Mexico
Emergency declaration for multiple wildfires in New Mexico
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed emergency declarations as 20 wildfires continued to burn Sunday in nearly half of the state’s drought-stricken 33 counties.
One wildfire in northern New Mexico that started April 6 merged with a newer fire Saturday to form the largest blaze in the state, leading to widespread evacuations in Mora and San Miguel counties. That fire was at 84 square miles (217 square kilometers) Sunday and 12% contained.
An uncontained wind-driven wildfire in northern New Mexico that began April 17 had charred 81 square miles (209 square kilometers) of ponderosa pine, oak brush and grass by Sunday morning north of Ocate, an unincorporated community in Mora County.
Meanwhile in Arizona, some residents forced to evacuate due to a wildfire near Flagstaff were allowed to return home Sunday morning.
In Nebraska, authorities said wind-driven wildfires sweeping through parts of the state killed a retired Cambridge fire chief and injured at least 11 firefighters.
Also read: Wind will be a force to reckon with on Southwest wildfires
Winds and temperatures in New Mexico diminished Saturday but remained strong enough to still fan fires. Dozens of evacuation orders remained in place.
Fire officials were expecting the northern wildfires to slow Sunday as cloud and smoke cover moves in, allowing the forests to retain more moisture. But they added that the interior portions of the fires could show moderate to extreme behavior, which could threaten structures in those areas.
More than 200 structures have been charred by the wildfires thus far and an additional 900 remain threatened, Lujan Grisham said.
Fire management officials said an exact damage count was unclear because it’s still too dangerous for crews to go in and look at all the homes that have been lost.
“We do not know the magnitude of the structure loss. We don’t even know the areas where most homes made it through the fire, where homes haven’t been damaged or anything like that,” said operation sections chief Jayson Coil.
Some 1,000 firefighters were battling the wildfires across New Mexico, which already has secured about $3 million in grants to help with the fires.
Lujan Grisham said she has asked the White House for more federal resources and she’s calling for a ban of fireworks statewide.
“We need more federal bodies for firefighting, fire mitigation, public safety support on the ground in New Mexico,” she said. “It’s going to be a tough summer. So that’s why we are banning fires. And that is why on Monday I will be asking every local government to be thinking about ways to ban the sales of fireworks.”
Wildfire has become a year-round threat in the West given changing conditions that include earlier snowmelt and rain coming later in the fall, scientist have said. The problems have been exacerbated by decades of fire suppression and poor management along with a more than 20-year megadrought that studies link to human-caused climate change.
In Arizona, two large wildfires continued to burn Sunday 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Prescott and 14 miles (22 kilometers) northeast of Flagstaff.
Coconino County authorities lifted the evacuation order Sunday morning for residents living in neighborhoods along Highway 89 after fire management officials determined the Flagstaff-area wildfire no longer posed a threat.
The fire near Flagstaff was at 33 square miles (85 square kilometers) as of Sunday with 3% containment. It forced the evacuation of 766 homes and burned down 30 homes and two dozen other structures since it began a week ago, according to county authorities.
Also read: 5,000 under evacuation orders as New Mexico wildfire rages
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey declared the fire a state of emergency Thursday for Coconino County to free up recovery aid to affected communities.
The wildfire near Prescott began last Monday and was at 4.8 square miles (12.4 square kilometers) and 15% contained as of Sunday morning as helicopters and air tankers dropped water and retardant to slow the fire’s growth.
The cause of the wildfires in New Mexico and Arizona remain under investigation.
Nebraska Emergency Management Agency officials said John P. Trumble, of Arapahoe, was overcome by smoke and fire after his vehicle left the road Friday night because of poor visibility from smoke and dust.
Trumble, 66, was working with firefighters as a spotter in Red Willow County in the southwestern corner of the state and his body was found early Saturday, authorities said.
Wildfires were still burning Saturday night in five Nebraska counties. The Nebraska National Guard deployed three helicopters and several support trucks to help battle the blazes.
Tour boat in Mexico hits whale or whale shark, 6 injured
A small Mexican tour boat hit a whale or a whale shark off the Baja California Sur coastal city of La Paz, injuring a half dozen people, authorities said Saturday.
