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Mexico-Canada relations take center stage during Sheinbaum’s G7 visit

By
MND Staff
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At the G7, Sheinbaum appeared between French President Macron and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in an official leaders' photo.
At the G7, Sheinbaum appeared between French President Macron and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in an official leaders' photo. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

President Claudia Sheinbaum proposed the staging of a “Summit for Economic Well-Being” and delivered a staunch defense of Mexicans in the United States during an address to the G7 Summit in Canada on Tuesday.

During a busy day in Kananaskis, Alberta, Sheinbaum also held bilateral talks with several leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sheinbaum address to the G7 on Tuesday
In her address to the G7 on Tuesday, Sheinbaum said it is the “shared responsibility of all nations” to guarantee economic well-being and cooperate for development. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

“They were very good meetings,” she told reporters at her Wednesday morning press conference in Mexico City.

“Mexico is very well received, very well received. It’s not the president of Mexico, it’s Mexico and what our country represents. We were very well received,” said Sheinbaum, who was accompanied at the G7 Summit by Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch and other officials.

All people ‘must have the possibility of a life with well-being’

During an address to the plenary session of the G7 Summit on Tuesday, Sheinbaum proposed the staging of a “Summit for Economic Well-Being,” according to a statement from the president’s office.

She proposed that the summit bring together the G7 countries, the nations that attended this year’s event in Kananaskis as guests, members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and other “interested countries.”

The aim of the summit, according to the government readout of Sheinbaum’s remarks, would be to “strengthen effective cooperation for development [and] for fair and reciprocal trade, as the basis for lasting peace that the whole world longs for.”

“All citizens from all countries must have the possibility of a life with well-being,” the president told fellow world leaders.

“And even though it seems a dream, it’s possible. This would mean progressing toward a more equitable, peaceful and sustainable international community,” Sheinbaum said.

“Economic well-being and cooperation for development are acts of shared responsibility of all nations. In a world marked by interdependencies, no country can isolate itself and prosper at the expense of … others,” she said.

“… This G7 shouldn’t just be a meeting of powers, but rather a space of shared responsibility because power isn’t only measured by what one has, but also by what one does with it,” Sheinbaum said.

She said on Wednesday morning that specific details about the summit she proposed — such as when and where it would be held — have not been determined. Earlier this year, during her attendance at the CELAC Summit in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Sheinbaum proposed the staging of a “Summit for the Economic Wellbeing of Latin America and the Caribbean.”

On Wednesday, she said that the proposed CELAC summit could be broadened in scope by inviting G7 members and other countries.

During her G7 address, Sheinbaum also spoke about Mexico’s commitment to peace, according to the statement issued by the president’s office.

“Peace doesn’t just consist of the absence of war. It also means the presence of justice, fair trade, opportunities, cooperation for development and respect of human rights,” she said.

“In this context,” Sheinbaum asserted that “it’s fundamental to recognize the people and families who have migrated out of necessity and who contribute significantly to the economies of the countries that receive them,” according to the readout of her remarks.

Among those people are the “hardworking and honest” Mexicans in the United States, she said.

Speaking as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement works to fulfill President Donald Trump’s pledge to carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history,” and after days of intense protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles, Sheinbaum gave an impassioned defense of Mexican immigrants in the United States.

“They’ve built their lives with dignity, they comply with laws, they are [people] of effort and dedication, they pay taxes, they assume responsibilities and they don’t deserve discrimination, but rather respect and recognition,” she said.

However, Sheinbaum added, “the ultimate goal is that people have well-paid employment and access to an honorable life in their places of origin.”

The Mexican president delivered her address to G7 leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump left the G7 Summit on Monday to attend to the conflict between Israel and Iran, scuttling plans for a bilateral meeting with Sheinbaum on Tuesday.

A ‘very important’ meeting with the Canadian PM

Not long after flying into Mexico City from Canada, Sheinbaum told reporters on Wednesday morning that she had a “very important meeting” with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday.

“Of course, we agreed to continue working together for the [USMCA] trade agreement, but also to further strengthen the trade, cultural and educational relations between Mexico and Canada [and] the investment of Canadian companies in Mexico, ” she said.

“… Since the call I had with him [in May], we’ve spoken about the agreement so that Mexican workers can go to work in Canada, mainly agricultural workers,” Sheinbaum added.

