Those Mexican fish are among the most beautiful members of the Goodeid family (named after ichthyologist George Brown Goode), certain of which are wonderfully efficient at keeping an aquarium clean because they love to eat algae. On top of that, most Goodeids don’t lay eggs, but bear their young alive, using some rather sophisticated adaptations all their own.

Squeezed out by tilapia

Most of Mexico’s Goodeids are found in the states of Jalisco, Michoacán and Guanajuato.  They are quite small, perhaps only four to eight centimeters long, but if you went looking for them today, what you would probably find instead are tilapia, which, over the years, have been introduced into just about every creek, pond, river and lake of central Mexico.

Tasty and nutritious as they may be, tilapia — which are of African origin — are very aggressive and their numbers steadily grow as the populations of splitfins dwindle.

Graceful butterfly wings

One of the prettiest of the Goodeids is the butterfly splitfin. It was found in Río Teuchitlán, the headwaters of the Ameca River, in 1955, by American zoologists Robert Rush Miller and J.T. Greenbank. The site lies near Jalisco’s Guachimontones or circular pyramids, at the foot of Tequila Volcano.

Miller eventually named the fish Ameca splendens, “the shining one” in reference to its “striking life colors,” particularly the brilliant yellow-orange band on the male’s tail fin.

Hobbyists soon went looking for it, to breed it at home, impressed with the male’s glittering metallic scales, which, they say, reflect light with turquoise flashes, evoking the graceful flapping of butterfly wings.

In no time, this little fish became a favorite in personal aquariums all over the world.

“I consider Ameca splendens the perfect aquarium fish,” says Juan Miguel Artigas. “They are interesting, lively, colorful, tolerant and they don’t require a large aquarium.”

Dibble’s Ark

Just Google Ameca splendens, and you’ll see references to it in every language on the planet!

Then, in the 1990s, a leading fish fancier, Englishman Ivan Dibble, started receiving reports that the butterfly splitfin could no longer be found in its native haunts. Similar fears about other members of the family, the golden skiffia and the spotted skiffia, impelled Dibble and friends to launch Fish Ark Mexico in 1997 at the Aquatic Biology Lab of the University of Michoacán, in Morelia.

Soon, aquarists from around the world were carrying certain species of these much-loved splitfins back to Mexico, and several local projects popped up (and died) in the Teuchitlán area in an effort to reintroduce the fish into their native habitats.

Back again after 127 years

“In our case,”  says Karina Águilar, Conservation Manager of Guadalajara’s Urban Park System, “we knew that a Goodeid named Skiffia multipunctata once lived in ditches and channels in Parque Agua Azul because a Frenchman named Leon Diguet collected it there around the year 1899. Unfortunately, it disappeared here in Guadalajara and rumors claimed it had gone extinct.

“Today, however, we have created a new lagoon at the park, which — thanks to the biologists in Morelia — will soon be brimming with the spotted skiffia. In Spanish, we call this fish el tiro pintado, and this coming August, we will celebrate its return to Agua Azul Park with well-deserved pomp and circumstance.”

Mexican fish, Austrian zoo

Projects like this one are being facilitated by Michael Köck, former Curator of Freshwater Fish at Haus des Meeres Aqua Terra Zoo in Vienna, Austria, but now Freshwater Conservation Manager at the Aquatic Lab in Morelia.

Köck had been caring for Mexican Goodeids in 120 aquariums in the basement of the Austrian zoo.

“But,” he told me, “there came a time when I began to worry about what would become of those fish after I retired … and I came to the conclusion that it would be better for me to work directly in Mexico and help save the original habitats of the fish.”

Köck presented these concerns at a workshop in Morelia in 2022.

“The topic centered on what we were going to do for the benefit of the whole group of Goodeids — because 90% of these species are threatened with extinction.”

Plan G is born

Out of this workshop came Plan G to Save the Goodeid Family, specifically to restore at least one habitat for each of the Goodeid species in Mexico and to accomplish this within a period of 10 years. The Plan was to bring back the fish that were extinct in the wild while helping those already established to do better.

