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Ángel Aguirre indicted in case that rocked Mexico and became symbol of its brutal cartel violence The former governor of Guerrero state in Mexico has been formally charged over his alleged involvement in the disappearance of 43 students in 2014, a case that has become a symbol of the country’s brutal cartel violence and government impunity. Ángel Aguirre, who was arrested last week, is accused of forced disappearance and obstruction of justice for ordering the destruction of surveillance tapes that may have shed light on what happened to the students from the Ayotzinapa teacher training college on the night of 26 September 2014. Continue reading...
Small businesses pay hidden toll after money-transfer rule change to curb illicit activities near the US-Mexico border Last April, the Trump administration rolled out its latest tool in the fight against Mexican cartels: an aggressive crackdown on money transfers near the US-Mexico border. The administration said that, in an effort to stop money laundering and other illicit activity, it would now require any business providing financial services in the region to report cash transactions over $200. Previously, the amount had been $10,000. Continue reading...
Erika Castellanos has beaten the life expectancy of 35 for a transgender woman in the region, but warns aid cuts and a rollback in human rights risk reversing efforts to end Aids Erika Castellanos has outlived what she describes as one of the cruellest statistics in Latin America. The life expectancy of a transgender woman in the region is estimated to be 35 years. “I am 50 years old. A lot of trans women are killed very early in life, either because of HIV or because of transphobia, so reaching 50 is a success story,” she says. When Castellanos was diagnosed with HIV in 1995, doctors gave her six months to live. She had already spent years watching Aids devastate her community, with effective treatment beyond the reach of most people in low-income countries. Continue reading...
Chad Eberle of Texas charged over deadly shooting in Saltillo that officials say stemmed from custody dispute A Texas police officer has been arrested in Mexico after authorities there accused him of killing three people and critically injuring the mother of his child in what investigators say stemmed from a dispute over the custody of the minor. The Coahuila attorney general’s office said 35-year-old Chad Eberle was arrested on Wednesday at the border on a warrant accusing him of femicide and qualified homicide, according to La Razon de Mexico, a newspaper based in Mexico City. Under Mexican law, femicide refers to the intentional killing of a woman or girl because of her gender. Continue reading...
César Gastélum was filming outside a fast-food outlet in Sinaloa state when he was killed by a motorbike driver A popular Mexican influencer has been shot dead while doing a live stream on social media outside a restaurant in Sinaloa state, where lethal cartel violence has become widespread. César Gastélum, who had nearly 600,000 followers on TikTok and was known for making comedy videos, was filming with two friends outside a fast-food restaurant in the city of Culiacán. The three were dressed in the bright orange jackets and backpacks of food delivery drivers. Continue reading...
National Autonomous University of Mexico says applicants must take test in person after online debacle Mexico’s largest and most prestigious university has announced that about 58,000 students will have to resit their entrance exam after abnormally high test results raised suspicions of widespread cheating. The National Autonomous University of Mexico (Unam) said the exam would take place in person after its first attempt at a fully remote online version led to a debacle and thousands of annulled results. Continue reading...
Valentín Lavín Romero is the 14th mayor to be murdered since Claudia Sheinbaum became president in 2024 A mayor was shot dead on Wednesday in the Mexican state of Morelos after having survived a previous assassination attempt earlier this year. He is the 14th mayor to be murdered since Claudia Sheinbaum became president in October 2024. Valentín Lavín Romero, who was from the Green party, an ally of the ruling leftwing Morena party, was wounded at the end of January when hitmen shot him at a petrol station on a motorway. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Global investigation reveals 235 lawsuits have been brought against governments in five countries since 2010 The world’s biggest ultra-processed food companies have filed scores of lawsuits challenging government policies that tackle junk diets, the Guardian can reveal. Ultra-processed food (UPF) is linked to harm in every major organ system of the human body and poses a seismic threat to global health. Worldwide consumption is rising and UPF now makes up as much as half the average diet in many countries, including the UK, the US and Australia. Continue reading...
After her son disappeared, Isabel Miranda de Wallace swore she would bring the culprits to justice. She became a national hero. But did she go too far? When her son, Hugo, failed to answer his phone on the morning of 12 July 2005, Isabel Miranda de Wallace did not waste a moment. Everyone knew that kidnappings were rife in Mexico City, and Wallace immediately enlisted her brother and nephew to help with the search. They walked the streets near Hugo’s last known location until they came across his SUV. A passerby told them they’d seen someone being forced out of his car and into a nearby apartment, Wallace later said. She also described speaking to a boy who had heard gunshots and seen an injured man being led out of the apartment around 4am. “Within 24 hours, we found his car, then the building where they took my son. We had the case practically solved,” Wallace later said. “But the police didn’t believe us.” At that time, many kidnapping cases went unreported, as families feared that the police couldn’t be trusted. Those who did go to the police often struggled to get them to take their complaints seriously. But Wallace was different. She was a successful businesswoman, who had set up an advertising agency that owned and operated billboards across Mexico City. “She didn’t beg or say please,” said Federico Döring, a politician and an early ally of Wallace. “She would point her finger at public officials not doing their job – and this was unheard of,” Döring told me. “In Mexico, a lot of people are often afraid to speak up because you don’t know if a politician is in bed with the cartels. That intimidates them, but it didn’t intimidate her.” Continue reading...
Case against Ismael Zambada García, who helped co-found and lead the violent Sinaloa cartel, unfolded in New York The Mexican drug kingpin, Ismael Zambada García, known as “El Mayo”, was sentenced in a US federal court on Monday to life in prison, after a plea deal last year in which he admitted to shipping vast amounts of cocaine and other substances as leader of the violent Sinaloa cartel. Zambada is 76 and one of the most high-profile Mexican drug traffickers to be sentenced in a US court since his fellow Sinaloa leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was sentenced to life in prison in 2019. The case unfolded in federal court in Brooklyn, New York. Continue reading...
Thousands of low-income households are benefiting from a simple system that captures and filters rainfall from the city’s roofs Walking up a steep hill to a small informal settlement of about 45 houses in Cristo Rey, above San Gregorio Atlapulco in Mexico City, Ana Aparicio Bahena arrives at her simple home. As she walks through her lush, verdant garden, she points out plants such as the prickly pear, cactus leaves with tiny, hair-like spines, and picks blackberries hanging from a bush, handing them to her two daughters. “I can grow vegetables,” says Aparicio Bahena proudly, holding up a small onion. “I have avocados, lemons, potatoes … I never used to be able to grow my own food. It’s wonderful.” Continue reading...