During her meeting with Carney, the president told the prime minister that Mexico “very much values” its relationship with Canada, according to a statement from the president’s office.

Sheinbaum noted that “a lot of Mexicans also live in Canada” and thanked Carney for the invitation to the G7 Summit.

She gifted the Canadian prime minister a soccer ball made by members of the Wixárika community in Mexico “as a symbol of the friendship between the two countries” and in acknowledgement that, along with the United States, they will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Sheinbaum gifted the Canadian prime minister a soccer ball made by members of the Wixárika community in Mexico as a symbol of friendship and unity ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.
Sheinbaum gifted the Canadian prime minister a soccer ball made by members of the Wixárika community in Mexico as a symbol of friendship and unity ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

Standing beside Sheinbaum, Carney told reporters that it was a “great honor to welcome President Sheinbaum to the G7.”

He said that the “enduring value of the president’s leadership” was “immediately clear.”

Carney also highlighted the “importance of Mexico being at the center of international cooperation.”

“If I may, Madam President, I’m going to quote you [in saying] that ‘there is no progress unless it’s shared.’ And this is the spirit that the president brings, that Mexico brings, and that Canada shares with you,” he said.

Both Sheinbaum and Carney said they supported the idea of holding a trilateral meeting that included Trump. The most recent “Three Amigos” summit, in which former presidents Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Joe Biden and ex-prime minister Justin Trudeau participated, took place in Mexico City in January 2023.

Sheinbaum meets with Modi and EU leaders 

Sheinbaum also held bilateral meetings on Tuesday with Prime Minister Modi of India, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

She said on Wednesday that she had a “very good meeting” with Modi, a powerful leader in the world’s most populous country.

“We also spoke about the importance of strengthening economic ties between India and Mexico, particularly in some sectors like the pharmaceutical industry … [in which India is] very important today, the technological industry in which India is also very important,” Sheinbaum said.

She said that she proposed to Modi the establishment of “investment agreements” between Mexico and India.

In a post to social media, Sheinbaum said that Mexico’s relationship with India would strengthen “through investment in scientific and technological development.”

For his part, Modi said on social media that he congratulated Sheinbaum on her “historic electoral victory” in 2024 that allowed her to become “the first woman president of Mexico in two centuries.”

“We both see an immense potential for the ties between India and Mexico to strengthen even more in the future, especially in sectors like agriculture, semiconductors, critical minerals, health care, among others,” he wrote.

“We also spoke about ways to strengthen ties between our peoples,” Modi said.

Sheinbaum said on social media on Tuesday that she spoke to von der Leyen and Costa about “the update of our trade agreement” with the European Union. She also noted that she invited von der Leyen to Mexico.

The European Commission president said in a social media post directed to Sheinbaum that “Mexico is a key partner for Europe.”

“From tackling climate change to boosting trade and investment, we’re committed to deepening our cooperation. We look forward to signing our modernized [trade] agreement — and visiting you in Mexico!” von der Leyen wrote.

Sheinbaum said she spoke to Merz about the “strategic relationship” between Mexico and Germany as well as “opportunities for economic cooperation.”

She said that her discussion with the recently elected president of South Korea focused on “bringing our countries closer and enriching ties between our peoples.”

There is a significant Korean population in Mexico, based primarily in large cities such as Mexico City and Monterrey.

Sheinbaum mixes with powerful world leaders at G7 meeting

While she missed out on the opportunity to meet Trump face-to-face for the first time, Sheinbaum did speak to the U.S. president by telephone on Tuesday. She said on social media that they “agreed to work together to soon reach an agreement on various issues that concern us today,” among which are U.S. tariffs on imports from Mexico and Mexico’s opposition to the proposed remittances tax in the United States.

At the G7, Sheinbaum appeared between French President Macron and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in an official leaders’ photo. The leaders of Italy, Japan, Ukraine, Brazil and South Africa were also at the event, as was United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, among other dignitaries.

In a social media post that included the leaders’ photo, Sheinbaum wrote:

“I participate in the G7 Summit in Canada as a representative of an honorable and proud people who love their history, their culture and who have been characterized by being promoters of peace.”

Sheinbaum also posted a photo of her greeting Albanese at the hotel they both stayed at in Calgary, as well as ones showing her posing with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and shaking the hand of President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.

