Mexico.

[Swordsmyth]

Mexico’s military have taken control over 58 key fuel installations in the country, including refineries, upon orders by new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has vowed to fight corruption and fuel theft within and outside state-run energy company Pemex.
Lopez Obrador unveiled a plan on Thursday to increase the presence of military and the use of the army in fighting rampant fuel theft that has been costing Mexico’s state firm Pemex billions of dollars annually.
According to Pemex’s own estimates, the losses from fuel theft over the past three years have reached US$7.5 billion (147 billion Mexican pesos).
According to Lopez Obrador, authorities are also involved in widespread fuel theft.
“This is the theft of national assets, of public funds, of money that belongs to all Mexicans,” Reuters quoted Lopez Obrador as saying at a regular news conference on Thursday.
On Friday, the Mexican army took control of refineries of Pemex across the country, where unionized workers were blocking the access to some of the sites, UPI reports, citing the Excelsior newspaper.

Mexican media report that three officials at Pemex, suspected of having facilitated fuel theft, had already been arrested for the alleged crimes. The three Pemex officials have been sacked and will be facing criminal charges, Mexico’s Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero said at Lopez Obrador’s news conference on Thursday.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-G...uel-Theft.html

[Pauls' Revere]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/m...-sworn-n953601

Gov. Alejandro Murat confirmed the killing of Tlaxiaco Mayor Alejandro Aparicio Santiago via his Twitter account Tuesday. He promised a thorough investigation and said a suspect was already in custody.

The state prosecutor's office said in a statement that Aparicio had just been sworn in and was headed to a meeting at city hall when an unknown number of gunmen opened fire at him. He was taken to a hospital, but died there later.

[Swordsmyth]

Mexico's new president has outlined big plans to fight corruption in his country's energy sector, but for now, the situation appears to be getting worse. In recent days, more than 1,000 stations in the states of Colima, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit and Queretaro have experienced fuel shortages. According to reports in the Mexican news media, some of the shortages followed missed shipments from the Salamanca refinery, about 260 kilometers (162 miles) northwest of Mexico City in Guanajuato state. A separate statement from President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, however, blamed the shortages on unspecified distribution problems. Still other reports blamed the problem on fuel theft from pipelines that supply the affected states.
While the reports conflict, and the precise cause of the shortages is unknown, one possible contributor was the government's decision to deploy troops to the Salamanca refinery on Dec. 27 as part of an effort to curb fuel theft abetted by employees at the state-owned oil and natural gas company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex). Audits and investigations at the refinery may have slowed production, exacerbating the problem posed by continuing fuel thefts at other locations. Whatever the cause, around 75 percent of the affected stations appear to have begun receiving shipments again.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/artic...rruption-fight

[Swordsmyth]

Mexican drivers in several states are struggling to fill their tanks as the new government fights massive fuel theft by seeking to move more gasoline by tanker trucks instead of pipelines, Reuters reports, citing a local source who said a number of fuel stations in Guadalajara remained closed yesterday for lack of fuel and those that were open had long lines of drivers waiting for a fill-up.
Mexico’s military took control over 58 key fuel installations in the country in late December, including refineries, upon orders by new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has vowed to fight corruption and fuel theft within and outside state-run energy company Pemex.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...In-Mexico.html

[pcosmar]

State run energy is a Bad Idea..

But then so was Chemical Warfare. (Paraquat)

[Swordsmyth]

From targeting operations at a single refinery, Mexico's government has since expanded its offensive against the deep-seated problem of fuel theft in the country by sending troops to scrutinize fuel refining and transport operations nationwide. Soldiers were deployed to every refinery in Mexico by Jan. 7, raising the likelihood of more widespread fuel shortages as a result of disruptions caused by the greater scrutiny. Shortages in central Mexican states due to operations against the thefts continued, with customers at fuel stations in Guadalajara, Morelia and other major central Mexican cities experiencing long lines amid reported price gouging.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/artic...es-prices-amlo

[Swordsmyth]

The gasoline shortages sparked by the Mexican government’s offensive against fuel theft have now spread to the capital, Sputnik reports, citing a local correspondent who said there were queues at many fuel stations in Mexico City. Oilprice.com reporters confirm that various gas stations in the southern part of the Mexican capital remain closed on Wednesday morning, while small traffic jams were occurring around the ones that are in business.
The state oil company, Pemex, rejected reports of shortages in the capital and urged the population to refrain from panic buying of gasoline and spreading rumors of shortages.


Now, Pemex says it had reached an agreement with the governors of the states where there have been shortages to resume deliveries, Sputnik reports, adding the state company had also said it had blocked a number of underground pipelines to prevent theft. A survey from 2017 revealed fuel thieves had tapped into pipelines every 1.4 km on average. Pemex’s pipeline network totals 14,000 km.
The Associated Press reports panic is spreading despite Pemex’s pleadings for calm, with the offensive also feeding government critics who say some policies of the Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador cabinet’s policies hark back to a worse past. Yet fuel theft is a serious problem: losses from it jumped from US$500,000 a year in the late 2000s to US$3 billion in 2018, the AP notes.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...xico-City.html

[Pauls' Revere]

Witness in the trial of El Chapo states former Mexican President Pena Nieto received 100 million dollar bribe.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/n...apo-trial.html

Mr. Guzmán’s testimony would be a stunning development. While his lieutenants have shared details about the Sinaloa cartel’s operations, the kingpin himself could offer even more intimate information, such as how he possibly bribed a president of Mexico.

