national pride in Mexico, which resents a long history of armed interventions by its giant northern neighbour, and where Trump's comments have been taken as a threat of armed cross-border operations. "Armed foreigners cannot intervene in our territory. We will not allow that," Lopez Obrador said. He was quick to add that he considered any such operations unlikely, saying there was "great cooperation" between the neighbours and that Trump had always treated him "respectfully." "In the unlikely case that a decision is taken that we consider affects our sovereignty, then we will act within the framework of international law, but I see it as unlikely," said the leftist leader, who took office one year ago. US Attorney General William Barr will visit Mexico City next week for talks, said Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. Lopez Obrador, for his part, is due to meet Monday with family members of the slain Mormons. Mexico deployed its army to fight drug trafficking in 2006, but experts blame the so-called "drug wars" for a spiral of violence, as fragmented cartels fight each other and the military. The country has registered more than 250,000 murders since deploying the army into the streets, including an all-time high of 33,743 last year -- a record that looks set to be broken again this year. Drone strikes? Trump made his controversial comments in a radio interview with conservative media personality Bill O'Reilly. "Are you going to designate those cartels in Mexico as terror groups and start hitting them with drones?" O'Reilly asked. "I don't want to say what I'm going to do, but they will be designated," Trump said. Mexican authorities reacted swiftly, with the foreign minister warning against a "violation of national sovereignty." His office said it had contacted US officials "to understand the content and the reach" of Trump's statements. Mexico said it would also seek a high-level meeting with US officials to hear their views and present the Mexican government's concerns -- which include stemming the illegal flow of American-made weapons south of the border. The two countries share a 3,200-kilometer (nearly 2,000-mile) border. Mexico lost more than half its territory to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican-American War -- just one on a long list of grievances. However, the two countries cooperate closely in the fight against drug cartels. The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has a large operation in Mexico, American planes routinely conduct counter-narcotics operations in Mexican airspace and US personnel work with the Mexican military -- on condition that they are unarmed. The two countries also work together to crack down on cartel money-laundering operations. Experts say little would likely change on the ground if the US added Mexican cartels to its terror blacklist. "There are DEA agents based here permanently, American personnel embedded with the Mexican marines, accompanying them on their missions.... All this is happening already," Jorge Castaneda, a Mexican academic and former foreign minister, told AFP. "If the United States tells Mexico, 'I want to send in a drone tomorrow,' ... Mexico is going to say, 'Yeah, go ahead.' There's no need to treat it like an invasion."

Mexico warns will not allow US military operations against cartels

A year ago, thousands of Central American men, women and children chasing the American dream arrived in Mexico in a massive caravan that has left a lasting legacy -- just not the one people generally thought it would.

Their arrival at the Guatemala-Mexico border on October 19, 2018, was a harbinger of the drama to come: defying the Mexican riot police sent to stop them, they forced their way through a series of barricades and flooded onto the border bridge, camping out until the authorities relented and let them cross.

Fleeing chronic poverty and brutal gang violence at home, they banded together in hopes of finding safety in numbers against the dangers of the journey, including criminal gangs that regularly extort, kidnap and kill migrants.

The images made an impact around the world: carrying their meagre belongings on their backs, many migrants pressed small children to their chests or held them by the hand. They hitched rides when they could, but often just walked in a giant sea of humanity, many in plastic shoes or flip-flops.

Honduran migrant Lizeth Garcia, 23, says she has mixed feelings when she looks back on the trek, which she made with her husband, Mauricio, and their then-one-year-old son.

"People helped us a lot along the way, in Guatemala, in Mexico. I would ask for food for my baby, and they would always help," she told AFP from Norfolk, Virginia, where she now works as a cleaner, wearing an ankle monitor while her asylum case works its way through court.

But there are bad memories, too.

"We slept in the street, for a really long time," she said.

By the time they reached the border, her son had developed severe pneumonia and was vomiting blood. He had to be hospitalized.

"My baby almost died on me in Tijuana," Mexico, she said.

Now, she and her husband are expecting their second child in two months' time. If all goes according to plan, he will be born a US citizen.

'Migrant 'invasion'&nbsp;

Gearing up for crucial midterm elections in the United States that November, President Donald Trump immediately pounced, firing up his conservative base with the rhetoric that helped get him elected in 2016.

He sent nearly 6,000 troops to the border, calling the caravan an "invasion" and warning it was full of "gang members" and "criminals."

It was not the first caravan of its kind. Activists have been organizing similar ones since 2010 to raise awareness of migrants' plight.

But it was by far the biggest, swelling to as many as 7,000 people, according to the United Nations.

It inspired numerous other caravans and seemed for a time as if it would change the face of migration in the Americas.

Arguably, it did -- though not in the way many people expected.

"At the time, people were saying, 'We're seeing a change in the migrant experience,'" said Leticia Calderon, an expert on migration at Mexico's Mora Institute.

"But in the end, it didn't create a new pattern of migration like many people thought it would."

'Mexico is the wall'&nbsp;

What there has been, instead, is a major crackdown on migration in all the countries involved.

Trump got Mexico to dramatically restrict the surge of Central Americans crossing its territory.

At the time of the caravan, Mexico looked set to soften its migration policy.

Incoming President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador -- a leftist elected in a landslide that July -- talked of giving migrants opportunities and safeguarding their rights.

But then Trump threatened last May to impose steep tariffs on Mexico if the government did not curb undocumented migration.

Fearing an economic crisis, Lopez Obrador acquiesced.

His government struck a deal to avert the tariffs, promising to send 6,000 National Guardsmen to tighten the southern border. It has deployed many more: 12,000 Guardsmen to the southern border and 15,000 to the north.

It has also taken back more than 50,000 asylum-seekers while their cases are processed in the United States, under a policy known as "Remain in Mexico."

In a sign of how much things have changed, Mexican authorities swiftly and forcefully broke up a new caravan of 2,000 migrants earlier this month.

"Mexico has turned into a great wall," said Ruben Hernandez-Leon, a sociologist and migration expert at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

Using US aid for leverage, Trump has also struck deals with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras requiring each to take in asylum-seekers from third countries who enter their territory.

Such policies make it unlikely for now that there will be another caravan like the one that set out on October 13, 2018, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras and trekked more than 4,300 kilometres (2,600 miles) to the US border.

A year ago, thousands of Central American men, women and children chasing the American dream arrived in Mexico in a massive caravan that has left a lasting legacy -- just not the one people generally thought it would.

A year ago, thousands of Central American men, women and children chasing the American dream arrived in Mexico in a massive caravan that has left a lasting legacy -- just not the one people generally thought it would. Their arrival at the Guatemala-Mexico border on October 19, 2018, was a harbinger of the drama to come: defying the Mexican riot police sent to stop them, they forced their way through a series of barricades and flooded onto the border bridge, camping out until the authorities relented and let them cross. Fleeing chronic poverty and brutal gang violence at home, they banded together in hopes of finding safety in numbers against the dangers of the journey, including criminal gangs that regularly extort, kidnap and kill migrants. The images made an impact around the world: carrying their meagre belongings on their backs, many migrants pressed small children to their chests or held them by the hand. They hitched rides when they could, but often just walked in a giant sea of humanity, many in plastic shoes or flip-flops. Honduran migrant Lizeth Garcia, 23, says she has mixed feelings when she looks back on the trek, which she made with her husband, Mauricio, and their then-one-year-old son. "People helped us a lot along the way, in Guatemala, in Mexico. I would ask for food for my baby, and they would always help," she told AFP from Norfolk, Virginia, where she now works as a cleaner, wearing an ankle monitor while her asylum case works its way through court. But there are bad memories, too. "We slept in the street, for a really long time," she said. By the time they reached the border, her son had developed severe pneumonia and was vomiting blood. He had to be hospitalized. "My baby almost died on me in Tijuana," Mexico, she said. Now, she and her husband are expecting their second child in two months' time. If all goes according to plan, he will be born a US citizen. 'Migrant 'invasion' Gearing up for crucial midterm elections in the United States that November, President Donald Trump immediately pounced, firing up his conservative base with the rhetoric that helped get him elected in 2016. He sent nearly 6,000 troops to the border, calling the caravan an "invasion" and warning it was full of "gang members" and "criminals." It was not the first caravan of its kind. Activists have been organizing similar ones since 2010 to raise awareness of migrants' plight. But it was by far the biggest, swelling to as many as 7,000 people, according to the United Nations. It inspired numerous other caravans and seemed for a time as if it would change the face of migration in the Americas. Arguably, it did -- though not in the way many people expected. "At the time, people were saying, 'We're seeing a change in the migrant experience,'" said Leticia Calderon, an expert on migration at Mexico's Mora Institute. "But in the end, it didn't create a new pattern of migration like many people thought it would." 'Mexico is the wall' What there has been, instead, is a major crackdown on migration in all the countries involved. Trump got Mexico to dramatically restrict the surge of Central Americans crossing its territory. At the time of the caravan, Mexico looked set to soften its migration policy. Incoming President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador -- a leftist elected in a landslide that July -- talked of giving migrants opportunities and safeguarding their rights. But then Trump threatened last May to impose steep tariffs on Mexico if the government did not curb undocumented migration. Fearing an economic crisis, Lopez Obrador acquiesced. His government struck a deal to avert the tariffs, promising to send 6,000 National Guardsmen to tighten the southern border. It has deployed many more: 12,000 Guardsmen to the southern border and 15,000 to the north. It has also taken back more than 50,000 asylum-seekers while their cases are processed in the United States, under a policy known as "Remain in Mexico." In a sign of how much things have changed, Mexican authorities swiftly and forcefully broke up a new caravan of 2,000 migrants earlier this month. "Mexico has turned into a great wall," said Ruben Hernandez-Leon, a sociologist and migration expert at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Using US aid for leverage, Trump has also struck deals with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras requiring each to take in asylum-seekers from third countries who enter their territory. Such policies make it unlikely for now that there will be another caravan like the one that set out on October 13, 2018, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras and trekked more than 4,300 kilometres (2,600 miles) to the US border.

One year on, migrant caravan leaves unexpected legacy

Mexico's week of bloodshed: What is going on?

Mexican security forces on Thursday arrested one son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-the-rise-and-fall-of-el-chapo-236998">"El Chapo" Guzman</a> in an operation that triggered intense fighting.

Heavy gunfire rocked Culiacan, a city of 750,000 people, in sustained clashes that left blazing vehicles strewn across the street and sent terrified residents running for cover.

Security Minister Alfonso Durazo confirmed the arrest of a man identifying himself as Ovidio Guzman, one of the sons who assumed partial control of the notorious cartel run by their father until he was extradited to the United States in 2017.

Images carried on Mexican television showed army and police personnel under assault by men armed with heavy weapons.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his security cabinet was holding a meeting and would soon give further details on the situation.

Sources in the Sinaloa state government speaking on condition of anonymity said police officers had been wounded.

They also said an unknown number of inmates had escaped from the Aguaruto prison in Culiacan amid the chaos.

The state government said it was "working to restore calm and order in the face of the high-impact incidents that have occurred in recent hours in various points around Culiacan."

It called on residents to "remain calm, stay off the streets and be very attentive to official advisories on the evolving situation."

The battle broke out in the afternoon near the state prosecutor's office, when masked gunmen blocked traffic and opened fire, causing panicked drivers to abandon their cars in the middle of the street.

The fighting then spread to several other parts of the city.

Gunmen blocked roads and highways around the city into the evening, bringing the capital to a standstill.

"El Chapo," 62, was sentenced to life in prison in July for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States over the course of a quarter-century.

However, his Sinaloa cartel remains one of the most powerful in Mexico.

Guzman's extradition unleashed an initial period of instability in the group, as Ovidio and his brother Alfredo waged war with cartel co-founder, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, for control, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

But the situation has since stabilized into a reluctant truce.

Guzman, whose nickname means "Shorty," was rearrested in 2016 after a brazen prison escape, the second of his career.

He is considered the most powerful drug lord since Colombia's Pablo Escobar, who was killed in a police shootout in 1993.

After being convicted in a New York court, he is now serving his sentence in the notorious ADX federal maximum security prison in Colorado, nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the Rockies."

Ovidio and Alfredo have tried to fill their father's shoes, but anti-narcotics experts portray them as flashy party boys who have little ability to run the business side of the cartel.

Known as "Los Chapitos," or The Little Chapos, the pair were attacked in 2016 in a restaurant in the beach town of Puerto Vallarta.

They survived the attack, which the authorities called an attempted hit by rivals.

Mexican security forces on Thursday arrested one son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in an operation that triggered intense fighting. Heavy gunfire rocked Culiacan, a city of 750,000 people, in sustained clashes that left blazing vehicles strewn across the street and sent terrified residents running for cover.

Mexican security forces on Thursday arrested one son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in an operation that triggered intense fighting. Heavy gunfire rocked Culiacan, a city of 750,000 people, in sustained clashes that left blazing vehicles strewn across the street and sent terrified residents running for cover. Security Minister Alfonso Durazo confirmed the arrest of a man identifying himself as Ovidio Guzman, one of the sons who assumed partial control of the notorious cartel run by their father until he was extradited to the United States in 2017. Images carried on Mexican television showed army and police personnel under assault by men armed with heavy weapons. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his security cabinet was holding a meeting and would soon give further details on the situation. Sources in the Sinaloa state government speaking on condition of anonymity said police officers had been wounded. They also said an unknown number of inmates had escaped from the Aguaruto prison in Culiacan amid the chaos. The state government said it was "working to restore calm and order in the face of the high-impact incidents that have occurred in recent hours in various points around Culiacan." It called on residents to "remain calm, stay off the streets and be very attentive to official advisories on the evolving situation." The battle broke out in the afternoon near the state prosecutor's office, when masked gunmen blocked traffic and opened fire, causing panicked drivers to abandon their cars in the middle of the street. The fighting then spread to several other parts of the city. Gunmen blocked roads and highways around the city into the evening, bringing the capital to a standstill. "El Chapo," 62, was sentenced to life in prison in July for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States over the course of a quarter-century. However, his Sinaloa cartel remains one of the most powerful in Mexico. Guzman's extradition unleashed an initial period of instability in the group, as Ovidio and his brother Alfredo waged war with cartel co-founder, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, for control, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. But the situation has since stabilized into a reluctant truce. Guzman, whose nickname means "Shorty," was rearrested in 2016 after a brazen prison escape, the second of his career. He is considered the most powerful drug lord since Colombia's Pablo Escobar, who was killed in a police shootout in 1993. After being convicted in a New York court, he is now serving his sentence in the notorious ADX federal maximum security prison in Colorado, nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the Rockies." Ovidio and Alfredo have tried to fill their father's shoes, but anti-narcotics experts portray them as flashy party boys who have little ability to run the business side of the cartel. Known as "Los Chapitos," or The Little Chapos, the pair were attacked in 2016 in a restaurant in the beach town of Puerto Vallarta. They survived the attack, which the authorities called an attempted hit by rivals.

Fierce gun battles as El Chapo's son arrested in Mexico

Mexican Supreme Court Justice Eduardo Medina Mora resigned Thursday amid an investigation into claims he transferred millions of dollars into bank accounts in Britain and the United States.&nbsp;

"The Presidency of the Republic confirms that President (Andres Manuel) Lopez Obrador accepted the resignation of Justice Eduardo Medina Mora and will submit it to the Senate for their analysis," a government spokesman said, without mentioning the cause for his departure.

According to the Mexican constitution, resignations of Supreme Court justices are submitted to the president, and if accepted, sent to the Senate. &nbsp;

The law says such judges may only resign for "grave reasons."&nbsp;

Medina-Mora, 62, was appointed to his position in 2015 by then-president Enrique Pena Nieto for a 15-year tenure.&nbsp;

In June, Mexican media reported that Medina-Mora was suspected of having made 103 million-peso ($5.2 million) transfers to bank accounts in the US and Britain that were not reported in his financial declarations.&nbsp;

The finance minister opened an investigation, and Medina-Mora had said the transfers amounted to only 7.5 million pesos ($381,000).