In another post, she appeared with members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, whom she thanked for accompanying her on “this brief, but productive trip.”

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

Jalisco considers temporary marriage contracts to reduce divorce court burden

By
MND Staff
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Trial marriage? Jalisco lawmakers say short-term marriage contracts are a practical solution to today's high divorce rates.
Trial marriage? Jalisco lawmakers say short-term marriage contracts are a practical solution to today's high divorce rates. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

Lawmakers in the state of Jalisco are considering a proposal to introduce temporary marriages, aiming to modernize civil law and reduce the strain of divorce on courts and couples.

The initiative, presented by Enrique Velázquez González of the Jalisco State Congress, would allow couples to enter marriage contracts lasting two to five years. At the end of the term, couples could renew the contract or let it dissolve automatically — no divorce proceedings required.

The initiative, currently being analyzed by the state’s Legislative Studies Commission, would require a simple majority of the 38-member, unicameral Jalisco Congress for approval.

“The traditional marriage model is no longer the only valid path for many people,” Velázquez said. “We seek for couples to enter into marriage with responsibility, but also with the freedom to evaluate its continuation without unnecessary legal conflicts.”

Velázquez is affiliated with Hagamos, a progressive, center-left local political party that operated only in Jalisco before its dissolution after the 2024 election due to not meeting a minimum vote threshold. In 2023, it joined a state coalition that included the national Morena party.

(One of its final candidates was Yuniur Vázquez Rosalío, whose death in a vehicle crash last August, shortly after he was elected mayor of a small Jalisco municipality, was suspected by many as foul play.)

Signing a marriage certificate
Sign here for a two-year marriage plan. Cancel whenever. (Michael Balam/Cuartoscuro)

The “temporary marriage” proposal is inspired by European models such as France’s Civil Solidarity Pacts and German cohabitation contracts. Couples would define property management, child custody and alimony from the outset.

The contract would be formalized before the Civil Registry or a notary public.

Supporters say this offers legal certainty to those who might otherwise opt for informal unions. 

They also argue the measure could reduce the workload in family courts by up to 90%. Thousands of divorce cases are processed each year in Jalisco.

According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), Mexico recorded 163,587 divorces in 2023, with 20% percent occurring within the first five years of marriage. Jalisco’s divorce rate stands at 1.32 per 1,000 adults, among the lowest in the country.

The proposal has sparked debate among legislators, legal experts and citizens. Supporters call it a flexible, modern solution. Conservative and religious groups warn it could undermine the institution of marriage.

“The risks are not being discussed,” lawyer Pepe Luis Flota said, according to a social media post by the Grupo Fórmula radio network. “One of the things is the emotional stability of the children.”

If approved, Jalisco would become the first Mexican state to adopt such a model. There is no timeline for a vote.

With reports from El Imparcial, Infobae and Cadena 3

What’s it like at a Mexican charro wedding?

By
MND Staff
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Close-up of a line of white leather Mexican sombreros, all decorated similiarly on the rims with beads and embroidery.
A charro wedding is an elegant, stylized and somewhat rarefied Mexican tradition born out of western Mexico's colonial ranching culture. (Photos provided to reporter Gabriela Solis)

A few months ago, Paloma and Alejandro married in Guadalajara, the capital of the western state of Jalisco. Their wedding featured all the typical aspects of a Mexican upper-class matrimonial event: hundreds of guests, lavish decorations and hours of entertainment. 

Yet, it wasn’t your typical Mexican wedding because Alejandro, the groom, is a charro.

Jorge Monroy’s painting of El Coleadero, a charrería event in which a bull is brought down by a charro pulling its tail. (File photo)

A charro is a man who practices charrería, Mexico’s national equestrian sport that involves horseback riding and other related activities, including various forms of rodeo using livestock. But beyond a sport, charros consider charrería a lifestyle, originally born out of the rural ranching culture in colonial western Mexico. 

When a charro gets married, tradition dictates that the ceremony should incorporate several elements of charrería, hence the charro wedding. 

Yet, despite charrería being a fundamental part of Mexico’s culture — in 2016 it was recognized as part of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO — unless someone is born into a charro family or has direct ties with charrería, the tradition can seem foreign even to a Mexican. For that reason, Paloma wasn’t initially convinced of having a charro wedding. 

