* Protests by corn farmers in Mexico’s northern state of Sinaloa have led to the closure of the international airport in Sinaloa’s capital, Culiacán. Cristóbal Castañeda, Sinaloa’s public security secretary, announced the closure of the airport and a number of major roads, as he called for dialogue with the farmers. Castañeda said that 27 flights were disrupted as a result, affecting 2,500 passengers. Culiacán international airport announced that operations were suspended from 15:30 yesterday. According to media reports, the corn farmers are demanding a price guarantee of M$7,000 (US$407) per tonne (t) and the negotiation of a purchasing programme for over 3.5m t of corn which currently lacks a market.