To bolster Plan G with financing and support, Michael Köck undertook a visit to zoos, public aquaria and museums across Europe in 2024, in a bid to engage stakeholders in this ambitious conservation plan. His travels took him through Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom.

The show of support was overwhelming.

Passionate about conservation 

“If you ask me why I gave up my job to work in Mexico,” Köck told me, “I will answer because I have seen what the people in this country are capable of achieving. I was impressed by the success they were able to reach with limited resources, and I wanted to be part of this movement. I have faith in this community: Mexicans are incredible when they want to achieve something, and the people I work with are passionate about succeeding in conservation. I’m here to help them where I can and to learn from them whenever I can.”

If you, too, would like to help the cause, you can donate to the Goodeid Working Group (donations@goodeidworkinggroup.com).

John Pint has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, for more than 30 years and is the author of “A Guide to West Mexico’s Guachimontones and Surrounding Area” and co-author of “Outdoors in Western Mexico.” More of his writing can be found on his website.

The post How Mexico’s celebrated splitfin fish were rescued from the brink of extinction appeared first on Mexico News Daily

And inside a home office overlooking a landscape better known for vacations than global advocacy, Suzanne York is working on some of the world’s biggest challenges.

As director of Transition Earth, York, a native of Vancouver, Washington, spends her days connecting human rights, women’s empowerment, population growth, climate change, resource consumption and environmental sustainability issues. The organization works internationally, engaging policymakers, activists, educators and young people around the world.

What makes her story remarkable, though, isn’t simply the scope of the work, but where it happens.

How to change the world from Puerto Vallarta

For decades, the assumption was that meaningful global change originated from power centers such as Washington, London, New York or Brussels. Yet the digital age has completely redrawn that map. Today, a person with expertise, commitment and a reliable internet connection can influence international conversations from almost anywhere —including Puerto Vallarta.

York’s journey into environmental and social advocacy spans years of research and writing focused on ecological health. Before leading Transition Earth, she worked with organizations examining how human well-being and environmental sustainability are deeply interconnected.

What she represents is a growing phenomenon in Mexico. Globally engaged professionals are choosing to base themselves in communities that offer a different pace of life while remaining connected to international networks.

Puerto Vallarta may seem an unlikely headquarters for discussions about climate resilience, reproductive rights and sustainable futures. Yet perhaps that’s precisely the point.

The city sits where mountains meet the Pacific, and nature isn’t an abstraction here. The ocean, forests and wildlife are part of daily life. For York, that daily connection serves as both inspiration and reminder.

The ‘remote work’ revolution

“There’s no doubt Puerto Vallarta is beautiful, and seeing the sun almost every day is conducive to a good workday,” she says. “I’m grateful to live here. I love both the mountains and the bay, and both are motivations for supporting ways to protect the planet for all inhabitants.”

At the same time, she sees firsthand the pressures rapid growth can create.

“The rapid growth of the area shows what’s at stake,” York explains. “Development impacts people and animals, such as crocodiles displaced by disappearing wetlands. It’s important to me to find solutions that balance the needs of nature and people, here and around the world.”

The global coronavirus pandemic in the early 2020s accelerated a shift that was already underway. Organizations became more comfortable operating remotely, and international collaboration moved online. Geographic distance became less important than intellectual connection.

For York, that’s created an unusual opportunity to contribute to global conversations while living in a place that offers daily reminders of what those conversations are ultimately about.

Tying the abstract to the local

The mission of Transition Earth centers on creating a thriving environmental future through digital media, events and educational outreach. Yet dedicating a career to issues that are planetary in scale comes with its own challenges.

“There are days when I think it would be easier to work on different issues,” York says. “Helping audiences understand the links between health, the environment, human rights and population growth can be difficult because these are complex, big-picture challenges that often feel abstract or distant from people’s everyday lives.”

Yet she believes understanding those connections is essential.

“Our problems, and the solutions, are connected,” she says.