“To be honest, I initially didn’t want my wedding to be a charro wedding because I wasn’t familiar with it,” she confessed when I spoke to her after her wedding. However, it wasn’t long before Paloma changed her thinking towards the themed celebration.

“When I noticed how much it meant to my now husband, I started to see things from a different perspective. And honestly, I enjoyed our wedding a lot,” she said.  

Elements of a charro wedding

 “A charro wedding is a traditional celebration in Mexico combining the Catholic marriage rites with elements of culture and charrería,” Paloma’s husband Alejandro explained to me.

A wedding couple, the bride in full white bridal dress and the man in a Mexican charro regalia, posing on some stone steps by an ivy-and-moss-covered stone wall.
The couple at their wedding, with Alejandro in his gala charro suit.

These elements are incorporated even into the marriage ceremony, which typically happens at a church. Paloma and Alejandro’s ceremony featured the typical charrería elements, starting with Alejandro’s attire. 

The charro suit

Charros have three different types of suits, depending on the occasion: the work suit, the half-gala suit and the gala suit. As you might guess, a wedding requires the gala version. 

“The suit has silver buttons, elegant embroidery in either gold or silver beads, fitted trousers, a short jacket, and a silk bow tie,” Alejandro explained, adding that the color of the suit is a personal preference – within a narrow realm of choices: It can either be black, Oxford gray, or navy blue. 

For a wedding, charros also wear a sombrero de gala — made with rabbit, nutria or chinchilla fur. Unlike the work or the half-gala hat, the gala hat is embroidered with the same gold or silver beads as the rest of the outfit.

“We also wear ankle boots, which are made of leather and often handmade,” Alejandro added.

The guidelines for the different types of charro clothing are outlined by the Mexican Charrería Federation (FMC).

The cabalgata

The arrival of the groom to the church is a tradition, a spectacle in and of itself, and one of the most exciting features of a charro wedding. Accompanied by his fellow charros, including friends and family members, Alejandro made a grand entrance to the church esplanade on horseback.

“This was one of my favorite parts of the ceremony – seeing him arrive on horseback with his friends and family, all dressed in the gala charro suit,” Paloma told me.  

Mexican men of different ages on horseback wearing elegant charro suits, riding in procession through the streets of Guadalajara as cars in the background yield to them.
“Arriving at church on horseback with my friends and family was a very special moment,” Alejandro said, seen here during his cabalgata.

Even though the wedding took place in a residential area of Guadalajara, Alejandro and his fellow charros were able to ride on part of the street to get to church. This tradition is known as the cabalgata.

“Arriving at church on horseback with my friends and family was a very special moment,” Alejandro said.

At a typical Catholic wedding mass, a classical music ensemble might accompany the ceremony with solemn harmonies. But at a charro wedding, like Paloma and Alejandro’s, the rich and soulful sound of a mariachi band filled the church.

The sombrero arch 

The final distinctive feature of a charro wedding is the sombrero arch, known as the “valla charra”. 

As the wedding mass comes to an end and the newlyweds prepare to exit, the charro guests gather to line both sides of the main aisle, all the way to the church doors. In a gesture of celebration and respect, they raise their wide-brimmed sombreros, forming an archway beneath which the couple walks.  

A bride and groom kissing in the aisle of a church under a row of Mexican sombreros being held up by two opposite lines of Mexican men in charro suits. The groom is also wearing a charro suit. The charros on either side of the couple are smiling and laughing.
The valla charra, or sombrero arch, is a much-anticipated tradition at a charro wedding.

“Walking down the aisle under the sombrero arch is a very special moment. Very emotional and very anticipated by any charro,” Alejandro told me.  

The reception

The reception doesn’t have to incorporate any elements of charrería. However, Paloma and Alejandro’s reception party gave an elegant and contemporary nod to their Mexican heritage. 

The party hall featured elements of rural Mexican tradition, softened by neutral tones and warm wooden textures. Long banquet tables were draped in white linens and adorned with clay pots and rustic vases that displayed floral centerpieces of dahlias, roses and nopales —a Mexican type of cactus.

Big, white pots with agave plants were scattered around the space, and in place of standard seating, traditional Mexican leather chairs known as equipales invited guests to relax and enjoy the banquet. 

The celebration started in the afternoon and went on for hours. 