Jules Von Hep and Mark Beverlo, who have been trying to become parents since 2020, are now seeking help abroad Rise in overseas surrogates ‘increases risk of stateless babies’ Why Mexico is at the heart of ethical debate over global surrogacy Jules Von Hep has wanted a baby ever since he can remember. For many people that dream is straightforward to realise – but, as a gay man, he has always known it would take years of saving and searching. The only way he can have a biological child is to use a surrogate, which costs tens of thousands of pounds, and it often takes years of searching to find the right match. For Von Hep, it has been an “incredibly painful, incredibly expensive” process. Continue reading...
Many say lack of regulation allows people to exploit women’s bodies, but others argue it offers financial freedom, and a child to those with no other option Rise in overseas surrogates ‘increases risk of stateless babies’ Diogo Amaro met his future husband, Loup, in Paris and from the first date, he made one thing clear: he wanted to have children. “Right off the bat, I was like: ‘If I’m going to be in a relationship with somebody, I really want to build a family,’” he said. “‘That’s important to me, so please tell me if you want to walk.’” Continue reading...
FDA investigation identified a single supplier of the lettuce, but federal warnings did not name the company Federal health officials have identified lettuce from Mexico served by Taco Bell locations across five US states as a source of the widespread outbreak of the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the source late on Thursday and warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Continue reading...
Since start of Trump’s second term, 14 Mexican immigrants have died in ICE custody and three in agency operations Mexico formally requested that US state attorneys general criminally investigate cases of immigrants who have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody or during raids, the Mexican government said Tuesday. The request follows the death of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Houston. Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, 17 Mexican immigrants have died during immigration enforcement, 14 in ICE custody and three in agency operations. Continue reading...
One social media user described the opening of its first outlet in Monterrey as ‘like the dog teaching a duck to fly’ A US chain’s plan to sell its version of Mexican food to Mexicans with a first branch south of the border has prompted bemusement, skepticism and anger among local people. Chipotle Mexican Grill, known for its customisable burritos, tacos and bowls, has more than 4,000 locations worldwide and announced on Tuesday that it was expanding into Mexico in what it described as a significant milestone. Continue reading...
Claudia Sheinbaum says Mexicans ‘outraged’ over killing last week of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by agents in Houston Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Monday that Mexico would be demanding criminal complaints in the US for the deaths of more than a dozen Mexican migrants in immigration detention and those killed in anti-migrant operations. The deaths include last week’s killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, whom Sheinbaum said was “practically murdered”. Continue reading...
Scientists worry that current eradication efforts won’t be able to contain parasitic infestation pushing into US When conservationists set up cameras in remote regions of Central American forests, they wanted to monitor illegal cattle movement, which can lead to deforestation. But in recent months, they discovered another alarming development: wildlife rapidly infected with the new world screwworm. It’s a warning sign of how the fly could spread in the US – and it signals new difficulties in pushing it back south, a process that will probably take years, experts say. Continue reading...
This month Bronx Documentary Center is hosting the ninth edition of the Latin American Foto Festival, on view in New York from 9 to 26 July. The show brings together the work of photographers exploring social, environmental and political issues from across Latin America and the Caribbean Continue reading...
Reporting suggests FBI involved in seizure of Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García from Mexican territory in 2024 Mexico has launched an investigation into whether the US lied about its involvement in the capture and secretive transfer of a top Sinaloa cartel member in 2024, in what would be a potential violation of the country’s sovereignty. The US has long denied it played any role in the operation to detain the drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, a founder of the Sinaloa cartel, inside Mexico. Recent reporting by the local media outlet Pie de Nota, however, suggested that the FBI was involved in his capture. Continue reading...
Ronaldo Salgado, the son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant who was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent on Tuesday in Texas calls for an independent investigation into his killing. Salgado, 52, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official on Tuesday morning while on his way to work at a construction site. He had lived in the US for more than 30 years and was in the process of obtaining his work permit, according to his family. Salgado’s family, including his wife and three sons, found out about his death from news reports. ‘He did not deserve to die’: family of man fatally shot by ICE agent speaks out Continue reading...
Claudia Sheinbaum started as an activist. Now she is Mexico’s president. Has she stayed true to her ideals? By Rachel Nolan. Read by Gemma Acosta Continue reading...
The England national team's hotel was protected by police on Saturday night as Mexican fans gathered hoping to disrupt players’ sleep before their World Cup round-of-16 match against co-host Mexico. Despite police blockades, dozens of Mexican fans gathered outside the JW Marriott hotel in Santa Fe, Mexico City, armed with loudspeakers and horns and did their best to disturb the guests World Cup 2026 - latest updates Continue reading...
Guardian reports after the disaster told of 5,000 deaths, much of the capital being razed, and doubts about Mexico hosting the finals Mexico last hosted the World Cup in 1986, but the competition was almost cancelled several months before the start when an earthquake struck the capital, Mexico City, leaving at least 5,000 people dead, 30,000 homeless and much of the city flattened, in one of the worst earthquakes to hit the country. To this day, the death toll remains disputed, with some estimates putting it as high as 40,000. Continue reading...
As England prepares to take on Mexico in the Fifa World Cup, another battle is playing out just beyond the Azteca Stadium. More than 130,000 people have been forcibly disappeared in Mexico as cartel violence surges, leaving thousands of families searching for answers. They say the authorities have failed them and are demanding justice. The Guardian follows two families as they confront the police and challenge the government, determined to use football's biggest tournament to expose Mexico's disappearance crisis. Continue reading...
Ahead of their crunch last-16 match, we spoke to Mexicans and people living in the country about their experience and expectations of their tournament Mexico face England in the last 16 after four games, four wins and not a single goal conceded so far at the World Cup. We asked fans about the mood in Mexico, how they feel about their campaign so far, and their score predictions for the game on Sunday at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Continue reading...
Country Diary | US independence | Buckingham Palace | Harry Kane I always read Country Diary to give me a sense of perspective about the world and to make me smile. Andrea Meanwell’s piece about TB (3 July) reduced me to tears; but thank you, as it shone a light on something that we otherwise read about dispassionately when it is covered in the media. I offer her my heartfelt sympathy. Robin Gardner Nottingham • Congratulations to the United States for 250 years of independence from the British empire (For allies and adversaries alike, America at 250 is a solid global citizen gone rogue, 3 July). Now is surely the time for the UK to declare independence from the American empire. Anthony Matthew Leicester Continue reading...
America has long stood for freedom and prosperity, but under Trump insults, threats and unpredictability have become the new norm. As the US marks its 250th anniversary, Guardian correspondents around the world report on how it is perceived elsewhere Amy Hawkins in Beijing Continue reading...