Part of Transition Earth’s work involves making those connections tangible by highlighting local stories from around the world. York’s travels have also taken her to communities facing environmental and human rights challenges firsthand.

“Sharing stories of how a community in Borneo is bringing healthcare and sustainable jobs while protecting orangutans at the same time helps break down big-picture issues and show how problems can be addressed,” she says.

Staying positive in the face of adversity

Many of the issues York works on are enormous and complex, and like anyone immersed in global challenges, she occasionally struggles with discouragement.

“These are certainly big-picture issues that don’t have simple solutions, and I definitely have days where I don’t feel too hopeful about the state of the world,” she admits.

When that happens, Puerto Vallarta itself often provides perspective.

“I often go for walks here in Vallarta. To nearby estuaries, the path along the Pitillal River, the beach or even the Malecón. Being outside and in or near nature usually gives me a nice attitude adjustment.”

She also draws inspiration from younger generations.

“I am fortunate to work with two young people at Transition Earth who give me inspiration,” she says.

One of them is Josh Mirondo, a Ugandan writer who focuses on the connections between reproductive health and climate change. Another is Martha Nimusiima, who writes about climate change, women’s rights and biodiversity.

At the intersection of difficult problems

“These two young people have inherited a world of difficult problems, and raising their voices gives me hope.”

Change rarely arrives through a single breakthrough. More often, it emerges from thousands of conversations, articles, presentations and connections that gradually shift public understanding. York’s work places her at the intersection of those conversations.

From Puerto Vallarta, she participates in webinars with experts on different continents, collaborates with partner organizations and publishes ideas that reach audiences far beyond Mexico’s shores. That reality challenges traditional notions of influence.

Today, impact isn’t necessarily measured by where an office is located. It’s measured by the quality of ideas, the strength of networks and the ability to inspire action.

York says most people are no longer surprised that she works from Puerto Vallarta.

“I don’t think people are that surprised these days,” she says. “The world changed a lot during and after Covid, and the reaction I usually get is envy that I’m in Puerto Vallarta.”

Living in a virtual world

Like many professionals whose careers have become increasingly digital, she acknowledges missing some face-to-face interactions but appreciates the opportunities created by virtual collaboration.

“It’s fortunate that so much now takes place online,” she says.

York’s story is also about Mexico itself. For years, Puerto Vallarta has attracted artists, entrepreneurs, retirees and remote workers seeking a different way of living. Increasingly, it’s also becoming a place where globally connected careers can flourish. York embodies that possibility.

Her office may be in a beach community, but her focus extends across continents. There’s something distinctly hopeful about that image. At a time when headlines often emphasize division and crisis, York’s work suggests another narrative.

That individuals still have the capacity to influence systems larger than themselves. That geography no longer determines the limits of participation. And that meaningful work can be rooted in a place chosen for quality of life rather than proximity to power.

York is fully aware of the privilege and opportunity that arrangement provides.

“I know I’m lucky to be here and to be able to work on issues that I’m passionate about,” she says. “How great is it that a home office allows for this to happen?”

Even paradise has problems

At the same time, she notes that even paradise isn’t immune to larger global issues.

“There are problems even in a beach town paradise. Just like anywhere, I can see the big-picture problems are also local. The important point is that these conversations about pressing problems need to happen everywhere.”

York’s awareness of those changes is reinforced by conversations close to home. Her partner, Jack Bramy, a San Francisco Bay Area native, is the administrator of the popular Facebook group Vallarta and Beyond – The Real Deal. Through the community, they regularly see residents discussing the effects of growth, development, infrastructure challenges and environmental changes across the region.

Those firsthand accounts offer another window into how global issues such as sustainability and resource management play out at the local level.

As the afternoon sun settles over Banderas Bay and another day in Puerto Vallarta unfolds, York returns to the ongoing work of building connections between people, communities, and ideas. The challenges she addresses are global. The solutions will require cooperation across borders, cultures and generations.

And some of that work, quietly and persistently, is happening from a desk on Mexico’s Pacific coast.

For young people hoping to create positive change, York offers a message grounded in realism and optimism.

