Mexico had previously cut off Brazilian chicken imports as recently as the spring of 2025 during an outbreak of avian flu in Brazil. (Shutterstock)
Mexico on Monday suspended chicken imports from Brazil, the world’s largest chicken meat exporter, following reports of a Newcastle disease outbreak in that country.
Mexico’s National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica) halted imports of chicken meat, all live birds and fertile eggs to prevent the spread of Newcastle disease to Mexico, a measure that will apply to commercial imports and products carried in by tourists.
Brazilian authorities say they are taking steps to control the Newcastle outbreak quickly, which would have little to no economic impact on Mexico. (Agriculture Ministry)
Newcastle disease is a highly contagious respiratory infection in birds that can cause neurological disorders, reduced egg production and high mortality rates, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. It poses no serious risk to humans.
Brazilian authorities first detected an outbreak of the disease at a commercial turkey farm in southern Brazil on Sunday, Brazil’s public news agency reported.
Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock then confirmed the presence of the disease at a commercial broiler chicken farm in the municipality of Nova Itaberaba, Santa Catarina state, on Monday.
The agency reassured the public that the facility had been closed and that measures had been implemented to control and eradicate the outbreak.
Brazil exports a massive 30% of its chicken production, according to official figures, and, in 2025, Mexico was Brazil’s seventh-largest poultry buyer.
This is the second time in 17 months that Mexico has suspended the import of poultry products from Brazil. In May and June 2025, Mexico, China, the European Union and other Latin American countries halted imports of Brazilian chicken due to an outbreak of avian influenza.
The last outbreak of Newcastle disease in Brazil occurred in July 2024 in Santa Catarina’s neighboring state of Rio Grande do Sul. During that period, chicken exports fell by about 25%, or 100,000 tonnes, according to estimates by analysts at JPMorgan. However, trade quickly rebounded as markets reopened.
The current outbreak is not expected to cause lasting damage to Brazil’s poultry industry so long as authorities can contain it quickly, according to analysts.
Mexico's services sector recorded 4% year-over-year growth in September, up from a 3.7% expansion in August. (Fernando Carranza Garcia/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico’s economy grew 3.7% year over year in September, according to preliminary seasonally adjusted data published on Tuesday by the national statistics agency INEGI.
The annual growth rate is the highest of any month so far this year, exceeding July’s 3.3% expansion and a 3.2% estimated increase in August.
INEGI also published preliminary data on Tuesday that showed that Mexico’s economy grew 0.1% on a month-over-month basis in September. That growth rate is significantly lower than the 0.5% month-over-month expansion in August, according to INEGI’s latest estimate.
Both the annual and month-over-month growth rates for September are subject to revision. Final data for the month will be published in late November.
Services sector growth hits 4%
INEGI’s preliminary data shows that Mexico’s tertiary, or services, sector recorded 4% year-over-year growth in September, up from a 3.7% expansion in August.
The secondary sector — which includes manufacturing, construction, mining and electricity generation — expanded 3.6%, according to the preliminary data, on par with the growth rate in August.
INEGI didn’t publish preliminary data for the primary sector.
Analyst: Annual growth in Q3 could exceed 3%
In an X post on Tuesday, Banco Base’s director of economic analysis, Gabriela Siller, wrote that GDP data for the third quarter of 2026 “could show” quarter-over-quarter growth of 0.99% and annual growth of 3.04%.
En México, el PIB del tercer trimestre podría mostrar un crecimiento trimestral de 0.99% y anual de 3.04%, de acuerdo a las cifras del indicador oportuno de la actividad económica (IOAE).
Esto se debe a que el IOAE de agosto fue revisado al alza, de un crecimiento mensual de 0.14% a 0.47%. Por su parte, en septiembre el IOAE mostró un crecimiento mensual de 0.09%.
An annual growth rate of 3.04% would represent a significant improvement from the expansions recorded in the first and second quarters of the year. Mexico’s economy grew 0.4% in annual terms in Q1 and 1.9% in Q2.