Before becoming Supreme Court justice, Medina-Mora was well-known among the Mexican security establishment.&nbsp;

From 2000 to 2005, he was the director of the Mexican intelligence agency, and from 2005 to 2006, Medina-Mora was the secretariat of public security under the government of Vicente Fox.&nbsp;

From 2006 to 2009, he was the country's attorney general under Felipe Calderon and was later Mexico's ambassador to the US and Britain.&nbsp;

Once the Senate confirms the resignation, Lopez Obrador must send three new nominees to the legislative body for consideration to fill the empty court seat.

Medina Mora's successor will be the third justice that Lopez Obrador has nominated for the highest court in the country since he took office last December.&nbsp;

Mexican Supreme Court Justice Eduardo Medina Mora resigned Thursday amid an investigation into claims he transferred millions of dollars into bank accounts in Britain and the United States.

Mexican Supreme Court Justice Eduardo Medina Mora resigned Thursday amid an investigation into claims he transferred millions of dollars into bank accounts in Britain and the United States. "The Presidency of the Republic confirms that President (Andres Manuel) Lopez Obrador accepted the resignation of Justice Eduardo Medina Mora and will submit it to the Senate for their analysis," a government spokesman said, without mentioning the cause for his departure. According to the Mexican constitution, resignations of Supreme Court justices are submitted to the president, and if accepted, sent to the Senate. The law says such judges may only resign for "grave reasons." Medina-Mora, 62, was appointed to his position in 2015 by then-president Enrique Pena Nieto for a 15-year tenure. In June, Mexican media reported that Medina-Mora was suspected of having made 103 million-peso ($5.2 million) transfers to bank accounts in the US and Britain that were not reported in his financial declarations. The finance minister opened an investigation, and Medina-Mora had said the transfers amounted to only 7.5 million pesos ($381,000). Before becoming Supreme Court justice, Medina-Mora was well-known among the Mexican security establishment. From 2000 to 2005, he was the director of the Mexican intelligence agency, and from 2005 to 2006, Medina-Mora was the secretariat of public security under the government of Vicente Fox. From 2006 to 2009, he was the country's attorney general under Felipe Calderon and was later Mexico's ambassador to the US and Britain. Once the Senate confirms the resignation, Lopez Obrador must send three new nominees to the legislative body for consideration to fill the empty court seat. Medina Mora's successor will be the third justice that Lopez Obrador has nominated for the highest court in the country since he took office last December.

Mexico Supreme Court justice resigns over suspicious bank deposits

Mexican singer Jose Jose, whose powerful, romantic ballads captivated Latin America for more than half a century, died on Saturday. 
 
Mexico's Culture Ministry expressed its condolences in a statement, calling Jose Jose, whose real name was Jose Romulo Sosa Ortiz, "one of Mexico's most loved voices." 
 
Jose Jose received several Grammy nominations, sold more than 250 million albums and was once courted by music legend Frank Sinatra, who wanted to win him for his own label. 
 
He is often considered Mexico's most successful singer and was also an occasional actor. "It is sad, his passing," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters. 
 
Mexico City residents gathered for an impromptu tribute at a statue of the singer, laying wreaths, and singing his songs. Some were in tears. 
 
'The Prince of Song',&nbsp;as the Mexican was affectionately called by his fans, was born into a family of musicians and raised in Mexico City. 
 
Son of tenor Jose Sosa Esquivel and pianist Margarita Ortiz Pensado, Jose Jose began his musical career as a child: he debuted in the school choir and in 1963 formed a musical trio formally starting his career at age 15. 
 
Initially, he appeared in nightclubs and even formed a jazz and bossa nova group in which he played the double bass; later, he scored a contract with the Mexican subsidiary of the international label RCA Victor. 
 
In 1969, he released his first album under the pseudonym of "Jose Jose." The singer said later that his artistic name was inspired by the name of his father, who died in 1968 of alcoholism. 
 
Jose Jose conquered the Spanish-speaking world with the interpretation of 'El Triste'&nbsp;at the 1970 Latin Song Festival that took place in the Mexican capital. It became the performance that catapulted him to stardom. 
 
The sudden fame also brought negative consequences. Like his father, he fell into alcoholism and had to take some time out. He returned to the stage in 1971 but continued to suffer from alcoholism for 30 more years. 
 
The 1980s became the most successful decade of his career, during which he sold two million copies of his album 'Secrets'&nbsp;in just a few weeks while also making his debut in the cinema. 
 
But his dipsomania and lack of rest irreparably damaged his vocal cords, forcing him to undergo several operations that failed to restore them. In 2007, he also suffered a facial paralysis. 
 
As a result of his alcohol addiction, Jose Jose`s health deteriorated rapidly since the 1990s. Even so, supported by his wife, Cuban Sarita Salazar, Jose Jose recovered and continued his career. In recent years he gained a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 
 
Mexican broadcaster Televisa reported the singer died in Miami at 71 after complications following treatment for pancreatic cancer. Two years ago he announced that he had a tumor in the pancreas that was being treated with chemotherapy. 
 
Many of his works inspired a younger generation of artists and musicians, including Latin pop star Julio Iglesias, who interpreted Jose Jose`s first big hit 'The Ship of Oblivion'. 
 
His son Jose Francisco, known as Jose Joel, who is also a musician, changed his profile picture on Twitter to a black ribbon. His daughters Marysol and Sara have also followed the family tradition into music.

Mexican singer Jose Jose, whose powerful, romantic ballads captivated Latin America for more than half a century, died on Saturday. Mexico's Culture Ministry expressed its condolences in a statement, calling Jose Jose, whose real name was Jose Romulo Sosa Ortiz, "one of Mexico's most loved voices.

Mexican singer Jose Jose, whose powerful, romantic ballads captivated Latin America for more than half a century, died on Saturday. Mexico's Culture Ministry expressed its condolences in a statement, calling Jose Jose, whose real name was Jose Romulo Sosa Ortiz, "one of Mexico's most loved voices." Jose Jose received several Grammy nominations, sold more than 250 million albums and was once courted by music legend Frank Sinatra, who wanted to win him for his own label. He is often considered Mexico's most successful singer and was also an occasional actor. "It is sad, his passing," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters. Mexico City residents gathered for an impromptu tribute at a statue of the singer, laying wreaths, and singing his songs. Some were in tears. 'The Prince of Song', as the Mexican was affectionately called by his fans, was born into a family of musicians and raised in Mexico City. Son of tenor Jose Sosa Esquivel and pianist Margarita Ortiz Pensado, Jose Jose began his musical career as a child: he debuted in the school choir and in 1963 formed a musical trio formally starting his career at age 15. Initially, he appeared in nightclubs and even formed a jazz and bossa nova group in which he played the double bass; later, he scored a contract with the Mexican subsidiary of the international label RCA Victor. In 1969, he released his first album under the pseudonym of "Jose Jose." The singer said later that his artistic name was inspired by the name of his father, who died in 1968 of alcoholism. Jose Jose conquered the Spanish-speaking world with the interpretation of 'El Triste' at the 1970 Latin Song Festival that took place in the Mexican capital. It became the performance that catapulted him to stardom. The sudden fame also brought negative consequences. Like his father, he fell into alcoholism and had to take some time out. He returned to the stage in 1971 but continued to suffer from alcoholism for 30 more years. The 1980s became the most successful decade of his career, during which he sold two million copies of his album 'Secrets' in just a few weeks while also making his debut in the cinema. But his dipsomania and lack of rest irreparably damaged his vocal cords, forcing him to undergo several operations that failed to restore them. In 2007, he also suffered a facial paralysis. As a result of his alcohol addiction, Jose Jose`s health deteriorated rapidly since the 1990s. Even so, supported by his wife, Cuban Sarita Salazar, Jose Jose recovered and continued his career. In recent years he gained a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Mexican broadcaster Televisa reported the singer died in Miami at 71 after complications following treatment for pancreatic cancer. Two years ago he announced that he had a tumor in the pancreas that was being treated with chemotherapy. Many of his works inspired a younger generation of artists and musicians, including Latin pop star Julio Iglesias, who interpreted Jose Jose`s first big hit 'The Ship of Oblivion'. His son Jose Francisco, known as Jose Joel, who is also a musician, changed his profile picture on Twitter to a black ribbon. His daughters Marysol and Sara have also followed the family tradition into music.

Jose Jose, one of Mexico's most-loved voices, dies at 71

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in his first state of the union address on Sunday, doubled down on his approach to managing Latin America`s second-largest economy, saying the interests of private firms would be subordinated to those of the nation.

After taking office in December vowing to revive a sluggish economy and reduce violence, the veteran leftist has so far fallen short of the goals he set himself.

Lopez Obrador said last Tuesday that after a months-long dispute, he had saved taxpayers $4.5 billion by making companies renegotiate several natural gas pipeline contracts agreed to by the last government.

"The companies accepted the principle that the national interest must be above the private interest, however legitimate (those interests) may be," Lopez Obrador said in his Sunday speech.

Supporters of Lopez Obrador hailed the accord as a political victory for the president, who has spent years accusing business leaders of colluding with corrupt politicians to get rich.

Lopez Obrador underscored on Sunday that his economic plan would look to promote private enterprise, boost foreign trade and promote the attraction of foreign investment.

It is unclear if companies will feel encouraged to bet on Mexico as a result of the agreement and his comments.

Some of the decisions made by Lopez Obrador, an exponent of economic nationalism, have shaken investor confidence in Mexico. Among them, his cancellation of a partly built $13 billion Mexico City airport rattled markets.

The central bank said on Thursday the economy was facing headwinds, including stagnating private investment, which was affected by a persistent environment of uncertainty stemming from the public policy decisions made by the government and concerns over insecurity and corruption.

In his state of the union address, Lopez Obrador also said that income distribution would remain a priority over economic growth.

The administration will "gradually push aside the technocratic obsession of measuring everything based simply on economic growth," he said. "The equitable distribution of income and wealth" will be his government`s guiding principles.

He has argued that by redistributing wealth better, his government is able to help economic development among the poor even with lower headline growth numbers.

Mexico narrowly avoided entering a recession in the second quarter, prompting the central bank to cut its economic outlook for the year to forecast virtually no growth, citing slack conditions that will persist longer than expected.

In his first nine months in office, Lopez Obrador has repeated the message that the chronic inequality, gang violence and tepid growth afflicting Mexico are the product of decades of government by a corrupt political and economic elite still trying to resist his promise of change.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in his first state of the union address on Sunday, doubled down on his approach to managing Latin America`s second-largest economy, saying the interests of private firms would be subordinated to those of the nation.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in his first state of the union address on Sunday, doubled down on his approach to managing Latin America`s second-largest economy, saying the interests of private firms would be subordinated to those of the nation. After taking office in December vowing to revive a sluggish economy and reduce violence, the veteran leftist has so far fallen short of the goals he set himself. Lopez Obrador said last Tuesday that after a months-long dispute, he had saved taxpayers $4.5 billion by making companies renegotiate several natural gas pipeline contracts agreed to by the last government. "The companies accepted the principle that the national interest must be above the private interest, however legitimate (those interests) may be," Lopez Obrador said in his Sunday speech. Supporters of Lopez Obrador hailed the accord as a political victory for the president, who has spent years accusing business leaders of colluding with corrupt politicians to get rich. Lopez Obrador underscored on Sunday that his economic plan would look to promote private enterprise, boost foreign trade and promote the attraction of foreign investment. It is unclear if companies will feel encouraged to bet on Mexico as a result of the agreement and his comments. Some of the decisions made by Lopez Obrador, an exponent of economic nationalism, have shaken investor confidence in Mexico. Among them, his cancellation of a partly built $13 billion Mexico City airport rattled markets. The central bank said on Thursday the economy was facing headwinds, including stagnating private investment, which was affected by a persistent environment of uncertainty stemming from the public policy decisions made by the government and concerns over insecurity and corruption. In his state of the union address, Lopez Obrador also said that income distribution would remain a priority over economic growth. The administration will "gradually push aside the technocratic obsession of measuring everything based simply on economic growth," he said. "The equitable distribution of income and wealth" will be his government`s guiding principles. He has argued that by redistributing wealth better, his government is able to help economic development among the poor even with lower headline growth numbers. Mexico narrowly avoided entering a recession in the second quarter, prompting the central bank to cut its economic outlook for the year to forecast virtually no growth, citing slack conditions that will persist longer than expected. In his first nine months in office, Lopez Obrador has repeated the message that the chronic inequality, gang violence and tepid growth afflicting Mexico are the product of decades of government by a corrupt political and economic elite still trying to resist his promise of change.

Nearly a year in, Mexico's president doubles down on management of economy

A Mexican journalist was found dead with stab wounds on Saturday, authorities said, adding to a growing list of reporter deaths in one of the world's most dangerous countries for the press.&nbsp;

The state of Mexico prosecutor said it was investigating the cause of death of Nevith N., 42, whose body was found in the Tejupilco municipality about 75 miles (122 km) from Mexico City.&nbsp;

Advocacy group Reporters Without Borders identified him as Nevith Condes Jaramillo, who ran the local news site El Observatorio del Sur in the central state of Mexico.&nbsp;

Condes had published stories that triggered tensions with the local government and he received threats in November and June, a Reporters Without Borders spokeswoman said, citing information obtained from Condes'&nbsp;reporter colleagues.

The group has singled out Mexico as the most dangerous country for journalists in the Western Hemisphere.

If proven as a homicide, Condes' death would bring the murder toll of Mexican journalists this year to at least 10 compared with nine last year, according to free-speech advocacy group Article 19.

Earlier this month, three reporters were killed in a single week, including one who had received threats.&nbsp;

Murders in Mexico jumped in the first half of the year to the highest on record, according to official data.

&nbsp;The spiralling violence underscores the challenges President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has faced since taking office in December with a vow to reduce violence in the country ravaged by notorious drug cartels.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

A Mexican journalist was found dead with stab wounds on Saturday, authorities said, adding to a growing list of reporter deaths in one of the world's most dangerous countries for the press.

A Mexican journalist was found dead with stab wounds on Saturday, authorities said, adding to a growing list of reporter deaths in one of the world's most dangerous countries for the press. The state of Mexico prosecutor said it was investigating the cause of death of Nevith N., 42, whose body was found in the Tejupilco municipality about 75 miles (122 km) from Mexico City. Advocacy group Reporters Without Borders identified him as Nevith Condes Jaramillo, who ran the local news site El Observatorio del Sur in the central state of Mexico. Condes had published stories that triggered tensions with the local government and he received threats in November and June, a Reporters Without Borders spokeswoman said, citing information obtained from Condes' reporter colleagues. The group has singled out Mexico as the most dangerous country for journalists in the Western Hemisphere. If proven as a homicide, Condes' death would bring the murder toll of Mexican journalists this year to at least 10 compared with nine last year, according to free-speech advocacy group Article 19. Earlier this month, three reporters were killed in a single week, including one who had received threats. Murders in Mexico jumped in the first half of the year to the highest on record, according to official data. The spiralling violence underscores the challenges President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has faced since taking office in December with a vow to reduce violence in the country ravaged by notorious drug cartels.

Mexican reporter found dead with stab wounds amid escalating violence

Fifteen years after her daughter's disappearance, 55-year-old Silvia Ortiz spends day after day raking through arid scrubland in<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-inaugurates-its-new-national-guard-force-231955"> northern Mexico </a>hoping to find her remains.

Ortiz belongs to a group of families working to uncover graves of some of the 40,000 people who have gone missing in mounting lawlessness since the government sent in the armed forces to tackle Mexico's drug cartels at the end of 2006.

More than 200,000 people have been killed in the violence since then, and shedding light on the fate of the disappeared is one of the toughest challenges facing the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Criminal gangs often bury the bodies of victims in clandestine graves. Some have been known to try to minimize evidence by dismembering or dousing them in acid.

Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-rise-and-fall-of-el-chapo-mexicos-most-wanted-kingpin-236726">Mexican criminal investigators</a> and forensic teams have struggled to keep up with the increased workload during the surge in killings. Fear of reprisals at the hands of perpetrators can also impede efforts to identify victims.

Decked out in surgical masks and sun hats, Ortiz's collective - Grupo Vida or "Life Group" - keep up a near-constant digging operation around the city of Torreon in the state of Coahuila.

The volunteer association made up of relatives of local missing people set out six years ago to uncover clandestine graves, saying government officials were not trying hard enough to find or identify human remains.

