News stories by Diego Cevallos

The centre-right governing party and the leftwing opposition in Mexico were dealt a major blow in the midterm congressional and local elections on Sunday, in which the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) made a resounding comeback, reviving memories of the past.

The Mexican government spent time and money in 2007 to get the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza declared one of the 'new seven wonders of the world' in a contest organised by a Swiss-Canadian businessman. But winning has failed to deliver the desired results.

The aberrations of Mexican justice were clearly visible in the cases of rape and torture allegedly committed by soldiers in 2002 against two indigenous women, Inés Fernández and Valentina Rosendo. But their experiences are not exceptional in rural areas of the southern state of Guerrero.

In the last 13 months, 12 of Mexico's 32 states have approved amendments to their state constitutions defining a fertilised human egg as a person with a right to legal protection, and seven other state parliaments are taking steps in the same direction.

The Mexican government is complaining about measures taken by other countries to protect themselves against possible contagion from the new H1N1 flu virus, which is widely seen as having originated in Mexico. But some Mexicans complain about stigma at home, as well as medical negligence.

The swine flu epidemic has dealt a new blow to the Mexican economy, already weakened by the global recession, hitting small and large companies alike.

The deadly new influenza strain that originated in Mexico has led to the closure of schools, universities, museums, libraries, cinemas, theatres and churches here, while it continues to spread to other countries.

Seven Mexicans who allegedly created and ran a child porn ring that sent on-line images to Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Chile, Spain, the United States and Venezuela were arrested in Mexico.

Reiterated promises of cooperation and respect marked U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Mexico Thursday. But activists and analysts from both countries told IPS that there have been enough words and that it is time for concrete action from Washington.

The Mexican government, legislators and human rights organisations are calling for a review of the outdated military justice system, accused of letting human rights violators off the hook. But only activists seem to actually be doing anything to bring that about.