“It sounds a bit cliché to say never give up, but it’s true,” she says. “No one has a crystal ball and can predict the future. The world situation seems bleak, but positive change can happen.”

She pauses before adding the principle that continues to guide her own work.

“We owe it not just to young people and future generations, but to all of us, to keep trying to make things better. It could be a long road, but we need to try.”

Charlotte Smith is a writer and journalist based in Mexico. Her work focuses on travel, politics, and community. You can follow along with her travel stories at www.salsaandserendipity.com.

The post MND Local: A global mission from a home office in Puerto Vallarta appeared first on Mexico News Daily

This economic boost was driven by the tourism, consumer and entertainment sectors, particularly by increased hotel occupancy, food and beverage sales and sporting goods purchases, with restaurants and bars reporting sales increases of up to 40% during the tournament’s inaugural weekend.

World Cup windfall has yet to land, as hotel occupancy in CDMX, GDL and MTY falls short

The preliminary report overrides a less rosy picture from the Mexican Employers’ Confederation in Mexico City (Coparmex CDMX), which claimed that hotel occupancy did not meet the 80% expected. Concanaco Servytur’s report, however, found that hotel occupancy in the three host cities — Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara — was indeed over 80%.

“The World Cup is demonstrating that sport can be an engine of growth and tourism promotion for Mexico,” said the president of Concanaco Servytur, Héctor Tejada Shaar. 

The economic impact of the sports event was also noticed in the e-commerce sector, with Mercado Libre and Amazon reporting increased sales of jerseys, soccer balls and televisions. Delivery apps also registered peak demand during the inaugural match.

The influx of domestic and international visitors also boosted air and ground transportation use, with Mexico receiving more than 45,000 additional passengers on domestic flights over the weekend. 

The challenge will be maintaining economic momentum during the subsequent phases of the tournament, with the final Mexico-based match to be played on Sunday, July 5, in Mexico City, ahead of the tournament final on July 19. 

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to generate an economic impact of 65 billion pesos (US $ 3.8 billion) nationwide. However, previous reports suggest the tournament is unlikely to have a significant knock-on effect on the country’s GDP and is unlikely to be sufficient to support a sustained change in private consumption.

With reports from Mundo Ejecutivo and Expansión

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The band not only intends to showcase to the world the elements that distinguish the state of Jalisco, including its musical richness, but will also be donating the proceeds from the concert to local reforestation projects.

The state government has issued a public invitation ahead of the concert scheduled to take place at the La Minerva Glorieta, among the most emblematic monuments in Guadalajara, the state capital.

Long associated with social causes, especially those related to the environment, Maná said any resources generated by the event (including a fee paid by the city government) will be devoted to tree-planting projects in Guadalajara and several municipalities across the state, including in Puerto Vallarta.

The band maintains a nursery in Ahuisculco, a small town about 50 kilometers southwest of Guadalajara, which produces approximately 10,000 trees annually.

“We believe that the most important cause right now is to reverse climate change, through planting trees and reducing carbon dioxide,” lead singer Fernando “Fher” Olvera said. “This isn’t just talk; it’s a reality, because we must leave a better future for our children and grandchildren.”

The show comes less than a week after Maná performed during the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Mexico City, a moment the group considers the high point of their four-decade career.

“We got messages from Japan, Germany, France, Italy … from countries where we never played,” said drummer Alex González. “That’s when we realized the level of exposure we got.”

Wednesday’s concert — their first free-to-the-public gig in their four decades as a band — is expected to last about two hours and feature large-scale production, screens, lighting and sound systems set up along Vallarta Avenue. There will also be a few surprises, Olvera said.

“It’s going to be awesome. It’s completely free so grandma and auntie can come,” he said. “It will be a real Guadalajara festival. For us, it’s a way of thanking the city that gave us the opportunity to grow and develop our career.”

González said the concert will be a historic night for Guadalajara.

“This is where our dreams of one day becoming a famous band began,” he said. “And look how far we’ve come. We owe it all to the fans in Guadalajara, Jalisco, and all of Mexico.”

