Mexican businessman Carlos Slim Helu has surpassed Warren Buffet to take the number two position on the Forbes list of the world's richest people. Slim, now worth $53 billion, is approaching Bill Gates’ fortune of $56 for the top spot. Slim owns Mexico's dominant phone company and has numerous other holdings throughout Latin America. His wealth highlights the gap between […]
Contributed by Rich Basas of FPA's Migration Blog: In Mexico's "Dirty War" between 1968 and 1971, more than 600 people were "disappeared" for their political convictions. While much progress has been made with disappeared people in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay since the 1970s and the fall of military dictatorships in those countries, there has not […]
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled to allow the U.S. to continue its plan to fortify irrigation canals on the U.S. side of its border with Mexico to prevent seepage that has been used by farmers across the border in Mexicali Valley. In 2005, two U.S. environmental groups and a Mexican community […]
Amado Ramirez, a correspondent for Mexico's most popular news network, Televisa, was killed in a premeditated shooting on April 6th after a taping of his show. The perpetetrators have not yet been apprehended in what is the latest in a series of crimes targeting journalists. An official at the Inter-American Press Association has said that […]
Expedia and the United Nations Foundation have teamed up as part of the World Heritage Alliance to promote sustainable travel to Mexico among its tours of UNESCO World Heritage sites. As part of the collaborative effort, Expedia announced that its employees are joining forces with local community-based tourism companies to create cultural and natural tours in Mexico. Expedia has […]
Mexican journalist and women's rights activist Lydia Cacho Ribeiro is the recipient of Amnesty International USA's 2007 Ginetta Sagan Award for Women's and Children's Rights. Cacho is the Founder and Director of the Refuge Center for Abused Women of Cancun and also serves as President of the Center for Women's Assistance. A specialist on gender-based violence, Cacho […]
Almost 500 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico this year, including more than 50 in the past week. Of the nearly 500 victims this year, 58 have been police officers, according to Mexico City's Police Formation Institute. President Calderon targeted drug trafficking upon taking office in December 2006 and sent troops earlier […]
Mexican President Felipe Calderon played host to Chilean President Michelle Bachelet last week in an effort to strengthen relations and encourage regional integration. The two agreed to form an advisory council for the Strategic Association Agreement, or AAE, which was signed in January 2006 by their predecessors, Vicente Fox and Ricardo Lagos. In addition to economic […]
Professor Julio Moreno, Coordinator of Latin American Studies at the University of San Francisco, spoke at the World Affairs Council of Northern California on March 6th. His talk, Mexico: Neighbor in Turmoil, can be downloaded here. Moreno is the author of Yankee Don't Go Home!: Mexican Nationalism, American Business Culture, and the Shaping of Modern […]
Mexico's Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) has proposed a bill in the national Senate to legalize abortion within the first three months of pregnancy. Currently, Mexican law only allows for abortion in cases of rape or when the mother's life is in danger. The PRD has also proposed legalizing abortion in Mexico City, which is a […]
A new law took effect in Mexico City on March 16th allowing same-sex couples to unite in civil unions, giving them many of the social benefits such as property, pension and inheritance rights that are enjoyed by heterosexual married couples. The civil union law does not, however, allow the couples to adopt children. The Catholic […]
The impact of President Bush's Mexico visit remains to be seen, but while some are hopeful for immigration reform and increased emphasis on the region during the remainder of his presidency, expectations are not very high. Though some see Mexican President Calderon as a potential counter to leftist Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, it is not […]
President Bush concluded his Latin America tour with a meeting in Mexico with President Felipe Calderon — their first meeting since Calderon took office in December. Bush has been the target of demonstrations throughout his trip, and many in Mexico are disappointed in the Bush Administration's policies, particularly as they relate to immigration, as well […]
According to the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart now accounts for half of all retail sales in Mexico. Wal-Mart de Mexico reported net sales in 2005 of $164.3 billion pesos (or $15.4 billion U.S. dollars). The American retailer has expanded to several countries, and its success in Mexico has encouraged it to seek out other developing […]
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox spoke on a wide range of issues at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas last week. Addressing his disapproval of the U.S. plan to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, Fox took an historical approach, saying that walls “didn't work” in Berlin and China. In addition to immigration […]