The state civil defense office posted a video clip showing the open boat, which had an awning, hit something in the open water. The boat careens out of the water with sufficient force to throw at least one passenger through the awning and possibly off the vessel.
READ: Tour boat captain not to blame in deadly Danube crash
The office said three children aboard the craft suffered light injuries, but two adults were hospitalized after the accident, which occurred Friday. The office said another person aboard the craft was taken by navy personnel to a clinic for treatment.
Mexican regulations require boats involved in whale watching to stay a safe distance from the creatures, but the boat involved in Friday's incident did not appear to be engaged in whale watching — or watching out for whales.
The civil defense office said the accident is under investigation. The video, and the leap the boat made after hitting the creature, suggest it was going at a high rate of speed.
2 dead, more than 200 homes charred in New Mexico wildfire
Firefighters took advantage of a brief break in the weather but gusty winds were expected to return Friday to southern New Mexico where a wildfire has claimed two lives and charred more than 200 homes.
The fire has forced the evacuation of about 5,000 people in the mountain community of Ruidoso, where the remains of a couple were found near a burned home as they tried to flee.
New Mexico State Police confirmed the blaze killed the two people after it started Tuesday from a windblown, downed power line. Their names have not been released.
Also read: Firefighters increase containment on Colorado wildfire
Thousands of customers in the area remain without power, and Ruidoso schools have been closed until next week.
“We’ve had students who’ve lost their homes. We have to support them on Tuesday” when school resumes, said high school English teacher Sara Ames Brown. She said Thursday she was with students when they were evacuated by bus, with flames visible in the forest outside as they drove away.
Fire crews used a break in what had been a steady stream of relentless gusts to make headway against the flames on Thursday.
Incident Commander Dave Bales said the strategy was “attack while we can,” noting that winds were expected to pick up again Friday.
“We’re trying to keep this fire as small as possible, especially because it’s right in the community,” he said. “We’ve had a loss of a lot of structures so our crews are right there on the fire front going as direct as possible.”
The fire moved into a more densely populated area on Ruidoso’s northeastern side Wednesday afternoon, prompting more evacuations. Laura Rabon, a spokesperson for the Lincoln National Forest, interrupted a fire briefing and told people to get in their cars and leave after the flames jumped a road where crews were trying to hold the line.
Crews kept the flames from pushing further into the village on Wednesday, and Rabon said that progress continued Thursday as helicopters dropped water and ground crews secured lines on the east and south sides. They also put out hot spots in the neighborhoods where the flames raced through earlier this week.
The fire has torched an estimated 9 square miles (23 square kilometers) of forest and grass, and the strong winds that battered the area have left behind toppled trees and down power lines. Due to the power outage, the school district’s servers were down and email wasn’t working.
Six new large fires were reported Wednesday: three in Texas, two in Colorado and one in Oklahoma. In all, wildland firefighters and support personnel were trying to contain 11 large fires that have charred more than 40 square miles (103 square kilometers) in five states.
Also read: Colorado wildfires burn hundreds of homes, force evacuations
The National Interagency Fire Center reported Thursday that since the start of the year, 18,550 wildfires have burned about 1,250 square miles (3,237 square kilometers). That’s well above the 10-year average of 12,290 wildfires and 835 square miles (2162.64 square kilometers) burned.
Hotter and drier weather coupled with decades of fire suppression have contributed to an increase in the number of acres burned by wildfires, fire scientists say. The problem is exacerbated by a more than 20-year Western megadrought that studies link to human-caused climate change.
Elsewhere in New Mexico, wildfires were burning northwest of Ruidoso, along the Rio Grande south of Albuquerque, in mountains northwest of the community of Las Vegas and in grasslands along the Pecos River near the town of Roswell.
Ukrainian refugees find route to US goes through Mexico
Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees arriving daily have a message for family and friends in Europe: the fastest route to settle in the United States is booking a flight to Mexico.