"This is why we say we're facing a forensic emergency," said Ortiz, sitting at home with her husband, Oscar Sanchez, surrounded by framed photos of their daughter Silvia Stephanie Sanchez before she disappeared in 2004, aged 16, she has not been heard from since.

Jose Angel Herrera, Coahuila's special prosecutor for disappeared people, said authorities are cooperating with Grupo Vida in the area around Torreon and conducting their missions in other parts of the state.

In Coahuila, 2,144 people reported missing have never been found, Herrera said. Many disappeared while the territory was ravaged by the Zetas, a notoriously brutal drug cartel.

The state has identified the remains of 235 missing people through digs, including those led by Grupo Vida.

The group works for a week at a time, and many members struggle to keep their jobs during digs, Ortiz said.

Two weeks ago, Grupo Vida opened a tortilleria, launched with a grant from the American Jewish World Service, a non-profit group.&nbsp;

They hope money from the enterprise can cover the operating costs of their community-led forensic digs.

Grupo Vida said since 2013 it has uncovered 27 sites with human remains, 10 full skeletons and hundreds of thousands of bone fragments, enabling over 100 disappeared to be identified.

Lopez Obrador has vowed to identify thousands of human remains in morgues and mass graves around the country, which he has called the "worst legacy" of past governments.

Members of Grupo Vida have yet to feel the benefits of his pledge, according to Ortiz, who said the result has been "working groups and photos, no real action on the searches."

Still, prosecutor Herrera said the new administration helped fund construction of a center that will work to establish the identities of the state`s backlog of human remains.&nbsp;

Regardless of the adversity, Ortiz said she would continue the search "until the last person is found."

 
&nbsp;

Fifteen years after her daughter's disappearance, 55-year-old Silvia Ortiz spends day after day raking through arid scrubland in northern Mexico hoping to find her remains.

Fifteen years after her daughter's disappearance, 55-year-old Silvia Ortiz spends day after day raking through arid scrubland in northern Mexico hoping to find her remains. Ortiz belongs to a group of families working to uncover graves of some of the 40,000 people who have gone missing in mounting lawlessness since the government sent in the armed forces to tackle Mexico's drug cartels at the end of 2006. More than 200,000 people have been killed in the violence since then, and shedding light on the fate of the disappeared is one of the toughest challenges facing the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Criminal gangs often bury the bodies of victims in clandestine graves. Some have been known to try to minimize evidence by dismembering or dousing them in acid. Meanwhile, Mexican criminal investigators and forensic teams have struggled to keep up with the increased workload during the surge in killings. Fear of reprisals at the hands of perpetrators can also impede efforts to identify victims. Decked out in surgical masks and sun hats, Ortiz's collective - Grupo Vida or "Life Group" - keep up a near-constant digging operation around the city of Torreon in the state of Coahuila. The volunteer association made up of relatives of local missing people set out six years ago to uncover clandestine graves, saying government officials were not trying hard enough to find or identify human remains. "This is why we say we're facing a forensic emergency," said Ortiz, sitting at home with her husband, Oscar Sanchez, surrounded by framed photos of their daughter Silvia Stephanie Sanchez before she disappeared in 2004, aged 16, she has not been heard from since. Jose Angel Herrera, Coahuila's special prosecutor for disappeared people, said authorities are cooperating with Grupo Vida in the area around Torreon and conducting their missions in other parts of the state. In Coahuila, 2,144 people reported missing have never been found, Herrera said. Many disappeared while the territory was ravaged by the Zetas, a notoriously brutal drug cartel. The state has identified the remains of 235 missing people through digs, including those led by Grupo Vida. The group works for a week at a time, and many members struggle to keep their jobs during digs, Ortiz said. Two weeks ago, Grupo Vida opened a tortilleria, launched with a grant from the American Jewish World Service, a non-profit group. They hope money from the enterprise can cover the operating costs of their community-led forensic digs. Grupo Vida said since 2013 it has uncovered 27 sites with human remains, 10 full skeletons and hundreds of thousands of bone fragments, enabling over 100 disappeared to be identified. Lopez Obrador has vowed to identify thousands of human remains in morgues and mass graves around the country, which he has called the "worst legacy" of past governments. Members of Grupo Vida have yet to feel the benefits of his pledge, according to Ortiz, who said the result has been "working groups and photos, no real action on the searches." Still, prosecutor Herrera said the new administration helped fund construction of a center that will work to establish the identities of the state`s backlog of human remains. Regardless of the adversity, Ortiz said she would continue the search "until the last person is found."

Mexican families scour arid plains for graves of disappeared

Mexico's top electoral court said on Wednesday it would penalise the creators of a TV series after ruling that they had broken election laws by promoting a "dirty campaign" against President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador when he was a candidate.

Mexico's top electoral court said on Wednesday it would penalise the creators of a TV series after ruling that they had broken election laws by promoting a "dirty campaign" against President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador when he was a candidate. The series, called "Populismo en America Latina" (Populism in Latin America), features a segment on Lopez Obrador alongside former South American left-wing rulers such as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva. Lopez Obrador, a leftist, criticized the series in the months before the July 2018 election, accusing his adversaries of waging a "dirty war" against him. The court has yet to determine the exact penalties for the series' producers and advertisers, it said in a statement, naming companies Pina Digital, Grupo T.V. Promo and T.V. Promo as well as Javier Garcia, Virna Gomez, Alejandro Quintero and Monica Bolanos. Pina Digital and Virna Gomez could not be reached, while the other parties did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The court had said in July it would fine Garcia and Pina Digital 350,046 pesos ($17,812) each. Those fines could increase as the court determines the amounts for the other parties, a spokesman said. The series and publicity for it violated laws that forbid people and companies from distributing paid advertising to influence voters during election seasons, the court's statement said. Media outlets that ran publicity for the series will not be sanctioned, the court said, in order to guarantee freedom of expression.

Mexico to penalise creators of TV series seen as 'dirty campaign' against president

US authorities investigating what drove a young gunman from the Dallas area to kill 20 people at a Walmart store hundreds of miles away in the border city of El Paso said on Sunday they are treating it as a case of domestic terrorism.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Saturday's rampage appeared to be a hate crime, and police cited a manifesto they attributed to the suspect as evidence that the bloodshed was racially motivated.

A state prosecutor said they will seek the death penalty for the suspect, Patrick Crusius, 21, of Allen, Texas.

The US attorney for the western district of Texas, John Bash, said federal authorities were treating the massacre as a case of domestic terrorism.

"And we're going to do what we do to terrorists in this country, which is to deliver swift and certain justice," Bash told reporters at a news conference on Sunday.

The shooting immediately reverberated on the US presidential campaign trail, with several Democratic candidates denouncing the rise of gun violence and repeating calls for tighter gun control measures.

At least two candidates, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and El Paso native Beto O'Rourke, a former congressman, drew connections to a resurgence in white nationalism and xenophobic politics in the United States.

"America is under attack from homegrown white nationalist terrorism," Buttigieg said at a candidate forum in Las Vegas.

On Twitter, US President Donald Trump branded the shooting "an act of cowardice," adding, "I know that I stand with everyone in this country to condemn today's hateful act. There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people."

Police said the suspect opened fire with a rifle on shoppers, many of them bargain-hunting for back-to-school supplies, then surrendered to officers who confronted him outside the store.

El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen said the suspect was cooperating with investigators.

"He basically didn't hold anything back," Allen said at Sunday's news conference but declined to elaborate.

The massacre came just six days after the last major outbreak of US gun violence in a public place - a food festival in California where a teenager killed three people with an assault rifle and injured a dozen others before taking his own life in a hail of police gunfire.

The Texas killings were followed just 13 hours later by another mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, where a gunman in body armour killed nine people in less than a minute and wounded 27 others in the city's downtown historic district before he was shot dead by police.

Signs of hate

Crusius comes from Allen, Texas, a Dallas suburb some 650 miles (1,046 km) east of El Paso, which lies along the Rio Grande across the US-Mexico border from Ciudad Juarez.

Several local politicians said the gunman was an outsider, suggesting he had travelled hundreds of miles from the Dallas area to commit mass murder. But Gomez declined to say how long the suspect might have been in El Paso before the shooting.

Authorities did not offer a precise motive, but said they were examining a manifesto from the suspect that Allen said indicated "there is a potential nexus to a hate crime."

A four-page statement posted on 8chan, an online message board often used by extremists, and believed to have been written by the suspect, called the Walmart attack "a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas."

It also expressed for support for the gunman who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March.

"We are going to aggressively prosecute it both as capital murder but also as a hate crime, which is exactly what it appears to be," Texas Governor Abbott told reporters late Saturday.

El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, together with the neighbouring city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, form a metropolitan border area of some 2.5 million residents constituting the largest bilingual, bi-national population in North America.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said three Mexican nationals were among the 20 people killed in the shooting, and six others were among 26 victims who were wounded.

The carnage ranked as the eighth-deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, after a 1984 shooting in San Ysidro, California, that claimed 21 lives.

Investigators were still determining the sequence of events. But video clips from the scene showed victims lying on the ground inside and outside the store. One shopper told Reuters the gunshots sounded like they began outside the building and then moved inside.

El Paso Mayor Dee Margo said police responded to the shooting within six minutes.

Local television station KTSM-TV published two photos it cited a law enforcement source as saying were security-camera images of the suspect as he entered the Walmart, wearing eyeglasses, khaki trousers and a dark T-shirt, and wielding an assault-style rifle. He appeared to be wearing headphones or ear protection.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of pandemonium as shoppers fled for their lives, including Kianna Long who was at the Walmart with her husband when they heard gunfire.

The couple sprinted through a stock room at the back of the store before huddling with other customers in a shipping area, she recounted.

"People were panicking and running," Long said. "They were running close to the floor, people were dropping on the floor."

US authorities investigating what drove a young gunman from the Dallas area to kill 20 people at a Walmart store hundreds of miles away in the border city of El Paso said on Sunday they are treating it as a case of domestic terrorism.

US authorities investigating what drove a young gunman from the Dallas area to kill 20 people at a Walmart store hundreds of miles away in the border city of El Paso said on Sunday they are treating it as a case of domestic terrorism. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Saturday's rampage appeared to be a hate crime, and police cited a manifesto they attributed to the suspect as evidence that the bloodshed was racially motivated. A state prosecutor said they will seek the death penalty for the suspect, Patrick Crusius, 21, of Allen, Texas. The US attorney for the western district of Texas, John Bash, said federal authorities were treating the massacre as a case of domestic terrorism. "And we're going to do what we do to terrorists in this country, which is to deliver swift and certain justice," Bash told reporters at a news conference on Sunday. The shooting immediately reverberated on the US presidential campaign trail, with several Democratic candidates denouncing the rise of gun violence and repeating calls for tighter gun control measures. At least two candidates, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and El Paso native Beto O'Rourke, a former congressman, drew connections to a resurgence in white nationalism and xenophobic politics in the United States. "America is under attack from homegrown white nationalist terrorism," Buttigieg said at a candidate forum in Las Vegas. On Twitter, US President Donald Trump branded the shooting "an act of cowardice," adding, "I know that I stand with everyone in this country to condemn today's hateful act. There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people." Police said the suspect opened fire with a rifle on shoppers, many of them bargain-hunting for back-to-school supplies, then surrendered to officers who confronted him outside the store. El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen said the suspect was cooperating with investigators. "He basically didn't hold anything back," Allen said at Sunday's news conference but declined to elaborate. The massacre came just six days after the last major outbreak of US gun violence in a public place - a food festival in California where a teenager killed three people with an assault rifle and injured a dozen others before taking his own life in a hail of police gunfire. The Texas killings were followed just 13 hours later by another mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, where a gunman in body armour killed nine people in less than a minute and wounded 27 others in the city's downtown historic district before he was shot dead by police. Signs of hate Crusius comes from Allen, Texas, a Dallas suburb some 650 miles (1,046 km) east of El Paso, which lies along the Rio Grande across the US-Mexico border from Ciudad Juarez. Several local politicians said the gunman was an outsider, suggesting he had travelled hundreds of miles from the Dallas area to commit mass murder. But Gomez declined to say how long the suspect might have been in El Paso before the shooting. Authorities did not offer a precise motive, but said they were examining a manifesto from the suspect that Allen said indicated "there is a potential nexus to a hate crime." A four-page statement posted on 8chan, an online message board often used by extremists, and believed to have been written by the suspect, called the Walmart attack "a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas." It also expressed for support for the gunman who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March. "We are going to aggressively prosecute it both as capital murder but also as a hate crime, which is exactly what it appears to be," Texas Governor Abbott told reporters late Saturday. El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, together with the neighbouring city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, form a metropolitan border area of some 2.5 million residents constituting the largest bilingual, bi-national population in North America. Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said three Mexican nationals were among the 20 people killed in the shooting, and six others were among 26 victims who were wounded. The carnage ranked as the eighth-deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, after a 1984 shooting in San Ysidro, California, that claimed 21 lives. Investigators were still determining the sequence of events. But video clips from the scene showed victims lying on the ground inside and outside the store. One shopper told Reuters the gunshots sounded like they began outside the building and then moved inside. El Paso Mayor Dee Margo said police responded to the shooting within six minutes. Local television station KTSM-TV published two photos it cited a law enforcement source as saying were security-camera images of the suspect as he entered the Walmart, wearing eyeglasses, khaki trousers and a dark T-shirt, and wielding an assault-style rifle. He appeared to be wearing headphones or ear protection. Eyewitnesses described scenes of pandemonium as shoppers fled for their lives, including Kianna Long who was at the Walmart with her husband when they heard gunfire. The couple sprinted through a stock room at the back of the store before huddling with other customers in a shipping area, she recounted. "People were panicking and running," Long said. "They were running close to the floor, people were dropping on the floor."

El Paso shooting: Walmart massacre to be probed as domestic terror case

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-says-migrant-numbers-at-us-border-down-40-since-may-239609">Mexico</a> narrowly avoided slipping into recession during the first half of 2019 as the gross domestic product grew by a fraction in the second quarter, an initial estimate showed, but weakness persisted across the board.

A preliminary reading by the national statistics agency on Wednesday showed that Mexico's economy, Latin America's second-biggest, grew by 0.1 per cent in the April-June period from the previous quarter when adjusted for seasonal swings.

A Reuters poll of economists had forecast GDP would be flat compared with the first quarter when the economy shrank by 0.2 per cent quarter-on-quarter.

In unadjusted terms, the economy contracted by 0.7 per cent from the same period a year earlier.

Economists generally define two consecutive quarters of negative GDP as a technical recession, though there is no established global definition for the phenomenon.

The government has rejected the suggestion that the country is in a slump, and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-adviser-influential-senator-cast-doubt-on-mexico-tariffs-224742">President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador</a> on Monday was adamant that Mexico is not in a recession.

Investor confidence in Mexico has been shaken by some of the decisions of Lopez Obrador, a leftist exponent of economic nationalism who took office in December vowing to reduce chronic inequality and deliver average annual growth of 4 per cent.

In particular, his decision to cancel a partly built $13 billion new Mexico City airport and his retreat from the prior government's opening of the oil and gas industry to private capital have raised doubts about his economic credentials.

During the past few months, private and public sector analysts have pared back their Mexican growth forecasts, with some now predicting little expansion at all in 2019. Lopez Obrador said he expects growth of 2 per cent this year.

The president has attacked critics of his policies as supporters of what he has characterized as a corrupt "neo-liberal" era that preceded his time in office.

However, he has also had to contend with the risk of economic disruption from the United States the destination for around 80 per cent of Mexico's goods exports due to tensions with US President Donald Trump over illegal immigration.

Mexico narrowly avoided slipping into recession during the first half of 2019 as the gross domestic product grew by a fraction in the second quarter, an initial estimate showed, but weakness persisted across the board.

