Shakira takes over Mexico City with record-breaking concert tour

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March 27, 2025

Stage lights flash behind Shakira as she spins to look at the camera — Shakira is on track to become the first solo artist to sell out seven consecutive shows in the CDMX venue formerly known as Foro Sol. (OCESA/Cuartoscuro)

Global pop superstar Shakira is making history on the Mexico portion of her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” world tour, with massive crowds in three cities and a run of sold-out Mexico City concerts that’s on the brink of a record.

The 48-year-old Colombian known as the “Queen of Latin Music” has packed the house for her first four dates at Estadio GNP Seguros. With three more shows there Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it’s all but guaranteed she will become the first solo artist to fill the Mexico City venue for seven consecutive performances.

Shakira poses at the Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City — Shakira strikes a pose at the Estadio GNP Seguros after the first show of her current run in Mexico City. (Shakira/Facebook)

In all, she is expected to draw 455,000 to the stadium formerly known as Foro Sol. And that’s on top of the 100,000 she drew for two sold-out shows in Monterrey’s BBVA Stadium March 12-13, and the 90,000 for two sold-out shows at Akron Stadium in metro Guadalajara March 16-17.

When Shakira, a singer and songwriter who has achieved Madonna-like success in both the Spanish and English markets, first announced her 2025 Mexico tour dates last October, only one show was scheduled for each of those three cities. But tickets sold out quickly and more shows were added.

Now, even more have been added.

It was announced late Wednesday that Shakira will return to Mexico near the end of the summer to perform Aug. 29 in Mexico City, Sept. 2 in Querétaro, Sept. 6 in Zapopan (adjacent to Guadalajara) and Sept. 12 in Puebla — all at big stadiums.

Presale tickets for Banamex cardholders will begin Friday, with general ticket sales the next day. And with dates left open between the new concerts, there’s a chance even more shows could be added.

Even without any additional shows, Shakira will reach the milestone of eight concerts on one tour at Estadio GNP Seguros — an achievement that surpasses all other international icons, including Paul McCartney, Metallica, Coldplay and even Taylor Swift.

Shakira’s current world tour is named for her 12th studio album, last year’s “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” (“Women don’t cry anymore”) — which features chart-topping singles such as “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.”

The winner of four Grammys and 15 Latin Grammys, Shakira is known for many hits, but her all-time most popular song is “Hips Don’t Lie,” a duet in which hip-hop pioneer Wyclef Jean repeatedly sings “Shakira, Shakira.”

SHAKIRA || BZRP Music Sessions #53

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Through four shows in Mexico City, one of the highlights was Shakira sharing the stage with Grupo Frontera, winner of two Latin Grammys last year. She and the Texas-formed band, which is deeply rooted in Mexican genres, performed “(Entre Paréntesis),” a song from her 2024 album.

“I really wanted to give you all a surprise,” Shakira told the media afterward. “Every day, I strive to give you something more because the Mexican audience has been so loyal, so loving, and has lifted me up every time I needed it. I wanted to surprise you with something that would fill your hearts.”

“(Entre Paréntesis)” joined “Ciega, Sordomuda” and “El Jefe” as songs Shakira has added to her recent concerts as a heartfelt tribute to Mexico, where her concerts have featured multiple outfit changes, scintillating dance numbers, and diverse setlists including rock, ballads and mariachi music.

The singer expressed her gratitude to the Mexican fans, stating that their support has been a source of strength and inspiration throughout her career.

Just about the only ebb was a torrential rain on Tuesday night that left 60,000 fans scrambling for cover and nearly derailed the party. But when Shakira finally took the stage at 10:20 p.m., the atmosphere was electric and concertgoers, braving the downpour, danced and sang along.

Later, Grupo Frontera hit the stage as Shakira donned a sombrero and danced to the norteño beat.

As for the economic impact, Shakira’s concerts in the nation’s capital are projected by the Mexico City chamber of commerce to generate 3.247 billion pesos (US $159 million), as cited in the online newspaper Infobae.

That figure — which includes ticket sales, revenue from hotel bookings, local commerce, and food and beverage consumption — surpasses the impact from Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour concerts in Mexico City, although that was only four concerts.

With reports from Milenio, Infobae, Billboard Español and TV Azteca

The US has sent a second warship to patrol off the coast of Mexico

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MND Staff

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March 27, 2025

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Tug boats pull the USS Spruance warship out to sea in San Diego — The USS Spruance leaves San Diego, on Saturday. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Claire M. Alfaro)

The U.S. government has deployed another warship to waters near Mexico as part of President Donald Trump’s call to secure its southern border.

The USS Spruance is the second Navy destroyer that served in the Red Sea to be ordered to support the U.S. Northern Command’s mission.

Spruance departed U.S. Naval Base San Diego on Saturday, just days after the USS Gravely deployed to the Gulf of Mexico as part of the U.S. military’s response to Trump’s executive order declaring a national emergency at the border.