A loose volunteer coalition, largely from Slavic churches in the western United States, is guiding hundreds of refugees daily from the airport in the Mexican border city of Tijuana to hotels, churches and shelters, where they wait two to four days for U.S officials to admit them on humanitarian parole. In less than two weeks, volunteers worked with U.S. and Mexican officials to build a remarkably efficient and expanding network to provide food, security, transportation, and shelter.
The volunteers, who wear blue and yellow badges to represent the Ukrainian flag but have no group name or leader, started a waiting list on notepads and later switched to a mobile app normally used to track church attendance. Ukrainians are told to report to a U.S. border crossing as their numbers approach, a system that organizers liken to waiting for a restaurant table.
“We feel so lucky, so blessed,” said Tatiana Bondarenko, who traveled through Moldova, Romania, Austria and Mexico before arriving Tuesday in San Diego with her husband and children, ages 8, 12, and 15. Her final destination was Sacramento, California, to live with her mother, who she hadn’t seen in 15 years.
Also read:Mariupol’s dead put at 5,000 as Ukraine braces in the east
Another Ukrainian family posed nearby for photos under a U.S. Customs and Border Protection sign at San Diego's San Ysidro port of entry, the busiest crossing between the U.S. and Mexico. Volunteers under a blue canopy offered snacks while refugees waited for family to pick them up or for buses to take them to a nearby church.
At the Tijuana airport, weary travelers who enter Mexico as tourists in Mexico City or Cancun are directed to a makeshift lounge in the terminal with a sign in black marker that reads, “Only for Ukrainian Refugees.” It is the only place to register to enter the U.S.
About 200 to 300 Ukrainians were being admitted daily at the San Ysidro crossing this week, with hundreds more arriving in Tijuana, according to volunteers who manage the waiting list. There were 973 families or single adults waiting on Tuesday.
U.S officials told volunteers they aim to admit about 550 Ukrainians daily as processing moves to a nearby crossing that is temporarily closed to the public. CBP didn't provide numbers in response to questions about operations and plans, saying only that it has expanded facilities in San Diego to deal with humanitarian cases.
“We realized we had a problem that the government wasn’t going to solve, so we solved it,” said Phil Metzger, pastor of Calvary Church in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista, where about 75 members host Ukrainian families and another 100 refugees sleep on air mattresses and pews.
Metzger, whose pastoral work has taken him to Ukraine and Hungary, calls the operation "duct tape and glue” but refugees prefer it to overwhelmed European countries, where millions of Ukrainians have settled.
The Biden administration has said it will accept up to 100,000 Ukrainians but Mexico is the only route producing big numbers. Appointments at U.S. consulates in Europe are scarce, and refugee resettlement takes time.
The administration set a refugee resettlement cap of 125,000 in the 12-month period that ends Sept. 30 but accepted only 8,758 by March 31, including 704 Ukrainians. In the previous year, it capped refugee resettlement at 62,500 but took only 11,411, including 803 Ukrainians.
The administration paroled more than 76,000 Afghans through U.S. airports in response to the departure of American troops last year, but nothing similar is afoot for Ukrainians.
Oskana Dugnyk, 36, hesitated to leave her home in Bucha but acquiesced to her husband's wishes before Russian troops invaded the town and left behind streets strewn with corpses. The couple worried about violence in Mexico with three young children but the robust presence of volunteers in Tijuana reassured them and a friend in Ohio agreed to host them.
Also read: Killing of Ukrainian civilians could bring new sanctions
“So far, so good,” Dugnyk said a day after arriving at a Tijuana gymnasium that the city government opened for about 400 Ukrainians to sleep on a basketball court. “We have food. We have a place to stay. We hope everything will be fine.”
Alerted by text message or social media, Ukrainians are summoned to a grassy hill and bus shelter near the border crossing hours before their numbers are called. The city government opened the bus shelter to protect Ukrainians from torrential rain.
Angelina Mykyta, a college student in Kyiv, acknowledged nerves as her number neared. She fled to Warsaw after the invasion but decided to take a chance on the United States because she wanted to settle with a pastor she knows in Kalispell, Montana.