According to Mr. Cifuentes, Mr. Peña Nieto first reached out to Mr. Guzmán about the time he was elected president in late 2012, asking the drug lord for $250 million in exchange for calling off a nationwide manhunt for him.

But Mr. Guzmán made a counteroffer, Mr. Cifuentes added, saying he would give Mr. Peña Nieto only $100 million.

[Swordsmyth]

A huge fire exploded at a pipeline leaking fuel in central Mexico on Friday, killing at least 20 people and badly burning 71 others as locals were collecting the spilling gasoline in buckets and garbage cans, officials said.The leak was caused by an illegal tap that fuel thieves had drilled into the pipeline in a small town in the state of Hidalgo, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Mexico City, according to state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex.
Video footage showed dozens of residents near the town of Tlahuelilpan gathered to collect spilled fuel in buckets, garbage cans and other vessels. It appeared an almost festive atmosphere as whole families gathered in a field as a geyser of fuel spouted dozens of feet into the air from the tap.
Footage then showed flames shooting high into the air against a night sky and the pipeline ablaze. Screams could be heard.
Hidalgo Gov. Omar Fayad said 20 people were killed immediately and 71 suffered burns in the blast at the duct that carries fuel —apparently gasoline — from the Gulf coast to Tula, a city just north of Mexico City.
"Caring for the wounded is our top priority," Fayad said.
Pemex attributed the blaze to "the manipulation of an illegal tap."
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has declared an offensive against fuel theft and the blast will further focus attention on the $3 billion per-year illegal industry.
"I greatly lament the grave situation Tlahuelilpan is suffering because of the explosion of the duct," Lopez Obrador tweeted. He called on all branches of government to assist the victims.
Hidalgo state police said the leak was first reported at about 5:00 p.m. local time.
"There was a report that residents were on the scene trying to obtain fuel," according to a police report. Two hours later, the pipeline burst into flames.
And another pipeline burst into flames in the neighboring state of Queretaro, because of another illegal tap. Pemex said the fire near the city of San Juan del Rio "is in an unpopulated area and there is no risk to human beings."
It is not the first time such an accidents have occurred.


Lopez Obrador launched an offensive against fuel theft after taking office Dec. 1. Thieves drilled about 12,581 illegal taps in the first 10 months of 2018 and the country has deployed 3,200 marines to guard pipelines and refineries.
The new administration has also shut down pipelines to detect and deter illegal taps, relying more on delivering fuel by tanker truck. But there aren't enough trucks, and long lines at gas stations have plagued several states.
However, fuel theft gangs have been able to win the loyalty of whole neighborhoods, using free gas and getting local residents to act as lookouts and confront military patrols carrying out raids against the thefts.
It is unclear whether Friday's tragedy would turn the tide of opinion against the gangs in the impoverished villages that lie above the underground pipelines.
"I am calling on the entire population not to be accomplices to fuel theft," Fayad wrote. "What happened today in Tlahuelilpan must never happen again."

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/many-burned-f...023118036.html

[Pauls' Revere]

Wait...Mexico is gonna go Brazilian and put the death squads on patrol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZXc39hT8t4

[Swordsmyth]

A huge fire exploded at a pipeline leaking fuel in central Mexico on Friday, killing at least 20 people and badly burning 71 others as locals were collecting the spilling gasoline in buckets and garbage cans, officials said.The leak was caused by an illegal tap that fuel thieves had drilled into the pipeline in a small town in the state of Hidalgo, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Mexico City, according to state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex.
Video footage showed dozens of residents near the town of Tlahuelilpan gathered to collect spilled fuel in buckets, garbage cans and other vessels. It appeared an almost festive atmosphere as whole families gathered in a field as a geyser of fuel spouted dozens of feet into the air from the tap.
Footage then showed flames shooting high into the air against a night sky and the pipeline ablaze. Screams could be heard.
Hidalgo Gov. Omar Fayad said 20 people were killed immediately and 71 suffered burns in the blast at the duct that carries fuel —apparently gasoline — from the Gulf coast to Tula, a city just north of Mexico City.
"Caring for the wounded is our top priority," Fayad said.
Pemex attributed the blaze to "the manipulation of an illegal tap."
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has declared an offensive against fuel theft and the blast will further focus attention on the $3 billion per-year illegal industry.
"I greatly lament the grave situation Tlahuelilpan is suffering because of the explosion of the duct," Lopez Obrador tweeted. He called on all branches of government to assist the victims.
Hidalgo state police said the leak was first reported at about 5:00 p.m. local time.
"There was a report that residents were on the scene trying to obtain fuel," according to a police report. Two hours later, the pipeline burst into flames.
And another pipeline burst into flames in the neighboring state of Queretaro, because of another illegal tap. Pemex said the fire near the city of San Juan del Rio "is in an unpopulated area and there is no risk to human beings."
It is not the first time such an accidents have occurred.