England will arrive at the tournament’s pulsating heart to find expectations soaring and the streets and bars abuzz The shirt sellers are out en masse in the streets around Zócalo, the vast main square in Mexico City. The national team have never captured imaginations quite like this and there is almost unlimited demand for a jersey that, even before El Tri sealed a potentially epochal last-16 tie with England, had outsold every other at this World Cup. Three weeks since hosting the opening game Mexico can claim, for a few days at least, to be the tournament’s pulsating heart, and expectations are soaring. “We feel we are going to win,” says Francisco, who is walking along a buzzing Avenida 5 de Mayo. Even in a city notorious for its chaos and bustle there is an extra charge in the cool, thin air here. “It’s going to be difficult but we are all very motivated. Mexico will play a game like the previous one and they are going to beat England.” Francisco is referring to Tuesday night’s win over Ecuador, which secured a first knockout victory since 1986. Even in the fabled, mythologised history of Estadio Azteca it was a night of almost unparalleled fervour. Then there was the situation on the streets. About 1.4 million people are estimated to have watched on outdoor screens despite a vicious pre-match storm that delayed kick-off by an hour. It is some increase on the 400,000 believed to have turned out for Mexico’s first match, a win over South Africa. Tragically it was not always safe, with four people killed in a crush and dozens trapped. Continue reading...
Ecuador team kept up by constant noise before last 32 England official allocation only 3,000 tickets Football Association staff are reviewing security arrangements around England’s team hotel in Mexico City before their last-16 tie against the World Cup co-hosts after Ecuador’s players endured a sleepless night prior to their defeat in the capital on Tuesday. The Ecuadorian football federation has made an official complaint to Fifa after dozens of Mexico fans gathered outside their hotel in Santa Fe on Monday night before their last-32 match, making an almost constant noise until the small hours with horns, loudspeakers and motorcycle engines. Such guerrilla tactics from fans are not uncommon in Latin American football, and the FA is well aware that the England team hotel could also be targeted. Continue reading...
Ricardo Sánchez Bobadilla has spent two decades casting a satirical eye over the region’s escalating narco wars, despite the risks Spare a thought for the mid-level narco. What to do with all the bodies? Where to find a corrupt cop worth his salt? And how to catch the eye of that former beauty queen? Continue reading...
Trump and US officials opted to keep USMCA alive on short leash of annual reviews rather than longer term renewal Donald Trump has refused to renew the North American trade pact he once championed as his signature deal, opting instead to keep it alive on a short leash of annual reviews rather than committing to another 16 years. Wednesday was the deadline built into the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) for the three countries to jointly decide its fate, which is set to expire in 2036. Continue reading...
Three people have died from suffocation More than a million people gathered in Mexico City Three people died from suffocation as thousands of fans crowded Mexico City streets during World Cup celebrations, the capital’s health secretariat said in the early hours of Wednesday. The deaths occurred near the Angel of Independence landmark, where thousands of fans had gathered to celebrate Mexico’s 2-0 victory over Ecuador in the last 32. Continue reading...
Alejandro Gertz Manero’s cars and properties contrast starkly with Morena party’s long association with austerity With his million-dollar jewellery collection and his two Rolls-Royces, Mexico’s new ambassador to the UK will fit right in with the Mayfair crowd. Former attorney general Alejandro Gertz Manero was appointed to the post by President Claudia Sheinbaum last year, but only recently disclosed his financial assets. Continue reading...
Seventeen people hurt after car drives through crowd Driver arrested following incident at tourist resort More than a dozen people were injured on Wednesday night when a vehicle drove through a crowd in the popular tourist resort of Cabo San Lucas during a celebration of Mexico’s World Cup match victory, Los Cabos’s local authorities said in a statement. “According to preliminary information, the vehicle was surrounded by a group of people and, for reasons to be determined by the competent authority, drove through the crowd, injuring several people,” the local authorities added. Continue reading...
World’s sixth-most famous duck falls short of dream Two-year-old must watch Czechia game from distance Merlín the duck’s bid to see his beloved Mexico live has hit a snag after he was barred from El Tri’s match with Czechia on Wednesday. Merlín has become a folk hero in Mexico after becoming a symbol of El Tri’s World Cup campaign on home soil. His fans had launched a campaign for Merlín to attend Wednesday’s match alongside his human family. But his journey was cut short by Fifa regulations. Continue reading...
South Korea say tactics would not have been seen Drones have also been near stadium security zones Mexican military forces intercepted and brought down a drone that flew near the South Korea team’s training camp as they prepared for their World match against the co-hosts. Military forces used specialised equipment to detect an “unregistered drone” near the camp, prompting them to “neutralise” it, a Mexican federal agent said. Mexico won their opening Group A match at the World Cup last week while South Korea beat Czechia the same day. Continue reading...
A small plane crashed on a highway and caught fire in Laredo, Texas, on Tuesday night. Police and bystanders frantically tried to smash the cockpit window to free people inside. Police say six people were onboard. Five were injured and one was killed. The plane had left San José del Cabo in Mexico and was bound for Austin, Texas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration NetJets aircraft crashes on Texas highway, killing one and injuring five Continue reading...
The eye-watering ticket prices, like the cost of housing, reflect the divide between rich people and others, writes Richard Eltringham World Cup tickets now tell the same story as housing: priced so far beyond ordinary people that even Mexico’s president said she skipped the opening match because the seats were simply too expensive (‘Tickets are very expensive’: Mexican president Sheinbaum explains why she did not attend World Cup opener, 12 June). When a head of state publicly admits she can’t justify the cost, what chance does a normal supporter have? Yet Fifa still insists the tournament is “for everyone”, even as vast sections of the stadium fill only with those who can absorb eye‑watering prices. Television pundits try to sound sympathetic, but it’s hard to take them seriously when they casually reference the fortunes they earned from the same industry that priced supporters out. Continue reading...
Mexico’s trailblazing, technocratic president. Plus: The global cost of the war on Iran Get the Guardian Weekly delivered to your home address Claudia Sheinbaum must be doing something right. With a consistent approval rating of around 70% since becoming Mexico’s president in 2024, the former climate scientist – and protege of her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador – is the world’s most popular leftwing leader. She is also the first female leader of one of Latin America’s most macho countries. Yet despite her soaring popularity, driven in part by major universal healthcare reforms, there is a curious tension between Sheinbaum’s disciplined, scientific approach to governing and the messy, often violent politics of modern Mexico. Her handling of the country’s ongoing crisis of disappearances, the continuing influence of organised crime and the rising presence of the army in national life are all issues she has faced criticism over. Continue reading...