On a quarter-over-quarter basis, Mexico’s economy contracted 0.6% in Q1 and grew 1.4% in Q2.
In a separate X post on Tuesday, Siller wrote that there are “three factors that support greater economic growth in Mexico this year.”
Those factors, she wrote, are “the downward revision of GDP in the second quarter of 2025” as well as “greater public spending on physical infrastructure, which has a multiplier effect on the economy,” and “the high growth of computer equipment exports, reaching 209.75% annually in the cumulative total through August.”
This year, Enid Azucena Torres Agustiniano was the first Afro-Mexican woman ever chosen as Goddess Centéotl, or the main Guelaguetza’s cultural ambassador. (oaxaca.gob.mx)
Twelve delegations brought music, masked dancers and coastal traditions to Oaxaca’s first Afro Guelaguetza on Monday, celebrating Afro-Mexican heritage and highlighting communities that officials said had long lacked recognition.
La Rejunjuneada — loosely meaning “the get-together” — took place in Chacahua Isla, a community on Oaxaca’s Pacific coast that has a predominantly Afro-descendant population. It lies in the Costa Chica, a coastal region spanning Oaxaca and Guerrero and a historic heartland of Afro-Mexican culture.
The festival marked Oaxaca’s Afro-Mexican People’s Day, an Oct. 19 observance established in 2013. A procession along the lagoon and through local streets preceded performances on a stage beside Chacahua Lagoon.
The distinction is the focus: La Rejunjuneada gave those Afro-Mexican traditions and others their own dedicated festival rather than only a place in the broader statewide celebration.
Villa de Tututepec Mayor Eder Muñoz Peña described the municipality’s Chatino, Mixtec and Afro-Mexican roots, saying the celebration represented historical justice as well as cultural pride.
The host delegation opened with the Fandango de Varitas. Another community performed the Turtle Dance, plus there were two interpretations of the Dance of the Devils — a highly representative expression of Afro-Mexican culture, with dancers wearing horned masks stomping and leaping to the music.
Enid Azucena Torres Agustiniano also participated. This summer, she was the first Afro-Mexican woman ever chosen as Goddess Centéotl — the main Guelaguetza’s cultural ambassador.
In Mexico’s 2020 census, 8.6% of Guerrero residents and 4.7% of Oaxaca residents identified as Afro-Mexican or Afro-descendant, compared with 2% nationwide, according to figures from Conapred, the federal anti-discrimination agency.
Cinta, a German shepherd, smelled the cash in the passenger's luggage. (Navy)
Federal agents at the Oaxaca International Airport seized US $365,865 and nearly 6,000 pesos ($326) that a passenger arriving from Dallas, Texas, was carrying in his luggage.
Personnel from the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM), the Navy Ministry, the National Guard and the federal Security Ministry (SSPC) participated in the operation.
➡️ En el Aeropuerto Internacional de Oaxaca, autoridades detuvieron a una persona procedente de Dallas, Estados Unidos, que transportaba sin declarar más de 365 mil dólares y 5 mil 900 pesos mexicanos. https://t.co/cjasoLY581
The unidentified passenger stated to customs officials that he had nothing to declare, but the detection dog “Cinta” alerted its handler to the man’s baggage.
As a result, customs personnel carried out a physical inspection of the four suitcases and a backpack the traveler was toting, eventually locating several packages with dollar bills and national currency hidden among the contents.
In a press release, ANAM said that given the possible commission of a crime, the National Guard was notified and their agents seized the cash and carried out the count.
The Navy and the SSPC then arrested the suspect and informed him of his rights, after which he — and the seized money — were placed at the disposal of the Federal Attorney General’s Office, which will determine his legal status.
The newspaper Milenio reported that this was the first significant incident involving undeclared cash at a Mexican airport since members of the National Guard seized 16 million pesos (then worth about US $750,000) and arrested two at the Mexico City International Airport more than six years ago.
