Maybe it was the strong peso, the post-Covid return to normality, or, perhaps, the president’s fondness for hugging criminals.

The U.S. State Department responded to a barrage of fury unleashed by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in the wake of its annual report on human rights around the world that highlights the high levels of impunity in Mexico, the participation of authorities in crimes and the president’s antagonism toward journalists and activists.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to US$20,000 for information leading to the physical location of María del Carmen López, a U.S. citizen who was kidnapped from her residence in Pueblo Nuevo, Colima on February 9, 2023.

Daylight saving time begins in the United States on Sunday, March 12, when the clocks skip ahead an hour at 2 a.m. local time.

It has been pointed out that the U.S. State Department travel advisory for Mexico highlighted Matamoros (see story left) as a place where drug cartel activity is widespread.

New rules published recently in the Official Gazette of the Federation maintain the prohibition of genetically modified corn (GMO) corn for human consumption in Mexico, but eliminate a 2024 deadline for phasing out biotech corn for animal feed and industrial food production.