April 2012
Economic activity was up 6.2% in February
Dow Jones - Mexico's economic activity expanded in the second month of the year as agricultural output surged while industrial production and services posted continued gains, according to Inegi.
Mexico raised its gold reserves in March
Bloomberg - Mexico added 16.8 metric tons of gold valued at about $906.4 million to its reserves in March as nations including Turkey, Russia and Kazakhstan increased their holdings of the metal, International Monetary Fund data show.
www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-24/mexico-raised-gold-reserves-in-march-imf-data-shows.html
Mexico gets involved in U.S. Supreme Court case
Christian Science Monitor - A brief submitted by Mexico to the U.S. Supreme Court contends Arizona’s tough immigration enforcement law threatens to make life unbearably difficult for illegal immigrants and to sour U.S. relations with Mexico.
www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2012/0423/Arizona-immigration-law-Mexico-gets-involved-in-US-Supreme-Court-case
PAN mayoral candidate in Nuevo Leon is attacked
Fox News - Mexican officials say Eduardo Campos Espinoza, a PAN mayoral candidate in Anahuac in Nuevo Leon, escaped an attack by armed men who also briefly kidnapped his aide to obtain information.
www.foxnews.com/world/2012/04/23/ruling-party-mayoral-candidate-attacked-in-mexico/
Resurgent PRI encounters dissent within party
Los Angeles Times - Although the PRI appears poised to easily retake power in Mexico behind presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto, it also shows signs of internal conflict. The "inconformes" claim unfair or corrupt practices among party officials.
Pena Nieto opposes legalizing drugs
Associated Press - Mexico's presidential front-runner says he's against legalizing drugs to fight trafficking in a country plagued by violence. Enrique Pena Nieto calls it a "simplistic" approach and says allowing soft drugs leads to harder, more damaging substances.
www.foxnews.com/world/2012/04/23/mexico-pres-front-runner-opposes-legalizing-drugs/
Elektra completes Advance America purchase
Latin American Herald Tribune - Mexico’s Grupo Elektra, Latin America’s largest specialty retailer, said Monday it completed the $780 million acquisition of U.S.-based Advance America, a provider of short-term loans.
S&P report says election impact on banks is low
Reuters - With Mexico's presidential election less than three months away, the country's banking industry seems to be on solid footing, despite the volatility in international markets, said a Standard & Poor's Ratings Services article.
www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/23/idUSWNA554220120423
New print newspaper launched in three cities
Latin America Herald Tribune - Reporte Indigo Cinco Dias, a new Monday-Friday newspaper, was launched on Monday in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, with the twist that the print publication builds off a successful online journalism venture.
Mexico's H1N1 mortality rose as antiviral use dropped
CIDRAP News – A large-scale study suggests that antiviral treatment saved many lives during Mexico's 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic but also points to an irony: that the use of antivirals dropped sharply in the fall wave of cases.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/swineflu/news/apr2312mexico.html