Gen. Gregory Guillot, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, said the deployment will focus on combating maritime-related terrorism, weapons proliferation, transnational crime, piracy, environmental destruction and illegal seaborne immigration.

“With Spruance off the West Coast and USS Gravely in the Gulf of America, our maritime presence contributes to the all-domain, coordinated DOD response to the Presidential Executive Order and demonstrates our resolve to achieve operational control of the border,” he said.

Spruance will patrol in U.S. and international waters near the Mexico-U.S. border from its homeport of Naval Station San Diego. Just like Gravely which is based at Mayport, Florida, Spruance will also include a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment (LEDET) to assist with maritime interdiction missions.

The USS Spruance warship at dock in San Diego — The USS Spruance prepares to leave port in San Diego. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Claire M. Alfaro)

The deployment of two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers represents “an unprecedented concentration of naval assets for border security operations,” Newsweek reported.

The Arleigh Burke-class are U.S. warships known as multi-mission surface combatants, capable of engaging targets on, above and below the surface. They can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups and replenishment groups.

Spruance returned to its homeport just before Christmas after serving five months with the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, during which time it operated in the Red Sea.

Gravely also operated in the Red Sea last year. Both warships were deployed to counter attacks by Houthi rebels based in Yemen on both commercial shipping and U.S. warships operating in the region.

The maritime-based strategy is in response to the expectation that criminal organizations adapt to heightened border security measures on land. Detecting and interdicting illicit drug traffickers on the high seas involves significant inter-agency and international coordination, the U.S. Coast Guard says.

The idea is to make sure that maritime routes are not seen as more attractive alternatives for smugglers who are increasingly utilizing sophisticated vessels, including remote-operated submersibles, to smuggle drugs into the U.S.

Previous joint operations involving the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard have yielded significant results, Newsweek reported. Last year, the collaboration efforts prevented nearly 15 tons of cocaine from entering the U.S.

With reports from Newsweek, Infobae, Latin Times, United States Coast Guard News and USNI News

What’s new in Baja California Sur?

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Chris Sands

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March 27, 2025

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A grey whale leaps out of the water in Baja California Sur — Our round up of local news takes a look at some of the major stories in Baja California Sur this month. (Grand Solmar)

Baja California Sur (BCS), one of the last two territories admitted as a state in 1974, has seen extraordinary growth over the past decade, with its population surging by over 25% between 2010 and 2022. Much of this growth has been due to the boom in Los Cabos. This new MND Local news feature will look at newsworthy items related to population growth and tourism — which contributes a staggering 40% to the BCS economy — not only in Los Cabos but in La Paz, Loreto and other areas of the state.

Los Cabos is trying to solve its traffic problems

Traffic at the Fonatur Glorieta in San José del Cabo is usually far worse than this, which is why a new overpass will be built, with work starting in 2025. (Ayuntamiento de Los Cabos)

One of the most noticeable side effects of Los Cabos’ remarkable growth — the population has grown from 40,000 to 350,000 since 1990 — is its consistently congested traffic. This shouldn’t be surprising, considering streets were laid out when the municipality had far fewer residents than it does now.

Local officials are working to address the issue, and some traffic-alleviating measures are in the pipeline. One of these, an overpass at the FONATUR Glorieta in San José del Cabo, has been greenlit by the Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation Ministry (SICT) , with work on it set to last 10 to 12 months once construction begins in May or June of this year.

This roundabout, notably, sees more traffic than any other intersection in Los Cabos, with an estimated 60,000 vehicles daily. An overpass should help in the long run, although it’s unknown what up to a year of work will do to traffic in the interim or what alternate routes will be used during construction.

An overpass isn’t the only solution to traffic woes that could be in the offing. A new roundabout has been proposed at the Salomón de la Cruz intersection in the El Tezal neighborhood, just outside Cabo San Lucas, which is experiencing high traffic, particularly during rush hour. However, more studies are planned before this project moves forward.

Whale shark tours suspended in La Paz

A portrait of a magnificent whale shark — Swimming with whale sharks tours have been suspended in La Paz, Baja California Sur’s capital city, due to low numbers of the species. (NOAA/Unsplash)

Swimming with whale sharks tours have been suspended in La Paz, which, along with the Yucatán Peninsula, is one of only two areas in Mexico where such interactions with these enormous fish is possible.

The activity was suspended on Jan. 27 due to the presence of too few whale sharks, less than a dozen, in the refuge area off the tip of the El Mogote peninsula, where they migrate each year to feed and breed. Considering there were 44 reported whale sharks in the area only a month before the closure, authorities are mystified by the low numbers and suspect it may be related to changing ecosystem dynamics or migratory patterns. Whale shark season in La Paz typically runs from October to May.