Mexico narrowly avoided slipping into recession during the first half of 2019 as the gross domestic product grew by a fraction in the second quarter, an initial estimate showed, but weakness persisted across the board. A preliminary reading by the national statistics agency on Wednesday showed that Mexico's economy, Latin America's second-biggest, grew by 0.1 per cent in the April-June period from the previous quarter when adjusted for seasonal swings. A Reuters poll of economists had forecast GDP would be flat compared with the first quarter when the economy shrank by 0.2 per cent quarter-on-quarter. In unadjusted terms, the economy contracted by 0.7 per cent from the same period a year earlier. Economists generally define two consecutive quarters of negative GDP as a technical recession, though there is no established global definition for the phenomenon. The government has rejected the suggestion that the country is in a slump, and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday was adamant that Mexico is not in a recession. Investor confidence in Mexico has been shaken by some of the decisions of Lopez Obrador, a leftist exponent of economic nationalism who took office in December vowing to reduce chronic inequality and deliver average annual growth of 4 per cent. In particular, his decision to cancel a partly built $13 billion new Mexico City airport and his retreat from the prior government's opening of the oil and gas industry to private capital have raised doubts about his economic credentials. During the past few months, private and public sector analysts have pared back their Mexican growth forecasts, with some now predicting little expansion at all in 2019. Lopez Obrador said he expects growth of 2 per cent this year. The president has attacked critics of his policies as supporters of what he has characterized as a corrupt "neo-liberal" era that preceded his time in office. However, he has also had to contend with the risk of economic disruption from the United States the destination for around 80 per cent of Mexico's goods exports due to tensions with US President Donald Trump over illegal immigration.

Mexico narrowly escapes recession with minimal second-quarter growth

A scheme to create 20,000 jobs in Honduras has been agreed between the country's president and Mexico's leader in an attempt to stem the flow of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pompeo-and-mexican-counterpart-welcome-reduced-flow-of-migrants-237547">migrants toward the United States</a>.

Mexico, which is a stepping stone to the US for many from Central America seeking to escape violence and poverty, has seen a wave of migrants sweep through in the past few months, causing tensions with Washington.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/mexico-to-help-create-20000-jobs-in-honduras-to-curb-migration-238977/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador met his Honduran counterpart Juan Orlando Hernandez in the Mexican state of Veracruz on Saturday to sign an agreement to extend a development program to Honduras, which includes a tree-planting scheme already active in Mexico.

Called "Sowing Life", the scheme pays farmers a small monthly stipend to plant trees and crops. Mexico signed a deal with El Salvador last month to introduce the same project to the Central American state.

Hernandez said the scheme was the "correct path" to boost both country's economies and called for the creation of a "great international coalition for generating huge numbers of jobs" in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Mexico will support Honduras "to create 20,000 jobs between now and December," said Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.

US President Donald Trump had threatened stiff new trade tariffs against the United States' southern neighbour unless it acted decisively to stem the migrant wave. But tensions calmed after Mexico's deployment of thousands of security forces to its borders last month.

The large majority of Central Americans who cross Mexico for the US are from Honduras. Some say they are fleeing persecution by the Hernandez government, having participated in protests after his election.

A scheme to create 20,000 jobs in Honduras has been agreed between the country's president and Mexico's leader in an attempt to stem the flow of migrants toward the United States.

A scheme to create 20,000 jobs in Honduras has been agreed between the country's president and Mexico's leader in an attempt to stem the flow of migrants toward the United States. Mexico, which is a stepping stone to the US for many from Central America seeking to escape violence and poverty, has seen a wave of migrants sweep through in the past few months, causing tensions with Washington. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador met his Honduran counterpart Juan Orlando Hernandez in the Mexican state of Veracruz on Saturday to sign an agreement to extend a development program to Honduras, which includes a tree-planting scheme already active in Mexico. Called "Sowing Life", the scheme pays farmers a small monthly stipend to plant trees and crops. Mexico signed a deal with El Salvador last month to introduce the same project to the Central American state. Hernandez said the scheme was the "correct path" to boost both country's economies and called for the creation of a "great international coalition for generating huge numbers of jobs" in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Mexico will support Honduras "to create 20,000 jobs between now and December," said Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. US President Donald Trump had threatened stiff new trade tariffs against the United States' southern neighbour unless it acted decisively to stem the migrant wave. But tensions calmed after Mexico's deployment of thousands of security forces to its borders last month. The large majority of Central Americans who cross Mexico for the US are from Honduras. Some say they are fleeing persecution by the Hernandez government, having participated in protests after his election.

Mexico, Honduras agree to create 20,000 jobs and stem migration

Mexico's government said on Saturday (July 27) it would help Honduras create 20,000 jobs this year and support its coffee farmers as the two countries seek to curb migration to the United States that has created tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his Honduran counterpart, Juan Orlando Hernandez, pledged to work together to lift prosperity in Central America, where poverty and violence have fuelled an exodus of people north. That migration has angered Trump, who has made border security a priority, and issued economic threats against Mexico and Central America if more is not done to contain the flows. Speaking after the Honduran and Mexican leaders met in the eastern state of Veracruz, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Lopez Obrador had given instructions to help Honduras create 20,000 jobs between now and December.

Mexico to help create 20,000 jobs in Honduras to curb migration

Mexico's moderate Finance Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nafta-talks-on-track-mexicos-future-finance-minister-149302">Carlos Urzua</a> resigned on Tuesday with a letter that shocked markets by citing "extremism" in economic policy, before <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/state-elections-set-to-offer-relief-for-harried-mexican-president-223673">President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador </a>quickly named a well-regarded deputy minister to replace him.

In the unusually strongly worded resignation note made public on his Twitter account, Urzua said the government was forming economic policy without sufficient foundation.

"I'm convinced that economic policy should always be evidence-based, careful of potential impacts and free of extremism, either from the right or the left," Urzua wrote.

"These convictions did not resonate during my tenure in this administration," Urzua said.

He also said there were what he called conflicts of interest in the appointment of some ministry officials imposed on him by influential members of the government. He did not give more details.

The Mexican peso fell over 2% &lt;MXN=&gt; on the news and the benchmark stock index slid almost 1.5% &lt;.MXX&gt;. Both recovered a little after Lopez Obrador quickly promoted Deputy Finance Minister Arturo Herrera to the top job.

Well known to investors and seen as a competent economic manager, Herrera now has the task of reviving economic growth while meeting a 1 percent primary budget surplus, kickstarting flagging investment and fending off downgrades from rating agencies worried about indebted state-oil company Pemex.

"(Herrera) is a well-known figure with good dialogue with market participants and is not perceived as a ... dogmatic individual," said Alberto Ramos, head of Latin American research at Goldman Sachs.

"But in light of the unusual content of Urzua’s resignation letter there is out there the lingering question of who is ultimately in charge of running economic policy," Ramos said.

Academic Hawk

Urzua, a slightly disheveled former academic prone to mild verbal gaffes, was a very different finance minister from Mexico's recent tradition of slick technocrats who spoke the language of Wall Street.

However, he was seen by markets as a moderate whose commitment to fiscal discipline was a bright spot in the administration of Lopez Obrador, which has frequently buffeted markets with surprise policy decisions.

Before the government took office on Dec. 1, Urzua was tasked with meeting with dozens of investment funds to convey that the government was center-left, rather than a leftist.

On his watch, however, Urzua was hit by a sovereign debt downgrade and contracting economic growth as he stuck to fiscal targets while setting aside money to support Pemex and Lopez Obrador's plans to splurge on a new oil refinery.

A 64-year-old economist, Urzua is an old friend of the president and served as his finance minister when Lopez Obrador was Mexico City's mayor.

Urzua deeply cut back spending programs in a strategy aimed at cleaning out corruption and largesse with a new, more centralized model of assistance. He also began a program of centralizing procurement, in another drive for efficiency and clean government.

Both actions have been blamed for shortages in areas such as healthcare, where lack of medicines led to the high-profile resignation of the public health system chief earlier this year.

In a video message to announce his successor, Lopez Obrador said Urzua was not comfortable with the decisions being taken to upend what the president frequently calls the neoliberal era in Mexico, starting in the 1980s.

"We are committed to changing economic policy that has been imposed for the past 36 years," Lopez Obrador said. "We can't put old wine in new bottles."

"We believe there will be economic growth, that we will progress in the country by fighting corruption and ... with a policy of austerity," the president said.

Mexico's moderate Finance Minister Carlos Urzua resigned on Tuesday with a letter that shocked markets by citing "extremism" in economic policy, before President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador quickly named a well-regarded deputy minister to replace him.

Mexico's moderate Finance Minister Carlos Urzua resigned on Tuesday with a letter that shocked markets by citing "extremism" in economic policy, before President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador quickly named a well-regarded deputy minister to replace him. In the unusually strongly worded resignation note made public on his Twitter account, Urzua said the government was forming economic policy without sufficient foundation. "I'm convinced that economic policy should always be evidence-based, careful of potential impacts and free of extremism, either from the right or the left," Urzua wrote. "These convictions did not resonate during my tenure in this administration," Urzua said. He also said there were what he called conflicts of interest in the appointment of some ministry officials imposed on him by influential members of the government. He did not give more details. The Mexican peso fell over 2% <MXN=> on the news and the benchmark stock index slid almost 1.5% <.MXX>. Both recovered a little after Lopez Obrador quickly promoted Deputy Finance Minister Arturo Herrera to the top job. Well known to investors and seen as a competent economic manager, Herrera now has the task of reviving economic growth while meeting a 1 percent primary budget surplus, kickstarting flagging investment and fending off downgrades from rating agencies worried about indebted state-oil company Pemex. "(Herrera) is a well-known figure with good dialogue with market participants and is not perceived as a ... dogmatic individual," said Alberto Ramos, head of Latin American research at Goldman Sachs. "But in light of the unusual content of Urzua’s resignation letter there is out there the lingering question of who is ultimately in charge of running economic policy," Ramos said. Academic Hawk Urzua, a slightly disheveled former academic prone to mild verbal gaffes, was a very different finance minister from Mexico's recent tradition of slick technocrats who spoke the language of Wall Street. However, he was seen by markets as a moderate whose commitment to fiscal discipline was a bright spot in the administration of Lopez Obrador, which has frequently buffeted markets with surprise policy decisions. Before the government took office on Dec. 1, Urzua was tasked with meeting with dozens of investment funds to convey that the government was center-left, rather than a leftist. On his watch, however, Urzua was hit by a sovereign debt downgrade and contracting economic growth as he stuck to fiscal targets while setting aside money to support Pemex and Lopez Obrador's plans to splurge on a new oil refinery. A 64-year-old economist, Urzua is an old friend of the president and served as his finance minister when Lopez Obrador was Mexico City's mayor. Urzua deeply cut back spending programs in a strategy aimed at cleaning out corruption and largesse with a new, more centralized model of assistance. He also began a program of centralizing procurement, in another drive for efficiency and clean government. Both actions have been blamed for shortages in areas such as healthcare, where lack of medicines led to the high-profile resignation of the public health system chief earlier this year. In a video message to announce his successor, Lopez Obrador said Urzua was not comfortable with the decisions being taken to upend what the president frequently calls the neoliberal era in Mexico, starting in the 1980s. "We are committed to changing economic policy that has been imposed for the past 36 years," Lopez Obrador said. "We can't put old wine in new bottles." "We believe there will be economic growth, that we will progress in the country by fighting corruption and ... with a policy of austerity," the president said.

In blow to Mexican president, finance minister quits over economic 'extremism'

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Sunday formally <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-says-national-guard-deployment-to-southern-border-starts-on-wednesday-226694">inaugurated the National Guard</a>, a militarized police force aimed at cracking down on the country's growing crime rate and securing its borders.

Lopez Obrador said that the initial 70,000 members would be deployed to 150 regions across Mexico, and eventually, 150,000 personnel will cover most of the country.

The leftist president, who took office in December 2018, had long criticized the use of soldiers in the crackdown on violent cartels.

The National Guard, however, is made up mainly of former soldiers and has a military leadership. Critics say its personnel is not properly trained to handle civilian tasks.

Although the force was formally inaugurated on Sunday, National Guard members have been deployed since May to hot spots across the country.

In late June, under US pressure, more than 21,000 National Guard personnel were sent to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/thousands-of-asylum-seekers-left-waiting-at-the-us-mexico-border-228198">Mexico's northern and southern borders to halt Central American migrants</a> seeking to illegally enter the United States.

Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said that National Guard members have been trained in police procedures, will respect human rights, and will use force in a "reasoned and proportional" manner.

Maintaining peace and security is Lopez Obrador's biggest challenge: there was a record of 33,341 homicides in Mexico in 2018, the highest number of deaths since the government began tracking murders in 1997.

More than 250,000 people have been murdered since 2006, the year Mexico's military was deployed to combat the cartels. More than 40,000 people have vanished during that same period.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Sunday formally inaugurated the National Guard, a militarized police force aimed at cracking down on the country's growing crime rate and securing its borders.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Sunday formally inaugurated the National Guard, a militarized police force aimed at cracking down on the country's growing crime rate and securing its borders. Lopez Obrador said that the initial 70,000 members would be deployed to 150 regions across Mexico, and eventually, 150,000 personnel will cover most of the country. The leftist president, who took office in December 2018, had long criticized the use of soldiers in the crackdown on violent cartels. The National Guard, however, is made up mainly of former soldiers and has a military leadership. Critics say its personnel is not properly trained to handle civilian tasks. Although the force was formally inaugurated on Sunday, National Guard members have been deployed since May to hot spots across the country. In late June, under US pressure, more than 21,000 National Guard personnel were sent to Mexico's northern and southern borders to halt Central American migrants seeking to illegally enter the United States. Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said that National Guard members have been trained in police procedures, will respect human rights, and will use force in a "reasoned and proportional" manner. Maintaining peace and security is Lopez Obrador's biggest challenge: there was a record of 33,341 homicides in Mexico in 2018, the highest number of deaths since the government began tracking murders in 1997. More than 250,000 people have been murdered since 2006, the year Mexico's military was deployed to combat the cartels. More than 40,000 people have vanished during that same period.

Mexico inaugurates its new National Guard force

Mexico deported 33 per cent more foreigners month-on-month in June, officials said Tuesday, after the country agreed to take "unprecedented" steps to reduce migration in order to avoid US President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs.

The total number of deportations from Mexico in June was 21,912, up from 16,507 in May, according to preliminary figures from the national migration authority.

The upswing came after <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nearly-15000-soldiers-deployed-on-us-border-mexico-army-chief-230133">Trump threatened in May to impose tariffs</a> on all Mexican goods if the country did not do more to slow the flow of Central American migrants crossing the US-Mexican border.

After a week of tense negotiations, the two sides announced a deal on June 7 under which Mexico agreed to send thousands of National Guardsmen to secure its borders and expand its policy of taking back asylum-seekers while the US processes their claims.

That policy, known as "Remain in Mexico," has sent nearly 17,000 migrants back to Mexico so far.

In a separate statement, the Mexican government said it had sent the first group of 66 of those returnees back to their home countries, under a temporary new "voluntary return" program.

The Guatemalan, Honduran and Salvadoran migrants were sent home overland from the border city of Ciudad Juarez after asking to be repatriated, it said.

The migration deal appears to be delivering Trump's desired result so far: the number of migrants taken into custody at the southern US border is expected to drop by 25 per cent for June, the acting head of the Department of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, said Friday.

Under the deal, Mexico has 45 days to show results.

Trump said Monday in Washington that Mexico is doing a "great job."

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has sought to avoid confrontation with the Republican billionaire, welcomed the comment.

"I'm glad President Trump recognizes that we're making an effort to live up to our commitment to apply our laws and, without violating human rights, reduce the flow of migrants," he told a news conference.

The anti-establishment leftist took office in December promising to welcome migrants but has taken a more hardline turn under pressure from Trump.

In his first month in office, Mexico deported 5,717 foreigners -- down from 10,180 the month before.

However, deportations rose sharply after Trump renewed his threat to close the US-Mexican border.

In April -- the month after Trump made the threat -- deportations from Mexico rose 66 per cent, to 14,940.

The United States has seen a surge in Central American asylum-seekers fleeing chronic poverty and brutal gang violence in recent months. In May, it took 144,000 migrants into custody at the border, up 32 per cent from April and 278 per cent from May 2018.

Mexico deported 33 per cent more foreigners month-on-month in June, officials said Tuesday, after the country agreed to take "unprecedented" steps to reduce migration in order to avoid US President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs.

