Latest news with #ClaudiaSheinbaum
Int'l Business Times
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Mexico's Sheinbaum Claims Drop In Homicides, Experts Dubious
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has claimed a sharp drop in homicides in the first eight months of her term, but analysts wonder whether the figures are trustworthy and, if so, can keep coming down. Since Sheinbaum took over from party colleague Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador last October, official data shows murders in the cartel violence-riddled country dropping by a quarter to May. Partly driven by pressure from US President Donald Trump to curb drug trafficking and illegal north-bound migration, Sheinbaum has boosted intelligence and investigative capacity. She has deployed boots on the ground to flush out trouble makers -- a U-turn from her predecessor's "hugs, not bullets" approach to reducing poverty and other causes of violent crime while avoiding armed confrontations with criminal gangs. "The strategy is working," Sheinbaum told journalists last week. Sheinbaum in February deployed 10,000 national guardsmen to the northern border to crack down on drug trafficking and illegal migration. Thousands more troops were sent to violent states such as Sinaloa and Guanajuato to boost security. She has created new departments in the security secretariat, including a "National Intelligence System" tasked with detecting criminal networks and anticipating and preventing their misdeeds, as well as a body to streamline and coordinate police intelligence and investigations. "President Claudia Sheinbaum's security strategy refocused resources on combating organized crime and... this may be having an effect on the trend in intentional homicides," said Armando Vargas, coordinator of the security program at the Mexico Evalua think tank. David Mora of the Crisis Group research center pointed to a renewed focus on identifying violence hotspots and deploying forces there. Guanajuato state in central Mexico was a "perfect example," said Mora: with homicides there dropping by half under the new approach. Data from the security secretariat show there were 2,607 "intentional homicides" in Mexico last September -- Lopez Obrador's final month in office -- and 1,998 last month. The downward trend was not consistent, with jumps in the numbers some months, but calculated on an average, the government said it represented a 25.8 percent drop. Experts say rather than measuring the decrease from last September -- a particularly violent month -- one should compare year-on-year periods. Comparing homicide numbers for October 2024 to May 2025 with the same eight-month period a year earlier, there is also sees a declining trend. But it is much smaller one, with a seven percent drop, said Mora. "Reducing homicides by a quarter in six months would be unprecedented. And yet it is the narrative the government is promoting," he added. Vargas said the numbers did not include people reported missing, possibly dead -- another "method by which organized crime eliminates individuals." Killings whose motives are listed as "undetermined" are also left out of the tally. "There are several states with particularly high levels of undetermined causes (for homicides). Mexico City, Michoacan, Veracruz, for example," said Mora. Criminal violence has claimed more than 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006. Some 120,000 people are officially missing, and mass graves are regularly unearthed. Mexico does not have a good track record in bringing wrongdoers to account: Some 90 percent of crimes are never punished. "The only thing that stops murderers from committing more murders is ensuring that they are punished," said Mora. According to Vargas, there are worrying signs in states like Chiapas and Tabasco, where conflict between drug gangs is escalating, and Sinaloa where even mass troop deployments have been unable to stop the violence of the cartel by the same name. Over 1,000 people have been killed in Sinaloa since September. Mexico still has by far one of the highest homicide rates in the world, comparable to those of countries at war. In May, gunmen shot dead an aide and an advisor to Mayor Clara Brugada in a rush hour double homicide on a busy avenue in the capital Mexico City. In the last week, two female mayors were assassinated in the states of Oaxaca and Michoacan. For Mora, it would be "a monumental mistake" to celebrate too soon. "The levels of homicidal violence remain alarming," he said. Mexico recorded 30,048 homicides in 2024. Most were cartel-related crimes. Un agent de la Garde nationale patrouille près de l'endroit où le maire de Tacambaro, Salvador Bastida, a éyé tué par des hommes armés avec son garde du corps à Tacambaro, dans l'Etat du Michoacan, dans l'ouest du Mexique, le 6 juin 2025. AFP
Chicago Tribune
10 hours ago
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Mexico assesses damage from Hurricane Erick as rising rivers leave at least 1 dead