With reports from Quadratín, Informador and Debate

The post Maná to donate World Cup concert proceeds to reforesting Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Dressed in a green Mexico jersey, socks and sneakers, the 2-year-old duck wandered through celebrating crowds in Mexico City after the home team’s 2-0 victory over South Africa — drawing wide grins, photos and millions of social media views.

The images and associated memes spread worldwide, with fans dubbing him the “World Cup Duck,” or “El Pato Mundialista” in Spanish.

The owner was identified as a street vendor named Karla Ivette Gómez, referred to as Carla Gómez by some media outlets.

She told reporters she sells water and soft drinks in Mexico City’s historic center alongside her young son, Cristian, and that Merlin regularly accompanies them on the streets around the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Zócalo.

The duck’s calm presence among crowds is no accident.

“I tamed him. I taught him to follow us, first with a harness, so he’d get used to being out here,” Gómez said in an ESPN interview. “He was afraid of people, of busy streets and of the noise. Then he got used to it.”

Gómez said Merlin joined her family after a previous duck, Waffle, died. His diet includes duck feed, fruits and vegetables — plus once a week, a carnitas taco.

“A customer who already knew us gave us Merlin, because my son got very sad when he didn’t see his duck,” Gómez told ESPN.

Once Merlin’s clips went viral, FIFA, the governing body of world soccer, moved quickly, inviting duck and family to a photo and video shoot.

According to the AP, Merlin and Gómez met with FIFA representatives on Monday — seemingly elevating the streetside mascot into an officially embraced face (and feathers) of the 2026 World Cup.

However, FIFA hadn’t issued anything Merlin-related as of Tuesday morning, and Zayu the Jaguar will of course remain Mexico’s official World Cup mascot.

“We never imagined he’d become such a sensation,” Gómez said of Merlin. “We weren’t expecting it.”

So far, there’s been no indication that Merlin and family will travel to Guadalajara for Mexico’s next match, an important battle at 7 p.m. Thursday against South Korea for control of Group A. South Korea also won its first of three group-stage matches, overcoming Czechia 2-1 with a goal in the 80th minute.

“Mexico, we are with you,” Gómez said. “And Merlin is your No. 1 fan.”

With reports from Uno TV, EJE Central, ESPN Deportes and Associated Press

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At President Claudia Sheinbaum’s June 5 press conference, Carpio announced a 93-billion-peso (US $5.4 billion) public-private investment plan aimed at revitalizing Mexico’s petrochemical and fertilizer industries. Sixty-two per cent of the resources are slated to come from the government, with the remaining 38% to be invested by the private sector. With the investment plan, the government is seeking to strengthen food security and reduce Mexico’s dependence on imported fertilizers and petrochemicals.

Carpio said that the 93 billion pesos would be invested in various projects between 2026 and 2030. Mexico Business News reported that the centerpiece of the investment plan is a 25-billion-peso ammonia and urea plant in Poza Rica, Veracruz, that is expected to produce 708,000 tonnes of granulated urea annually.

“The Poza Rica facility, developed at the Escolín Petrochemical Complex, is being executed through a partnership between Pemex Industrial Transformation and Portuguese construction firm Mota-Engil, and has been under development since 2025,” Mexico Business News reported.

Significant amounts of money will also go to upgrading existing petrochemical facilities and building new ones, Carpio said on June 5.

He told Sheinbaum’s press conference that “the reactivation” of Mexico’s fertilizer and petrochemical sectors will provide Mexico with “the opportunity to once again produce in our country, strengthening national industry and food security, reducing supply chain vulnerabilities and contributing to the creation of jobs.”

Energy expert: The investment is ‘irrelevant’ for Pemex 

While former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador claimed to have “rescued” Pemex from years of neglect under previous governments, the fact remains that Mexico’s state oil company is heavily indebted and losing money. Pemex said that its debt fell to an 11-year low at the end of 2025, yet it was still an estimated US $84.5 billion in arrears.