Lopez Obrador launched an offensive against fuel theft after taking office Dec. 1. Thieves drilled about 12,581 illegal taps in the first 10 months of 2018 and the country has deployed 3,200 marines to guard pipelines and refineries.
The new administration has also shut down pipelines to detect and deter illegal taps, relying more on delivering fuel by tanker truck. But there aren't enough trucks, and long lines at gas stations have plagued several states.
However, fuel theft gangs have been able to win the loyalty of whole neighborhoods, using free gas and getting local residents to act as lookouts and confront military patrols carrying out raids against the thefts.
It is unclear whether Friday's tragedy would turn the tide of opinion against the gangs in the impoverished villages that lie above the underground pipelines.
"I am calling on the entire population not to be accomplices to fuel theft," Fayad wrote. "What happened today in Tlahuelilpan must never happen again."

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/many-burned-f...023118036.html

At least 66 people were killed after a pipeline ruptured by suspected fuel thieves exploded in central Mexico, authorities said on Saturday, as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended the army despite its failure to clear the site before the blast.Forensic experts filled body bags with charred human remains in the field where the fiery blast occurred Friday evening by the town of Tlahuelilpan in the state of Hidalgo, in one of the deadliest incidents to hit Mexico's troubled oil infrastructure in years.
Soldiers and other military personnel guarded the cordoned-off area that was littered with half-burned shoes, clothes and containers that were being used by people to collect fuel.
Grief-stricken family members blocked the dirt access road to the field, saying they would not let funeral service vehicles pass until they were told where the dead were being taken.
"They should give us an answer, if not, we're not moving," said Maria Isabel Garcia, 49, who was looking for two nieces. "They'll have to drive the goddamn cars over us."
The group eventually let the vehicles through.
At a news conference with Lopez Obrador, Hidalgo State Governor Omar Fayad said 66 people were killed and 76 people injured in the explosion, which happened as local residents scrambled to fill buckets and drums from a gush of fuel from the pipeline that authorities said rose up to 23 feet (7 meters) high.


More at: https://news.yahoo.com/ruptured-pipe...022215363.html

[Swordsmyth]

Source: World Socialist Web Site

So keep plenty of salt grains handy



Over 70,000 “maquiladora” workers from 45 factories in the US-Mexico border town of Matamoros, Mexico have entered the sixth day of their courageous struggle as more and more plants are paralyzed throughout the city.
Last night, thousands of workers marched through the city from factory to factory chanting “unity, unity,” “walk out! walk out!,” “the workers united will never be defeated” and “strike!” Workers stopped at each plant and appealed to workers changing shift to join their strike, greeting each new walkout with a loud round of cheers. The crowd grew throughout the night.
There is a sense in the ruling class that the strike may be getting out of control. Amid a complete media blackout, the hated trade unions are doing everything in their power to restrict the movement to “legal” union-led negotiations and to keep stoppages from spreading to more manufacturing complexes across the border area and internationally.
The strike at Matamoros has been completely ignored by the corporate media. There is not a single article about the Matamoros strike in any of the major Mexican or international news outlets. While devoting front-page news to anti-democratic maneuvers by the Democratic Party, the US-based New York Times and Washington Post, and Mexican newspapers such as El Universal and Reforma, have nothing to say about the largest strike on the North American continent in recent years.

The strike could very soon disrupt global supply chains in the United States, Canada and Asia. Industry experts estimate that the strike has already cost the maquiladora industry $20 million, or $23,000 per minute. The strike is affecting major suppliers to the “Big Three” automakers—GM, Ford and Fiat-Chrysler—as well as other manufacturers. Factories that are on strike include Autoliv, Inteva, Starkey, Edemsa, Aipsa, Cepillos, STC, Polytech, Kemet, Tyco, Parker and AFX.
The workers are sharing information through Facebook, with several pages sprouting up for workers to coordinate actions between plants and to defend workers against victimization by the unions and the companies.
There is no innocent explanation for the lack of coverage. The ruling class is terrified that the strikes will extend to other cities and link up the demands of workers everywhere for social equality. An editorial published yesterday by the state capital’s newspaper, El Diario de Ciudad Victoria, warns of similar unrest spreading to the 120 factories in the border town of Reynosa or to Ciudad Victoria, where over 6,000 auto parts workers at Kemet and APTIV are demanding a 30 percent raise in their current contract negotiations.