On Feb. 24, 2020, National Guard personnel found 14 million pesos in a suitcase and a backpack after an X-ray inspection, while 2 million pesos were confiscated from another passenger’s hand luggage after a routine inspection uncovered envelopes containing hundreds of peso notes of varying denominations wrapped in transparent plastic.
Visitors to Mexico are permitted to enter the country with cash totaling less than US $10,000 (or the equivalent in other currencies) without declaring it. However, customs officials must be notified upon arrival if carrying more than that.
President Sheinbaum's Morena party led a recent poll of voters' party preference with 46%, with the only other signficant percentage going to "no preference" at 31%.
(Morena/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico’s midterm elections are set for June 2027, and the ruling party Morena has a commanding lead in national electoral preferences with 46% of voter intention, according to an Oct. 19 poll by the newspaper El Financiero.
In the poll, which measures generic party preference and not individual races, the National Action Party (PAN) is a distant second with 8% of respondents saying they would vote for the party. Although it may be more meaningful to give second place to “no preference,” which accounted for 31% of the responses, leaving room for some preference shifts down the line.
Querétaro, along with Aguascalientes, is a rare state where the PAN is a clear favorite to take the governorship in next year’s midterm elections. (PAN Querétaro)
Following the PAN’s 8% are the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) with 6% and Citizens’ Movement (MC) with 5%. Meanwhile, the Green Party (PV) and Labor Party (PT), both allied with Morena, received 2% and 1% of voter intention, respectively.
In addition to measuring voting intention, the poll asked respondents for their opinion of each party. Here, Morena swept again. Not only did it record the highest favorable rating at 55%, but its two electoral partners finished second and third with 31% (PV) and 29% (PT).
The PAN earned a positive opinion from just 26% of eligible voters and the PRI 21%. More significantly, those two parties — the previous two to hold power before Morena — are burdened with negative ratings of 64% and 70%.
The 17 governor races are not all so cut-and-dry
A recent report by Político MX measured party support in the 17 state governorships up for election in 2027, using a variety of early polls. Here again, the results favor Morena but not quite as decidedly as the national poll.
Poll data is shaky at this point, but here’s the picture so far:
In Baja California, Guerrero, Tlaxcala, Campeche, Colima, Nayarit, Quintana Roo and Zacatecas, candidates from Morena or its allied bloc lead comfortably across all the polls reviewed, often by double digits.
In Sinaloa and Michoacán, Morena’s lead is less solid. One poll even showed the upstart candidate Grecia Quiroz, widow of the slain mayor of Uruapan, in the lead.
The northern states of Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sonora and Nuevo Léon, are toss-ups, with the PAN in the first three and the PRI and MC in Nuevo León challenging Morena.
In three El Bajío states, Morena could be the underdog. Querétaro and Aguascalientes are leaning toward the PAN, and in San Luis Potosí the incumbent PV has split from Morena and will run its candidate against its former electoral partner.
There is no main exporting country that has a better condition [than Mexico]," Ebrard said during a press conference on Monday. "What do we want? To keep that position," he said. (gob.mx)
The CED argues that the pattern of enforced disappearances in Mexico make them crimes against humanity, a proposal that Mexico has rejected. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
A U.N. committee responsible for monitoring the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance again pressed the General Assembly to take up the issue of disappearances in Mexico.
The chairman of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances on Tuesday presented the annual report to the General Assembly’s Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (Sochum), reiterating its assertion that the situation in Mexico ought to be categorized as crimes against humanity, a proposal that Mexico has rejected.
Mañana compareceré ante la Tercera Comisión de la Asamblea General de la @ONU_es para presentar el informe anual del Comité contra la Desaparición Forzada @UNTreatyBodies.
Esta comparecencia tiene una relevancia particular. Por primera vez desde la entrada en vigor de la Convención, el Comité ha recurrido al artículo 34 para llevar una situación a la consideración de la Asamblea General.