“I think we'll be OK,” she said while waiting to be escorted from the camp of hundreds of Ukrainians to their final stop in Mexico — a small area with a few dozen folding chairs within earshot of U.S. officials. Some refuse to drink at the final stop, fearing they will have to go to the bathroom and miss their turn.
Lulls end when CBP officers approach: "We need a family." “Give me three more.” “Singles, we need singles.” A volunteer ensures orderly movement.
The arrival of Ukrainians comes as the Biden administration prepares for much larger numbers when pandemic-related asylum limits for all nationalities end May 23. Since March 2020, the U.S. has used Title 42 authority, named for a 1944 public health law, to suspend rights to seek asylum under U.S. law and international treaty.
Metzger, the Chula Vista pastor, said his church cannot long continue its 24-hour-a-day pace helping refugees, and suspects U.S. authorities will not adopt what volunteers have done.
“If you make something go smooth, then everybody's going to come,” he said. “We're making it so easy. Eventually I'm sure they'll say, ‘No, we’re done.'”
FBCCI to boost business with Mexico
A Virtual Business Platform of Mexico – Bangladesh has been launched to create better opportunities and bring the business community of Bangladesh and Mexico on a single platform.
It was launched on Monday night through a webinar organised by Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (COMCE).
Also read: FBCCI hails Hasina for lighting up Bangladesh
FBCCI President Md. Jashim Uddin said that the relations between the two countries have grown over the years, but have not yet reached its fullest potential.
Highlighting the rapid development and favorable investment policy in Bangladesh, the apex trade body chief urged Mexico to invest in R&D in the thriving sectors with new innovation like agro-based products, frozen fish, FMCG, diversified jute and leather goods, automobile pharmaceuticals, plastic goods, home furnishings and home textiles, light engineering, ceramics, home appliances furniture and information technology.
FBCCI Director Abul Kasem Khan presented a power point presentation on trade and investment opportunities and potentials in Bangladesh and Mexico.
Also read: FBCCI to set up trade centre in Dubai
Mexican non-resident ambassador to Bangladesh Federico Salas Lotfe, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Mexico Abida Islam, Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Asia Pacific Business Section, COMCE Amb. Sergio Ley, Vice-chairman of the Asia Pacific Business Section, COMCE Agustin Garcia Rechy, FBCCI Director Prity Chakraborty and Secretary General Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque were present at the webinar where it was moderated by Manager of the Asia Pacific Business Section, COMCE Jessica Ortiz.
Foreign Service Academies of Bangladesh, Mexico sign MoU
The Foreign Service Academy of Bangladesh and the Matias Romero Institute of Mexico have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral diplomatic cooperation at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On behalf of the Matias Romero Institute, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Carmen Moeeno Toscano and on behalf of Bangladesh Foreign Service Academy Ambassador of Bangladesh to Mexico Abida Islam signed the MoU on Thursday.
Counsellor of Bangladesh embassy Shahanaj Ranu along with the local officials of the embassy was present during the ceremony.
Mexico's energy reform strains ties with US
Mexico’s plan to favor its own state-owned electrical power plants and limit energy sales by private, foreign-built projects could affect U.S. investment in Mexico, officials said during bilateral talks this week.
According to statements issued Friday, the U.S. government has “real concerns with the potential negative impact” on U.S. firms and investments.
“In each meeting, we expressly conveyed the Biden-Harris Administration’s real concerns with the potential negative impact of Mexico’s proposed energy reforms on U.S. private investment in Mexico,” according to a statement by U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The proposed reform could also hinder U.S.-Mexico joint efforts on clean energy and climate.”
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he received a list of U.S. and Canadian firms who had voiced complaints and said he would “review them if they believe there has been an injustice.”
READ: Mexico sees fake molnupiravir, 1 week after drug approved
Granholm said “I was assured that Mexico is committed to supporting clean energy and resolving current disputes with energy projects within the rule of law.”
Last year López Obrador proposed a constitutional reform to restrict sales by private power generators and favor Mexico’s state-owned utility company.
The bill that López Obrador submitted in October would cancel contracts under which 34 private plants sell power into the national grid. The plan would also declare “illegal” an additional 239 private plants that sell energy directly to corporate clients in Mexico. Almost all of those plants are run with renewable energy sources or natural gas.