Mexico deported 33 per cent more foreigners month-on-month in June, officials said Tuesday, after the country agreed to take "unprecedented" steps to reduce migration in order to avoid US President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs. The total number of deportations from Mexico in June was 21,912, up from 16,507 in May, according to preliminary figures from the national migration authority. The upswing came after Trump threatened in May to impose tariffs on all Mexican goods if the country did not do more to slow the flow of Central American migrants crossing the US-Mexican border. After a week of tense negotiations, the two sides announced a deal on June 7 under which Mexico agreed to send thousands of National Guardsmen to secure its borders and expand its policy of taking back asylum-seekers while the US processes their claims. That policy, known as "Remain in Mexico," has sent nearly 17,000 migrants back to Mexico so far. In a separate statement, the Mexican government said it had sent the first group of 66 of those returnees back to their home countries, under a temporary new "voluntary return" program. The Guatemalan, Honduran and Salvadoran migrants were sent home overland from the border city of Ciudad Juarez after asking to be repatriated, it said. The migration deal appears to be delivering Trump's desired result so far: the number of migrants taken into custody at the southern US border is expected to drop by 25 per cent for June, the acting head of the Department of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, said Friday. Under the deal, Mexico has 45 days to show results. Trump said Monday in Washington that Mexico is doing a "great job." Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has sought to avoid confrontation with the Republican billionaire, welcomed the comment. "I'm glad President Trump recognizes that we're making an effort to live up to our commitment to apply our laws and, without violating human rights, reduce the flow of migrants," he told a news conference. The anti-establishment leftist took office in December promising to welcome migrants but has taken a more hardline turn under pressure from Trump. In his first month in office, Mexico deported 5,717 foreigners -- down from 10,180 the month before. However, deportations rose sharply after Trump renewed his threat to close the US-Mexican border. In April -- the month after Trump made the threat -- deportations from Mexico rose 66 per cent, to 14,940. The United States has seen a surge in Central American asylum-seekers fleeing chronic poverty and brutal gang violence in recent months. In May, it took 144,000 migrants into custody at the border, up 32 per cent from April and 278 per cent from May 2018.

Mexico deports 33% more migrants after deal with US

President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/state-elections-set-to-offer-relief-for-harried-mexican-president-223673">Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador </a>on Sunday <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-says-national-guard-deployment-to-southern-border-starts-on-wednesday-226694">formally inaugurated the National Guard</a>, a militarized police force aimed at cracking down on the country's growing crime rate and securing its borders.

Lopez Obrador said that the initial 70,000 members would be deployed to 150 regions across Mexico, and eventually, 150,000 personnel will cover most of the country.

The leftist president, who took office in December 2018, had long criticized the use of soldiers in the crackdown on violent cartels.

The National Guard, however, is made up mainly of former soldiers and has a military leadership. Critics say its personnel is not properly trained to handle civilian tasks.

Although the force was formally inaugurated on Sunday, National Guard members have been deployed since May to hot spots across the country.

In late June, under US pressure, more than 21,000 National Guard personnel were sent to Mexico's northern and southern borders to halt Central American migrants seeking to illegally enter the United States.

Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said that National Guard members have been trained in police procedures, will respect human rights, and will use force in a "reasoned and proportional" manner.

Maintaining peace and security is Lopez Obrador's biggest challenge: there was a record of 33,341 homicides in Mexico in 2018, the highest number of deaths since the government began tracking murders in 1997.

More than 250,000 people have been murdered since 2006, the year Mexico's military was deployed to combat the cartels. More than 40,000 people have vanished during that same period.

Mexico's president on Saturday hinted his country could tighten migration controls to defuse US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on Mexican goods, and said he expected "good results" from talks planned in Washington next week.

Trump says he will apply the tariffs on June 10 if Mexico does not halt the flow of illegal immigration, largely from Central America, across the U.S.-Mexican border.

His ultimatum hit Mexican financial assets and global stocks, but met resistance from US&nbsp;business leaders and lawmakers worried about the impact of targeting Mexico, one of the United States' top trade partners.

In a news conference in the Gulf of Mexico port of Veracruz, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Mexico could be ready to step up measures to contain a recent surge in migration in order to reach a deal with the United States.

A major Mexican delegation led by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard will discuss the dispute with US officials in Washington on Wednesday, and Lopez Obrador said he expected "good results" from the talks, and for a deal to emerge.

"The main thing is to inform about what we're already doing on the migration issue, and if it's necessary to reinforce these measures without violating human rights, we could be prepared to reach that deal," Lopez Obrador said.

His comments follow those of Jesus Seade, deputy foreign minister for North America, who told Reuters on Friday that Mexico wanted to sharpen existing measures to curb the flow of Central Americans trying to reach US soil.

Trump's threat to inflict pain on Mexico's economy is the biggest foreign policy test to date for Lopez Obrador and a tall order for Mexican authorities struggling not only to contain migration but also to fight record gang violence.

Mexico's economy relies heavily on exports to the United States and shrank in the first quarter. Under Trump's plan, US tariffs that could rise as high as 25% this year.

'No trade war'

Lopez Obrador said Mexico would not pursue trade wars with the United States, but noted that his government had a "plan" in case Trump did apply the tariffs to ensure the country was not impoverished. He did not provide details of the plan.

"We're doing all we can to reach a deal through dialogue," the veteran leftist said. "We're not going to get into a trade war, a war of tariffs and of taxes."

He nevertheless noted that Mexico reserved the right to seek international legal arbitration to resolve the dispute.

Meanwhile, some Mexican business groups have urged the government to strike back against any Trump tariffs.

On Friday, Mexico's top farm lobby said Lopez Obrador should target agricultural goods from states that support Trump's Republican Party if the American leader carries out his threat to punish Mexico for the migrants heading north.

Apprehensions at the U.S. border with Mexico have surged in recent months, though Mexican data also show more deportations and detentions at Mexico's southern border with Guatemala, mostly of Central Americans trying to reach the United States illegally.

Those statistics are likely to figure in the Mexican government's argument that it is addressing the problem.

The bulk of migrants are fleeing widespread violence and poverty in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Many seek asylum in the United States when they cross the border.

Trump is pushing Congress to change US law to make it more difficult for the migrants to claim asylum.

The U.S. president, who has embraced protectionism as part of an "America First" agenda aimed at reshaping global trade, said in a tweet on Thursday he would ratchet up tariffs on Mexico "until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied."

The plan would impose a 5% tariff on Mexican imports starting on June 10 and increase monthly, up to 25% on October&nbsp;1.

Lopez Obrador was asked in the news conference whether he would allow Mexico to become a so-called safe third country, which would allow US. authorities to send migrants back to Mexico and make them apply for asylum there.

He did not answer the question, but pressure has grown steadily on his government to give ground on the issue.

Following an agreement with Lopez Obrador, U.S. authorities have since January begun sending migrants back to Mexico to wait there while their US asylum claims are being processed.

The number of ports of entry for returnees under the so-called Remain in Mexico policy has gradually increased, and policy experts say it could be expanded to more cities.

Mexico's president on Saturday hinted his country could tighten migration controls to defuse US President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on Mexican goods, and said he expected "good results" from talks planned in Washington next week.

Mexico's president on Saturday hinted his country could tighten migration controls to defuse US President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on Mexican goods, and said he expected "good results" from talks planned in Washington next week. Trump says he will apply the tariffs on June 10 if Mexico does not halt the flow of illegal immigration, largely from Central America, across the U.S.-Mexican border. His ultimatum hit Mexican financial assets and global stocks, but met resistance from US business leaders and lawmakers worried about the impact of targeting Mexico, one of the United States' top trade partners. In a news conference in the Gulf of Mexico port of Veracruz, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Mexico could be ready to step up measures to contain a recent surge in migration in order to reach a deal with the United States. A major Mexican delegation led by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard will discuss the dispute with US officials in Washington on Wednesday, and Lopez Obrador said he expected "good results" from the talks, and for a deal to emerge. "The main thing is to inform about what we're already doing on the migration issue, and if it's necessary to reinforce these measures without violating human rights, we could be prepared to reach that deal," Lopez Obrador said. His comments follow those of Jesus Seade, deputy foreign minister for North America, who told Reuters on Friday that Mexico wanted to sharpen existing measures to curb the flow of Central Americans trying to reach US soil. Trump's threat to inflict pain on Mexico's economy is the biggest foreign policy test to date for Lopez Obrador and a tall order for Mexican authorities struggling not only to contain migration but also to fight record gang violence. Mexico's economy relies heavily on exports to the United States and shrank in the first quarter. Under Trump's plan, US tariffs that could rise as high as 25% this year. 'No trade war' Lopez Obrador said Mexico would not pursue trade wars with the United States, but noted that his government had a "plan" in case Trump did apply the tariffs to ensure the country was not impoverished. He did not provide details of the plan. "We're doing all we can to reach a deal through dialogue," the veteran leftist said. "We're not going to get into a trade war, a war of tariffs and of taxes." He nevertheless noted that Mexico reserved the right to seek international legal arbitration to resolve the dispute. Meanwhile, some Mexican business groups have urged the government to strike back against any Trump tariffs. On Friday, Mexico's top farm lobby said Lopez Obrador should target agricultural goods from states that support Trump's Republican Party if the American leader carries out his threat to punish Mexico for the migrants heading north. Apprehensions at the U.S. border with Mexico have surged in recent months, though Mexican data also show more deportations and detentions at Mexico's southern border with Guatemala, mostly of Central Americans trying to reach the United States illegally. Those statistics are likely to figure in the Mexican government's argument that it is addressing the problem. The bulk of migrants are fleeing widespread violence and poverty in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Many seek asylum in the United States when they cross the border. Trump is pushing Congress to change US law to make it more difficult for the migrants to claim asylum. The U.S. president, who has embraced protectionism as part of an "America First" agenda aimed at reshaping global trade, said in a tweet on Thursday he would ratchet up tariffs on Mexico "until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied." The plan would impose a 5% tariff on Mexican imports starting on June 10 and increase monthly, up to 25% on October 1. Lopez Obrador was asked in the news conference whether he would allow Mexico to become a so-called safe third country, which would allow US. authorities to send migrants back to Mexico and make them apply for asylum there. He did not answer the question, but pressure has grown steadily on his government to give ground on the issue. Following an agreement with Lopez Obrador, U.S. authorities have since January begun sending migrants back to Mexico to wait there while their US asylum claims are being processed. The number of ports of entry for returnees under the so-called Remain in Mexico policy has gradually increased, and policy experts say it could be expanded to more cities.

Mexican president hints at migration concessions to defuse US trade spat

"America&nbsp;First&nbsp;is a fallacy," <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-more-white-collar-theft-mexico-orders-end-to-corporate-tax-breaks-220257">Mexican&nbsp;President&nbsp;Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador </a>told US&nbsp;President&nbsp;Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;in a letter on Thursday, responding to a White House announced it was imposing a<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-plans-5-tariff-on-mexican-imports-over-illegal-immigration-222998"> blanket 5%&nbsp;tariff&nbsp;on all goods from Mexico</a> from June 10.

Lopez Obrador said he wanted to avoid confrontation with the United States, and that ideals such as justice and universal brotherhood were more important than borders.

The Mexican&nbsp;president&nbsp;also ordered his foreign minister to travel to Washington on Friday.

US President Donald Trump, struggling to stem a surge of illegal immigrants across the southern border, vowed on Thursday to impose a tariff on all goods coming from Mexico starting at 5 per cent&nbsp;and ratcheting higher until the flow of border-crossers ceases.

Trump said in a statement that the tariffs would start at 5 per cent&nbsp;on June 10 then go to 10 per cent&nbsp;on July 1, 15 per cent&nbsp;on August&nbsp;1, 20 per cent&nbsp;on September&nbsp;1 and go up to 25 per cent&nbsp;on October&nbsp;1 unless Mexico takes steps to stop the surge.

Trump's move was a dramatic escalation of his battle to control a tide of illegal immigrants that has increased despite his efforts to build a border wall and take other steps.

The US&nbsp;officials said 80,000 people are being held in custody with an average of 4,500 arriving daily.

"If the illegal migration crisis is alleviated through effective actions taken by Mexico, to be determined in our sole discretion and judgment, the tariffs will be removed," Trump said.

"America First is a fallacy," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told US President Donald Trump in a letter on Thursday, responding to a White House announced it was imposing a blanket 5% tariff on all goods from Mexico from June 10.

"America First is a fallacy," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told US President Donald Trump in a letter on Thursday, responding to a White House announced it was imposing a blanket 5% tariff on all goods from Mexico from June 10. Lopez Obrador said he wanted to avoid confrontation with the United States, and that ideals such as justice and universal brotherhood were more important than borders. The Mexican president also ordered his foreign minister to travel to Washington on Friday. US President Donald Trump, struggling to stem a surge of illegal immigrants across the southern border, vowed on Thursday to impose a tariff on all goods coming from Mexico starting at 5 per cent and ratcheting higher until the flow of border-crossers ceases. Trump said in a statement that the tariffs would start at 5 per cent on June 10 then go to 10 per cent on July 1, 15 per cent on August 1, 20 per cent on September 1 and go up to 25 per cent on October 1 unless Mexico takes steps to stop the surge. Trump's move was a dramatic escalation of his battle to control a tide of illegal immigrants that has increased despite his efforts to build a border wall and take other steps. The US officials said 80,000 people are being held in custody with an average of 4,500 arriving daily. "If the illegal migration crisis is alleviated through effective actions taken by Mexico, to be determined in our sole discretion and judgment, the tariffs will be removed," Trump said.

'America First is a fallacy,' Mexico's president responds to Trump tariff

Mexico's environment minister resigned on Saturday after causing a commercial flight to be delayed, making her the second top official to depart from the government of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-more-white-collar-theft-mexico-orders-end-to-corporate-tax-breaks-220257">President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador</a> in less than a week.

The president's office announced that Josefa Gonzalez Blanco Ortiz Mena, minister of the environment and natural resources, had tendered her resignation, and Lopez Obrador said during a speech on Saturday afternoon he had accepted it.

In her resignation letter, which was published by the president's office, Gonzalez Blanco said that at the start of a work trip on Friday, she had caused a delay to passengers who were travelling on the plane and its crew.

"There is no justification. The true transformation of Mexico requires total alignment with the values of equity and justice," Gonzalez Blanco said. "Nobody should have privileges, and the benefits of one, even in carrying out one's duties, cannot be above the well-being of the majority."

In his afternoon remarks, the president said he had spoken with Gonzalez Blanco that morning, telling her to attend to the matter of the flight delay, adding that she apologized.

"She very honestly told me what had happened and placed her resignation at my disposal and I accepted it," Lopez Obrador said.

Her exit follows Tuesday's resignation of German Martinez, head of Mexico's social security institute (IMSS), who complained budget cuts and lay-offs ordered by Lopez Obrador's finance minister were harming health services for the poor.

Since Lopez Obrador took office in December, the veteran leftist has taken commercial flights after making a campaign pledge to sell his predecessor's luxury presidential plane.

Lopez Obrador has taken an implacable stand against public sector excess and his first budget slashed spending for several major government departments, including the health service.

His austerity drive has caused problems in hospitals, leading to anger over surgery delays, reductions in testing and staffing shortages, hospital directors say.

Mexico's environment minister resigned on Saturday after causing a commercial flight to be delayed, making her the second top official to depart from the government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in less than a week.

Mexico's environment minister resigned on Saturday after causing a commercial flight to be delayed, making her the second top official to depart from the government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in less than a week. The president's office announced that Josefa Gonzalez Blanco Ortiz Mena, minister of the environment and natural resources, had tendered her resignation, and Lopez Obrador said during a speech on Saturday afternoon he had accepted it. In her resignation letter, which was published by the president's office, Gonzalez Blanco said that at the start of a work trip on Friday, she had caused a delay to passengers who were travelling on the plane and its crew. "There is no justification. The true transformation of Mexico requires total alignment with the values of equity and justice," Gonzalez Blanco said. "Nobody should have privileges, and the benefits of one, even in carrying out one's duties, cannot be above the well-being of the majority." In his afternoon remarks, the president said he had spoken with Gonzalez Blanco that morning, telling her to attend to the matter of the flight delay, adding that she apologized. "She very honestly told me what had happened and placed her resignation at my disposal and I accepted it," Lopez Obrador said. Her exit follows Tuesday's resignation of German Martinez, head of Mexico's social security institute (IMSS), who complained budget cuts and lay-offs ordered by Lopez Obrador's finance minister were harming health services for the poor. Since Lopez Obrador took office in December, the veteran leftist has taken commercial flights after making a campaign pledge to sell his predecessor's luxury presidential plane. Lopez Obrador has taken an implacable stand against public sector excess and his first budget slashed spending for several major government departments, including the health service. His austerity drive has caused problems in hospitals, leading to anger over surgery delays, reductions in testing and staffing shortages, hospital directors say.