Energy expert Paul Sánchez told El CEO that the investment in petrochemical and fertilizer projects affiliated with Pemex won’t help to remedy the state oil company’s problematic financial situation.

“For Pemex it’s irrelevant,” he said.

Sánchez said that petrochemicals and fertilizers are not “a central business” for Pemex, nor will those industries “generate a return on investment that changes its financial situation.”

He did, however, acknowledge that the fertilizer and petrochemicals are “strategic” for Mexico.

As things stand, “Mexico’s agricultural sector is structurally dependent on imported fertilizers, primarily urea sourced from the United States, Russia and China,” Mexico Business News reported.

“That dependence creates direct exposure to geopolitical supply disruptions, exchange rate volatility, and the same kind of strategic vulnerability that … [Energy] Minister [Luz Elena] González has been invoking in the context of natural gas imports,” the news outlet wrote.

While it remains to be seen whether the 93-billion-peso investment can reduce reliance on fertilizer and petrochemical imports — a key goal of the government’s Plan Mexico economic initiative — Mexico Business News wrote that the “ambition” of the investment initiative “is matched by an equally documented history of underperformance on large-scale petrochemical and fertilizer projects.”

“Analysts note that Pemex’s heavy debt load and history of delays and cost overruns on large projects raise questions about whether the company can successfully deliver the ambitious program on schedule and within budget,” the news outlet reported.

For his part, Víctor Ramírez, founding partner of energy consultancy Perceptia 21, told El CEO that Pemex Industrial Transformation, a subsidiary of the state oil company that operates petrochemical complexes, is one of the main sources of financial losses for Pemex.

“Pemex Industrial Transformation has been one of the areas that has most damaged the financial results of the company,” said Ramírez, who contended that there are questions about what the real cost of the fertilizer and petrochemicals investment will be.

He also said that “if we’re going to substitute imports by producing fertilizers at very high costs or which require permanent subsidies,” investing in the domestic industry “is not necessarily a desirable strategy.”

Sheinbaum targets natural gas production as next step in energy sovereignty push

Sánchez said that one of the greatest challenges of increasing the production of fertilizers and petrochemicals in Mexico will be guaranteeing the supply of the required raw materials. Natural gas — a fuel for which Mexico is heavily dependent on imports from the United States — is the primary feedstock for urea and ammonia.

Carpio to visit Brazil this month, says Petrobras chief 

As Sánchez noted, fertilizers and petrochemicals are not the main game for Pemex. Rather, the company’s central focus is oil: extracting crude from onshore and offshore fields and refining it at one of the eight refineries it operates — seven in Mexico and one in the United States.

To aid oil exploration in deepwater fields, Sheinbaum said earlier this month that Pemex would sign an agreement with its Brazilian counterpart Petrobras as soon as this month.

“Why is this agreement important? Because Petrobras is an expert in exploration and production in deep water. And it’s also an expert in a technique that only they have,” she said June 2, explaining that said technique makes it possible to determine whether there are additional oil reserves “at greater depths” in fields that have already been exploited.

While the Pemex-Petrobras agreement has not yet been signed, the chief of the Brazilian company, Magda Chambriard, said Friday that Carpio was expected to visit Brazil this month.

According to a Bloomberg report, Chambriard said that Petrobras and Pemex “are seeking to sign initial documents including non-disclosure agreements and memorandums of understanding to begin joint studies for offshore exploration in Mexico’s side of the Gulf [of Mexico], oil production and refining.”

Bloomberg reported that Pemex didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva first floated the idea of a joint venture between Petrobras and Pemex in March, saying that the latter could “get a great deal of help” from the former.

Lula, as the president is best known, spoke to Sheinbaum last Wednesday. On Thursday, Sheinbaum reiterated that Pemex was close to signing an agreement with Petrobras.

“As I’ve said, they have highly-developed techniques for deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploration,” she said.

Sheinbaum said that Pemex and Petrobras could together work toward the joint exploitation of an oil field in the Gulf of Mexico, which is Mexico’s main source of crude.