The measure also would cancel many long-term energy supply contracts and clean-energy preferential buying programs, often affecting foreign companies.
It puts private natural gas plants almost last in line — ahead of only government coal-fired plants — for rights to sell electricity into the grid, despite the fact they produce power about 24% more cheaply. Government-run plants that burn dirty fuel oil would have preference over private wind and solar plants.
READ: Mexico ends year with inflation at 7.36%, most in 20 years
The plan guarantees the government electrical utility a market share of “at least” 54%, even though the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade pact prohibits favoring local or government businesses.
Mexico sees fake molnupiravir, 1 week after drug approved
Mexico said Friday it is already seeing black market or fake versions of molnupiravir circulating for sale, just one week after authorities approved the drug to treat those at risk of severe COVID-19.
The real medication is produced by U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck. But Mexico’s health regulatory agency found versions labelled molnupiravir for sale from an array of companies like “Merit,” “Molaz” and “Azista.”
The agency said Friday that it had no record of any permits for import or sales of those companies’ drugs and considered them a health risk.
The Federal Commission for Health Protection wrote that, because molnupiravir is approved only for prescription use, “any product advertised as over-the-counter molnupiravir should be considered a health risk because of its dubious origin.”
Also read: Merck agrees to let other drug makers make its COVID pill
Mexico's government approved molnupiravir from Merck for use last week for adults with COVID-19 and “a high risk of complications.” On Friday the agency approved a second pill, Paxlovid, from Pfizer, for use on adult patients “at risk for complications.”
Mexico has long been plagued by counterfeit medicines, corruption within the regulatory agency, and a penchant for self-medication due to the country's inadequate health care infrastructure.
The country has seen coronavirus cases spike by over 200% in the last week, apparently due to the omicron variant, and faces a shortage of tests, which tends to drive consumers toward the black market.
Also read: US panel backs first-of-a-kind COVID-19 pill from Merck
Mexico does so little testing that, while test-confirmed COVID-19 deaths hover around 300,000, a government review of death certificates places the real toll at around 460,000.
10 bodies, 9 hanging from overpass, found in central Mexico
Mexican authorities on Thursday discovered 10 bodies — nine of them hanging from an overpass — in the central state of Zacatecas, the scene of a battle for territory among drug cartels.
The Zacatecas state public safety agency said in a statement the bodies were found in Ciudad Cuauhtemoc, about 340 miles (550 kilometers) north of Mexico city. The 10th body was found on the pavement. All of the victims were men.
The Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels have been battling for control in the state, which is a key transit point for drugs, especially the powerful synthetic pain killer fentanyl, moving north to the U.S. border.
Also read: Over 2,000 migrants march out of southern city in Mexico
Cartels sometimes make such public displays of bodies to taunt their rivals or authorities and terrify local residents.
In the first nine months of the year, Mexico had more than 25,000 murders, a number 3.4% less than the same period a year earlier, according to federal data.
Also read: At least 1 dead, 10 missing in landslide near Mexico City
Bangladesh and Mexico want to deepen military cooperation
Bangladesh has received a positive response from Mexico regarding a proposal for enhancing military cooperation and sharing its vast experience in the tourism sector.
The Mexican side has confirmed that their country will reciprocate this kind gesture of Bangladesh by sending a military delegation to Dhaka to participate in the forthcoming Victory Day celebration in December next.
Bangladesh has already shown its interest by sending a 39-member military contingent who participated in the 200-year Celebration of Mexican Independence at the National Palace in Mexico City.
Read: Comoros looks for trade deal with Bangladesh
The issues were discussed at the first-ever Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) between Bangladesh and Mexico held virtually on Tuesday.
Both sides expressed their firm convictions in finding new avenues to further deepen the existing friendly bilateral relationship.
Toufiq Islam Shatil, Director General (Americas) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka led the Bangladesh Delegation whereas Ambassador Claudia Franco Hijuelos, Director General (Asia-Pacific) of Mexican Foreign Ministry led the Mexican delegation.
