News Summary for May 8th, 2009

Mexico has reported 1112 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 42 deaths. The United States has reported 896 laboratory confirmed human cases, including two deaths. According to the World Health Organization 24 countries have officially reported 2371 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection. Back in Mexico…Higher education classes, high schools and universities, resumed classes after nearly two weeks off because of the influenza scare… More than 300,000 students returned to classes at the National University, UNAM… University rector José Narro Robles said the university is seeking to develop a vaccine against the A(H1N1) influenza virus. Next Monday primary and secondary students will return to school.

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President Felipe Calderón once again met at Los Pinos with former health secretaries Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Jesús Kumate, Guillermo Soberón and José Antonio González Fernández to discuss actions to control and prevent the spread of the AH1N1 influenza…

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In other news… Extracts of businessman Carlos Ahumada’s book “Derecho a Réplica” or “Right to Respond” appeared in the media… Ahumada claims that after taping videotapes in which René Bejarano and other Federal District officials received money from him, he negotiated with former president Carlos Salinas de Gortari to make them public in return for 400 million pesos.

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Former presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that Ahumada’s book comes to confirm that there was a plot against him in 2004… López Obrador said that Ahumada’s revelations back up what he wrote in his book “La mafia nos robó la presidencia” or “The Mafia Stole the Presidency From Us.”

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According to Ahumada’s book, PAN politician Diego Fernández de Cevallos was the contact between him and Salinas de Gortari, and the one who negotiated the sum of 400 millions pesos as payment… Fernández de Cevallos denied having offered the payment to Ahumada. He said that even though he has not yet read Ahumada’s book, its contents are due to the pressure he is facing. Fernández de Cevallos ruled out suing Ahumada.

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The secretary of the joint ruling board at the Chamber of Deputies, José Manuel del Río Virgen, demanded that the Attorney General’s Office call Diego Fernández de Cevallos and former presidents Carlos Salinas de Gortari and Vicente Fox to be interrogated so as to clear up statements made by Ahumada in his book.

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Finance Secretary Agustín Carstens said Mexico is in a recession… Carstens said that in the first quarter Mexico’s Gross Domestic Product shrank by seven percent, adding on to the 1.6 percent drop at the end of 2008. (Comment: Quoting Homer Simpson… Duh!

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Agriculture Secretary Alberto Cárdenas said that because of the erroneous labeling of the epidemic as “swine flu” Mexican swine herders suffered millions of pesos in losses. Pork exports also took a blow as 300,000 tons of meat and animals were held back.