The Week in Mexico

April 12, 2009 (San Diego Tribune)

Envoy on "Face the Nation": Arturo Sarukhán, Mexico's ambassador to the United States, will appear on CBS' "Face the Nation" today. It airs on San Diego's KFMB-TV Channel 8 at 8:30 a.m. and also can be seen online..

Obama visit: President Barack Obama visits Mexico this week and then travels to Trinidad and Tobago for the fifth Summit of the Americas.

Guatemalan killed: Mexican authorities said a former Guatemalan soldier who allegedly procured weapons for Mexico's Gulf Cartel was killed in a gunfight with federal police. Police said Israel Nava and two other gunmen were killed Thursday in Zacatecas state. Eight police were wounded. Nava allegedly was behind two 2007 attacks that killed four police, two secretaries and a prosecutor in Acapulco.

Fallout from actor's death: A dispute over whether to bury Mexican actor and singer Pedro Infante Jr. in Mexico or the United States has kept his remains in Riverside County, Mexican news agencies reported. Infante died April 1 at age 59 in Riverside. His death was originally reported as pneumonia, but Mexican news agencies say he may have committed suicide.

New education minister: President Felipe Calderón named Alonso Lujambio as education minister to replace Josefina Vázquez Mota, who stepped aside to seek a seat in the lower house of Congress. Lujambio has been commissioner for Mexico's freedom-of-information agency and a member of the independent agency that oversees federal elections.

Water shut off: Mexico City turned off the tap to millions of residents because water reserves reached historic lows.

Lottery head resigns: The head of Mexico's national lottery resigned over accusations he was using his influence and public funds to help candidates of Calderón's National Action Party ahead of midterm elections in July. National Lottery Director Miguel Angel Jiménez denied any misconduct. Jiménez formerly led the congressional faction of a small political party founded by the national teachers union, whose support was crucial to Calderón's victory in the disputed 2006 election.

Bilingual state: Hispanic Link News Service reported that Tamaulipas, which borders Texas, has declared itself Mexico's first bilingual state. The state – whose major cities are Nuevo Laredo, Ciudad Victoria and Tampico – is requiring its 320,000 public-school students to learn conversational English.

Texan arrested in Juarez: Chemical engineer Jorge Alberto Mendez, 42, was accused of sexually assaulting 19 women in their homes in Ciudad Juarez. The naturalized U.S. citizen, who lived with his wife across the border in El Paso, Texas, is in custody in Mexico.