With reports from El CEO, Bloomberg and Mexico Business News  

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Both temblors were centered off the coast of Cuba, the first with an epicenter 118 kilometers offshore from Mantua, Cuba. The second on Monday sparked concern of a tsunami reaching Mexico’s Quintana Roo coast, but state authorities quickly ruled out that idea and are concentrating instead on inspecting for any structural damage.

Seismic activity is not often felt on the Peninsula, even though the Oriente Fault — an underwater fracture zone considered one of the most active tectonic boundaries in the Caribbean — runs along the south of Cuba.

At their closest points, the distance between Cuba and the Yucatán Peninsula is less than 200 kilometers (120 miles).

Quintana Roo authorities established communication with municipal officials to activate emergency protocols. Inspections of critical and vulnerable infrastructure (airports, shopping centers, public buildings and tourist areas) were carried out in coordination with local agencies and special procedures were publicized. 

Thus far, there have been no injuries or casualties reported, and no major structural damage.

Residents are encouraged to contact civil protection authorities or emergency services as needed, particularly to report cases of structural damage.

The governor’s office assured the public that there was no tsunami risk for the coasts of Quintana Roo and urged citizens to remain calm and stay informed through official channels.

Last week’s Caribbean quake was actually preceded by a small, shallow temblor in the state of Yucatán, about 370 kilometers (230 miles) west of Cancún. Though it might have seemed random, seismologists say a local fault line there has caused a few low-intensity tremors lately.

With reports from El Herald de México, Novedades, The Cancun Sun and Infobae

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When asked about the potential meeting, Sheinbaum said that talks are ongoing between diplomatic authorities from both countries to finalize the details.

Spanish king to attend the Spain-Uruguay World Cup match in Guadalajara

“Yes, it’s likely,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s still being discussed with the Spanish Foreign Ministry and the Spanish government. And I think we’ll announce it tomorrow or the day after,” she said, referring to Wednesday or Thursday.

King Felipe VI is scheduled to travel to Mexico to attend the match between Spain and Uruguay on June 26 in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The trip results from an invitation extended by the Mexican government to various heads of state and representatives of countries participating in the tournament. 

The Spanish Royal House confirmed the monarch’s attendance at the World Cup match in May.

The meeting between the two heads of state will be held in Mexico City and will represent the highest level of dialogue between the two countries in recent years.

Diplomatic relations between Mexico and Spain went through a period of tension during the administration of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, mainly due to disagreements related to the legacy of the Spanish Conquest. 

Embed from Getty Images

The last time a Mexican president met with the monarch was eight years ago, when former President Enrique Peña Nieto traveled to Spain to meet with King Felipe and former head of the Spanish Government Mariano Rajoy.

In recent months, both nations have shown signs of rapprochement, particularly following King Felipe’s public declarations acknowledging the ‘abuses’ made during the Conquest. Sheinbaum described the king’s statement as “a gesture; an approach that we acknowledge,” and called on both countries to keep working on the process of recognizing the great civilizations that existed in Mesoamerica and in other parts of today’s Latin America.

The potential meeting between Sheinbaum and King Felipe VI would be interpreted as a further gesture of normalization and strengthening of bilateral ties, taking advantage of the international visibility offered by the 2026 World Cup.

With reports from El Universal and El País

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His announcement on social media came almost a month after the Mexican government said that the United States hadn’t sent to Mexico any of the 269 people whose extradition it requested between January 2018 and May 2026.

On the X social media site, Johnson wrote:

“U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley (@USBPChief & @USBPChiefRGV) captured and sent back a Mexican national wanted in Mexico for the prostitution of a minor and sexual assault. Under President Trump’s Administration, the United States has transferred 313 wanted criminals to Mexico to face justice. This case represents another example of the strong U.S.-Mexico cooperation being advanced by @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and President @Claudiashein. Together, we are bringing criminals to justice and making our nations safer.”

It was unclear whether the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs had submitted a formal extradition request for any of the 313 “wanted criminals” that Johnson said have been sent to Mexico since early 2025.