The suspension, which has continued into March, has obvious tourism impacts, but the whale sharks’ health and continued well-being within their habitat are being prioritized. Although there are between 130,000 and 200,000 whale sharks worldwide, their numbers have been declining and the species is considered endangered, per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

This is not the first time the swimming with whale shark tours have been shuttered in La Paz, as a similar moratorium was declared as recently as February 2023.

Loreto deeply in debt

The municipality of Loreto is deeply in debt and seeking repayment solutions. (Ronival)

Considering the booming economy in much of BCS, it’s rather startling to find out the municipality of Loreto is 180 million pesos in debt, as was recently reported by Tribuna de México. The Loreto city council and Oomsapas, the municipal agency in charge of the water supply, are responsible for the arrears. The municipality’s debt has been rising in recent years, reaching as high as 358 million pesos (US $17.6 million) in 2024, and Mayor of Loreto Paz del Alma Ochoa Amador has been working with state and federal authorities to try to find solutions to pay off the debt while still honoring its obligations to workers.

Loreto, of course, was the first capital of the Spanish province of Las Californias. Along with Los Cabos, it was identified by Fonatur, Mexico’s tourism development agency, as one of the nation’s “Integrally Planned Tourist Centers” (CIPs) back in 1976.

But despite its long history and amazing attractions — from blue whale season to its offshore islands, TPC Danzante Bay golf course and historic nearby cave paintings — it has never generated tourism development near the level of Los Cabos. The latter now receives about four million visitors annually, whereas Loreto has never welcomed more than 200,000, drawing 185,711 visitors in 2023 per state government figures. However, there is no reported indication that tourism numbers have anything to do with the municipality’s problematic finances.

An unusual whale watching season across BCS

Climate change may be affecting the gray whales who come to BCS to calve. (George Wolf/Unsplash)

Whale watching is big business in Baja California Sur, and it’s in the interests of everyone in the regional tourism industry that whale populations remain healthy. It is encouraging, then, that gray whales, important seasonal visitors to many locales in BCS have rebounded, with their numbers growing significantly in recent years. This fact has translated into some stunning sights, including the spotting of 50 gray whales enjoying themselves in Cabo Pulmo in February of this year.

However, there are some concerning numbers, too: not necessarily the 40 whale deaths this season in BCS, since this is considered normal relative to their population and the numbers logged in previous years. What’s at the very least unusual is the number of young adult whales that are dying and the low calving rates being noted.

The reason for both likely has to do with climate change. Gray whales typically feed in the Arctic before heading to BCS during wintertime to breed. Malnutrition due to ecosystem changes and prey availability during their feeding in Arctic or Sub-Arctic latitudes led to an upsurge in “unusual mortality events” reported between 2019 and 2023. Despite better overall population numbers, this issue appears to be persisting.

“Skinny whales are seen, not like other years, but there is still not enough food in the areas where they eat and that could affect their fertility,” points out Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (UABCS) researcher Jorge Urbán Ramírez, per Sudcaliforniano.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.

A Gringa’s take on the Mexican childhood obesity crisis

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Louisa Rogers

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March 27, 2025

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Three overweight women walking in the street, part of the obesity in Mexico crisis — Mexico is a fat country. Why? (Cuartoscuro)

As I stood in line at a local Guanajuato supermarket, watching a boy about the age of 8 buying a three-liter bottle of Coke, I remembered the opening scene in the 2012 documentary, “Globesity” a film exploring the explosion of global obesity and how it is specifically affecting Mexico, Brazil, India and China. The scene depicts a Mother’s Day celebration at an elementary school in Chiapas, where moms, teachers and kids are chatting in the schoolyard, drinking not bottled water but Coke. According to the film, one reason for the prevalence of Coke in Chiapas is that in some communities Coca-Cola strategically priced its drinks slightly less than bottled water. It’s perhaps no wonder that obesity in Mexico is something of an national crisis.

Residents of Chiapas drink more Coke than anywhere in the world, in a country that is fourth in the world in the consumption of soft drinks. Residents of San Cristóbal de las Casas drink more than two liters, or half a gallon, of soda a day on average. This consumption has been tied to the water crisis in the state, where just 7 percent of households believe their water is safe to drink, according to a 2023 Inegi survey. 80 of the state’s 124 municipalities lack adequate access to potable water, with Indigenous communities worst affected. The problem is exacerbated by corporate water consumption, a situation which has often been described as Coca-Cola selling Chiapanecans’ own water back to them as soft drinks. Not surprisingly, the mortality rate from diabetes in Chiapas increased 30 percent between 2013 and 2016, and the disease is now the second-leading cause of death in the state after heart disease.

In Chiapas, soft drinks can be easier to find than bottled water. — In Chiapas, sugary drinks can be easier to find than bottled water, something which has had a devastating effect on community health. (Marcos Arana)

While Chiapas is the biggest consumer of Coke, overweight is a health issue across the country. According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Surveys in 2021, over 37% of Mexican school age children were overweight or obese.