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Authorities in southern Mexico were still assessing damage and watching rising rivers as rain from the remnants of Hurricane Erick doused the region. Torrential rains over steep coastal mountains and the landslides and flooding they could generate became ongoing concern for officials after Erick dissipated following a landfall early Thursday on a sparsely populated stretch of coast. At least one death was confirmed late Thursday, a 1-year-old boy who drowned in a swollen river. Erick came ashore down southern Mexico's Pacific coast in the morning as a Category 3 major hurricane, but it landed between the resort cities of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido. Authorities reported landslides, blocked highways, downed power lines and some flooding as coastal residents, above all in Acapulco, took the storm seriously with memories of the devastating Hurricane Otis in 2023 still fresh in their minds. With a steady rain falling on Acapulco, residents and remaining tourists emerged to walk outside or visit businesses opening gradually as the remnants of Hurricane Erick scraped by just inland of the resort. In Puerto Escondido, fishermen searched for and inspected storm-tossed boats and residents cleared downed trees and other debris. The threat of heavy rain remained in the mountains that rise abruptly behind Acapulco's famed beaches. Erick spent the day dragging through the coastal mountain range, dropping torrential quantities of rain. It was expected to dissipate Thursday night over the mountains in Michoacan state. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Erick was centered about 155 kilometers (95 miles) north-northwest of Acapulco Thursday night. Its maximum sustained winds were 45 kph (30 mph), degrading it to a low pressure area. It was moving northwest at 20 kph (13 mph). Erick had strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approached the coast but weakened before making landfall to a Category 3. Having doubled in strength in less than a day, Erick churned through an ideal environment for quick intensification. Last year, there were 34 incidents of rapid intensification — when a storm gains at least 55 kph (35 mph) in 24 hours — which is about twice the average and causes problems with forecasting, according to the hurricane center. President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday 'the people have reacted very well so far.' But authorities warned the heavy rain would now become the problem. Forecasters expected up to 40 centimeters (16 inches) of rain could fall across Oaxaca and Guerrero, with lesser totals in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states. The rainfall threatened flooding and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain. Late Thursday, Guerrero state Civil Defense Director Roberto Arroyo said that a 1-year-old boy had died in San Marcos, an inland community southeast of Acapulco in the path of Erick. The child's mother had tried to cross a swollen river while carrying the child, but he slipped from her arms and drowned. Restaurants, shops and supermarkets gradually reopened in Acapulco, but schools were to remain closed across Guerrero on Friday as authorities continued to assess damage, clear debris and monitor rising rivers. 'Many of us were frightened, but now it has passed,' said Juan Carlos Castañeda, a 49-year-old security guard at an Acapulco condominium complex. He said the 'tragedy of Otis marked all of us.' Despite the rain, Castañeda decided to go out for a walk. Down the coast in the fishing village of Barra Vieja, the wind-whipped surf battered the shore and heavy rain kept residents sheltered indoors. Perla Rosas, however, was among the few who ventured out, umbrella in hand, to get to her job at a convenience store. 'I feel more relaxed now, so I decided to come to work.' Acapulco residents had braced for Erick's arrival with more preparation and trepidation because of the memory of the devastation two years earlier. The city of nearly 1 million was hit in October 2023 by Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught many unprepared. At least 52 people died in Otis and the storm severely damaged almost all of the resort's hotels.
NBC News
15 hours ago
- Climate
- NBC News
Mexico assesses damage from Hurricane Erick as rising rivers leave at least 1 dead
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Authorities in southern Mexico were still assessing damage and watching rising rivers as rain from the remnants of Hurricane Erick doused the region. Torrential rains over steep coastal mountains and the landslides and flooding they could generate became ongoing concern for officials after Erick dissipated following a landfall early Thursday on a sparsely populated stretch of coast. At least one death was confirmed late Thursday, a 1-year-old boy who drowned in a swollen river. Erick came ashore down southern Mexico's Pacific coast in the morning as a Category 3 major hurricane, but it landed between the resort cities of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido. Authorities reported landslides, blocked highways, downed power lines and some flooding as coastal residents, above all in Acapulco, took the storm seriously with memories of the devastating Hurricane Otis in 2023 still fresh in their minds. With a steady rain falling on Acapulco, residents and remaining tourists emerged to walk outside or visit businesses opening gradually as the remnants of Hurricane Erick scraped by just inland of the resort. In Puerto Escondido, fishermen searched for and inspected storm-tossed boats and residents cleared downed trees and other debris. The threat of heavy rain remained in the mountains that rise abruptly behind Acapulco's famed beaches. Erick spent the day dragging through the coastal mountain range, dropping torrential quantities of rain. It was expected to dissipate Thursday night over the mountains in Michoacan state. Erick once had Category 4 strength The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Erick was centered about 95 miles north-northwest of Acapulco Thursday night. Its