On May 19, Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Velasco said that 36 extradition requests submitted by Mexico to the U.S. between Jan. 1, 2018 and May 13, 2026 were denied, while 233 were “still pending completion.”

President Claudia Sheinbaum said at the time that Mexico had requested the extradition of people in connection with “extremely serious cases.”

“Why haven’t they handed anyone over?” asked Sheinbaum, whose government has sent over 90 organized crime figures to the U.S. in three large transfers that took place in January 2026, August 2025 and February 2025.

The government’s assertion last month that the U.S. hadn’t fulfilled any of Mexico’s extradition requests came as it faced pressure to arrest and extradite Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and other Sinaloa-based current and former officials accused by U.S. prosecutors of drug trafficking in league with the Sinaloa Cartel. Mexican authorities have said that the U.S. hasn’t provided sufficient proof to warrant the arrest of the defendants for the purpose of extradition.

However, two of the accused officials — both former ministers in the Sinaloa state government — turned themselves in to U.S. authorities last month.

While various U.S. officials have touted close security cooperation with Mexico, the bilateral security relationship has recently been strained due to the CIA’s alleged participation in a drug lab raid alongside Chihuahua state police without the knowledge or authorization of the Mexican government, and U.S. prosecutors’ drug trafficking accusations against Rocha Moya — an ally of Sheinbaum — and other officials, various of whom are affiliated with the ruling Morena party.

With reports from El Financiero

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Movement leaders say they will not participate in further talks with the Mexican government unless construction on the plant, being developed by Switzerland-based Proman Gas y Petroquímica de Occidente (GPO), is suspended. 

The action came after weeks of intensive protests. On June 12, Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena met with community representatives in the nearby town of Los Mochis, where she announced a new environmental inspection of the project, guarantees for the right to protest and continued dialogue with affected communities.

“I know there are legitimate concerns about the possible environmental and social impacts of these projects, and I want to tell you that we are here precisely to listen,” Bárcena told community representatives.

The project lies within territory claimed by Yoreme-Mayo communities as part of their ancestral lands. “We’ve done years of dialogue …and I believe they know the subject well; they know this project is mired in major irregularities,” said Yoreme traditional governor Felipe Montaño. 

Opponents say the plant, under construction since 2024, threatens the ecosystem of Ohuira Bay, the traditional Yoreme way of life and the fishing economy on which many local communities depend. The bay is part of a Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance.

Montaño also called on German development bank KfW to reconsider its support for the project. “This bank cannot finance a project that is going to cause an ethnocide and an ecocide.”

Activists said the encampment had grown to around 200 people by late Monday afternoon. Montaño said some workers had arrived at the site but did not attempt to enter the facility. He said several expressed sympathy for the protest. “The project is already 80% complete, so we have no choice,” said Montaño. “We will fight to the last consequences. If we must give our lives here, we are prepared to do so.”

Protesters mount round-the-clock resistance as Topolobampo ammonia plant nears completion

A week before, thousands joined a march from Los Mochis toward Topolobampo, ending with a symbolic “closure” of the plant. Meanwhile, solidarity demonstrations have taken place in Mexican cities including Culiacán, Mazatlán, Monterrey and Mexico City, where activists assembled in front of the German Embassy.

After 17 days encamped in the Port of Topolobampo, where they tried to block delivery of company equipment, Indigenous authorities decided to move their blockade to the plant’s entrance.

KfW IPEX-Bank, which helped finance the project, did not directly address questions about the recent protests or the Environment Ministry’s (Semarnat) intervention, instead referring Mexico News Daily to a November 2025 response to the UN human rights office defending the project’s environmental review and consultation process. 

Semarnat and GPO did not respond to requests for comment before publication.

The plant originally broke ground in 2015 but was halted after Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that it had proceeded without proper Indigenous consultation. Construction resumed after a federal court upheld a subsequent consultation process in which the four communities closest to Ohuira Bay voted against the project, but were outvoted when seven additional, arguably less directly affected communities were added to the process.

Tracy L. Barnett is a Guadalajara-based freelance writer and the founder of The Esperanza Project.

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