Diet culture and obesity in Mexico

The phrase “diet culture” refers to a system of beliefs and expectations that values thinness, creates an obsession around food and exercise and stigmatizes overweight. In the United States, diet culture often leads to anxiety and shame. I know this intimately, because my mother put me on the first of many diets when I was 11. Although I wasn’t heavy, she was anxious that I might gain weight, because she had been taunted as a teenager for being plump. While my mother’s obsession was extreme, today it’s just one of many examples of the bizarre diet culture that is completely normalized in the U.S.

Although obesity is a serious problem in Mexico, the diet culture is much less prominent than in the U.S. On the list of the world’s top ten most diet-obsessed countries, Mexico, unlike the U.S. (#1) and Canada (#7), is conspicuously absent. According to my Spanish teachers, anxiety about being overweight exists in Mexico and has increased since the advent of social media. Nonetheless, Diet Cokes and Pepsis aren’t crammed on supermarket shelves; the media isn’t filled with one diet after another; and moms haven’t let go of the age-old custom of taking their kids to a “tiendita” after school to buy a treat.

Nearly all Mexican schools are currently allowing sugary drinks on their school grounds. (Isabel Mateos/Cuartoscuro)

Does Mexico’s more relaxed attitude help bring about weight loss?

While research shows that fat-shaming doesn’t help a person lose weight — in fact, quite the opposite — a relaxed, compassionate approach to a person’s obesity isn’t a complete solution, either. It turns out parents can be too relaxed. A 2016 study, for example, showed that while Mexican mothers correctly perceived their overweight children to be overweight, they weren’t concerned about it because they viewed it as something temporary that the child would outgrow. By and large, this is not true: One study found that 70% of kids who were overweight at age seven remained overweight as adults.

A 2015 study of 1380 low-income households in Mexico City found that childhood overweight was seen as a normal, even desirable condition: overweight children were seen as “taller, stronger, more of a leader, healthier and smarter than normal and thin children.” The study’s authors noted that mothers and grandmothers tended to define nutrition practices and that grandparents were strongly influenced by memories of a time when overweight children had better chances of surviving malnutrition and disease.

Government action

The label warns of high calories and sugar content on this drink. — The Mexican government has now introduced warning labels on unhealthy foods, as a measure to inform the public about their nutrition. (Archive)

Since 2014, the Mexican government has taken steps to address the overweight and obesity epidemic. That year, it launched campaigns to combat the obesity epidemic, including taxes on sodas and high-calorie snacks, successfully reducing sales of sugar-sweetened beverages.

In 2020, three state legislatures in Mexico passed laws banning the sale of sugary drinks and high-calorie packaged foods to minors. Oaxaca was the first, followed by Tabasco and Colima. That year, the government enacted a law requiring manufacturers to mark the packaging of foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, sodium or calories with informational labels.

And as of April, schools in Mexico will no longer be allowed to sell any snack that has a warning label showing it has high amounts of salt, sugar or fat. Those that don’t follow these rules will be subject to fines.

These are a good start, but the complexity of the problem remains enormous. For example, the law prohibiting schools from selling “comida chattara” (junk food) does not apply to vendors outside the school grounds. A recent report by the Education Ministry (SEP) found that 77% of schools had such junk food stands nearby.

I view the Mexican child obesity crisis with a mixture of anger, cautious optimism and compassion: anger at the self-serving greed of multinational corporations, optimism that the Mexican government is taking the initiative to address the issue and compassion for the challenges and complexity that Mexican parents face when they try to feed their children well.

Louisa Rogers and her husband Barry Evans divide their lives between Guanajuato and Eureka, on California’s North Coast. Louisa writes articles and essays about expat life, Mexico, travel, physical and psychological health, retirement and spirituality. Her recent articles can be found on her website.

Who is Mexico’s Security Minister and why does he matter?

By

MND Staff

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March 27, 2025

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Omar García Harfuch, Mexican Security minister — Omar García Harfuch is the man in charge of Mexico's safety. Caught between cartel violence and international diplomacy, who is the man performing a political tightrope act? (Omar García Harfuch/Facebook)

It’s hard to think of Mexico in 2025 without at least a passing thought about the country’s precarious security situation. The man in charge of solving this problem is Omar García Harfuch, the current Security Minister.

García is charged with fighting back against cartel violence that has rocked areas of the country and this latest appointment is just another step in the career of a man who has dedicated his life and career to making Mexico a safer place to live.

Who is Omar García Harfuch, Mexico's Security Minister?

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Critically, however, García’s work affects more than just what goes on inside Mexico, particularly given U.S. President Donald Trump’s emphasis on issues such as fentanyl, migration, and border security.