The decision to censor stories about Matamoros is aimed at keeping workers in the dark about developments that could be the turning point in the decision by millions of people around the world to take matters into their own hands by organizing actions outside of the trade unions, just as the Matamoros workers have already bravely demonstrated.
Despite the offer of small bonuses to draw them back to their posts, the maquiladora workers have refused to give in and continue to call for a 20 percent wage increase and a 32,000 peso bonus ($1,700), as well as a reduction in their union dues from four percent to one percent and a return to the 40 hour work week. There is a growing call for a 100 percent raise to mirror the raise that other workers across the US-Mexico border received at the beginning of the year.
Companies have thuggishly threatened workers with plant closures if the strike continues. An Autoliv auto parts worker told the WSWS that companies have blocked their payment cards for bonuses and other allowances and have withheld workers’ salaries for the first week of the month, even though workers were not on strike at that time.
Recognizing that workers everywhere face the same conditions and need to link up their struggles, autoworkers in the US and Canada have sent statements of support to the striking Matamoros workers and urged them to continue their strike.
The Matamoros workers have now rebelled against a second union, the Union of Workers in Maquiladora and Assembly plants (SIPTME). Yesterday, hundreds of workers from Tridonex, an auto parts manufacturer, gathered at SIPTME offices to demand that their plants join the workers who are currently on strike. Rather than face their own membership, union bureaucrats closed down their offices ahead of the arrival of the protesters, citing “security concerns.” A mid-level official eventually emerged and summarily rejected any joint action with the workers affiliated with the Union of Laborers and Industrial Workers of the Maquiladora Industry (SJOIIM).
The SJOIIM is widely hated for taking four percent of workers’ salaries every week while acting as nothing more than a cheap labor contractor. It’s leader, Juan Villafuerte Morales, is working day and night to sabotage the strike and bring it back under the suffocating control of the union. “Negotiations between workers and the companies will continue for another 10 days and it would help very much if workers returned to their posts,” said Villafuerte on Thursday.
Other forces are also seeking to limit the workers to negotiations between the companies and the SJOIIM. Labor lawyer Susana Prieto Terrazas traveled from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua to give legal guidance to the striking workers. She met with Villafuerte yesterday to obtain the collective bargaining agreements from the union office, which have previously not been shared with the membership. At a mass rally yesterday, she told the crowd: “Fellow workers, you have to pressure, for starters your union. You cannot get rid of Villafuerte for now. You have to pressure until they give in, Villafuerte and the companies.”



Despite Prieto’s support for a strike by legal means, workers must be warned: If they allow their struggle to be bought under the influence of the unions and the Movement for National Regeneration (Morena), they will be isolated and defeated. Prieto’s proposal that workers seek to pressure the union will restrict the true source of its power: their independent, unified action outside of and against the union-corporate alliance. Instead of turning to the union, they must turn to their working class brothers and sisters at other plants in other cities and other industries. This is the ticket to victory.
The formation of rank-and-file committees to take the struggle out of the hands of the union is the immediate order of the day. To be able to stand up to the intimidation of the companies, workers need to rely on the strength of the entire working class. They are receiving widespread support from workers in the US and Canada, who are enthusiastically watching their struggle with great interest.
We urge workers who want to link up with their class brothers and sisters across North America to contact us by email at autoworkers@wsws.org or on our Facebook page.
On February 9, at 2 p.m. autoworkers will demonstrate at GM world headquarters in Detroit, Michigan to oppose the job cuts and concessions announced by the auto and parts companies. Workers from across the world can follow and support this demonstration on Facebook here.
*


https://www.globalresearch.ca/amid-m...th-day/5665899

[Swordsmyth]

A huge fire exploded at a pipeline leaking fuel in central Mexico on Friday, killing at least 20 people and badly burning 71 others as locals were collecting the spilling gasoline in buckets and garbage cans, officials said.The leak was caused by an illegal tap that fuel thieves had drilled into the pipeline in a small town in the state of Hidalgo, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Mexico City, according to state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex.
Video footage showed dozens of residents near the town of Tlahuelilpan gathered to collect spilled fuel in buckets, garbage cans and other vessels. It appeared an almost festive atmosphere as whole families gathered in a field as a geyser of fuel spouted dozens of feet into the air from the tap.
Footage then showed flames shooting high into the air against a night sky and the pipeline ablaze. Screams could be heard.
Hidalgo Gov. Omar Fayad said 20 people were killed immediately and 71 suffered burns in the blast at the duct that carries fuel —apparently gasoline — from the Gulf coast to Tula, a city just north of Mexico City.
"Caring for the wounded is our top priority," Fayad said.
Pemex attributed the blaze to "the manipulation of an illegal tap."
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has declared an offensive against fuel theft and the blast will further focus attention on the $3 billion per-year illegal industry.
"I greatly lament the grave situation Tlahuelilpan is suffering because of the explosion of the duct," Lopez Obrador tweeted. He called on all branches of government to assist the victims.
Hidalgo state police said the leak was first reported at about 5:00 p.m. local time.
"There was a report that residents were on the scene trying to obtain fuel," according to a police report. Two hours later, the pipeline burst into flames.
And another pipeline burst into flames in the neighboring state of Queretaro, because of another illegal tap. Pemex said the fire near the city of San Juan del Rio "is in an unpopulated area and there is no risk to human beings."
It is not the first time such an accidents have occurred.