The jet, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, lost contact with air traffic control and crashed in Laredo Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email A private jet carrying six people crashed on a highway in Laredo, Texas on Tuesday night, killing one person, local police said. Videos shared online by the Laredo police department showed the wreckage of the aircraft and firefighters working at the scene. Other footage, shared by the Associated Press, captured the immediate aftermath of the crash, with flames rising from the plane as police and others worked to pull people from it. Continue reading...
Focus on business dealings with mining company Guadalajara rally to highlight fate of ‘disappeared’ Hyundai will be targeted by protesters at a rally before the Group A game between Mexico and South Korea in Guadalajara on Thursday, due to the World Cup sponsor’s business dealings with the South American mining company Ternium. A 2025 report from the environmental group Mighty Earth criticised Hyundai’s involvement in what they described as a “dirty steel supply chain”, as the South Korean motor company is a major buyer of iron ore from Ternium for use in steel production. Ternium has faced repeated criticisms for its destructive environmental impact and corporate governance policies from campaign groups, as well as its alleged links to the disappearance of two Mexican activists. Continue reading...
From gymnasts in kitten heels to lovers stalked by a devil, Pieter Henket’s dazzling portrait series, Birds of Mexico City, can feel like being in ‘a museum where the art comes alive’ Continue reading...
Images of Merlin, a two-year-old duck, parading on the streets of Mexico City celebrated by fans on social media Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez may have scored the goals, but a duck stole the show. As Mexico celebrated its World Cup-opening victory over South Africa on Thursday, Merlin, a two-year-old duck dressed in the national team’s colors, became an unlikely internet sensation and the tournament’s first unofficial mascot. Continue reading...
It could top 90F in several cities hosting World Cup games – and workers could pay the price with their health As the World Cup kicks off, labor advocates and scholars warn that the workers making the tournament possible could face serious heat-related risks. “It’s going to be extremely hot, and you just cannot leave people unprotected or you’re going to deal with a lot of injuries,” said Jonathan Alingu, co-executive director of Central Florida Jobs With Justice, which has been calling for worker protections at the Miami games. “Or, God forbid, something even worse.” Continue reading...
President gave ticket to a young female soccer fan ‘I gave it to someone who couldn’t go, who loves football’ The Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, explained on Friday why she was absent from the Estadio Azteca during Mexico’s opening match with South Africa, saying tickets to the match were unaffordable for most Mexicans and that she had given her ticket to a young female soccer fan. “Stadium tickets are very expensive,” Sheinbaum said during her daily morning news conference. “As president it’s better that I give my place to someone who couldn’t have gone, who loves football, especially a young woman, and I can celebrate it with the people for free.” Continue reading...
Flag bans, travel headaches and a religious regime video among bumps in road, as team prepares to be first to play in country with which it is at war Iran will present a major challenge to Fifa’s “football unites the world” slogan on Monday by becoming the first country in World Cup history to compete on the soil of a host nation with which it is at war. The national team’s opening match against New Zealand in Los Angeles will kick off amid continuing hostilities between Iran and the US that have intensified in recent days, as a fragile ceasefire has failed to hold and attempts at reaching a negotiated settlement have sputtered. Continue reading...
With matches in 16 cities across the US, Mexico and Canada, players and fans face an array of weather-related challenges With the 2026 World Cup now under way, all 48 teams face a common opposition: summer weather across North America. Matches will be played in 16 cities, from southern Mexico to Canada, with a range of weather risks possible at each venue. Thunderstorms disrupted play before the tournament had even begun. England’s warm-up against Costa Rica in Orlando was delayed by about an hour after storms brought lightning and heavy rain that waterlogged the pitch. Safety regulations at US venues mean play is suspended when lightning is recorded within roughly 8 miles of a stadium, not resuming until 30 minutes after the last strike. Continue reading...
‘Nearly 200 hooded individuals’ caused havoc Dozens of arrests made and several officers injured Mexico’s opening World Cup victory party was somewhat tarnished by violent clashes outside the Azteca Stadium just before kick-off as ticketless fans and protesters attempted to gain access. Rocks and bottles were thrown at police outside gate eight, with local media reporting that dozens of arrests were made as a result. While Mexico City police have been grappling with protests from teachers, retired judges and families of the country’s 130,000 disappeared all week in the buildup to the tournament, the disorder at the stadium did not appear to be politically motivated. Continue reading...
In Mexico, football is played wherever space permits. The Reuters photographer Raquel Cunha spent three months taking photos of amateur matches across Mexico City and beyond Across Mexico, a co-host of the 2026 World Cup, football pitches are laid out wherever communities can find the space. On the edges of towns, on highway underpasses, and even in a volcano crater, spaces are cleared that allow people young and old to share in the dream of the beautiful game. In an impoverished neighbourhood in Monterrey, northern Mexico, 14-year-old Humberto Guadalupe, nicknamed “Messi” by friends and family, spends his weekends on the community’s only football field, surrounded by abandoned cars and dirt roads. Humberto Guadalupe (left), 14, and Eduardo Reyes, 12, play football, followed by snacks organised by evangelists, in Monterrey Continue reading...
Claudia Sheinbaum started as an activist. Now she is Mexico’s president. Has she stayed true to her ideals? The president’s dressmaker works at home, down a narrow road in a working-class neighbourhood on the southernmost edge of Mexico City. There is no sign, just the house number marked in chalk on a rusted metal door. In the brightly lit, pink-walled room at the back of her modest house, Olivia Trujillo sits at her sewing machine, piecing together the president’s signature suits and dresses. Trujillo sews everything here, accompanied only by her family, three dogs, and one green parrot. Once finished, an assistant spirits away the items by motorcycle straight to the National Palace, where the president lives. Claudia Sheinbaum’s clothing – tailored from modest fabrics produced in Mexico and featuring Indigenous motifs – is one of the many ways that her administration communicates its slogan: “For the good of all, first the poor.” The dressmaker has just one problem with the president. People who wear made-to-measure clothes normally sit for the tailor twice: first, to have their measurements taken, then a second time for final adjustments. “Not once has she done a fitting for me, never!” says Trujillo, an exacting and neatly turned-out woman in her 60s. She knows the president is busy. “Still,” she objects, “any normal woman does a fitting for important clothes, like their wedding dress.” Continue reading...