Before stepping into his current role, he served as the Chief of Police in Mexico City, where he gained attention for reducing homicide rates by almost 50%, as well as surviving an audacious assassination attempt by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. He has also received training from the FBI and DEA, giving him a deep understanding of how operations function on both sides of the border.

After President Trump designated Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations, García Harfuch intensified extraditions, sending 29 cartel leaders to face justice in the United States and relieving growing diplomatic tension between the two nations.

Despite these successes, García is not without his critics at home, as detractors question Mexico’s sovereignty, or whether he is really doing enough to fight cartel violence in Mexico.

María Meléndez asks what the coming years will look like for Mexico, the United States and bilateral security in the latest installment of our “Who’s Who” explainer series.

Mexico News Daily

After crumbling in the 2017 earthquake, 17th century Puebla temple restored to former glory

By

MND Staff

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March 27, 2025

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Builders put the finishing touches on the dome of the Templo de la Merced church in Puebla, which crumbled in the 2017 earthquake — Builders plaster and paint the rebuilt dome of Puebla's Templo de la Merced, which crumbled in the 2017 earthquake. (CINAH Puebla)

The historic Temple of La Merced, which sits on the slopes of the Popocatépetl volcano in Atlixco, Puebla, has been structurally restored after its dome collapsed during the 2017 earthquake.

The devastating Sept. 19, 2017, earthquake in Puebla, often known as 19S in Mexico, killed 370 people and injured thousands after dozens of buildings collapsed in the greater Mexico City area.

The sky is visible through the roof of an elaborately decorated Catholic church, after its dome collapsed — The historic church was badly damaged in the 2017 quake. (via La Jornada de Oriente)

Now, almost a decade later, one beloved piece of Mexican history that was damaged in the quake has been restored.

Built in 1668 by the Catholic Order of the Redemption of the Captives, the temple is of historic significance in the region as it was part of a convent built in 1619, when the Mercedarians expanded their presence in New Spain supported by residents of Spanish descent.

The restoration works were carried out between September and December 2024, by the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico in collaboration with specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) under the National Reconstruction Program (PNR).

A team of restorers, architects, structural experts, vault specialists, artisans and tradespeople worked together to reconstruct the dome using historical photographs. With a diameter of 8.5 meters and a height of 6 meters, the dome consists of eight segments along with skylights (windows) and a lantern. The workers preserved the dome’s original style and appearance while enhancing its structural security, stability and durability, according to an INAH press release.

Clergy and INAH officials pose in front of the restored Puebla church Templo de la Merced — In late February, management of the church was handed back to community religious leaders, who will organize the last steps of the restoration. (CINAH Puebla)

Head of INAH Puebla, Manuel Villarreal Vázquez, noted that the temple “was restored in several stages, during which walls, arches, and some vaults were consolidated.” The dome area was temporarily covered to allow parishioners to continue using the area while specialized analysis and administrative procedures for its restoration continued.

Villareal said that the biggest challenge was keeping the shape similar to the original, but with a lighter, slimmer structure to provide greater support and security.

He further explained that restoration efforts focus on recovering the original values, appearance, and construction materials of historic structures, while documenting the interventions made during a restoration process.

In this case, the restoration is evident in the exterior moldings of the dome, Villareal said, which have been visually differentiated. This allows future historians or restorers to easily identify the original and reconstructed elements.

The restored interior of the Templo de La Merced chruch dome in Puebla — The dome was rebuilt based on historical photographs and includes eight stained-glass skylights. (CINAH Puebla)

Still, there are some pending works that will be done in the future with support from the community. Villareal said that some of these works include floor renovation, maintenance and painting of the facade, among others.

The official handover of the building took place on Feb. 27, at the community’s request. A mass was celebrated in honor of the INAH Puebla Center, with participation of the federal and local authorities that contributed to the temple’s rehabilitation.

Mexico News Daily

Door ‘always open’ for call with Trump’: Wednesday’s mañanera recapped

By

MND Staff

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March 26, 2025

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Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum at her daily press conference. She is listening to a reporter's question. — President Claudia Sheinbaum listens to a reporter at her Wednesday daily press conference, known in Mexico as the mañanera. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)

President Claudia Sheinbaum held her Wednesday morning press conference approximately eight hours before U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would impose 25% tariffs on “all cars that are not made in the United States.”

At the mañanera, Sheinbaum said that she might speak to Trump before April 2, the date on which the United States is planning to impose reciprocal tariffs on imports from its trading partners around the world.

U.S. President Trump's speech to Congress — U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday, after Sheinbaum’s morning conference, that the U.S. would impose tariffs on vehicles imported from Mexico. (File photo)

An exemption for Mexico on the car tariffs currently appears unlikely, even though the North American auto industry is highly integrated, meaning that major automakers operating in Mexico would face tariffs when parts are shipped between the U.S. and Mexico and when automobiles assembled in Mexico are shipped to the U.S. for sale.

