General News

Influential journalist Carmen Aristegui has accused her former employer MVS Radio of trying to block a story that connected Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto to the purchase of a house from a government contractor. The news sparked concerns over media censorship and freedom of expression in the country. 

North Korea has accused Mexico of illegally detaining one its ships and threatened to take “necessary measures” to recover the vessel. According to U.N. sanctions monitors, the Mu Du Bong ship belongs to the blacklisted Ocean Maritime Management Company. The firm has broken U.N. sanctions by working with countries, like North Korea, that have illegal nuclear programs. “In the case of the Mu Du Bong, the evidence is overwhelming,” the coordinator of the U.N. panel, Hugh Griffiths, wrote in an email.

Mexico’s basket of 80 basic food products that are essential for families is beyond the price range of 66 million Mexicans, or 55 percent of the population, according to a study by the Belisario Dominguez Institute.  This is a significant increase since 2010, when 47 percent of the population was unable to afford all of the items in basic basket.

Following Mexico’s upcoming legislative ban on using animals in the circus, the country is now facing the challenge of finding homes for more than 2,000 exotic creatures, including tigers, elephants, bears, zebras and camels, among other species.

James Bond actor Daniel Craig was flown 3,000 miles for an emergency knee operation in New York after an injury worsened during filming in Mexico City. The production company expects him to make a full recovery before the project resumes. Craig is making his fourth appearance as the secret agent. The latest outing is titled “Spectre” and is scheduled for release on November 6.

Guadalajara has been selected to host next year’s Tianguis Turistico trade fair, the largest platform for promoting and marketing tourism products and services in the country.

State tourism officials celebrated the announcement at this year’s fair, held this week in Acapulco.  The 2016 fair will be held at Expo Guadalajara and draw tourism sector representatives from all over the world.

Keen-eyed observers of the annual passion play in Iztapalapa, Mexico City, will have spotted a small historical inaccuracy in this year’s reenactment. The organizers may have asked for a “Roman flag” to adorn the palace of Pontius Pilate but instead a Romanian flag was shown fluttering in the wind at the event.

The six-month anniversary of the forced disappearance of 43 student protesters in Guerrero was marked by protests throughout Mexico and abroad. In Guadalajara, some 1,000 people marched on the Plaza Liberacion bearing banners calling for the safe return of the students and the resignation of President Enrique Peña Nieto. Similar demonstrations were held in Guerrero and Mexico City.