Lopez Obrador launched an offensive against fuel theft after taking office Dec. 1. Thieves drilled about 12,581 illegal taps in the first 10 months of 2018 and the country has deployed 3,200 marines to guard pipelines and refineries.
The new administration has also shut down pipelines to detect and deter illegal taps, relying more on delivering fuel by tanker truck. But there aren't enough trucks, and long lines at gas stations have plagued several states.
However, fuel theft gangs have been able to win the loyalty of whole neighborhoods, using free gas and getting local residents to act as lookouts and confront military patrols carrying out raids against the thefts.
It is unclear whether Friday's tragedy would turn the tide of opinion against the gangs in the impoverished villages that lie above the underground pipelines.
"I am calling on the entire population not to be accomplices to fuel theft," Fayad wrote. "What happened today in Tlahuelilpan must never happen again."

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/many-burned-f...023118036.html

At least 66 people were killed after a pipeline ruptured by suspected fuel thieves exploded in central Mexico, authorities said on Saturday, as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended the army despite its failure to clear the site before the blast.Forensic experts filled body bags with charred human remains in the field where the fiery blast occurred Friday evening by the town of Tlahuelilpan in the state of Hidalgo, in one of the deadliest incidents to hit Mexico's troubled oil infrastructure in years.
Soldiers and other military personnel guarded the cordoned-off area that was littered with half-burned shoes, clothes and containers that were being used by people to collect fuel.
Grief-stricken family members blocked the dirt access road to the field, saying they would not let funeral service vehicles pass until they were told where the dead were being taken.
"They should give us an answer, if not, we're not moving," said Maria Isabel Garcia, 49, who was looking for two nieces. "They'll have to drive the goddamn cars over us."
The group eventually let the vehicles through.
At a news conference with Lopez Obrador, Hidalgo State Governor Omar Fayad said 66 people were killed and 76 people injured in the explosion, which happened as local residents scrambled to fill buckets and drums from a gush of fuel from the pipeline that authorities said rose up to 23 feet (7 meters) high.


More at: https://news.yahoo.com/ruptured-pipe...022215363.html

The death toll from a fiery explosion in central Mexico rose to 85 on Sunday as authorities vowed to hold accountable those responsible for a deliberate fuel-line puncture that drew hundreds of people looking to gather gasoline before it ignited.The search for human remains at the site of the explosion in the state of Hidalgo ended late Saturday. While families began to bury the dead, officials indicated the death toll could still rise.
Health Minister Jorge Alcocer said 85 deaths were confirmed and that another 58 people were hospitalized in Hidalgo, while others in worse conditions had been moved to Mexico City for specialized treatment.
Family members of the victims have called on the government to continue looking for remains and to bring back forensic experts for that purpose.
Funerals already have begun, but the handover of remains has been slow because many of the victims were burned beyond recognition.
The Hidalgo state prosecutor said 54 of the dead could not be readily identified, and require DNA analysis.


On Friday, when authorities heard that fuel traffickers had punctured the pipeline, about 25 soldiers arrived and attempted to block off the area, Defense Secretary Luis Crescencio Sandoval told reporters.
But the soldiers were unable to contain the estimated 700 civilians -- including entire families -- who swarmed in to collect the spilled gasoline, witnesses said.
The armed soldiers had been moved away from the pipeline to avoid any risk of confrontation with the crowd when the blast occurred, about two hours after the pipeline was first breached, Sandoval said.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/death-toll-me...180820123.html

[Swordsmyth]

A huge fire exploded at a pipeline leaking fuel in central Mexico on Friday, killing at least 20 people and badly burning 71 others as locals were collecting the spilling gasoline in buckets and garbage cans, officials said.The leak was caused by an illegal tap that fuel thieves had drilled into the pipeline in a small town in the state of Hidalgo, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Mexico City, according to state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex.
Video footage showed dozens of residents near the town of Tlahuelilpan gathered to collect spilled fuel in buckets, garbage cans and other vessels. It appeared an almost festive atmosphere as whole families gathered in a field as a geyser of fuel spouted dozens of feet into the air from the tap.
Footage then showed flames shooting high into the air against a night sky and the pipeline ablaze. Screams could be heard.
Hidalgo Gov. Omar Fayad said 20 people were killed immediately and 71 suffered burns in the blast at the duct that carries fuel —apparently gasoline — from the Gulf coast to Tula, a city just north of Mexico City.
"Caring for the wounded is our top priority," Fayad said.
Pemex attributed the blaze to "the manipulation of an illegal tap."
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has declared an offensive against fuel theft and the blast will further focus attention on the $3 billion per-year illegal industry.
"I greatly lament the grave situation Tlahuelilpan is suffering because of the explosion of the duct," Lopez Obrador tweeted. He called on all branches of government to assist the victims.
Hidalgo state police said the leak was first reported at about 5:00 p.m. local time.
"There was a report that residents were on the scene trying to obtain fuel," according to a police report. Two hours later, the pipeline burst into flames.
And another pipeline burst into flames in the neighboring state of Queretaro, because of another illegal tap. Pemex said the fire near the city of San Juan del Rio "is in an unpopulated area and there is no risk to human beings."
It is not the first time such an accidents have occurred.