Este procedimiento excepcional abre una oportunidad para movilizar la cooperación internacional en materia de búsqueda, investigación, esclarecimiento de la verdad y protección de las víctimas.
También informaré sobre los avances de nuestro trabajo y las graves consecuencias que la crisis financiera de las Naciones Unidas está teniendo para el cumplimiento de nuestro mandato.
En un momento especialmente difícil para el sistema internacional de derechos humanos, resulta fundamental que los mecanismos de protección puedan cumplir eficazmente las responsabilidades que los Estados les han confiado.
Sochum is one of six permanent U.N. committees that include representatives of all 193 member states.
“[G]iven the existence of well-founded indications that enforced disappearances have been and continue to be perpetrated in [Mexico],” Juan Pablo Albán Alencastro of Ecuador, the chairman of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED), urged the General Assembly to formally take up the matter.
This marks the first time since the entry into force of the International Convention against Enforced Disappearances (CPED) that the committee in charge of monitoring compliance has recommended that the situation in a specific country be examined by the General Assembly. Albán had initially brought the issue to the Assembly’s attention in April.
The submission of CED’s annual report does not mean a resolution has been issued regarding Mexico, however, nor does it imply that a judgment has been made.
“This exceptional procedure opens an opportunity to mobilize international cooperation in the search for the missing, the investigation of cases, as well as truth-telling and protection of victims,” Albán said.
The goal, Albán said, is to provide support “for the adoption of preventive measures that will enable Mexico to tackle the crisis effectively.”
In his appearance at the United Nations on Friday, Mexico’s Undersecretary of Human Rights, Population and Migration Arturo Medina revealed that a new expert group will review the national registry of missing persons, which activists called a simulation campaign. (@SEGOB_mx/X)
On Friday, Mexico’s Interior Ministry presented the U.N. with a progress report on the National Strategy for the Search for Missing Persons, while declaring that more than 16,000 people had been located this year.
Mexico also said a group of national and international specialists, with the support of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, is reviewing the methodologies of the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons.
The International Federation for Human Rights, which requested the U.N. activate CPED procedures, thanked the committee for its actions in a press release.
The decision “acknowledges the existence of international crimes that are emblematic of what victims are experiencing in [Mexico] and seeks to contribute to the adoption of measures aimed at preventing, investigating, punishing and eradicating such conducts,” it said.
From fishing boats speeding in search of million-dollar catches to 750-mile sails and PGA tournament golf, Los Cabos has plenty of upcoming one-of-a-kind events to offer visitors to Land’s End. (Josh Withers/Unsplash)
A little over two weeks after the return of high season in Los Cabos, the event calendar is already in full swing. Highlights so far include Sammy Hagar’s 36th edition of his annual birthday bash at the iconic Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, and Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore fishing tournament, with its robust prize pool exceeding US $2.39 million.
Over 100,000 requests were received for the 1,600 available tickets to attend “The Red Rocker’s” 79th birthday celebrations at Cabo Wabo on Oct. 9, 11 and 13. Joining him on stage were long-time collaborators like guitarist Vic Johnson (a bandmate of Hagar’s in The Waboritas and Sammy Hagar and The Circle) and drummer Kenny Aronoff (a bandmate in Chickenfoot) — as well as the always highly anticipated special guests. Notable among the latter category was Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, who joined in on a version of his own band’s hit “Man in the Box,” plus the Van Halen classic “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” during the Oct. 11 show.
“That’s part of the charm of the Birthday Bash,” Hagar told Billboard. “It’s not rehearsed, and we never know really what we’re gonna do. I don’t invite people; I just invite kind of a house band, you might say. I’ve got a repertoire of about 400 songs, and if somebody says they know one of them, we throw it together real quick and go out and do it.”
As for Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore, over 122 teams competed during the three days of fishing, and there was more than one winner: Team Tikki Perro caught the biggest fish, a 350-pound blue marlin that narrowly beat the 347-pound blue marlin caught by Team Loose Crew on the final day of fishing. Those teams finished first and second in the standings, but due to timing and jackpots, the biggest winner monetarily was the third-place finisher, Team Trixie, who walked away with an oversized check for US $1,589,0007 for reeling in a 334-pound black marlin the day previous, and sweeping all daily jackpots.