Mexico environment minister quits, second top official to exit this week

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday his government will order an end to tax forgiveness for the country's largest companies, saying $20 billion in exemptions given by his predecessors was akin to theft by gangsters.

Of the firms that benefited from tax breaks totalling more than 400 billion pesos, 58 are listed on the stock exchange, said Mexico's tax chief Margarita Rios-Farjat at the president's regular news conference.

Nearly a third of the companies listed on the benchmark S&amp;P/BMV IPC received tax breaks, she said.

Lopez Obrador did not reveal the identity of the companies.

"It's like white collar fuel theft," he said, referring to the widespread stealing of gasoline from pipelines by organised crime that his government has tried to crack down on.

"This mechanism has been abused and it will be eliminated," Lopez Obrador added.

In a statement, Alfonso Ramirez Cuellar, a member of Lopez Obrador's leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) who chairs the budget committee in the lower house of Congress, identified major local banks as beneficiaries of tax breaks.

According to Ramirez, publicly available data from 2017 showed that Citigroup's Mexican unit, which is known as Citibanamex, had 53.4 million pesos of tax written off, while its Mexican peer Grupo Financiero Banorte enjoyed a tax break of 30.1 million pesos.

Citibanamex and Banorte did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday his government will order an end to tax forgiveness for the country's largest companies, saying $20 billion in exemptions given by his predecessors was akin to theft by gangsters.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday his government will order an end to tax forgiveness for the country's largest companies, saying $20 billion in exemptions given by his predecessors was akin to theft by gangsters. Of the firms that benefited from tax breaks totalling more than 400 billion pesos, 58 are listed on the stock exchange, said Mexico's tax chief Margarita Rios-Farjat at the president's regular news conference. Nearly a third of the companies listed on the benchmark S&P/BMV IPC received tax breaks, she said. Lopez Obrador did not reveal the identity of the companies. "It's like white collar fuel theft," he said, referring to the widespread stealing of gasoline from pipelines by organised crime that his government has tried to crack down on. "This mechanism has been abused and it will be eliminated," Lopez Obrador added. In a statement, Alfonso Ramirez Cuellar, a member of Lopez Obrador's leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) who chairs the budget committee in the lower house of Congress, identified major local banks as beneficiaries of tax breaks. According to Ramirez, publicly available data from 2017 showed that Citigroup's Mexican unit, which is known as Citibanamex, had 53.4 million pesos of tax written off, while its Mexican peer Grupo Financiero Banorte enjoyed a tax break of 30.1 million pesos. Citibanamex and Banorte did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

No more 'white collar theft': Mexico orders end to corporate tax breaks

Mexico will help to regulate the flow of Central American migrants passing through its territory to the United States, but the root causes behind the phenomenon must be tackled, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday.

Speaking after US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to close the US southern border if Mexico did not halt illegal immigration immediately, Lopez Obrador said he would not have a confrontation with the United States.

"I prefer love and peace," Lopez Obrador told reporters at his regular morning news conference.

The leftist president has consistently refused to get drawn into a war of words with Trump over the border.

A senior Mexican trade official warned later that closing down the US-Mexico border would cause pain on "both sides."

Most of the people caught at the frontier trying to enter the United States illegally come from three violent and impoverished countries: Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Lopez Obrador has tried to persuade Trump to address the problem by fostering economic development in Central America. But on Saturday the US State Department said it was cutting off aid to those three countries.

Detentions at the US border have surged in recent months, angering Trump and putting pressure on Lopez Obrador to find a solution that will prevent a shutdown of the frontier to the market for 80 per cent of Mexico's exports.

Asked if it was time to put pressure on the Central American countries to do more to tackle the problem, Lopez Obrador said the causes of migration were "not being attended to" and that people needed to be offered more opportunities there.

"Obviously, we have to help because Central American migrants pass through our territory and we have to bring order to this migration, make sure it's legal," he said.

"That's what we're doing. But serenely, calmly, without a commotion and with great prudence and responsibility."

Mexico began issuing temporary humanitarian visas to some members of a migrant caravan in southern Mexico, giving priority to children and the elderly, the National Migration Institute said Monday. It said it would provide transport back to Central American countries, Cuba and Haiti, on a voluntary basis.

Earlier this year, Mexico handed out humanitarian visas liberally, but reined in the program after a surge in applications. The institute said from next month it was planning to encourage people to apply for visas in their home countries.

It was not immediately clear if the government was limiting the number of visas it issues.

US CONGRESSIONAL OBJECTIONS

It has quickly become clear that any plan to cut aid to Central America would face strong objections from members of the U.S. Congress, who must approve it.

One of Trump's fellow Republicans, Representative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said cutting aid would worsen the situation.

"If we cut all this funding ... I think it's going to make things tragically worse, not better," he said during a presentation at a think tank in Washington.

Putting a stop to aid to Central America made the job of stemming the flow of migrants tougher, said Senator Ben Cardin, a senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"And closing the border - that makes no sense at all," he told CNN. "We need Mexico's cooperation to work with us, and cutting off the border just tells Mexico: 'We're doing it alone'."

Following a meeting on Monday with Lopez Obrador at the Presidential Palace in Mexico City, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, invited the Mexican president to visit the committee for a meeting in Washington, an aide to Engel said.

"Excellent meeting with President @lopezobrador_ on importance of US-#Mexico relationship. I emphasized need to partner in assisting Central America," Engel said on Twitter.

Mexico's Ambassador to the United States, Martha Barcena, said that the issues of "development cooperation, fighting corruption in Mexico, need for friendly and constructive bilateral relations" were discussed.

US Border Patrol projections are for over 90,000 apprehensions at the border during March, according to data provided to the Mexican government - a more than 140 per cent increase from March 2018, and a seven-fold jump from 2017.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was working with the Central American governments and Mexico and pointed to the numbers when asked why Trump had toughened his stance.

"Just look at the math," Pompeo told reporters outside the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. "How many folks are coming across. This is a crisis. We need to fix it."

Mexico will help to regulate the flow of Central American migrants passing through its territory to the United States, but the root causes behind the phenomenon must be tackled, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday.

Mexico will help to regulate the flow of Central American migrants passing through its territory to the United States, but the root causes behind the phenomenon must be tackled, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday. Speaking after US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to close the US southern border if Mexico did not halt illegal immigration immediately, Lopez Obrador said he would not have a confrontation with the United States. "I prefer love and peace," Lopez Obrador told reporters at his regular morning news conference. The leftist president has consistently refused to get drawn into a war of words with Trump over the border. A senior Mexican trade official warned later that closing down the US-Mexico border would cause pain on "both sides." Most of the people caught at the frontier trying to enter the United States illegally come from three violent and impoverished countries: Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Lopez Obrador has tried to persuade Trump to address the problem by fostering economic development in Central America. But on Saturday the US State Department said it was cutting off aid to those three countries. Detentions at the US border have surged in recent months, angering Trump and putting pressure on Lopez Obrador to find a solution that will prevent a shutdown of the frontier to the market for 80 per cent of Mexico's exports. Asked if it was time to put pressure on the Central American countries to do more to tackle the problem, Lopez Obrador said the causes of migration were "not being attended to" and that people needed to be offered more opportunities there. "Obviously, we have to help because Central American migrants pass through our territory and we have to bring order to this migration, make sure it's legal," he said. "That's what we're doing. But serenely, calmly, without a commotion and with great prudence and responsibility." Mexico began issuing temporary humanitarian visas to some members of a migrant caravan in southern Mexico, giving priority to children and the elderly, the National Migration Institute said Monday. It said it would provide transport back to Central American countries, Cuba and Haiti, on a voluntary basis. Earlier this year, Mexico handed out humanitarian visas liberally, but reined in the program after a surge in applications. The institute said from next month it was planning to encourage people to apply for visas in their home countries. It was not immediately clear if the government was limiting the number of visas it issues. US CONGRESSIONAL OBJECTIONS It has quickly become clear that any plan to cut aid to Central America would face strong objections from members of the U.S. Congress, who must approve it. One of Trump's fellow Republicans, Representative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said cutting aid would worsen the situation. "If we cut all this funding ... I think it's going to make things tragically worse, not better," he said during a presentation at a think tank in Washington. Putting a stop to aid to Central America made the job of stemming the flow of migrants tougher, said Senator Ben Cardin, a senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "And closing the border - that makes no sense at all," he told CNN. "We need Mexico's cooperation to work with us, and cutting off the border just tells Mexico: 'We're doing it alone'." Following a meeting on Monday with Lopez Obrador at the Presidential Palace in Mexico City, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, invited the Mexican president to visit the committee for a meeting in Washington, an aide to Engel said. "Excellent meeting with President @lopezobrador_ on importance of US-#Mexico relationship. I emphasized need to partner in assisting Central America," Engel said on Twitter. Mexico's Ambassador to the United States, Martha Barcena, said that the issues of "development cooperation, fighting corruption in Mexico, need for friendly and constructive bilateral relations" were discussed. US Border Patrol projections are for over 90,000 apprehensions at the border during March, according to data provided to the Mexican government - a more than 140 per cent increase from March 2018, and a seven-fold jump from 2017. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was working with the Central American governments and Mexico and pointed to the numbers when asked why Trump had toughened his stance. "Just look at the math," Pompeo told reporters outside the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. "How many folks are coming across. This is a crisis. We need to fix it."

Mexican president wants to 'bring order' to Central American migration to US

The 500-year-old wounds of the Spanish conquest were ripped open afresh on Monday when Mexico's president urged Spain and the Vatican to apologize for their "abuses" -- a request Madrid said it "firmly rejects."

Spain's centuries of dominance in the New World, backed by the Catholic Church, leapt from the history books to the headlines when Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called on Spanish King Felipe VI and Pope Francis to apologize for the conquest and the rights violations committed in its aftermath.

"I have sent a letter to the king of Spain and another to the pope, calling for a full account of the abuses and urging them to apologize to the indigenous peoples (of Mexico) for the violations of what we now call their human rights," Lopez Obrador said.

He made the remarks in a video, filmed at the ruins of the indigenous city of Comalcalco and posted on Facebook and Twitter.

"There were massacres and oppression. The so-called conquest was waged with the sword and the cross. They built their churches on top of the (indigenous) temples," added the anti-establishment leftist.

"The time has come to reconcile. But let us ask forgiveness first."

Spain's rejection was immediate and blunt.

"The government of Spain deeply regrets that the letter the Mexican president sent to his majesty the king, whose contents we firmly reject, has been made public," it said in a statement.

"The arrival, 500 years ago, of Spaniards to present Mexican territory cannot be judged in the light of contemporary considerations," it said.

"Our two brother nations have always known how to read our shared past without anger and with a constructive perspective."

300-year reign&nbsp; 
Lopez Obrador made the remarks during a visit to the Mayan pyramids of Comalcalco, in his native Tabasco state, in southern Mexico.

He later visited the nearby city of Centla, the scene of the first battle between Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes and the indigenous peoples of the land now known as Mexico, on March 14, 1519.

With the help of horses, swords, guns and smallpox -- all unknown in the New World at the time -- Cortes led an army of fewer than 1,000 men to defeat the Aztec empire, the start of 300 years of Spanish rule over Mexico.

The abuses continued until independence from Spain in 1821, and beyond, Lopez Obrador said.

"Thousands of people were murdered during this period. One culture and civilization imposed itself on another," he said later in a speech.

"There are still open wounds. It's better to recognize that abuses were committed, and mistakes were made. It's better to ask forgiveness and seek to be brothers in a historic reconciliation."

He added that he, too, planned to offer an apology, "because the repression of indigenous peoples continued after the colonial period."

It's complicated&nbsp; 
Mexico has a complicated relationship with its colonial past.

Its history, culture, food and the Mexican people themselves are the product of "mestizaje," the mixing of the Old and New Worlds.

According to a government study, 98 per cent of Mexicans have some combination of indigenous, European and African ancestry.

But although that mixture made modern Mexico -- and gave the world the gifts of chocolate, tacos de carnitas and Day of the Dead -- it is also a past tainted by violence, rape and oppression.

Lopez Obrador, 65, took office in December after a landslide election win that represented a firm break with Mexico's traditional political parties.

A folksy populist, he pulls no punches in going after traditional elites, and has sought to cast himself as a champion of Mexico's indigenous peoples.

But he had so far cultivated cordial relations with Spain and the Vatican, including during a visit to Mexico City by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez earlier this year.

Sanchez, a fellow leftist, marked the occasion by presenting the Mexican president with his grandfather Jose Obrador's Spanish birth certificate, from 1893.

The 500-year-old wounds of the Spanish conquest were ripped open afresh on Monday when Mexico's president urged Spain and the Vatican to apologize for their "abuses" -- a request Madrid said it "firmly rejects.

The 500-year-old wounds of the Spanish conquest were ripped open afresh on Monday when Mexico's president urged Spain and the Vatican to apologize for their "abuses" -- a request Madrid said it "firmly rejects." Spain's centuries of dominance in the New World, backed by the Catholic Church, leapt from the history books to the headlines when Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called on Spanish King Felipe VI and Pope Francis to apologize for the conquest and the rights violations committed in its aftermath. "I have sent a letter to the king of Spain and another to the pope, calling for a full account of the abuses and urging them to apologize to the indigenous peoples (of Mexico) for the violations of what we now call their human rights," Lopez Obrador said. He made the remarks in a video, filmed at the ruins of the indigenous city of Comalcalco and posted on Facebook and Twitter. "There were massacres and oppression. The so-called conquest was waged with the sword and the cross. They built their churches on top of the (indigenous) temples," added the anti-establishment leftist. "The time has come to reconcile. But let us ask forgiveness first." Spain's rejection was immediate and blunt. "The government of Spain deeply regrets that the letter the Mexican president sent to his majesty the king, whose contents we firmly reject, has been made public," it said in a statement. "The arrival, 500 years ago, of Spaniards to present Mexican territory cannot be judged in the light of contemporary considerations," it said. "Our two brother nations have always known how to read our shared past without anger and with a constructive perspective." 300-year reign Lopez Obrador made the remarks during a visit to the Mayan pyramids of Comalcalco, in his native Tabasco state, in southern Mexico. He later visited the nearby city of Centla, the scene of the first battle between Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes and the indigenous peoples of the land now known as Mexico, on March 14, 1519. With the help of horses, swords, guns and smallpox -- all unknown in the New World at the time -- Cortes led an army of fewer than 1,000 men to defeat the Aztec empire, the start of 300 years of Spanish rule over Mexico. The abuses continued until independence from Spain in 1821, and beyond, Lopez Obrador said. "Thousands of people were murdered during this period. One culture and civilization imposed itself on another," he said later in a speech. "There are still open wounds. It's better to recognize that abuses were committed, and mistakes were made. It's better to ask forgiveness and seek to be brothers in a historic reconciliation." He added that he, too, planned to offer an apology, "because the repression of indigenous peoples continued after the colonial period." It's complicated Mexico has a complicated relationship with its colonial past. Its history, culture, food and the Mexican people themselves are the product of "mestizaje," the mixing of the Old and New Worlds. According to a government study, 98 per cent of Mexicans have some combination of indigenous, European and African ancestry. But although that mixture made modern Mexico -- and gave the world the gifts of chocolate, tacos de carnitas and Day of the Dead -- it is also a past tainted by violence, rape and oppression. Lopez Obrador, 65, took office in December after a landslide election win that represented a firm break with Mexico's traditional political parties. A folksy populist, he pulls no punches in going after traditional elites, and has sought to cast himself as a champion of Mexico's indigenous peoples. But he had so far cultivated cordial relations with Spain and the Vatican, including during a visit to Mexico City by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez earlier this year. Sanchez, a fellow leftist, marked the occasion by presenting the Mexican president with his grandfather Jose Obrador's Spanish birth certificate, from 1893.

