News Summary for July 11th, 2009

++ The Attorney General’s Office said that it began an investigation in 2007 into María Teresa Zambada Niebla, who is the daughter of drug trafficker Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada… The investigation also involves a day care center called “Niño Feliz,” in Culiacán, Sinaloa... Authorities suspect money laundering in the case.

++ The Social Development Secretariat will find new installations for eight out of 231 day care centers in Sonora, after revising all facilities… The eight day care centers that were shut down lacked security norms, sparking their closure.

++ French President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted that French citizen Florence Cassez, who is serving a 60-year prison sentence for kidnapping in Mexico should be transferred to France to serve out her term… Sarkozy made his plea even though Mexican President Calderón said last month that Cassez will serve out her sentence in Mexico, since there is no guarantee she’ll stay in prison for the full sentence in France.

++ The IFE is about ready to end official vote counting after last Sunday’s elections… It’s only waiting for returns from two electoral districts out of a total of 300… The IFE had tallied votes from 298 electoral districts, that is to say 99.99 per cent of the total.

++ PRD members and their leaders will meet over the weekend in Morelia, Michoacán, to analyze the beating the party took on July 5th. National leader Jesús Ortega said Andrés Manuel López Obrador was called to attend the meeting.

++ The latest INEGI figures indicate that Mexico’s population has reached 107.6 million people, of whom 50.9 percent are women and 49.1 percent are men… INEGI reported on the nation’s population in connection of World Population Day… Mexico is the world’s 11th most populated country and the third in the Americas, after the United States and Brazil.

++ School’s out! The 2008-2009 school year ended, sending more than 32 million kids and a million and a half teachers at private and government schools home for summer vacation… Classes are set to resume on August 24.