maximum sustained winds were 30 mph, degrading it to a low pressure area. It was moving northwest at 13 mph. Erick had strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approached the coast but weakened before making landfall to a Category 3. Having doubled in strength in less than a day, Erick churned through an ideal environment for quick intensification. Last year, there were 34 incidents of rapid intensification — when a storm gains at least 35 mph in 24 hours — which is about twice the average and causes problems with forecasting, according to the hurricane center. One death reported President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday "the people have reacted very well so far." But authorities warned the heavy rain would now become the problem. Forecasters expected up to 16 inches of rain could fall across Oaxaca and Guerrero, with lesser totals in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states. The rainfall threatened flooding and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain. Late Thursday, Guerrero state Civil Defense Director Roberto Arroyo said that a 1-year-old boy had died in San Marcos, an inland community southeast of Acapulco in the path of Erick. The child's mother had tried to cross a swollen river while carrying the child, but he slipped from her arms and drowned. Residents venture out Restaurants, shops and supermarkets gradually reopened in Acapulco, but schools were to remain closed across Guerrero on Friday as authorities continued to assess damage, clear debris and monitor rising rivers. "Many of us were frightened, but now it has passed," said Juan Carlos Castañeda, a 49-year-old security guard at an Acapulco condominium complex. He said the "tragedy of Otis marked all of us." Despite the rain, Castañeda decided to go out for a walk. Down the coast in the fishing village of Barra Vieja, the wind-whipped surf battered the shore and heavy rain kept residents sheltered indoors. Perla Rosas, however, was among the few who ventured out, umbrella in hand, to get to her job at a convenience store. "I feel more relaxed now, so I decided to come to work." Acapulco still scarred by Otis Acapulco residents had braced for Erick's arrival with more preparation and trepidation because of the memory of the devastation two years earlier. The city of nearly 1 million was hit in October 2023 by Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught many unprepared. At least 52 people died in Otis and the storm severely damaged almost all of the resort's hotels.
RTÉ News
16 hours ago
- Climate
- RTÉ News
Two dead in Mexico as Hurricane Erick moves on from Mexican coast
Hurricane Erick killed at least two people as it swept through southern Mexico causing significant damage to coastal communities before weakening to a low-pressure system night, authorities said. A man was electrocuted while helping with debris removal in the southern Oaxaca state, where Erick made landfall, after handling high-voltage cables near a stream, the state government said. A child died in neighbouring Guerrero state after being swept away by a swollen stream as his mother tried to carry him across in the town of San Marcos, civil protection authorities reported. The US National Hurricane Center's latest advisory said Erick had weakened overnight to a tropical storm located 155km from Acapulco port, with sustained winds of 50km/h as it moved across southern Mexico yesterday. Coastal communities in Oaxaca including Lagunas de Chacahua, home to around 2,800 people, were directly hit by the storm, which destroyed thatched roofs and flooded streets. "It was very strong, very ugly... the entire town is homeless, without clothes, we have no help," one resident said as she surveyed the loss of most of her belongings. In the tourist town of Puerto Escondido, residents and emergency personnel worked to drain flooded streets and clear debris left behind as the storm knocked over trees and street signs and buried boats under sand on the beach. Much of the town of about 30,000 people was left without electricity or cellphone coverage. The water "had never hit with this magnitude" in Puerto Escondido, a business owner said. President Claudia Sheinbaum announced during her morning briefing that heavy rains are still expected in the southern states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, as well as Veracruz and Puebla. She thanked the population for following the authorities' recommendations "very responsibly," in a message shared on her social media. The president reported 15 road sections closed in the state of Oaxaca, as well as more than 123,000 users affected by power outages. Mexico sees major storms every year, usually between May and November, on both its Pacific and Caribbean coasts. In October 2023, Acapulco, a major port and beach resort in Guerrero, was pummelled by Hurricane Otis, a powerful Category 5 storm that killed dozens of people. Hurricane John, another Category 3 storm that hit in September last year, caused about 15 deaths. Ms Sheinbaum had urged people to avoid going out and advised those living in low-lying areas or near rivers to move to shelters - some 2,000 of which had been set up in Chiapas, Guerrero and Oaxaca in anticipation. Restaurants remained shuttered in Puerto Escondido even though some tourists insisted on staying and riding out the storm. Around 400km north along the Pacific coast, Acapulco - a major port and resort city famous for its nightlife - was largely deserted as residents heeded calls to hunker down, with shops boarded up and tourist boats grounded.