But this drama was merely a prelude to the world’s most lucrative fishing tournament, which takes place this week.
The biggest single event on the Los Cabos sports calendar, Bisbee’s Black and Blue marlin fishing tournament has been a local institution since its founding in 1982. Its impact, however, is global: No fishing tournament on the planet has ever topped the record US $11,651,300 prize pool offered by the Black and Blue in 2022.
As the name suggests, blue and black marlin are the most valuable catches — provided they meet the minimum 300-pound limit. In 2025, three teams earned checks totaling upwards of US $1.7 million for boating blue marlin, with the two largest in excess of 450 pounds.
This year, for the first time, Bisbee’s has added a fourth event to its Baja California Sur schedule: Mag Bay Mania in Bahía Magdalena, Comondú municipality. The format is also novel, with teams given the entire month of November to choose three days to fish, with 100 points each garnered for all virtually verified catches and releases of qualifying billfish (including blue, black and striped marlin, sailfish and spearfish).
The other three events — the East Cape Offshore, Los Cabos Offshore and iconic Black and Blue — all take place in Los Cabos. The prize pool for the 2026 Black and Blue, aka “The Super Bowl of Fishing,” is US $7.4 million.
Dates: Oct. 19-24
Location: Boats depart from the Cabo San Lucas Marina, with fishing permitted within a 50-nautical-mile radius.
Cost: Base entry is US $5,000 per team, or US $84,500 “all-in” to include daily jackpots.
The Baja Ha-Ha Cruisers Rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas has been one of the most anticipated annual events in Los Cabos for over 30 years. (Baja Ha-Ha Cruisers Rally)
Founded by Latitude 38 publisher Richard Spindler back in 1994, this epic annual 750-mile cruisers rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas celebrates its 32nd edition in 2026. This year’s sail, however, will be the first without Spindler as “Grand Poobah” of the proceedings, as he stepped down and sold Baja Ha-Ha LLC after last year’s event, citing age as the reason (he’s 78).
San Diego Sailmaker Chuck Skewes is the new Grand Poobah, or “Newbah,” and has stated he plans no major overhauls. A nine-time participant himself, he also has the expertise of longtime Assistant Poobah Patsy Verhoeven, a veteran of 20 Baja Ha-Has, to lean on. Boats will depart San Diego on Nov. 2 following the pre-launch costume party, with two stops planned along the way before scheduled merrymaking in Cabo San Lucas — including the “Can’t Believe We Cheated Death Again” dance party at El Squid Roe on Nov. 13, and an awards banquet at Mango Deck on Nov. 14, with awards given out in categories such as “most miles sailed” and “biggest fish caught” along the way.
Dates: Nov. 2-14
Location: Departs from San Diego, California, and arrives in Cabo San Lucas following stops at Bahía Tortuga and Bahía Santa María.
The world’s richest fishing tournament, the Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot, returns to Cabo San Lucas in November. (Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot/Facebook)
Fishing and hunting-focused publication Western Outdoor News (WON) has a long history with Los Cabos, dating back to the halcyon days of Baja columnist and “The Sea of Cortez” author Ray Cannon, who helped put the area on the travel map in the 1950s and 1960s — largely because of its superb sportfishing.
The Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot was first organized by WON in Cabo San Lucas in 1999, and by 2019 it had crossed the million-dollar prize pool threshold. Now recognized as the richest tuna fishing tournament in the world, the 2025 prize pool exceeded US $1.4 million (just shy of the 2022 record of US $1,533,800), with Team North Star pocketing a cool US $572,225 for reeling in a 253-pound yellowfin.
But it’s not all about the money, as the tournament motto (“fish hard, party harder”) makes clear.