Lopez Obrador launched an offensive against fuel theft after taking office Dec. 1. Thieves drilled about 12,581 illegal taps in the first 10 months of 2018 and the country has deployed 3,200 marines to guard pipelines and refineries.
The new administration has also shut down pipelines to detect and deter illegal taps, relying more on delivering fuel by tanker truck. But there aren't enough trucks, and long lines at gas stations have plagued several states.
However, fuel theft gangs have been able to win the loyalty of whole neighborhoods, using free gas and getting local residents to act as lookouts and confront military patrols carrying out raids against the thefts.
It is unclear whether Friday's tragedy would turn the tide of opinion against the gangs in the impoverished villages that lie above the underground pipelines.
"I am calling on the entire population not to be accomplices to fuel theft," Fayad wrote. "What happened today in Tlahuelilpan must never happen again."

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/many-burned-f...023118036.html

At least 66 people were killed after a pipeline ruptured by suspected fuel thieves exploded in central Mexico, authorities said on Saturday, as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended the army despite its failure to clear the site before the blast.Forensic experts filled body bags with charred human remains in the field where the fiery blast occurred Friday evening by the town of Tlahuelilpan in the state of Hidalgo, in one of the deadliest incidents to hit Mexico's troubled oil infrastructure in years.
Soldiers and other military personnel guarded the cordoned-off area that was littered with half-burned shoes, clothes and containers that were being used by people to collect fuel.
Grief-stricken family members blocked the dirt access road to the field, saying they would not let funeral service vehicles pass until they were told where the dead were being taken.
"They should give us an answer, if not, we're not moving," said Maria Isabel Garcia, 49, who was looking for two nieces. "They'll have to drive the goddamn cars over us."
The group eventually let the vehicles through.
At a news conference with Lopez Obrador, Hidalgo State Governor Omar Fayad said 66 people were killed and 76 people injured in the explosion, which happened as local residents scrambled to fill buckets and drums from a gush of fuel from the pipeline that authorities said rose up to 23 feet (7 meters) high.


More at: https://news.yahoo.com/ruptured-pipe...022215363.html

The death toll from a fiery explosion in central Mexico rose to 85 on Sunday as authorities vowed to hold accountable those responsible for a deliberate fuel-line puncture that drew hundreds of people looking to gather gasoline before it ignited.The search for human remains at the site of the explosion in the state of Hidalgo ended late Saturday. While families began to bury the dead, officials indicated the death toll could still rise.
Health Minister Jorge Alcocer said 85 deaths were confirmed and that another 58 people were hospitalized in Hidalgo, while others in worse conditions had been moved to Mexico City for specialized treatment.
Family members of the victims have called on the government to continue looking for remains and to bring back forensic experts for that purpose.
Funerals already have begun, but the handover of remains has been slow because many of the victims were burned beyond recognition.
The Hidalgo state prosecutor said 54 of the dead could not be readily identified, and require DNA analysis.


On Friday, when authorities heard that fuel traffickers had punctured the pipeline, about 25 soldiers arrived and attempted to block off the area, Defense Secretary Luis Crescencio Sandoval told reporters.
But the soldiers were unable to contain the estimated 700 civilians -- including entire families -- who swarmed in to collect the spilled gasoline, witnesses said.
The armed soldiers had been moved away from the pipeline to avoid any risk of confrontation with the crowd when the blast occurred, about two hours after the pipeline was first breached, Sandoval said.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/death-toll-me...180820123.html

Mexico has opened an investigation into what caused a deadly pipeline explosion, including possible negligence by authorities, the attorney general said Monday, as the death toll rose to 91 people.It is still unclear exactly how events unfolded leading up to the Friday blast, which occurred as hundreds of people rushed to collect fuel in buckets and jerrycans from a geyser of gasoline that was spouting from an illegal pipeline tap near the town of Tlahuelilpan, in the central state of Hidalgo.
The death toll from the blast and ensuing fire has now risen to 91 people, after two more victims died in hospital, Governor Omar Fayad told Mexican radio network Formula.
"Unfortunately, we have 52 wounded, the vast majority of whom are in very serious condition, with a very bad outlook," he said.
Attorney General Alejandro Gertz said investigators were trying to determine who tapped the pipeline -- whether locals acting alone or one of the criminal gangs that have turned fuel theft into a booming industry in Mexico.
Possible negligence by the authorities responsible for the pipeline is also "a fundamental issue" in the investigation, Gertz told a press conference.
"The timeline of events has to be made absolutely clear and precise. To do that, we're going to talk to each and every authority who intervened," he said.
The interrogation will include officials from the defense ministry, the police, state oil company Pemex and the Hidalgo state government and prosecutor's office.
Video taken before the explosion shows how some 700 people gathered at the pipeline as it sent a jet of gasoline into the air, while army soldiers stood by, apparently doing little to intervene.
The almost festive scene turned into a horror show after the explosion, as screaming victims in flaming clothes fled the enormous fire, some with severe burns.
Nearly four hours elapsed between the moment the leak was detected and the moment the pipeline was turned off, according to the government.
Gertz said investigators were also examining whether the recent murders of three ringleaders of Hidalgo fuel-theft gangs could have been a factor.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/mexico-probes...225243715.html

[Pauls' Revere]

https://www.newsweek.com/public-sex-...morfin-1083090

Lawmakers in Guadalajara, Mexico passed legislation that now legalizes public sex acts as long as there's no third-party complaints filed with police.