Asked on Wednesday afternoon whether the auto tariffs could be removed, Trump said they are permanent.

The New York Times reported that the auto tariffs “will go into effect on April 2, and will apply to finished cars and trucks that are shipped into the United States, including American brands whose automobiles are assembled overseas.”

The tariffs will also apply to auto parts.

‘The door is always open for a call’ with Trump

A reporter asked Sheinbaum whether she believed she would speak with Trump before April 2, when the U.S. government intends to impose reciprocal tariffs on some if not all imports.

Sheinbaum at mañanera — President Sheinbaum’s press conference came hours before Trump made his tariff announcement, but the Mexican leader held out hope — though not certainty — that she could speak with her US counterpart before the April 2 deadline. (Mario Jasso/ Cuartoscuro.com)

“We’re going to see whether it’s possible or not, and we’re going to wait to see what the proposal of the United States government is in terms of tariffs,” Sheinbaum said.

She highlighted that the United States is planning to impose tariffs on its imports from “all the countries of the world.”

Asked whether she would “directly” seek a call with Trump, the president responded:

“Yes. The door is always open for a call.”

After a call with Sheinbaum earlier this month, Trump suspended 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico that fall under the USMCA.

Sheinbaum’s greatest joys and sorrows as president

Crowd around the president's motorcade. — The president shared a personal reflection at Wednesday’s mañanera, revealing that her happiest moments as president come when her duties take her outside the capital, where she can feel “the closeness of the people.” (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

A reporter asked Sheinbaum to nominate her “saddest episode” and “happiest episode” since she was sworn in as president almost six months ago.

“You’ve made it difficult. The saddest? I’m thinking,” the president responded.

“There is always empathy and pain in the face of difficult situations of homicides that one sees every day in the security cabinet [meeting]. I would have to think [more to determine] which is my saddest moment,” Sheinbaum said.

“What one has to do is always keep working, regardless of the fact that one is human and that there are always feelings of empathy with victims,” she said.

“… The times that I really, really enjoy are the outings, the weekend tours [outside Mexico City] — the pure air, the closeness with the people,” Sheinbaum added.

“… The affection is very great, it’s mutual because the affection toward me goes back triple [to the people],” she said.

“Those moments are very moving, very, very, very moving and it’s an enormous joy,” Sheinbaum said.

Sheinbaum acknowledges strong support for her plan to combat missing persons crisis

A reporter highlighted that a Mexican newspaper — El Heraldo de México — published the results of a poll that found that 92% of 600 respondents agreed with the president’s plan to combat Mexico’s missing persons crisis.

Missing persons search brigade combing through dirt in a Mexico City national park, looking for human remains or effects from possible clandestine graves in the park. — The families of three male youths who disappeared from Mexico City in 2019 sort through dirt in the capital’s Tepeyac National Park, looking for signs of human remains or personal effects that might justify a deeper search for a clandestine grave. (Haaron Álvarez/Cuartoscuro)

Sheinbaum last week announced six “immediate actions” against the crime of enforced disappearance.

On Wednesday, she said her government is responding to a problem that is “essential” to address.

“So 92% of people consider [the plan] appropriate. It’s good that it is being perceived in this way,” Sheinbaum said.

While El Heraldo de México detected strong support for the president’s plan, more than 150 search collectives, activists and relatives of victims of abduction and enforced disappearance were highly critical of it, saying that it reflected “a lack of knowledge about the institutional mechanisms and procedures that already exist in the country in search and investigation matters.”

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])

320 baby turtles seized on a passenger bus on the Mexico City-Puebla highway

By

MND Staff

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March 26, 2025

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Authorities inspecting bus cargo hold — Profepa authorities searched 65 intercity buses and other vehicles in an operation that netted the 320 trafficked turtles. (Profepa/X)

Mexican authorities seized 320 baby peacock turtles being smuggled on a passenger bus, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) announced this week.

The hatchlings were found Saturday during a roadside inspection on the Mexico City-Puebla highway, as part of an operation to combat illegal wildlife trafficking. The seizure came seven months after authorities seized 200 turtles at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM).

Box of confiscated baby turtles. — The baby turtles that Profepa authorities saved from traffickers (shown here) belong to the Trachemys genus, whose numerous species are known as slider turtles. The preferred common name in Mexico for this venusta species of Trachemys is tortuga pavo real, or peacock turtle. (Profepa)

Supported by the National Guard, the Profepa operation conducted searches of 65 intercity buses, two cargo vehicles and one private car.

The checkpoints were set up on the Mexico City-Puebla highway because it’s “the main entry route for transportation from the southeast of our country, a region of utmost importance for biodiversity and where various species are illegally extracted,” Profepa said in a statement issued Monday.

The halted vehicles were coming from the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Puebla, Profepa added.