Dates: Nov. 4-7
Location: Cabo San Lucas Marina, with no off-limits boundary line for fishing.
Cost: Base entry is US $1,000 per team, or US $50,500 to include all daily jackpots.
Ben Griffin, the winner of the 2025 PGA World Wide Technology Championship, poses with his El Arco-shaped trophy at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas. He also took home a check for more than US $1 million. (World Wide Technology Championship)
The only PGA-sponsored golf tournament in Los Cabos — and one of only two in Mexico — returns to the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal course at Diamante for its 20th edition this year (the fourth based in Cabo San Lucas after 16 years on the Riviera Maya).
The last two tournament winners, Austin Eckroat (2024) and Ben Griffin (2025), have both confirmed they’ll return this year. However, since players aren’t required to commit until Oct. 30, the rest of the field is mostly still unknown, outside fan favorite “Cashmere Keith” Mitchell, Mexican invitee Álvaro Ortiz and Mexican qualifiers Alejandro Madariaga and Jorge Villar.
For the first time, both of Mexico’s PGA tournaments — the VidantaWorld Mexico Open in Nuevo Nayarit and the World Wide Technology Championship — will appear back-to-back on the schedule as part of the FedExCup Fall series.
Location: El Cardonal Golf Course, Diamante, Cabo San Lucas
Cost: General admission tickets are US $139 for the four-day tournament, with daily tickets available from US $35. Access to VIP hospitality areas, however, runs significantly higher. The Skybox overlooking the 18th green, for example, costs US $1,499 for the duration of the tournament.
Chris Sands is a writer and editor for Mexico News Daily, and the former Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best and writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook. He has also contributed to numerous other websites and publications, including The San Diego Union-Tribune, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise and Travel, and Cabo Living.
Sheinbaum emphasized that her government cannot negotiate "anything that is outside our constitution and our laws," nor anything that "we know will affect the national economy or the number of jobs." (Gabriel Monroy/Presidencia)
Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
🇲🇽🇺🇸Sheinbaum agrees a trade deal with the U.S. is “very close”: Asked about Trump’s Monday claim that a deal is near, the president said “there are still some [unresolved] issues,” but “a lot of progress has been made.” She said Mexico’s objective in negotiations with the U.S. is to reduce tariffs on vehicles, steel and aluminum as much as possible and avoid “more tariffs.”
🚫Sheinbaum denies making a “pact” with Chihuahua governor: The president rejected claims that she made a deal with Governor Maru Campos, allegedly offering an ambassadorship in exchange for the arrest of former Chihuahua Attorney General César Jáuregui, who is now in federal custody on treason allegations related to CIA agents’ alleged participation in a drug lab raid without federal approval or knowledge. She laughed at the claim and called it “gossip journalism” and “fictional journalism.”
⚖️FGR to decide whether Campos should be investigated: Asked whether the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) should investigate Campos, at least for oversight of Jáuregui’s alleged treason, Sheinbaum said it’s up to the FGR to “evaluate” the situation. Regarding reports that she had “exonerated” Campos, she said: “That’s not my role.” Sheinbaum said Monday that, as far as she knew, the FGR had no evidence linking Campos to Jáuregui’s alleged authorization of CIA participation in an April drug lab raid in Chihuahua.
Why today’s mañanera matters
U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest remarks about Mexico were raised at President Sheinbaum’s Tuesday morning press conference, bringing the bilateral trade relationship into the spotlight.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Mexico’s trade talks with the United States had stalled as a direct result of U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s opposition to tariff cuts the Mexican government is seeking. But Trump’s remarks on Monday, and Sheinbaum’s comments on Tuesday morning, indicated that the two continue to make progress in their negotiations.
⚡️Trump dice en Kansas que está muy cerca de cerrar un “gran acuerdo” comercial con México.
Más información en los espacios de @nmas @nmasunivision https://t.co/DLOtY4Zyjz
Also of note at today’s mañanera was the president’s response to claims that she had reached a “pact” with Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos related to the arrest last weekend of the former attorney general of the northern border state, César Jáuregui.