An escalating teachers’ strike and concerns around public perception have left locals with complicated feelings on the eve of the tournament’s opener World Cup newsletter | Daily podcast | Download the app Mexico City’s Plaza de la Constitución sits in the middle of the city’s historic center and has been a gathering place since Aztec times. Nobody here calls it by its formal name, referring to it instead as the Zócalo. Framed by centuries-old cathedrals and government buildings, it is one of the largest city squares on Earth, a monument to Mexico’s colonial past and cosmopolitan present. It is also a block southwest of the Templo Mayor, a place Aztec mythology referred to as the center of the universe. In more recent times, Fifa has done its best to make the plaza the center of the footballing universe. Mexico City is preparing to host the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, and the Zócalo has been converted into the city’s fan festival. A massive video screen dwarfs almost everything else in the plaza. Continue reading...
Earthquake was region’s strongest tremor in nearly 150 years and was also felt in parts of Mexico including Cancún An earthquake on Monday off the coast of Cuba, which was that region’s strongest tremor in nearly 150 years, could be felt in Florida and parts of Mexico. The 6.1-magnitude earthquake, which struck in the afternoon, occurred approximately 65 miles (105km) north-west of Mantua, Cuba, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS added that the earthquake had a depth of 16 miles. Continue reading...
Football fans are celebrating the tournament coming to Guadalajara. But with a brutal crime syndicate holding sway there, what are the risks for fans – and the government? Excitement is mounting in Mexico as the World Cup opens in Mexico City, then heads to the city of Guadalajara. Mexican journalist Leon Krauze is a fan. He was there the last time the World Cup came to Mexico and will be watching again. The city of Guadalajara has a mythical footballing past: “Pele’s Brazil played there in 1970, then Zico and Socrates played there in 1986. There is a real football memory there, a love affair between Guadalajara and football in general, and I expect it to be a wonderful party.” Continue reading...
Team are based in Tijuana with all group games in US Iran FA labels visa issues ‘political interference in sport’ Iran’s World Cup 2026 squad landed in Mexico on Sunday amid a bitter diplomatic row, after the United States refused to issue visas for some team support staff. The Iran coach, Amir Ghalenoei, complained on arrival at Tijuana airport that “we should have been here last week because a 12-hour time difference needs two weeks of adjusting. Usually in these tournaments, before technical matters, ethical and human considerations must be respected – which I think for us it was not the case.” Continue reading...
Co-host’s government adamant Zócalo event will go ahead 100,000 expected at official fan festival for kick-off Mexico is planning to increase the police and security presence around Zócalo plaza in Mexico City to ensure the World Cup fan festival can go ahead amid growing social unrest and public protests. Much of the city’s historic centre, including the Catedral Metropolitana and the Aztec ruin Templo Mayor, is locked down, but the government of President Claudia Sheinbaum is adamant Zócalo will remain open throughout the tournament. Continue reading...
Mark, 17, struggled to make it through senior year after his dad was deported to El Salvador. Getting his diploma was bittersweet for the Maryland teen – as his dad watched on a livestream As Mark was getting ready for his high school graduation, he thought about how his dad would have probably insisted on adjusting his slacks – they were a bit tight – and fixed up his tie. “He would want me to look my best,” he said. But his dad and namesake, Marco, was 2,000 miles away. He had been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Maryland just before Christmas and deported to El Salvador in March. Continue reading...
Andrés Manuel López Obrador says Washington is using investigations into governors and propaganda to boost rivals Mexico’s former president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has accused US officials of trying to weaken the governing party to strengthen the opposition, amid rising tensions between the two countries over Washington’s investigations into several Mexican governors. “Some US officials are plotting to weaken Morena and strengthen the rightwing opposition in Mexico with the aim of restoring a subservient, corrupt, mafia-like, and cruel government,” López Obrador wrote in a lengthy letter posted on X on Wednesday. Continue reading...
With corrupt police on the streets and shopkeepers forced to pay gangs, president has vowed to tackle crime that now affects all parts of society It was about 11pm and Luis* was about to get into an Uber to go home when the police car pulled up. One of the officers frisked him and produced two plastic bags with what looked like drugs: one contained some sort of powder, the other little crystals. Luis had never seen them before. Luis, who asked not to use his real name for fear of reprisals, insisted that the drugs weren’t his, but the officers didn’t seem to care. They shoved him into the back of the police truck and drove into the night. Continue reading...
Teachers associated with the CNTE union are calling for salary raises and the reversal of pension laws Striking teachers wreaked havoc on Tuesday in downtown Mexico City, a few days before the city hosts the first match of the World Cup, with protesters pulling down giant mannequins of football players, ripping off their clothes and setting them on fire on the city’s main Paseo de la Reforma. They also set soccer balls alight and blocked main roads across the capital. Continue reading...
Members of Jalisco New Generation cartel used fake retail store in San Diego as front for trafficking drugs, officials say Federal prosecutors have charged four suspects with trafficking more than one ton of cocaine for the Jalisco New Generation cartel using a fake retail store in San Diego as a front for a sophisticated tunnel that ran across the border to Tijuana, Mexico. The defendants include two Mexican nationals and two Americans charged with conspiring to traffic drugs across the US-Mexico border. The suspects, who range in age from 18 to 32, all face sentences that could put them in prison for life. One of them, Gregorio Epifanio Hernandez Lopez, also faces the charge of “constructing, financing or using unauthorized tunnels”. Continue reading...
Mexico’s president says ambassadors must avoid political affairs after Ron Johnson’s post on drug-trafficking dispute Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, on Tuesday appeared to chide Ron Johnson, the US ambassador, for interfering in the country’s politics amid rising tensions between her country and Washington over efforts to tackle drug trafficking. “It is also very important, and I say this respectfully, to remember that ambassadors should focus on coordination and collaboration,” Sheinbaum said during her regular morning news conference. “Ambassadors must respect the internal political affairs of their countries.” Continue reading...
Teachers associated with CNTE union were marching toward Zócalo for salary raises and reversal of pension laws Riot police fired teargas at teachers who were marching toward Mexico City’s historic Zócalo plaza, just days before the square is expected to host the 2026 World Cup “Fan Fest”. The incident is the second time police have clashed with teachers in the past week, and more conflict is likely as Mexico City prepares to hold the opening game of the Fifa World Cup on 11 June. “This event will have to be suspended,” Filiberto Frausto, a union leader, told AFP, which witnessed police firing teargas on 1 June. “A cause like ours should be far above – it’s far more important than a little bit of distraction and fun.” Continue reading...
Opposition says constitutional amendment would give bill ruling party carte blanche to overturn will of voters Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Amid fierce criticism from opposition groups, Mexico’s senate has passed a constitutional amendment to include “foreign interference” as grounds to annul election results in the country. The bill, which was presented by the country’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, defines foreign interference as “illicit financing, propaganda, the systematic dissemination of misinformation, digital manipulation, and the intervention of foreign governments or agencies”. Continue reading...