[Swordsmyth]

A cartel that prioritizes fuel theft over drug trafficking used plastic explosives to threaten Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO). Gunmen left the devices outside an oil refinery in the central state of Guanajuato.

Mexico’s federal government confirmed the discovery of a banner and truck with the explosives near one of the entrances to the Ingeniero Antonio M. Amor Refinery in Salamanca. The devices were inside an older model red pickup and placed near two narco-banners. Military experts disabled the hardware.


The banners were signed by Jose Antonio “El Marro” Yepez Ortiz, the leader of Cartel Santa Rosa de Lima. The organization is waging a fierce territorial war with one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal groups, Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG).

The banner left by El Marro was addressed to AMLO. The cartel leader demanded the president pull military and federal police forces out of Guanajuato or he would begin targeting innocent people. El Marro claims he left the explosives, calling them “a little gift” as a sign of things to come if AMLO failed to comply. He added that he wanted some of his associates released from custody.

Soon after the discovery, various social media messages allegedly from Cartel Santa Rosa de Lima claimed they were not involved in any way.
A security expert in Mexico revealed to Breitbart News that Mexican Marines recently seized 12 tractor trailers, tankers and 23 other trucks belonging to El Marro’s organization. The move could have led to a violent response by Cartel Santa Rosa Lima, or it could have been used by CJNG to place the banners and draw heat on their rivals.

More at: https://www.breitbart.com/border/201...ic-explosives/

[Swordsmyth]

Members of the Mexican dissident oil workers' union Gran Alianza Nacional Petrolera have presented a criminal complaint against Sen. Carlos Romero Deschamps, head of the main oil workers' union of Petroleos Mexicanos, better known as Pemex, Polemon reported Feb. 3. The workers claim that Romero Deschamps is involved in fuel theft from the company.

The government of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has prioritized the prosecution of Romero Deschamps, who has been accused of corruption for more than two decades. Romero Deschamps is a prominent figure of Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party and a rival of Lopez Obrador's National Regeneration Movement.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...plaint-against

[Swordsmyth]

Mexican Energy Minister Rocio Nahle has said private gasoline importers will not receive any new permits, La Politica Online reported Feb. 6.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...-minister-says

[Swordsmyth]

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is planning to hold a referendum on Feb. 23-24 on the construction of a $628 million power plant in Morelos state, Natural Gas Intel reported Feb. 8. Although construction on the plant is complete, it has not yet started operations. The referendum will only include residents of 32 towns along a 171-kilometer (106-mile) pipeline supplying the plant.

Holding the referendum would significantly erode investor confidence in Mexico as the plant has already attracted considerable funding and halting the project would be a sign of increasing regulatory risk despite previous assurances.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...on-power-plant

[Pauls' Revere]

“There’s nothing neutral about Mexico’s position because in practice it validates Maduro’s re-election,” Rozental said in an interview.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...zuela-election

[Swordsmyth]

Last week a hefty package of $3.5 billion worth of tax cuts were granted to the struggling state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) to be spread over the next six years. Now, on Tuesday morning, Mexico’s new leftist president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had to pledge even more aid to the cash-strapped company. The exact amount has not yet been specified, but it probably will be significant if Pemex’s ever-worsening needs are to be met.
Pemex is not entirely to blame, however, for its growing predicament. For years the Mexican government has used Pemex’s pockets as a personal piggy bank, without ever fully repaying what was taken out of the coffers. Now, as Lopez Obrador pumps more money into Pemex, the company’s bonds have subsequently seen major gains as its credit rating was slashed to a dismal figure.
The money given by the recent tax cuts doesn’t compare, however to the vast amounts of cash that the government has been skimming off of Pemex for years. The state-owned oil company has all but buckled under the financial burden of supporting its own operational costs as well as a huge portion of public spending, and therefore hasn’t enjoyed a positive free cash flow in over a decade--since 2007. Through all the highs and lows of oil prices over the last decade, Pemex has been steadily bleeding cash regardless of whether its product was at $100 a barrel or $30.
The hydra of Mexico’s cash flow woes has many heads. The issue has been created and compounded by sweeping corruption, skyrocketing debt, and plummeting rates of production--not to mention fuel theft, piracy, and pipeline explosions. Let’s start with the debt. Pemex is the most indebted oil company in the world. At its worst, Pemex’s net debt skyrocketed from where it was in 2007 at a respectable .5 times Ebitda (on earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) to a whopping 7 times Ebitda ten years later, by the end of 2017. Now they’ve managed to reign those figures in a bit to 5 times Ebitda--a dismal figure at best.

Dovetailing with the nation’s ballooning debt, oil production has also slowed to just a trickle of its former levels in Mexico. Ten years ago, Pemex consistently produced more than 4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day. Now, that number has nearly been cut in half, to around 3.5 million barrels per day from September 2017 through September 2018. Pemex went from producing volumes comparable with supermajors like Exxon Mobil Corp. to falling off the map as an oil major.
All this is to say that Pemex is no longer attractive to investors. That being said, national oil companies don’t exist to serve investors alone. The interests of the Mexican government also come heavily into play. And therein lies the problem. The government’s burden on its oil company has grown steadily heavier until the company is no longer able to operate as just that--a company.