Jáuregui is now in federal custody, accused of treason in connection with allegations that he allowed CIA agents to participate in a drug lab raid in Chihuahua in April without the approval or knowledge of the federal government.
A reporter referred to a “theory” that has circulated in the media claiming that Sheinbaum reached a pact with Campos — a National Action Party (PAN) governor — that involves the former giving the latter a “prize” — allegedly an ambassadorship — for jailing Jáuregui, who was first detained by Chihuahua authorities on Saturday.
The president denied that was the case.
Sheinbaum agrees that a trade deal with the US is ‘very close’
A reporter asked Sheinbaum about Trump’s declaration on Monday that the United States is “very close” to reaching a trade deal with Mexico.
Sheinbaum agreed that a deal is “very close,” but added that “there are still some [unresolved] issues.”
“What is our objective? To reduce the tariffs we face today as much as possible,” she said, referring to U.S. duties on vehicles, steel and aluminum made in Mexico.
Sheinbaum said that Mexico is also aiming to avoid the imposition of “more tariffs.”
“That is our objective,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that the United States has made “proposals,” offering to reduce a certain tariff in exchange for Mexico doing “A, B, C, D” — i.e., making some kind of trade-related concessions.
“On this subject, there are still issues that we haven’t resolved because we want what’s best for Mexico,” she said.
“But there is a very good attitude from the United States government on this subject,” Sheinbaum said.
“… Both from the Commerce Secretary [Lutnick] and … Ambassador [Jamieson] Greer,” she said, referring in the latter case to the U.S. trade representative.
She said that her government cannot negotiate “anything that is outside our constitution and our laws,” nor anything that “we know will affect the national economy or the number of jobs.”
“So we’re doing this work, seeking the best possible agreement,” Sheinbaum said.
“A lot of progress has been made [but] we haven’t yet reached a final agreement,” she said.
Sheinbaum said last week that Mexico was “doing many things to help reduce the [U.S.] deficit, above all, buying goods from the United States and stopping purchases from other countries.”
Sheinbaum denies making a pact with Campos
Sheinbaum rejected claims that she had reached a “pact” with Governor Campos related to Jáuregui’s arrest.
She erupted in laughter when a reporter noted there are claims in the media that she offered an ambassadorship to Campos.
Sheinbaum referred to the claims as “gossip journalism” and “fictional journalism.”
“… Justice is above politics,” she said.
“We don’t make political pacts related to justice. I say that with complete clarity,” Sheinbaum said.
Governor Campos is in hot water over her government’s allegedly illegal involvement with the CIA. (Cuartoscuro)
“… We don’t make pacts. Imagine reaching an agreement with a governor to see who you put in jail. What? No,” she said, stressing that prosecutor’s offices are responsible for investigating and prosecuting alleged crimes.
A reporter put it to the president that as the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office is not independent from the state government, as is the case in most Mexican states, Campos was essentially Jáuregui’s boss and therefore should be investigated by the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR), “at least for oversight” — i.e., failure to detect — “this treason” allegedly committed by Jáuregui.
Sheinbaum said it’s up to the FGR to “evaluate” the situation.
She subsequently said there are media reports claiming that she had “exonerated” Campos.
“That’s not my role,” Sheinbaum said.
“It’s the role of the Attorney General’s Office to investigate,” she said.
Sheinbaum said on Monday that, as far as she was aware, the FGR didn’t have any evidence linking Campos to Jáuregui’s alleged authorization of the CIA’s participation in the drug lab operation.
Yasamin Shaikhi (left) partnered with Estudio Guerrero as part of Design Doha's international collaboration project. (Northbourne Advisory Press)
Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology is currently hosting a unique exhibition featuring works resulting from creative collaborations between Mexican master artisans and designers from Syria, Lebanon, Iran and India, as part of a cultural exchange program between Qatar and Mexico.
The exhibition showcases artworks created during Crafting Design Futures, a Design Doha residency program, which chose Mexico to celebrate its second edition.