Mexico demands apology for colonial 'abuses,' Spain says no

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday he had ordered Mexican authorities to help two sisters of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman visit the drug lord in the United States following his conviction for narcotics trafficking.

During his regular morning news conference, Lopez Obrador said he had received a written request via a lawyer from Guzman's mother to provide "legal support" to the kingpin and to help his sisters get visas to visit him in the United States.

"Like any mother, she was asking me to help her son," Lopez Obrador told reporters.

"I gave instructions to facilitate everything so the sisters can go to the United States, and to help them in accordance with the law, and the rules of that country so they can visit him, or be in contact," he said.

The letter was delivered to Lopez Obrador during a trip to Guzman's home town earlier this month, a rare visit to the area by a president, after a jury in New York found the capo guilty of drug trafficking and other charges.

The veteran leftist, who took office as president at the start of December, said that the request for legal support was in the hands of the relevant Mexican authorities.

The 61-year-old Guzman, who is due to be sentenced in June, escaped from maximum security prisons in 2001 and 2015 in Mexico before his third and final capture in January 2016.

A year later, Mexico extradited him to the United States on the eve of President Donald Trump's inauguration.

Guzman rose to prominence as the boss of the Sinaloa Cartel, which security experts and counternarcotics officials long described as the most powerful outfit in the trafficking of drugs to the United States.

Trump has justified his repeated demands for a wall to be built on the US-Mexico border with the need to stop drugs and illegal immigrants entering the United States.

Lopez Obrador, who has sought to avoid conflict with Trump over the wall, is exploring the legalization of some drugs. During his election campaign, he floated the idea of granting amnesty to perpetrators of less serious drug-related offences.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday he had ordered Mexican authorities to help two sisters of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman visit the drug lord in the United States following his conviction for narcotics trafficking.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday he had ordered Mexican authorities to help two sisters of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman visit the drug lord in the United States following his conviction for narcotics trafficking. During his regular morning news conference, Lopez Obrador said he had received a written request via a lawyer from Guzman's mother to provide "legal support" to the kingpin and to help his sisters get visas to visit him in the United States. "Like any mother, she was asking me to help her son," Lopez Obrador told reporters. "I gave instructions to facilitate everything so the sisters can go to the United States, and to help them in accordance with the law, and the rules of that country so they can visit him, or be in contact," he said. The letter was delivered to Lopez Obrador during a trip to Guzman's home town earlier this month, a rare visit to the area by a president, after a jury in New York found the capo guilty of drug trafficking and other charges. The veteran leftist, who took office as president at the start of December, said that the request for legal support was in the hands of the relevant Mexican authorities. The 61-year-old Guzman, who is due to be sentenced in June, escaped from maximum security prisons in 2001 and 2015 in Mexico before his third and final capture in January 2016. A year later, Mexico extradited him to the United States on the eve of President Donald Trump's inauguration. Guzman rose to prominence as the boss of the Sinaloa Cartel, which security experts and counternarcotics officials long described as the most powerful outfit in the trafficking of drugs to the United States. Trump has justified his repeated demands for a wall to be built on the US-Mexico border with the need to stop drugs and illegal immigrants entering the United States. Lopez Obrador, who has sought to avoid conflict with Trump over the wall, is exploring the legalization of some drugs. During his election campaign, he floated the idea of granting amnesty to perpetrators of less serious drug-related offences.

Mexican president to help 'El Chapo's' sisters visit him in US

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador visited the birthplace of the country's most infamous drug trafficker, Joaquin <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/this-hurts-on-el-chapos-home-turf-some-lament-mexican-drug-lords-conviction-197164">"El Chapo" Guzman</a>, on Friday, calling for peace and reconciliation days after a US jury convicted the kingpin.

Speaking to a crowd in Badiraguato, a mountainous municipality in the northwestern state of Sinaloa long associated with cartels, Lopez Obrador said people must not be "stigmatized."

"(The people of) Badiraguato is good people, they are hardworking people," he told a cheering crowd in a public square. "We must seek reconciliation, we must find peace."

Though warring gang factions have inflicted periodic bloodshed on the municipality, some villagers speak fondly of the largesse of their native son, who was born in the hamlet of La Tuna and whose Sinaloa cartel provided work for marijuana and opium poppy growers.

With a population of 32,000, Badiraguato is one of the poorest municipalities in the state of Sinaloa and the country, according to Mexican statistics agency Inegi.

Lopez Obrador, who has spoken of the need to fight poverty across Mexico, announced a development plan for Badiraguato that included a new highway, a public university and a program to plant trees.

"Until now, I've never seen a president come here," said Javier de la Rocha, a 41-year-old farmer.

El Chapo is not the only drug lord who calls it home - Rafael Caro Quintero and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, both former leaders of the Guadalajara cartel, were also born nearby.

In a district where 70 per cent of residents live below the poverty line, the capos emerged as unlikely benefactors, building roads and buildings, locals say.

That may explain why some found Lopez Obrador's visit, coming after El Chapo's conviction on smuggling tons of drugs to the United States, so significant. With the drug lord behind bars, and facing a probable life sentence, Badiraguato will need a new champion.

"Mr Guzmán helped the town a lot. Now that he is not here, let's hope the state responds," said Jose Carrillo, a 61-year-old day labourer, while eating at a chicken restaurant named after El Chapo.

Several residents said they were cautiously optimistic about Lopez Obrador's plans and eager to work on the projects.

"With the university, my family is no longer going to have to travel to study elsewhere," said de la Rocha, the farmer, leaning on his shovel in front of a huge sign welcoming Lopez Obrador.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador visited the birthplace of the country's most infamous drug trafficker, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, on Friday, calling for peace and reconciliation days after a US jury convicted the kingpin.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador visited the birthplace of the country's most infamous drug trafficker, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, on Friday, calling for peace and reconciliation days after a US jury convicted the kingpin. Speaking to a crowd in Badiraguato, a mountainous municipality in the northwestern state of Sinaloa long associated with cartels, Lopez Obrador said people must not be "stigmatized." "(The people of) Badiraguato is good people, they are hardworking people," he told a cheering crowd in a public square. "We must seek reconciliation, we must find peace." Though warring gang factions have inflicted periodic bloodshed on the municipality, some villagers speak fondly of the largesse of their native son, who was born in the hamlet of La Tuna and whose Sinaloa cartel provided work for marijuana and opium poppy growers. With a population of 32,000, Badiraguato is one of the poorest municipalities in the state of Sinaloa and the country, according to Mexican statistics agency Inegi. Lopez Obrador, who has spoken of the need to fight poverty across Mexico, announced a development plan for Badiraguato that included a new highway, a public university and a program to plant trees. "Until now, I've never seen a president come here," said Javier de la Rocha, a 41-year-old farmer. El Chapo is not the only drug lord who calls it home - Rafael Caro Quintero and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, both former leaders of the Guadalajara cartel, were also born nearby. In a district where 70 per cent of residents live below the poverty line, the capos emerged as unlikely benefactors, building roads and buildings, locals say. That may explain why some found Lopez Obrador's visit, coming after El Chapo's conviction on smuggling tons of drugs to the United States, so significant. With the drug lord behind bars, and facing a probable life sentence, Badiraguato will need a new champion. "Mr Guzmán helped the town a lot. Now that he is not here, let's hope the state responds," said Jose Carrillo, a 61-year-old day labourer, while eating at a chicken restaurant named after El Chapo. Several residents said they were cautiously optimistic about Lopez Obrador's plans and eager to work on the projects. "With the university, my family is no longer going to have to travel to study elsewhere," said de la Rocha, the farmer, leaning on his shovel in front of a huge sign welcoming Lopez Obrador.

Mexican president visits 'El Chapo's' home turf seeking reconciliation

Two cub reporters who work for a children-oriented radio station got the chance on Thursday to ask questions of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

"Let's see, the children, are they reporters?" the president asked upon giving the floor to the two children, who were sitting in the second row at his daily morning press conference wearing blue t-shirts with the Radioaventureros (Radio-adventurers) logo.

Fernando, 12, confirmed to the president that he is a reporter and that he has spent two years investigating the increasing disappearances of children around the country, so he questioned the president on the government's strategy to stop the problem.

Lopez Obrador called the number of disappearances in the country - 40,000 in the last 10 years - a horror that "should never happen again" and said that he will not allow "the state to disappear any human being" or for any "criminal gang" to exist.

"We all have to take care (of each other), as you do, and I congratulate you for making sure that there are no (more) disappearances," the president told the two young reporters.

Earlier this week, high-level officials in Lopez Obrador's administration unveiled a plan to try to find the 40,000 people listed as missing.

The goal is to work with relatives of the missing and non-governmental organizations to design the general guidelines and public policies for conducting searches, locating and identifying missing persons, as well as preventing, investigating and punishing those responsible for disappearances, Government Undersecretary for Human Rights Alejandro Encinas said Monday.

Fernando's colleague, Eitan, thanked the president for answering the questions and asked him about the government's strategy to prevent "many young people with brilliant minds" from leaving Mexico to look for opportunities abroad.

"The scholarship program will be improved for those who study for Masters degrees, doctorates. For those who are dedicated to scientific research, to innovation. They will have broad possibilities so that they can contribute their knowledge to the development of the country," Lopez Obrador said.

On that subject, he recalled that he appointed a scientist, Maria Elena Alvarez-Buylla, as head of the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt), a post that was previously occupied by "professionals who did not necessarily have specializations."

Conacyt, whose mission is promoting scientific and technological development, works closely with Mexican academic institutions to encourage and facilitate the work of budding scientists.

On its website, Radioaventureros is defined as "children's radio made by children for children." At the station, interviews have been conducted with personalities such as acclaimed Mexican writer and journalist Elena Poniatowska.

Two cub reporters who work for a children-oriented radio station got the chance on Thursday to ask questions of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. "Let's see, the children, are they reporters?

Two cub reporters who work for a children-oriented radio station got the chance on Thursday to ask questions of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. "Let's see, the children, are they reporters?" the president asked upon giving the floor to the two children, who were sitting in the second row at his daily morning press conference wearing blue t-shirts with the Radioaventureros (Radio-adventurers) logo. Fernando, 12, confirmed to the president that he is a reporter and that he has spent two years investigating the increasing disappearances of children around the country, so he questioned the president on the government's strategy to stop the problem. Lopez Obrador called the number of disappearances in the country - 40,000 in the last 10 years - a horror that "should never happen again" and said that he will not allow "the state to disappear any human being" or for any "criminal gang" to exist. "We all have to take care (of each other), as you do, and I congratulate you for making sure that there are no (more) disappearances," the president told the two young reporters. Earlier this week, high-level officials in Lopez Obrador's administration unveiled a plan to try to find the 40,000 people listed as missing. The goal is to work with relatives of the missing and non-governmental organizations to design the general guidelines and public policies for conducting searches, locating and identifying missing persons, as well as preventing, investigating and punishing those responsible for disappearances, Government Undersecretary for Human Rights Alejandro Encinas said Monday. Fernando's colleague, Eitan, thanked the president for answering the questions and asked him about the government's strategy to prevent "many young people with brilliant minds" from leaving Mexico to look for opportunities abroad. "The scholarship program will be improved for those who study for Masters degrees, doctorates. For those who are dedicated to scientific research, to innovation. They will have broad possibilities so that they can contribute their knowledge to the development of the country," Lopez Obrador said. On that subject, he recalled that he appointed a scientist, Maria Elena Alvarez-Buylla, as head of the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt), a post that was previously occupied by "professionals who did not necessarily have specializations." Conacyt, whose mission is promoting scientific and technological development, works closely with Mexican academic institutions to encourage and facilitate the work of budding scientists. On its website, Radioaventureros is defined as "children's radio made by children for children." At the station, interviews have been conducted with personalities such as acclaimed Mexican writer and journalist Elena Poniatowska.

We all have to take care, Mexico President tells cub reporters on 40,000 disappearances

*By Angelica Duran-Martinez

Nearly 34,000 people were murdered in Mexico last year, according to new government statistics - the deadliest year since modern record-keeping began.

Of all the challenges facing Mexico's new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, curbing violence may be the biggest.

Mexico has seen ever-growing bloodshed since 2006, when President Felipe Calderon deployed the Mexican armed forces to fight drug cartels.

Rather than reduce violence, the government’s crackdown actually increased conflicts between and among cartels, according to my research on criminal violence and numerous other studies. It also led to widespread military abuses of power against civilians.

More than 250,000 people have been murdered and 35,000 have disappeared since the beginning of Mexico’s drug war.

Lopez Obrador said on the campaign trail that Mexico must “consider multiple alternatives to achieve the pacification of the country.”

He pitched several possibilities to reduce crime without using law enforcement, including granting amnesty to low-level criminals, negotiating with crime bosses to dismantle their syndicates and confronting the human rights violations committed by soldiers, police and public officials.

Finding the truth

Some of those ideas - particularly the controversial notion of negotiating with organized crime - have faded away since Lopez Obrador took office on December 1.

So far, his administration has put more emphasis on traditional law-and-order policies.

In December, he ordered the creation of a Mexican national guard to fight organized crime. Though human rights advocates and security experts fear this approach will repeat past fatal mistakes of militarizing Mexican law enforcement, the lower house of Congress recently approved the measure. It will likely be approved in the Senate.

Lopez Obrador has followed through on one of his campaign proposals for "pacifying" Mexico, though.

Days after being sworn in, the president established a truth commission to investigate the unsolved disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teachers college in the southern Mexican town of Iguala in 2014.

Five years after their disappearance, the truth of this infamous case remains elusive.

According to the government of former president Enrique Pena Nieto, the crime was a local affair. Students en route to a protest march in Mexico City were detained by the Iguala police, and, at the mayor's order, handed over to a local gang, which killed them and burned their bodies.

Investigators from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights could not corroborate this story. In the burn pit identified in 2016, they found no physical evidence of the missing students.

In a scathing final report, investigators said that authorities had ignored crucial evidence that the army and federal police were involved in the students’ disappearance.

A truth commission will help Mexicans "understand the truth and do justice to the young people of Ayotzinapa," Lopez Obrador said on Twitter in announcing its creation.

The Ayotzinapa truth commission will put extraordinary resources and personnel on the case and give the victims’ families and perpetrators a voice in the process - neither of which police investigations in Mexico typically do.

Transitional justice

Truth commissions aim to create a collective, participatory narrative of human rights atrocities that not only exposes the perpetrators but also identifies the conditions that facilitated violence. They are a central component of transitional justice, an approach to helping countries recover after civil war or dictatorship.

Countries like Argentina, Guatemala, Brazil and Peru all used truth commissions to reckon with the toll of their bloody dictatorships and wars and give reparations to victims. South Africa famously used a truth commission to document the horrific human rights violations committed under apartheid.

Mexico's situation is different: It has a criminal violence problem, not a civil war.

But my research indicates this pacification strategy may have some promise.

Recent studies suggest that truth commissions can actually help prevent future violence. Because they identify perpetrators, who then face punishment for their crimes, truth commissions can both take criminals off the street and deter others from committing crime.

Holding public officials responsible for their corruption would be a major achievement in Mexico.

As the US federal trial of drug trafficker Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman illustrates, corruption penetrates the highest levels of Mexican government.

Since the beginning of its drug war, in 2006, Mexican citizens have filed 10,000 complaints of abuse against soldiers, including accusations of extrajudicial killings and torture. The government has done little to look into those allegations. Nor has it actively investigated most of the murders of 97 Mexican journalists since then.

If an Ayotzinapa truth commission enjoys the full support of federal authorities - which is not a guarantee, given the corruption it will almost certainly uncover - it could restore some faith in Mexico’s justice system. Currently, 97 percent of all crimes go unpunished.

Focusing on truth may also help the country better understand - and therefore address - the root causes of violence in Mexico.

Truth commissions, however, will not immediately solve an incredibly complex security crisis.

As Amnesty International has said, the Mexican government cannot create a truth commission to investigate every mass atrocity of the drug war. Mexico also needs a functioning justice system.