While Lopez Obrador throws money at Pemex to try to dig the company out of its hole, he’s also contributing to the long legacy of short-term thinking that got Pemex into this position in the first place. The new president’s lofty goals for reviving the Mexican oil and gas industry go against balancing the company’s books.
What’s more, while Lopez Obrador aggressively invests in Pemex, he’s pulling away from other important energy reforms that would bring in new money and share development costs, as well as auctions that would allow private interests to explore for oil in Mexico.
Mexico has an opportunity to cash in on ramped up oil demand brought on by U.S. sanctions on Venezuela among other market factors, but the company simply can’t produce enough oil to get into the game. Right now, Pemex is not even producing enough light oil to fill its own refineries, and its once massive proven reserves have been sucked dry. The nation’s current proven reserves are just a fourth of what they were 20 years ago.
Mexico is in trouble, and just throwing money at the problem is not going to stop Pemex from sinking. Instead of short-term solutions and tax cuts, the system needs a major overhaul. But with a decade of negative cash flow, it’s hard to see how Pemex will be able to find the resources to make it happen.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-G...Is-Doomed.html

@angelatc when Mexico is the next Venezuela expect the usual suspects to tell us that it is all America's fault.

[angelatc]

All this is to say that Pemex is no longer attractive to investors. That being said, national oil companies don’t exist to serve investors alone. The interests of the Mexican government also come heavily into play. And therein lies the problem. The government’s burden on its oil company has grown steadily heavier until the company is no longer able to operate as just that--a company.

And obviously it will the CIA's fault when they can't find financing.

[Swordsmyth]

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will take up several measures likely designed to grant the federal government more influence over the country's downstream oil and gas policy in general and its electricity policy in particular, Reuters reported Feb. 11. Most notably, Lopez Obrador will nominate four new commissioners to the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) and said the government would move to review and possibly change the terms for contracts between the Federal Electricity Commission and private companies.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...-energy-policy

[Swordsmyth]

Mexico will support Pemex by injecting US$3.6 billion into the debt-laden state-held oil firm, including by refinancing debt and cutting taxes, Mexican officials said on Friday.
The Mexican government, however, will not take on new debt for Pemex, Reuters quoted officials as saying at a regular press conference.
The Mexican state oil firm has a total of US$106 billion in financial debt.
If Pemex needs more capital injection, the government will provide it, according to Finance Minister Carlos Urzua.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...-With-36B.html

[angelatc]

Mexico will support Pemex by injecting US$3.6 billion into the debt-laden state-held oil firm, including by refinancing debt and cutting taxes, Mexican officials said on Friday.
The Mexican government, however, will not take on new debt for Pemex, Reuters quoted officials as saying at a regular press conference.
The Mexican state oil firm has a total of US$106 billion in financial debt.
If Pemex needs more capital injection, the government will provide it, according to Finance Minister Carlos Urzua.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-N...-With-36B.html

Wait - so they won't take on new debt, they'll just give out cash? How long before they seize the oil company do you think?

[Swordsmyth]

Wait - so they won't take on new debt, they'll just give out cash? How long before they seize the oil company do you think?

5 years at the outside I would guess.

Mexico will be the next Venezuela and and we can look forward to being told by all the anarcho-communists and leftarians that AMLO did nothing wrong and that it is all America's fault.

[Stratovarious]

5 years at the outside I would guess.

Mexico will be the next Venezuela and and we can look forward to being told by all the anarcho-communists and leftarians that AMLO did nothing wrong and that it is all America's fault.

I missed this whole episode, have not heard nor read anything about Mexico's Nationalization of
the oil industry, is this what has transpired, did they oust the developers in similar fashion to
Venezuela ?

If so , this is not going to go well, we will need a 'bigger wall' .

[Swordsmyth]

I missed this whole episode, have not heard nor read anything about Mexico's Nationalization of
the oil industry, is this what has transpired, did they oust the developers in similar fashion to
Venezuela ?

If so , this is not going to go well, we will need a 'bigger wall' .

It hasn't happened yet but AMLO is making all of the moves and noises that will lead to it soon enough, this thread has most of it but if you want more you can search for the older threads about Obrador when he was running for office.

We are going to need a fully militarized border if Mexico goes all the way.

[PAF]

It hasn't happened yet but AMLO is making all of the moves and noises that will lead to it soon enough, this thread has most of it but if you want more you can search for the older threads about Obrador when he was running for office.

We are going to need a fully militarized border if Mexico goes all the way.

^ This ^ on the RonPaulForums.

SwordShill, just when I think you can’t come up with anything more imbecile... you never cease to amaze me.

[Stratovarious]

It hasn't happened yet but AMLO is making all of the moves and noises that will lead to it soon enough, this thread has most of it but if you want more you can search for the older threads about Obrador when he was running for office.

We are going to need a fully militarized border if Mexico goes all the way.

Indeed , forget the Sanctuary Cities and free welfare, they'll be coming for the toilet paper.