News Summary for July 18th, 2009

++ Federal police agents arrested Noé Robles Hernández, member of the Los Petriciolet band and who confessed to having kidnapped and murdered teenagers Fernando Martí and Antonio Equihua. The arrest took place in a safe house in Xochimilco. Robles Hernández said "El Apá" and "La Lore," two alleged kidnappers whom the Mexico City Attorney General’s Office has identified as Fernando Marti’s killers, have nothing to do with the case. Mexico City´s District Attorney General Miguel Ángel Mancera, stood by the investigation carried out by his department in the Fernando Martí case, in which the gang has been identified as the La Flor group… Mancera said Marti’s guard identified the kidnappers…

++ Michoacán Governor Leonel Godoy said the arrival of more than 5,000 federal troops to the state should be considered an occupation… He said it was a pity the federal government is not working together with the state government in the operation.

++ The Tonalá bridge between Veracruz and Tabasco collapsed... It was unclear how many people were killed, it is believed that between five to eight died, 15 were injured and several are missing… Furthermore, dozens of cars and two trailers were destroyed…

++Authorities dismissed Carla Rochín Nieto, national head of IMSS day care centers as well as Sergio Antonio Salazar Salazar, director of economic and social benefits at the Social Security Institute… This decision was intended to help investigations into the fire at the ABC day care center in Hermosillo, Sonora, which led to the deaths of 48 infants…These are the first two federal officials dismissed in the case, five previously dismissed officials were Sonora state officials.

++ Industrial activity in Mexico from January through May fell by 10.8 percent…The lowest rate since 1983.