From Paris to Mexico, Leonora Carrington’s extraordinary life is retold with intelligence and restraint, though not quite enough imagination At the age of 20, debutante Leonora Carrington ran away from London to be an artist in Paris, living with the surrealist Max Ernst, who was married and more than twice her age. But you won’t notice the uncomfortable age gap in this biopic, in which Carrington is played by Olivia Vinall, who is in her late 30s and portrays the artist for a decade or so, from Paris until Carrington settled in Mexico in the 1940s. Vinall’s performance is pleasingly spiky, fierce and uncompromising, fit for a woman who did not seek anyone’s approval – and does some heavy lifting in this otherwise tepid film. It’s adapted from a biographical novel by Elena Poniatowska. We meet Carrington arriving in Paris, where she discovers that the surrealists’ circle is another male-dominated world, with its own objectionable attitudes to women. Carrington, though, gives short shrift to men such as André Breton and Salvador Dalí, drivelling on about woman as the divine muse to be worshipped. The dialogue clunks along unconvincingly, such as one line spoken to Ernst (Alexander Scheer): “I don’t want to be your wife. I want to be your lover.” The pair move to southern France, where they seem to work productively – portrayed in slightly dull scenes – until the outbreak of the second world war in 1939, when Ernst, a German citizen, is imprisoned. Continue reading...
Fifa approached Mexico after US declined to host Iran squad despite it playing group games in the United States Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said on Monday her government agreed to allow the Iranian national football team to stay in Mexico during the World Cup, adding that the US did not want to host the team. The team will still play its group stage matches in the US but its base has been moved to Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, California, a move that Iran’s football federation announced recently and that was confirmed by Fifa, the sport’s governing body. Continue reading...
Organised crime groups are targeting some of the only people looking for victims of the country’s cartel wars – their relatives Beneath the cooling towers of Mazatlán’s power plant, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, a dozen women pick through the marshland, looking for the upturned soil – and the scent – that betrays the location of a buried body. They are part of Hearts United for One Cause, one of hundreds of collectives scattered across Mexico looking for the members’ missing relatives. But these searchers have been marked out by another layer of tragedy: one of them was murdered in February, and another disappeared in October. Continue reading...
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum denies any links between her Morena party and organized crime Pressure is mounting on Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, after two former top officials from the country’s Sinaloa state – both members of her Morena party – gave themselves up to US authorities over alleged ties to the Sinaloa cartel. The state’s former security minister Gerardo Mérida Sánchez crossed the border into Arizona last week and was taken into custody by US marshals, Mexico’s security ministry said. Sinaloa’s former finance minister, Enrique Díaz Vega, was taken into custody in New York. Continue reading...
North America will host this summer’s tournament European fans encouraged to visit Canada for World Cup Canada’s sports minister, Adam van Koeverden, has expressed confidence that hosting the World Cup this summer could be the key to agreeing a new trilateral trade deal with the United States and Mexico. The three World Cup hosts are facing a deadline of 1 July for a mandatory review of the existing free trade agreement between the countries, the USMCA, and initial discussions have been problematic. Continue reading...
Mayor’s attempt to beautify the city with murals of mascot and plum paint jobs criticised as waste of resources The giant purple axolotl peered up at Manuel Martínez from the black bitumen of the street. It was the second such painting of the rare amphibian he had walked past that morning. In recent weeks he had seen axolotl murals pop up in neighbourhoods across Mexico City. “It’s a waste of money,” he said. “You could use that budget for fixing potholes, traffic lights, security cameras. They’re spending on something that doesn’t benefit us at all – it’s just for tourists.” Continue reading...
Researchers warn of a ‘real risk’ of unsafe conditions, with matches in Miami most likely to be affected, but the picture is mixed across the 16 stadiums It’s set to be hot in North America this summer. The “seasonal temperature outlook” for the US, compiled by the National Weather Service, suggests every part of the country will experience temperatures above the historical average in June and July. It’s into this environment that 48 men’s national teams will arrive, all competing to win the World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. As the tournament approaches, the Guardian has taken an in-depth look at the meteorological conditions players could face, how they have changed since the last time the World Cup was held in North America in 1994 (when the US was the sole host nation), and the locations most likely to expose players to stressful levels of heat. Continue reading...
With Mexico under pressure from Trump to tackle drug trafficking groups, analysts say ‘it’s the most tense situation since the 1980s’ Relations between Mexico and the United States are being pushed to breaking point amid accusations by Washington that Mexican officials have been “in bed for years” with drug traffickers, and reports of CIA agents freely operating south of the border. “There are many who are betting on the defeat and failure of the Mexican government,” said Claudia Sheinbaum tersely on Wednesday, when asked about the allegations at a news conference. ”We want a good relationship with the United States government. What are our limits? The defence of sovereignty and respect for the Mexican people and their dignity.” Continue reading...
Violence in Guerrero state has driven as many as 1,000 households from their homes, rights group says Hundreds of Indigenous families have been forced to flee their homes in the mountains of central Mexico by intense attacks from a local criminal group, including drone bombings, an Indigenous rights organisation said on Monday. A gang known as Los Ardillos has been carrying out attacks in Guerrero state for years, but they started to intensify last week. Villages were subjected to eight hours of bombings on Saturday, the National Indigenous Congress said, forcing between 800 to 1,000 families to flee to other towns. Continue reading...
Fifa’s embrace of dynamic pricing and resale markets has led to sky-high costs and a speculative free-for-all, betraying the spirit of the beautiful game In What Money Can’t Buy, his 2012 critique of a world where everything is for sale, Michael Sandel laments what he calls “the skyboxification of American life”. Price gouging and profiteering, Mr Sandel notes, can exclude millions from communal experiences that should unite people, rather than divide them according to the size of their wallets. That is “not good for democracy, nor is it a satisfying way to live”. Ahead of the men’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico next month, millions of football fans would readily agree with the Harvard philosopher. Gianni Infantino, the president of the sport’s global governing body, Fifa, has predicted that this summer’s tournament will be the “greatest and most inclusive … ever”. But the lead-up has been overshadowed by a ticketing strategy that is almost surreally indifferent to the battered traditions of “the people’s game”. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Discovery was made by Union Pacific employee inspecting stopped train at the yard in Laredo before it continued its journey north Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Rail workers in Texas found six people dead inside a boxcar at a yard close to the Mexican border on Sunday afternoon, officials said. The discovery was made by a Union Pacific employee inspecting the stopped train at the yard in Laredo before it continued its journey north, a spokesperson for the Laredo police department said, citing the railroad freight company. Continue reading...