The baby turtles were discovered in a box on the bus, but Profepa and news reports didn’t specify if it was in the underbus luggage hold or in the overhead storage area. Also not mentioned was the identity of the culprit or culprits.

Profepa did point out that “the document proving the specimens’ legal origin contained irregularities” and that the 320 hatchlings “were placed under precautionary custody and transferred to a wildlife conservation and research center, where they are now receiving the necessary care.”

“Profepa will continue to conduct random operations at various highway crossings as part of its strategy to prevent illegal wildlife trafficking,” Mariana Boy Tamborrell, head of Profepa, said in the press release. “We are committed to curbing this crime and protecting wildlife populations from the enormous impact caused by illegal extraction.”

Boy Tamborrell was in the news just two weeks ago, when Profepa shut down the dolphin show at the Barceló Maya Grand Resort in Quintana Roo.

Profepa identified the 320 found turtles as Trachemys venusta, sometimes known by the common name of Meso-American slider turtle. They’re also called peacock turtles for the vibrant green, orange and yellow patterns on their adult shells that resemble the eye-like patterns on peacock feathers.

The semi-aquatic, freshwater species plays an important role in aquatic ecosystems by helping to maintain balanced populations of plants and small aquatic animals. They are typically found in slow-moving rivers, ponds and marshes, and are native to the humid regions of southern Mexico.

However, due to habitat destruction, pollution and illegal trafficking, their populations are at risk in some areas.

Though not an endangered species globally, Trachemys venusta in Mexico is classified as “under special protection” due to heavy exploitation for food and commercial purposes.

Wildlife trafficking is considered one of the most lucrative environmental crimes globally.

Profepa, which also seized a spotted jaguar cub in Oaxaca on Tuesday, said it will continue to monitor roadways across the country, particularly those connected to high-biodiversity regions.

With reports from La Jornada, El Financiero and El Universal

Mexico reveals the Taruk, the first made-in-Mexico electric bus

By

MND Staff

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March 26, 2025

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A full-sized public transport bus painted in green and black. It its model name, the Taruk, written in a couple of places on the bus and also the name of one of the designing companies, Mega Flux. — The Taruk was developed by the Mexican conventional truck maker Dina and the Mexican EV auto conversion company, Megaflux. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

Mexico introduced the Taruk on Tuesday, an electric bus that is the nation’s first domestically manufactured electric vehicle (EV).

Its name means “roadrunner” in the Indigenous Yaqui language.

A middle-aged man and woman in suits and ties standing inside a public bus in Mexico, smiling for a photo — Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, right, was on hand Tuesday to introduce Mexico’s Taruk, the nation’s first domestically made electric vehicle. With him is Altagracia Gómez Sierra, director of Mexico’s Economic Development Advisory Council. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

Fostering efficient and economically viable projects

The vehicle was developed by the Mexico automaker Dina and the EV conversion firm Megaflux, with support from the National Council of Humanities, Science and Technology (Conacyt) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s School of Engineering.

Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard presented Taruk at a press conference where he announced the first units will operate in the port city of Ensenada in Baja California.

The electric vehicle has a capacity of 60 passengers, half seated and the other half standing, Ebrard said.

Coordinator of the Economic Development Advisory Council Altagracia Gómez Sierra, Megaflux CEO Roberto Gottfried, the Mobility Minister Daniel Sibaja and Ensenada’s mayor Claudia Agatón also attended the event.

“It takes months of testing, adjustments, trial and error, improving its performance, the number of kilometers of autonomy, and increasing its efficiency compared to any other electric vehicle in Asia or any other region of the world,” Ebrard said at the event.

“And the Mexican one is better. It’s not just about supporting Mexican developments but rather ensuring that they are efficient and economically viable.”

Ensenada is among the port cities where homicides are up this year. — The first models of the Taruk EV will operate in Ensenada, Baja California. (File photo)

The engine was developed in Iztapalapa, in the south of Mexico City. There are currently no other EVs with Mexican engines, making the launch of the Taruk a technological milestone, said Ebrard.

Mexico exports over 1 million vehicles a year to the United States and is the sixth-biggest exporter globally but is not known internationally for its car brands.

Ebrard awarded the “Made in Mexico” certification to Taruk, a program that falls under President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Plan México national investment initiative that seeks to grow Mexico’s GDP, provide more jobs and expand underdeveloped and new industries in the country.

Mexico’s space agency, for example, a signatory of NASA’s Artemis Accords, is also collaborating with the U.S. space agency on nanosatellite technology demonstrators that will contribute to the future of space exploration.

In 2024, Mexico successfully launched nanorobots to the moon in its first lunar mission — dubbed Proyecto Colmena — from NASA facilities in Cape Canaveral, Florida. While a malfunction in the U.S.-built lunar lander carrying the robots prevented a soft landing on the moon, the robots did function correctly in deep space, proving the project’s viability.

Mexico is also making progress in the production of vaccines, semiconductors and messenger RNA-based therapies.