“Honestly, it was a beautiful wedding,” Paloma told me with enthusiasm.

Gabriela Solis 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.

From hospitals to water plants, big infrastructure projects promised in Baja California Sur

By
Chris Sands
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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum raising her arm while standing at a podium with the sigil of the Mexican government. She is looking out to an audience off camera. She is delivering Baja California Sur news.
President Claudia Sheinbaum visited Los Cabos and La Paz last month, promising new housing, more potable water and a new public hospital for residents of the western coastal Mexican state. (Cuartoscuro)

President Claudia Sheinbaum’s trip last month to Los Cabos and La Paz on May 17 and 18 was big news. That was due not only to what the president did, but to what she said, and also what those accompanying her — including Baja California Sur governor Victor Manuel Castro Cosío and the mayors of Los Cabos and La Paz — had to say. 

New hospital project announced for Los Cabos

Governor of Baja California Sur, Mexico Victor Castro standing under a large outdoor event tent with a microphone, in front of an oversized TV monitor displaying a slide presentation.
Baja California Sur Gov. Victor Manuel Castro addresses IMSS personnel at the inauguration of the construction site for a new IMSS public hospital that will serve half a million residents of Los Cabos. (IMSS BCS/Twitter)

The purpose of Sheinbaum’s visit to Los Cabos was to celebrate the start of construction of a new Social Security Institute (IMSS) hospital in San José del Cabo that is projected to benefit up to half a million residents. 

The Los Cabos Regional Hospital will feature 260 beds — only 350 are currently available in the entire state — as well as state-of-the-art equipment such as CT and MRI scanners and doctors representing 46 medical specialties, from cardiology and gynecology to oncology and urology. Based on the timeline for its completion, the first patients should be welcomed in early 2027. Whenever it happens, it will be a major addition for the Mexican citizens who live in Los Cabos, and for eligible expats, of whom there are over 17,000 in total, 10,000 from the U.S. 

In addition to expressing excitement over the hospital project, the president also addressed several other issues of importance for Los Cabos residents, including the ongoing work on the second desalination plant in Cabo San Lucas, which has dragged on far too long and is of major importance in the state with the least rainfall in the country and in a city with ongoing water issues. 

President Sheinbaum pledged to help expedite the desalination work. She also divulged that she was headed to La Paz to formally announce the El Novillo dam project, which she said would eventually solve the state capital city’s drinking water problem. Construction on that project is set to begin in August.

Addressing inequality and beach access in Los Cabos

Part of an individual beach shoreline in Baja California Sur seen from above, with empty white sand and turquoise water on the shoreline.
Many luxury hotels in Baja California Sur seek to make the state’s gorgeous beaches exclusive to their patrons, a source of increasing local resentment. (Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock)

President Sheinbaum also touched on the increasing inequality that has developed in Los Cabos, with “hotel rooms costing hundreds of dollars, and the workers who work in these hotels barely have access to housing,” and said she was working to combat this issue. 

Governor Castro agreed with the spirit of the president’s remarks, adding during his speech: “We will continue to defend the roads that belong to the people. We have no doubt, nor are we mistaken, that we must recover access to the beach as much as possible. So much has been taken from us. No more plundering of Baja California Sur! No more plundering of the historical and cultural heritage of our homeland!”

There’s a lot to unpack from this. The beach reference was obviously to the many luxury hotels that have sought to impede local access to the beach. Specifically, it probably refers to the East Cape Road dispute, in which a road section was closed during the construction of a Grupo Vidanta development, leaving many residents angry over how this closure affected their beach access. 

Los Cabos officials, led by the president of the Los Cabos municipality, Christian Agúndez, rezoned the disputed road area as obsolete, legitimizing the construction. However, in response to citizen petitions, Governor Castro restored public access in February and initiated efforts to improve the traditional East Cape Road, used since 1958. Grupo Vidanta, meanwhile, has threatened lawsuits. 

Notably, the mayor of Los Cabos, the state governor and Mexico’s president, who are on different sides of this issue, were all present at the hospital construction ceremony. Sheinbaum and Castro also took the opportunity to announce further programs to benefit regional residents: Sheinbaum announced that a housing development for residents through the National Housing Commission’s (Conavi) Vivienda para el Bienestar program is now 40 percent complete.