Kevin González, 18-year-old who had terminal colon cancer, died shortly after reuniting with his parents in Mexico A Chicago-born teen who advocated for his parents’ release from US immigration authorities’ custody while fighting terminal cancer has died shortly after reuniting with them in Mexico, his family has told media outlets. The parents of 18-year-old Kevin González had been taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Arizona in mid-April after they crossed the US border from Mexico without permission in an attempt to see him in Chicago as his health waned. González since then traveled to be with relatives in Mexico, and in recent days he had publicly pleaded for them to be released from ICE custody so they could be with him as he battled metastatic stage four colon cancer. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Human rights group warns of ‘deep collusion’ between criminals and officials in some parts of country State actors are involved in disappearances in Mexico at an “alarming” rate, according to a report from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The sweeping investigation, to which the Guardian was given exclusive access, presents a dire picture of the crisis of disappearances in Mexico, where more than 130,000 people have gone missing, mostly in the last 20 years since the government declared its war on drug cartels. Continue reading...
Temperatures soar in California and Arizona, while deluge continues across Western and Northern Cape Heat is expected to intensify across western parts of the US and Mexico this week as a ridge of high pressure pushes temperatures well above the seasonal norm. Daytime highs are forecast to reach 10-15C above average in some areas. The US National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for parts of California and Arizona, with extreme heat warnings in force on Monday and Tuesday in places such as Palm Springs, where temperatures could reach 40-43C (104-110F). More broadly, temperatures are expected to climb into the high 30s celsius before the heat shifts eastwards towards the midwest later this week. Continue reading...
Powerful radar system is providing new data on city’s subsidence, which experts hope will draw more attention to it Walking into Mexico City’s sprawling central Zócalo is a dizzying experience. At one end of the plaza, the capital’s cathedral, with its soaring spires, slumps in one direction. An attached church, known as the Metropolitan Sanctuary, tilts in the other. The nearby National Palace also seems off-kilter. The teetering of many of the capital’s historic buildings is the most visible sign of a phenomenon that has been ongoing for more than a century: Mexico City is sinking at an alarming rate. Continue reading...
‘In Mexico, which has a strong macho culture, the lucha libre wrestling mask is a symbol of masculinity. Ixchel was taking that back’ I took this picture, called La Mujer [The Woman], on the very first day of a project called Birds of Mexico City. I remember thinking, in that moment, that this is one of those rare pictures where you know immediately something special is happening. But the story really began earlier, with a project called Birds of New York. During the first Trump administration, people were being so negative about New York, saying: “It’s not interesting any more. Young people are not doing anything.” And yet we kept seeing these very beautiful kids. I said to my husband Roger [Inniss]: “These kids are like birds. I wish I had been free like them when I was a young teenager in the Netherlands. They don’t care about what people think about them.” Continue reading...
Owner of Japan nightclub says ‘This is a response to a year of insults directed at us – as a country – by the United States’ A Mexico City nightclub has gone viral for charging Americans a nearly $300 cover charge, while citizens from any other country pay just $20 for access, and Mexicans and other Latin Americans pay only $14. The Instagram announcement from the nightclub Japan in the Roma Norte neighborhood has been liked over 26,000 times and received more than 200 comments, mostly supporting the policy as part of a broader revolt in the capital against what many see as a US takeover. Continue reading...
Two members of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s party in Sinaloa state have temporarily stepped down after the US charged them with drug trafficking Two members of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s party in the north-western Sinaloa state said they would temporarily step down from their posts after the United States charged them and eight other politicians and security officers with drug trafficking. The bombshell indictment against the 10 has shaken Mexico’s political establishment. Continue reading...
Arrest of potential next leader found hiding in drainage pipe highlights renewed tactics – and fears of cartel infighting US politics live – latest updates The golden coffin of “El Mencho”, the late leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG), had barely been lowered into the ground when the Mexican military dealt a second blow to the very top of the organisation this week. As special forces descended on a ranch in the state of Nayarit, grainy drone footage showed El Mencho’s possible successor, Audias Flores, alias “El Jardinero”, being hauled from a drainage pipe he had tried to hide in, all without a shot being fired. Continue reading...
Indictment accuses high-level officials in Sinaloa of offences such as drug trafficking, weapons offences and kidnapping The US justice department has charged the governor of Sinaloa and nine other current and former officials for alleged ties to the Sinaloa cartel, accusing them of aiding in the massive importation of illicit narcotics into the United States . Some officials were members of Mexico’s progressive ruling party, Morena, posing a political conundrum for Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum as she seeks to offset mounting pressures from the Trump administration. Continue reading...
Arrests of Audias Flores and César Alejandro ‘N’ lead to gunmen blocking roads, as US embassy warns employees to avoid Reynosa after earlier arrest The Mexican authorities have arrested two top criminals, one of them a close ally of the slain founder of the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG), prompting gunmen to block roads in the western state of Nayarit. Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero”, is a regional commander in control of swathes of CJNG territory along Mexico’s Pacific coast. He was considered a potential successor to Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho”, who ran the cartel and was killed in a security operation in February. Continue reading...
Video shared by officials on social media shows the arrest of one of the top commanders of the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel in Mexico. Audias Flores, known as 'El Jardinero', is a regional commander in control of swathes of CJNG territory along Mexico’s Pacific coast. He was considered a potential successor to Nemesio Oseguera, alias 'El Mencho', who ran the cartel and was killed in a security operation in February. Security forces surrounded a cabin about 20km (12 miles) north of the popular resort city of Puerto Vallarta, where Flores was being protected by a perimeter of about 30 pickup trucks and 60 gunmen, according to a press release from Mexico’s navy, which led the operation. Flores’ escorts scattered as a diversion but he was located as he tried to hide in a drainage ditch, it added Mexican special forces arrest top commander of powerful cartel Continue reading...
In the Sierra Tarahumara, gangs ‘disappear’ those who resist their lucrative illegal tree-felling operations Decades ago, the children of Rochéachi village in the Sierra Tarahumara – pine-covered mountains of north-west Mexico’s Chihuahua state – would run through the forest by night. In the rainy season, they would collect fireflies whose glimmering light would flicker through the hollows of the pine trees. “We had peace. We used to walk and play and be together,” says one mother of three, who asked to remain anonymous, about the forest she once knew. “Now, children can’t go out to play. We don’t know what might happen.” Continue reading...