Pardoning low level crimes

Another transitional justice tool the Lopez Obrador government has proposed is amnesty to non-violent, low-level drug offenders.

The president's chief-of-staff, Olga Sanchez Cordero, says that pardoning people convicted and jailed for growing, processing, transporting or using drugs - particularly women and offenders from marginalized populations - would stop the cycle of violence in Mexico and encourage petty criminals to disarm.

Mexico's amnesty proposal is not unlike the First Step Act recently passed in the United States, which will result in the early release of about 2,600 prisoners, many of them drug offenders.

Mexico’s prison population has been steadily rising for years.

Between 2000 and 2016, it increased 40 per cent, from 154,765 inmates to 217,868 inmates, according to the Institute of Criminal Policy Research. The number of people jailed in Mexico for drug offenders has also increased markedly.

As in the United States, most prisoners in Mexico come from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the Collective for the Study of Drugs and Law, a non-profit research group.

What lies ahead

Should Lopez Obrador's amnesty idea become policy, it would surely be controversial.

Victims of violence in Ciudad Juarez were outraged when, in August 2018, President-elect Lopez Obrador said residents must be "willing to forgive".

Many caught in the crossfire of Mexico's drug war say justice and punishment should come before forgiveness.

But violence in Mexico is so pervasive that, in my opinion, the country must consider every option that might stanch the bleeding.

Truth commissions and amnesties to low level crimes will not pacify the country immediately - but they may bring some of the truth and justice Mexicans so desperately need.

*(Angelica Duran-Martinez is Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Massachusetts Lowell)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/mexico-is-bleeding-can-its-new-president-stop-the-violence-109490">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

*By Angelica Duran-Martinez Nearly 34,000 people were murdered in Mexico last year, according to new government statistics - the deadliest year since modern record-keeping began.

*By Angelica Duran-Martinez Nearly 34,000 people were murdered in Mexico last year, according to new government statistics - the deadliest year since modern record-keeping began. Of all the challenges facing Mexico's new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, curbing violence may be the biggest. Mexico has seen ever-growing bloodshed since 2006, when President Felipe Calderon deployed the Mexican armed forces to fight drug cartels. Rather than reduce violence, the government’s crackdown actually increased conflicts between and among cartels, according to my research on criminal violence and numerous other studies. It also led to widespread military abuses of power against civilians. More than 250,000 people have been murdered and 35,000 have disappeared since the beginning of Mexico’s drug war. Lopez Obrador said on the campaign trail that Mexico must “consider multiple alternatives to achieve the pacification of the country.” He pitched several possibilities to reduce crime without using law enforcement, including granting amnesty to low-level criminals, negotiating with crime bosses to dismantle their syndicates and confronting the human rights violations committed by soldiers, police and public officials. Finding the truth Some of those ideas - particularly the controversial notion of negotiating with organized crime - have faded away since Lopez Obrador took office on December 1. So far, his administration has put more emphasis on traditional law-and-order policies. In December, he ordered the creation of a Mexican national guard to fight organized crime. Though human rights advocates and security experts fear this approach will repeat past fatal mistakes of militarizing Mexican law enforcement, the lower house of Congress recently approved the measure. It will likely be approved in the Senate. Lopez Obrador has followed through on one of his campaign proposals for "pacifying" Mexico, though. Days after being sworn in, the president established a truth commission to investigate the unsolved disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teachers college in the southern Mexican town of Iguala in 2014. Five years after their disappearance, the truth of this infamous case remains elusive. According to the government of former president Enrique Pena Nieto, the crime was a local affair. Students en route to a protest march in Mexico City were detained by the Iguala police, and, at the mayor's order, handed over to a local gang, which killed them and burned their bodies. Investigators from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights could not corroborate this story. In the burn pit identified in 2016, they found no physical evidence of the missing students. In a scathing final report, investigators said that authorities had ignored crucial evidence that the army and federal police were involved in the students’ disappearance. A truth commission will help Mexicans "understand the truth and do justice to the young people of Ayotzinapa," Lopez Obrador said on Twitter in announcing its creation. The Ayotzinapa truth commission will put extraordinary resources and personnel on the case and give the victims’ families and perpetrators a voice in the process - neither of which police investigations in Mexico typically do. Transitional justice Truth commissions aim to create a collective, participatory narrative of human rights atrocities that not only exposes the perpetrators but also identifies the conditions that facilitated violence. They are a central component of transitional justice, an approach to helping countries recover after civil war or dictatorship. Countries like Argentina, Guatemala, Brazil and Peru all used truth commissions to reckon with the toll of their bloody dictatorships and wars and give reparations to victims. South Africa famously used a truth commission to document the horrific human rights violations committed under apartheid. Mexico's situation is different: It has a criminal violence problem, not a civil war. But my research indicates this pacification strategy may have some promise. Recent studies suggest that truth commissions can actually help prevent future violence. Because they identify perpetrators, who then face punishment for their crimes, truth commissions can both take criminals off the street and deter others from committing crime. Holding public officials responsible for their corruption would be a major achievement in Mexico. As the US federal trial of drug trafficker Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman illustrates, corruption penetrates the highest levels of Mexican government. Since the beginning of its drug war, in 2006, Mexican citizens have filed 10,000 complaints of abuse against soldiers, including accusations of extrajudicial killings and torture. The government has done little to look into those allegations. Nor has it actively investigated most of the murders of 97 Mexican journalists since then. If an Ayotzinapa truth commission enjoys the full support of federal authorities - which is not a guarantee, given the corruption it will almost certainly uncover - it could restore some faith in Mexico’s justice system. Currently, 97 percent of all crimes go unpunished. Focusing on truth may also help the country better understand - and therefore address - the root causes of violence in Mexico. Truth commissions, however, will not immediately solve an incredibly complex security crisis. As Amnesty International has said, the Mexican government cannot create a truth commission to investigate every mass atrocity of the drug war. Mexico also needs a functioning justice system. Pardoning low level crimes Another transitional justice tool the Lopez Obrador government has proposed is amnesty to non-violent, low-level drug offenders. The president's chief-of-staff, Olga Sanchez Cordero, says that pardoning people convicted and jailed for growing, processing, transporting or using drugs - particularly women and offenders from marginalized populations - would stop the cycle of violence in Mexico and encourage petty criminals to disarm. Mexico's amnesty proposal is not unlike the First Step Act recently passed in the United States, which will result in the early release of about 2,600 prisoners, many of them drug offenders. Mexico’s prison population has been steadily rising for years. Between 2000 and 2016, it increased 40 per cent, from 154,765 inmates to 217,868 inmates, according to the Institute of Criminal Policy Research. The number of people jailed in Mexico for drug offenders has also increased markedly. As in the United States, most prisoners in Mexico come from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the Collective for the Study of Drugs and Law, a non-profit research group. What lies ahead Should Lopez Obrador's amnesty idea become policy, it would surely be controversial. Victims of violence in Ciudad Juarez were outraged when, in August 2018, President-elect Lopez Obrador said residents must be "willing to forgive". Many caught in the crossfire of Mexico's drug war say justice and punishment should come before forgiveness. But violence in Mexico is so pervasive that, in my opinion, the country must consider every option that might stanch the bleeding. Truth commissions and amnesties to low level crimes will not pacify the country immediately - but they may bring some of the truth and justice Mexicans so desperately need. *(Angelica Duran-Martinez is Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Massachusetts Lowell) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Mexico is bleeding. Can its new President stop the violence?

Mexico is prepared to host President <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-state-secretary-pompeo-to-ask-un-security-council-to-recognise-venezuelas-guaido-as-acting-president-192814">Nicolas Maduro</a> and his opposition rival, self-declared interim president Juan Guaido, for talks to resolve Venezuela's spiraling crisis, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday.

Lopez Obrador, whose government still recognizes Maduro as Venezuelan president -- unlike several other Latin American powers and the United States -- said the Mexican foreign ministry was ready to host talks for a "peaceful solution" if both parties were willing.

"We couldn't carry this out without a request from both sides... (but) we are more than willing to help facilitate dialogue, without the use of force or violence, to resolve the problems" Venezuela is facing, he told a news conference.

Maduro said Thursday he was open to holding talks to resolve the crisis and was ready to meet Guaido.

But the opposition leader has ruled that out, for now, saying the leftist leader cannot be trusted.

Guaido, the leader of Venezuela's legislature, declared himself acting president on Wednesday, saying Maduro's re-election was illegitimate.

The socialist leader, who has presided over a painful political and economic crisis, was sworn in for a new six-year term on January 10, after winning an election that was boycotted by the opposition and condemned by the United States and a dozen Latin American countries.

The US, Canada, Britain and a string of regional countries have recognized Guaido as president.

Mexico is the biggest Latin American player that still recognizes Maduro, together with Russia and China.

Mexico has taken a hands-off approach to the Venezuelan crisis since Lopez Obrador, a leftist, took office in December.

It was the only member of the so-called Lima Group of 14 regional countries not to sign a statement earlier this month calling on Maduro to step down rather than begin a new term.

However, Lopez Obrador's government has not given Maduro the unbending support of leftist allies such as Cuba and Nicaragua, calling instead -- in a joint statement with Uruguay -- for all parties to "reduce tensions" and hold an "inclusive and credible negotiation process."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called Thursday for talks, saying Venezuela needs to "avoid an escalation that would lead to the kind of conflict that would be a disaster for the people of Venezuela and for the region."

Mexico is prepared to host President Nicolas Maduro and his opposition rival, self-declared interim president Juan Guaido, for talks to resolve Venezuela's spiraling crisis, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday.

Mexico is prepared to host President Nicolas Maduro and his opposition rival, self-declared interim president Juan Guaido, for talks to resolve Venezuela's spiraling crisis, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday. Lopez Obrador, whose government still recognizes Maduro as Venezuelan president -- unlike several other Latin American powers and the United States -- said the Mexican foreign ministry was ready to host talks for a "peaceful solution" if both parties were willing. "We couldn't carry this out without a request from both sides... (but) we are more than willing to help facilitate dialogue, without the use of force or violence, to resolve the problems" Venezuela is facing, he told a news conference. Maduro said Thursday he was open to holding talks to resolve the crisis and was ready to meet Guaido. But the opposition leader has ruled that out, for now, saying the leftist leader cannot be trusted. Guaido, the leader of Venezuela's legislature, declared himself acting president on Wednesday, saying Maduro's re-election was illegitimate. The socialist leader, who has presided over a painful political and economic crisis, was sworn in for a new six-year term on January 10, after winning an election that was boycotted by the opposition and condemned by the United States and a dozen Latin American countries. The US, Canada, Britain and a string of regional countries have recognized Guaido as president. Mexico is the biggest Latin American player that still recognizes Maduro, together with Russia and China. Mexico has taken a hands-off approach to the Venezuelan crisis since Lopez Obrador, a leftist, took office in December. It was the only member of the so-called Lima Group of 14 regional countries not to sign a statement earlier this month calling on Maduro to step down rather than begin a new term. However, Lopez Obrador's government has not given Maduro the unbending support of leftist allies such as Cuba and Nicaragua, calling instead -- in a joint statement with Uruguay -- for all parties to "reduce tensions" and hold an "inclusive and credible negotiation process." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called Thursday for talks, saying Venezuela needs to "avoid an escalation that would lead to the kind of conflict that would be a disaster for the people of Venezuela and for the region."

Venezuela: Opposition leader Juan Guaido rules out crisis talks, says Maduro can not be trusted

The number of people who died from a gasoline pipeline explosion in central Mexico last week has risen to 94, government officials said on Tuesday, from 91 reported a day earlier.

Half a dozen people interviewed by Reuters on Saturday said their relatives went to the leaking duct in Tlahuelilpan district in Hidalgo state because they struggled to find fuel elsewhere and were desperate to fill up cars to get to work or run their farms.

"A lot of innocent people came here, perhaps their car didn't have enough gasoline for tomorrow, and they said I'm just going to go for a few liters," said farmer Isidoro Velasco, 51, who was waiting for news of his nephew Mario Hidalgo, who he believed likely dead. Hidalgo turned 34 on Saturday.

Late last month, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador launched a program to shut down an illegal fuel distribution network that siphons off about $3 billion worth of fuel annually from state oil firm Pemex.

The plan, which involves shutting off pipelines compromised by gangs who fit valves to drain fuel, led to widespread gasoline shortages in central Mexico in January, including in Hidalgo, to the north of Mexico City.

On Saturday, most gas stations in Tlahuelilpan were closed.

 
&nbsp;

The number of people who died from a gasoline pipeline explosion in central Mexico last week has risen to 94, government officials said on Tuesday, from 91 reported a day earlier.

The number of people who died from a gasoline pipeline explosion in central Mexico last week has risen to 94, government officials said on Tuesday, from 91 reported a day earlier. Half a dozen people interviewed by Reuters on Saturday said their relatives went to the leaking duct in Tlahuelilpan district in Hidalgo state because they struggled to find fuel elsewhere and were desperate to fill up cars to get to work or run their farms. "A lot of innocent people came here, perhaps their car didn't have enough gasoline for tomorrow, and they said I'm just going to go for a few liters," said farmer Isidoro Velasco, 51, who was waiting for news of his nephew Mario Hidalgo, who he believed likely dead. Hidalgo turned 34 on Saturday. Late last month, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador launched a program to shut down an illegal fuel distribution network that siphons off about $3 billion worth of fuel annually from state oil firm Pemex. The plan, which involves shutting off pipelines compromised by gangs who fit valves to drain fuel, led to widespread gasoline shortages in central Mexico in January, including in Hidalgo, to the north of Mexico City. On Saturday, most gas stations in Tlahuelilpan were closed.

Death toll in Mexico gasoline pipeline blast climbs to 94: Officials

Mexico suffered a record 33,341 homicides in 2018, according to official statistics released Monday, breaking the record set in 2017, as violence fueled by a war on the country's powerful drug cartels plagues the country.

More than 200,000 people have been murdered in Mexico since the government controversially deployed the army to fight drug trafficking in 2006. The previous record was 28,866 homicides in 2017.

The new record shows the grim challenge facing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, an anti-establishment leftist who took office in December with a promise to curb the gruesome violence.

His strategy is built on creating a national guard that will officially bring civilian police duties under military control.

Critics say that will only prolong the militarization of the crackdown on drug cartels and exacerbate human rights abuses, which activists say have soared since the army was sent into the streets.

In a concession to critics, Lopez Obrador agreed to put the new force under civilian command, but opponents say that will do little to resolve the underlying problems.

Creating the national guard will require a constitutional amendment.

The legislation cleared the lower house last week with the required two-thirds majority, in a major victory for Lopez Obrador -- though he complained the bill as passed did not give the military enough powers during the transition to the new force.

The plan still has to pass the Senate, also with a two-thirds majority, and half of Mexico's 32 state legislatures -- most controlled by Lopez Obrador's party, Morena.

Mexico suffered a record 33,341 homicides in 2018, according to official statistics released Monday, breaking the record set in 2017, as violence fueled by a war on the country's powerful drug cartels plagues the country.

Mexico suffered a record 33,341 homicides in 2018, according to official statistics released Monday, breaking the record set in 2017, as violence fueled by a war on the country's powerful drug cartels plagues the country. More than 200,000 people have been murdered in Mexico since the government controversially deployed the army to fight drug trafficking in 2006. The previous record was 28,866 homicides in 2017. The new record shows the grim challenge facing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, an anti-establishment leftist who took office in December with a promise to curb the gruesome violence. His strategy is built on creating a national guard that will officially bring civilian police duties under military control. Critics say that will only prolong the militarization of the crackdown on drug cartels and exacerbate human rights abuses, which activists say have soared since the army was sent into the streets. In a concession to critics, Lopez Obrador agreed to put the new force under civilian command, but opponents say that will do little to resolve the underlying problems. Creating the national guard will require a constitutional amendment. The legislation cleared the lower house last week with the required two-thirds majority, in a major victory for Lopez Obrador -- though he complained the bill as passed did not give the military enough powers during the transition to the new force. The plan still has to pass the Senate, also with a two-thirds majority, and half of Mexico's 32 state legislatures -- most controlled by Lopez Obrador's party, Morena.

Mexico murders set new record in 2018: Official statistics