New York Post
16 hours ago
- Climate
- New York Post
Mexico assesses damage from Hurricane Erick as rising rivers leave at least 1 dead
Authorities in southern Mexico were still assessing damage and watching rising rivers as rain from the remnants of Hurricane Erick doused the region. Torrential rains over steep coastal mountains and the landslides and flooding they could generate became ongoing concern for officials after Erick dissipated following a landfall early Thursday on a sparsely populated stretch of coast. At least one death was confirmed late Thursday, a 1-year-old boy who drowned in a swollen river. Advertisement 5 A man carries a table from a restaurant damaged along the shoreline as Erick weakened to a tropical storm Thursday, following its landfall as a major hurricane on Mexico's southern Pacific coast, in San Agustinillo, Oaxaca state, Mexico, on June 19, 2025. REUTERS Erick came ashore down southern Mexico's Pacific coast in the morning as a Category 3 major hurricane, but it landed between the resort cities of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido. Authorities reported landslides, blocked highways, downed power lines and some flooding as coastal residents, above all in Acapulco, took the storm seriously with memories of the devastating Hurricane Otis in 2023 still fresh in their minds. Advertisement With a steady rain falling on Acapulco, residents and remaining tourists emerged to walk outside or visit businesses opening gradually as the remnants of Hurricane Erick scraped by just inland of the resort. In Puerto Escondido, fishermen searched for and inspected storm-tossed boats and residents cleared downed trees and other debris. The threat of heavy rain remained in the mountains that rise abruptly behind Acapulco's famed beaches. Erick spent the day dragging through the coastal mountain range, dropping torrential quantities of rain. 5 Vehicles travel through a flooded street in Juchitán, Mexico, on June 19, 2025. LUIS VILLALOBOS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Advertisement It was expected to dissipate Thursday night over the mountains in Michoacan state. Erick once had Category 4 strength The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Erick was centered about 95 miles north-northwest of Acapulco Thursday night. Its maximum sustained winds were 30 mph, degrading it to a low pressure area. It was moving northwest at 13 mph. Erick had strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approached the coast but weakened before making landfall to a Category 3. 5 People assess damage along the shoreline as Erick weakened to a tropical storm Thursday, following its landfall as a major hurricane on Mexico's southern Pacific coast, in San Agustinillo, Oaxaca state, Mexico, on June 19, 2025. REUTERS Advertisement Having doubled in strength in less than a day, Erick churned through an ideal environment for quick intensification. Last year, there were 34 incidents of rapid intensification — when a storm gains at least 35 mph in 24 hours — which is about twice the average and causes problems with forecasting, according to the hurricane center. One death reported President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday 'the people have reacted very well so far.' But authorities warned the heavy rain would now become the problem. Forecasters expected up to 16 inches of rain could fall across Oaxaca and Guerrero, with lesser totals in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states. The rainfall threatened flooding and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain. 5 Residents remove debris after the passing of Hurricane Erick, near Charco Redondo, Oaxaca state, Mexico, Thursday, June 19, 2025. AP Late Thursday, Guerrero state Civil Defense Director Roberto Arroyo said that a 1-year-old boy had died in San Marcos, an inland community southeast of Acapulco in the path of Erick. The child's mother had tried to cross a swollen river while carrying the child, but he slipped from her arms and drowned. Residents venture out Restaurants, shops and supermarkets gradually reopened in Acapulco, but schools were to remain closed across Guerrero on Friday as authorities continued to assess damage, clear debris and monitor rising rivers. 'Many of us were frightened, but now it has passed,' said Juan Carlos Castañeda, a 49-year-old security guard at an Acapulco condominium complex. He said the 'tragedy of Otis marked all of us.' Advertisement Despite the rain, Castañeda decided to go out for a walk. 5 People assess damage along the shoreline as Erick weakened to a tropical storm Thursday, following its landfall as a major hurricane on Mexico's southern Pacific coast, in San Agustinillo, Oaxaca state, Mexico, on June 19, 2025. REUTERS Down the coast in the fishing village of Barra Vieja, the wind-whipped surf battered the shore and heavy rain kept residents sheltered indoors. Perla Rosas, however, was among the few who ventured out, umbrella in hand, to get to her job at a convenience store. 'I feel more relaxed now, so I decided to come to work.' Acapulco still scarred by Otis Advertisement Acapulco residents had braced for Erick's arrival with more preparation and trepidation because of the memory of the devastation two years earlier. The city of nearly 1 million was hit in October 2023 by Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught many unprepared. At least 52 people died in Otis and the storm severely damaged almost all of the resort's hotels. ___