Claudia Sheinbaum says Mexico was not aware of US participation until four officials were killed in car crash Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, said on Monday that her government told the United States, in a diplomatic note, that the unauthorized presence of US officials at an anti-narcotics operation in the northern state of Chihuahua should not be repeated. The incident came to light after two US officials, along with two Mexican officials, were killed in a car crash on 19 April after the operation. Sheinbaum has said the federal government was not aware of the participation of the US officials, who were widely reported to be CIA officers. Continue reading...
Craze for Mexican salamander as pets fuelled by Pokémon but inexperienced owners are often out of their depths The 15th-century Dipping Bridge over the River Ogwr (Ogmore) in the village of Merthyr Mawr near Bridgend, south Wales, got its name from gaps in the parapets where farmers used to push reluctant sheep into the water for a clean. It has now passed the name on: to Dippy the axolotl, an alien-like Mexican salamander found under its arches. Dippy, discovered by 10-year-old Evie Hill last weekend, is believed to be the first axolotl ever found in the wild in the UK; the species is critically endangered and lives only in Lake Xochimilco near Mexico City. Exactly why the 22cm (9in) amphibian ended up in the shallows under the dipping bridge may never be discovered, but Evie and her mother, Melanie – Dippy’s new owners – as well as animal welfare experts believe the most plausible explanation is that the Pokémon-like creature was abandoned. Continue reading...
Prosecutors say 43 people indicted on charges including murder, kidnapping, extortion and drug trafficking More than two dozen members and associates of the Mexican mafia were arrested during an early morning crackdown in southern California, federal authorities said on Thursday. The FBI and other federal and local agencies executed search and arrest warrants at locations mostly in Orange county, south of Los Angeles, according to the US attorney’s office. Continue reading...
US policy shift leaves migrants in limbo to retrace perilous journeys south, searching for stability Two small scars on either side of his left thigh remind Mario Torres of the worst day he has had during the two-plus years he has spent on the road crisscrossing Latin America searching for a stable life. Torres fled Venezuela in 2018, when he was just 18 years old. After a stint in Colombia and Peru, he lived in Chile for four years. When cost-of-living increases started to make life less tenable, he decided to leave in September 2024 and head towards the United States. Torres rode buses, boats and trains, and also walked, crossing nine countries – a journey that took months. Continue reading...
Mexico to investigate possible breach of its constitution and assess US’s role in anti-drug operation near Chihuahua Mexico has launched an investigation into a possible breach of its constitution as it was reported that two US embassy officials who died in a car accident while returning from a raid on a drug lab with local officials in the border state of Chihuahua were CIA operatives. The accident happened early on Sunday, as the officials were driving back from the scene of the raid. Their vehicle skidded off the road and plunged down a 200 metre ravine in the mountains near Chihuahua’s border with the state of Sinaloa. Continue reading...
At least four more injured at world heritage site in latest violent incident as country prepares to co-host World Cup One Canadian tourist has been killed and six other people were wounded by gunfire after an armed man opened fire at one of Mexico’s most famous tourist destinations, the Teotihuacán pyramids near Mexico City. The shooting – the latest violent incident to affect Mexico as it prepares to co-host the football World Cup in June – took place on Monday lunchtime and was captured in mobile phone videos. Continue reading...
Director of state investigation agency among those killed in Chihuahua in operation to destroy clandestine drug labs Two United States officials and another two Mexican officials assigned to combat drug cartel operations died in a car accident in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua on Sunday, a US embassy spokesperson said. The Mexican officials were the director of the state’s investigation agency and an officer, state authorities said, adding that they were on an operation to destroy clandestine laboratories in the municipality of Morelos. Continue reading...
In joint statement, the three countries call for lasting solution to crisis, without explicitly mentioning the US and its oil blockade Mexico, Spain and Brazil have voiced concern about the “dramatic situation” in Cuba, which has faced months of pressure from US president Donald Trump, with the trio urging “sincere and respectful dialogue”. Without explicitly mentioning the US, the three leftist-led countries expressed on Saturday “deep concern regarding the grave humanitarian crisis that the people of Cuba are enduring, and call for the adoption of necessary measures to alleviate this situation”. Continue reading...
Sheinbaum has recently been taking a firmer stance with the US, defying pressures where other countries have caved The Mexican government has voiced concern about the deaths of its citizens in US custody, with Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum also pushing back against the Trump administration’s decision to impose an energy blockade on Cuba. The progressive Mexican leader has walked a careful line with Trump for more than a year, addressing provocations with a measured tone and meeting US requests to crack down on cartels more so than her predecessors, in an effort to offset threats of tariffs and US military action against gangs. Continue reading...
Marcos Orellana, a special rapporteur, found lax environmental standards and lack of oversight allowed pollution to accumulate Revealed: Mexico’s industrial boomtown is making goods for the US. Residents say they’re ‘breathing poison’ Mexico is facing a “toxic crisis” and has become a “garbage sink” for the US, exposing Mexican communities to dangerous pollution, a UN expert has warned. In an interview with the Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab, an investigative outlet, Marcos Orellana, an environmental specialist, said pollutants ranging from imported waste to dangerous pesticides were affecting people’s right to live healthy lives. Continue reading...
Cultural figures sign open letter asking government for clarity on how long landmark collection will remain abroad One of the world’s most important collections of 20th-century Mexican art, including works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to be exported to Spain under an agreement with Banco Santander, sparking outrage among Mexico’s cultural community. Nearly 400 cultural professionals have signed an open letter calling on the Mexican government to offer greater clarity on what the deal means for the masterpieces, particularly the works by Kahlo, which the Mexican state has declared an “artistic monument”. Continue reading...
Government accused of removing loved ones from record after report says tens of thousands lack information to be found Mothers search in the scrublands, poking the earth for signs of a corpse. Desperate pleas fill social media, crying out for clues that may bring relief. Tattered posters flutter in the wind, asking for help in the search. Often, all that is left of the missing are scattered bones bleached by the sun. It is arguably Mexico’s greatest human rights crisis. More than 130,000 people have vanished since the state went to war against drug cartels a decade ago. Now, activists and human rights experts say the authorities are trying to erase their loved ones from the record. Continue reading...
Everything Korean – from K-pop and skincare to food and clothing – is booming in popularity in Chile, Mexico and Brazil On the polished flagstones of a Santiago cultural centre’s forecourt, four Chilean girls dance in energetic union, counting their steps aloud in Korean. In front of them, a YouTube video with 1.3bn views plays atop a speaker throbbing to the beat of How You Like That, by the K-pop megastars Blackpink. Continue reading...