As members of the delegations of their respective countries, Bangladesh Ambassador to Mexico, Abida Islam and Federico Salas Lotfe Ambassador of Mexico to India, concurring to Bangladesh, actively participated in the discussions.
The Bangladesh delegation consisted of representatives from Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Cultural Affairs, as well as from National Board of Revenue (NBR).
Read: Middlemen, the biggest obstacle in Bangladesh's food chain?
The entire gamut of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Mexico were discussed during the meeting with focus on the economy and trade, exchanges between Foreign Service academies, bilateral cooperation in cultural, gender equality, defence and tourism, including visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders.
While taking stock of the overall state of Bangladesh-Mexico relations, the leader of the Bangladesh delegation stressed the importance of regular exchange of high-level visits and increased engagements to further foster the friendly ties between the two countries.
He also emphasized the need for carrying forward the momentum that was created during the successful visit of State Minister of Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam in September 2021 while attending the 200-year celebration of Mexican Independence.
The Bangladesh side requested for opening a resident mission of Mexico in Dhaka in the near future. The Mexican side proposed to form a Parliamentary Friendship Group between lawmakers of two countries.
Trade and Investment
In the area of trade and investment, Bangladesh highlighted the impressive investment possibilities and benefits provided by the government to foreign investors.
In response, the Mexican side showed its keen interest in the sector of construction and auto parts industries in Bangladesh.
Read: UK announces £18m new funding to end child marriage in Bangladesh, 11 other countries
Terming economic affairs as a key aspect and one of the priorities in foreign policy, both sides agreed to create a Joint Working Group between the governments to explore the potential untapped areas and take advantage of their respective economic opportunities.
Referring to the recently concluded MoU between COMCE and the FBCCI in September 2021, the two sides stressed frequent engagements, even in virtual platforms, in the coming days.
With regards to the Agreement on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters, the Mexican side conveyed that upon review of the draft Agreement, they will share it with its Bangladesh counterparts for their consideration.
Under the segment of bilateral cooperation, the MoU between Diplomatic Academies, Promotion of Gender Equality, MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Culture as well as Cooperation in the Field of Higher Education were discussed.
It has been learned from the Mexican side that the discussion with regards to the MoU regarding an exchange program between the Diplomatic Academies of Mexico and Bangladesh is ongoing and is expected to be concluded soon.
The issue of gender equality features prominently during the discussion and both sides agreed to work closely and share their best practices to promote gender equality in their respective organizations and countries.
The Mexican side further stated that the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico is presently reviewing the MoU regarding cultural cooperation proposed by the Bangladesh side and Mexican Secretariat of Public Education is still working with the proposed MoU of Bangladesh on Cooperation in the Field of Higher Education.
During the consultations, the two sides also discussed possible cooperation in mutually beneficial areas at regional and multilateral level including the United Nations.
To improve the people-to-people contacts, the Bangladesh side requested the Mexican government to establish a Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) Center in Dhaka or adopt any other mechanisms so that Bangladesh nationals could provide all the required information including the biometrics without traveling to India.
He also requested to exempt visas for diplomatic and official passport holders.
Currently, in absence of a Mexican Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladeshi visa seekers have to travel to New Delhi to provide their biometrics to obtain a Mexican visa and the situation has further worsened owing to the restrictions and limitations associated with COVID-19 pandemic.
Read: Number of Bangladeshi students on the rise in US
Ambassador Claudia Franco took note of the concerns of Bangladesh and said that Mexico is continuously evaluating the need for opening new consular offices in different parts of the world.
However, the Director General (Consular Affairs), who was also present at the meeting, assured to find ways to bring both the countries closer in terms of people-to-people contacts.
Regarding the exemption of visas for diplomatic and official passport holders, Ambassador Claudia Franco said that the concerned office is reviewing the draft to find out the likelihood of this agreement.
Both sides appreciated the candid exchange of ideas and based on the momentum created by the consultation, intended to enhance their progress for mutual benefit in the days ahead.
The 2nd FOC is expected to take place during the second half of 2022 preferably in person if the conditions permit, either in Mexico City or Dhaka, at a mutually convenient date and time.