“We can do anything we set our minds to,” Ebrard said at the event.

Economic uncertainty

Ebrard announced during the event his plans to travel to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to continue economic and trade negotiations with the United States.

“We are facing the complex issue of what the future of the relationship with the United States will be, not politically but economically. Mexico exports more than a million vehicles to the United States, and today the discussion is about what future that model will have,” he said.

The launch of Taruk is important given the increasing trade pressure from the U.S., which is threatening to impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexican goods starting April 2, Ebrard stressed.

With reports from Expansión and La Jornada

Feds arrest ex-Iguala police officer in Ayotzinapa 43 case

By

MND Staff

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March 26, 2025

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Protesters holding up posters the size of their bodies that show different members of the so-called Ayotzinapa 43 students as they march down a Mexico City street. — Most of the 43 Iguala college students who were abducted in 2014 in the unsolved Ayotzinapa case have never been found neither alive nor dead. (Cuartoscuro)

Federal authorities on Tuesday arrested an ex-municipal police officer in connection with the infamous case of the abduction and presumed murder of 43 students in Guerrero in 2014.

Rey Flores Hernández, alias “El Negro,” was detained in Iguala, Guerrero, according to a statement issued by the Defense Ministry, the Navy Ministry, the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR), the National Guard and the Security Ministry.

Image of a man staring at the camera with a grim expression. His eyes are not visible due to a black redaction bar to hide his identity. He's wearing a military-fatigues-type tee shirt in khaki colors. — Rey Flores Hernández is an ex-municipal police officer in Iguala, Guerrero, where the 43 Ayotzinapa students were abducted in 2014. (Gov. of Mexico)

The statement said that as a “result of investigative work about the disappearance of the students from the Raúl Isidro Burgos Rural Teachers College in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, in 2014,” federal security forces executed an arrest warrant for the crimes of organized crime and enforced disappearance.

Video footage shows the suspect being marched into a facility, possibly FGR offices, after his arrest.

The statement said that authorities have determined that Flores, the 50-year-old ex-police officer in Iguala, belonged to a criminal group and was “linked” to the disappearance of the 43 students.

The criminal group to which he belonged was reportedly “Los Bélicos,” which allegedly moved drugs for the Guerreros Unidos crime group.

The 43 students — all young men — were allegedly abducted by members of the Guerreros Unidos in Iguala on Sept. 26, 2014, after buses they had commandeered to travel to a protest in Mexico City were stopped by municipal police.

Flores reportedly provided a police escort for a flatbed truck linked to the abduction. He was also allegedly involved in the abduction of members of rival criminal groups.

A Mexican man standing in front of two federal police officers of t — Gildardo López Astudillo in 2015, immediately after his arrest by federal authoriities. (Cuartoscuro)

The news website Reporte Indigo reported that the aforesaid flatbed truck took a group of students to the ranch of Gildardo López Astudillo, a regional leader of the Guerrero Unidos.

In 2019, federal authorities said that López Astudillo sent a text message to his superior days after the students went missing that said: “They’ll never find them, we turned them into dust and threw them into the water.”

He was arrested in 2015, but acquitted and released in 2019.

Scores of people, including soldiers and other Iguala municipal police officers, have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of the students. However, no one has been convicted of the crime, and 21 police officers were released from custody in 2019.

Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador pledged to resolve the Ayotzinapa case, which was a major scandal during the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-18).

However, no one has yet been held accountable for the crime, and the remains of the vast majority of the students have never been found.

Ex-president of Mexico Enrique Pena Nieto shaking the hand of a family member of an Ayotzinapa 43 kidnapping victim. — Mexico’s presidents as far back as Enrique Peña Nieto 2012-18) — seen here meeting with Ayotzinapa victims’ families — have promised to resolve the Ayotzinapa abductions but have not succeeded. (Cuartoscuro)

Earlier this month, a new investigation unit was established to reexamine the case.

In September 2023, the federal government published a report that outlined three “possible reasons” for the abduction of the young men.

The government said there may have been “confusion” on the part of Guerreros Unidos members with respect to the “alleged infiltration” of Los Rojos gangsters among the Ayotzinapa students. That “confusion” could have occurred “within the context of” a turf war in the Iguala region between the two crime groups, the government said.
The intention may have been to “teach the students a lesson within the context of threats from [then Iguala] mayor José Luis Abarca and the Guerreros Unidos after protests and damage to the Iguala municipal palace,” the government said. Those protests occurred after the abduction and murder of three “social leaders.” Abarca is currently serving a 92-year prison sentence for the abduction of six Iguala activists unrelated to the Ayotzinapa case.
“Drug trafficking and the possible presence of drugs, weapons or money” on buses commandeered by the students was the third possible reason identified by the government.

With reports from Reforma, El Universal, Expansión and Reporte Indigo