‘Building something together’
During the residency, traditional family-run artisan workshops in the states of Michoacán, Jalisco and Mexico City hosted international designers from the wider Middle East region and South Asia to explore ways in which inherited craft knowledge influences contemporary design.
Beyond a simple exhibition of objects, the program highlights dialogue and human collaboration across cultures in a time when using digital tools in the creative process is becoming more prevalent.
“In a world where design is increasingly shaped by digital tools and speed, working directly with materials and with people who have spent decades understanding them gives designers a very different perspective on value, authorship and collaboration,” Design Doha Director Fahad Al Obaidly told Qatar News Agency. “It also teaches a more responsible way of working with craft communities by building something together.”
In Guadalajara, Jalisco, Qatar-based Iranian designer Yasamin Shaikhi worked with Estudio Guerrero on a ceramic vessel inspired by the Nasrid pottery of Al-Andalus, the name given to the medieval Muslim-ruled territories on the Iberian Peninsula from 711 to 1492.
Yasamin Shaikhi is an internationally renowned designer. (Northbourne Advisory Press)
Dubbed Shared Traces, a crown of hand-hammered metallic petals emerges from the vessel, reflecting light across its glazed surface and creating a play of shadows that reveals and conceals geometric patterns inspired by motifs found in Qatar and Mexico.
In a joint statement, the artists said the vessel represents a meeting point between East and West, Mexico and Qatar.
Middle Eastern designers influence Mexican locals
Meanwhile, in Xochimilco, located along the southern outskirts of Mexico City, Syrian designer Kenan Alkuwatly collaborated with José Cruz, one of Mexico’s most renownedpepita (dot-pattern) artists. Cruz began learning this craft at the age of 12 in the workshops of his father and uncle. By the time he turned 17, he was already recognized as a master engraver.
The process of Syrian artist Kenan Alkuwatly’s piece. (Northbourne Advisory Press)
To create MANUS_0X, the artists digitally reinterpreted a 1,000-year-old floral motif from the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, breaking it down into thousands of tiny fragments that were then incorporated into the traditional Mexican craft of pepita. The result is a mirror-like structure that reflects the tension between the human and digital world, the artists said.
Meanwhile, in Uruapan, Michoacán, Lebanese designer Shirine Sbaiti collaborated with artisans Norberto and Rosi, master ceramists whose work fuses ancestral Mexican techniques with contemporary design.
Their sculpture and Raíz de Vida combine Sbaiti’s figurative style — characterized by fragmented bodies and multiple limbs — with the colorful depictions of animals, faces and natural elements typical of the work of Norberto and Rosi.
Raíz de Vida shows the mutual appreciation and respect both cultures share for the land, animals and ancestors, the artists explained.
Lebanese artist Shirine Sbaiti working on her piece. (Northbourne Advisory Press)
Evolution of Mexican architecture
Finally, in Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán — a town renowned for its centuries-old hand-hammered copper tradition — British-Indian designer Armaan Bansal worked with Alan Pureco, whose family has spent more than three generations crafting hand-hammered copper objects.
Using Santa Clara del Cobre’s deep-rooted technique, Despierto a estas horas features small openings in the copper, letting light glow from within and evoking an illuminated town in the dark hours of the night.
The artists said their piece represents the evolution of Mexican architecture through copper, with forms inspired by how buildings have changed over time.
These collaborations are part of Years of Culture (YoC), a Qatari initiative that seeks to strengthen ties between participating countries through projects in art, design, gastronomy and other disciplines. The 2026 edition has been dedicated to Mexico and Canada.
While the cultural exchange will continue with upcoming events in Doha, including a culinary demonstration by renowned chef Elena Reygadas from Panadería Rosetta, audiences in Mexico have until Nov. 1 to see the results at the Anthropology Museum’s Media Luna exhibition space. Admission is free of charge.
Gabriela Solís is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog, Dunas y Palmeras.