At the same time, Castro noted that two more campuses of the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur will open in Los Cabos this year, with another slated to be built in Comondú.

Battling traffic detours during Fonatur roundabout construction

The 450-million-peso (US $23.6 million) Fonatur roundabout upgrade project aims to improve traffic flow, facilitating access to commercial and tourist areas and lowering air pollution levels in San José del Cabo.

The Fonatur roundabout in San José del Cabo is the most high-traffic area in Los Cabos, seeing upwards of 60,000 cars daily. It’s not the only congested traffic spot by any stretch of the imagination, but it was the one that most needed upgrades. Thus, it was exciting to hear that 450 million pesos had been allotted through the Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation Ministry (SICT) to improve driving conditions in this bustling roundabout.

The plan was ambitious, with the most recent iteration a multilevel structure with 780 meters of four-lane underpass integrated to prevent traffic pileups now and as the population continues to grow in the coming decades. Pedestrian use is also a major design consideration, with a projected 18,000 square meters of sidewalks included as well as 24,000 square meters of recovered green spaces.

However, as soon as work on the project began in May, it became evident that not enough thought had gone into plans for how to route traffic during the up to 18 months expected for construction.

Almost immediately, when construction began, complaints began rolling in, with journeys that had previously taken a few minutes now stretching to hours, including for airport shuttles. By late May, an additional lane had been opened to traffic through construction areas, alleviating some congestion. Local authorities also announced a reversible center lane that can change directions according to traffic patterns and the direction most drivers are coming through during each part of the day. This dynamic traffic flow initiative should also mitigate the traffic resulting from the ongoing construction.

Eventually, the Fonatur roundabout should reduce traffic in Los Cabos. But during the next 18 months or so, it’s likely to continue having the opposite effect.

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 license for deportees who drive themselves back to Mexico? Tuesday’s mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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On her second day at the mañanera podium, Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez coordinated a call from the Civil Protection Minister about Tropical Storm Erick, which is quickly strengthening off the coast of Guerrero.
On her second day at the mañanera podium, Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez coordinated a call from the Civil Protection Minister about Tropical Storm Erick, which is quickly strengthening off the coast of Guerrero. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)

For a second consecutive day, Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez led the federal government’s morning press conference as President Claudia Sheinbaum attended the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, on Tuesday.

Rodríguez noted that the president was welcomed to the province of Alberta, where Kananaskis is located, by local authorities and a group of Tsuutʼina Nation Indigenous people.

Mexicans who live in Canada also welcomed Sheinbaum, she added.

“And as part of the planned schedule, President Claudia Sheinbaum met yesterday afternoon with the Business Council of Canada in the city of Calgary,” Rodríguez said.

The interior minister acknowledged that the meeting between Sheinbaum and Donald Trump that was scheduled to take place at the G7 Summit on Tuesday was postponed as the U.S. president left the meeting earlier than expected to attend to the conflict between Israel and Iran.

The bilateral meeting will happen “at another time,” Rodríguez said.

Later in the day, Sheinbaum said on social media that she had had “a very good telephone conversation” with Trump.

She said he told him that he departed the summit urgently “due to the situation in the Middle East.”

“We agreed to work together to soon reach an agreement on various issues that concern us today,” Sheinbaum added.

Self-deportation by car?

A reporter said that a lot of Mexicans in the United States want to return to Mexico because they are afraid that they could be detained in an immigration raid. However, he noted that many immigrants have vehicles they purchased in the U.S. that they don’t want to leave behind.

The reporter asked Rodríguez whether such people could be granted “a kind of license” that allows them to bring their cars into Mexico and “regularize” them as Mexican vehicles so that they can permanently keep them here.

“It’s a very good idea,” the interior minister said.

“I would like the [Mexican] consulates to look [at the idea] directly,” Rodríguez said.

Rodríguez said she would instruct consulates in the United States to explore options for deportees who wish to return to Mexico with the cars they purchased in the U.S. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)

She also said that the government could seek to provide support to Mexicans who want to bring furniture and other household items back to Mexico.

The Trump administration is encouraging undocumented immigrants in the United States to self-deport.

“If immigrants agree to ‘self-deport’ using DHS’s Home Mobile App, they will receive travel assistance and a [US] $1,000 bonus upon arrival in their home country,” CNBC reported last week.

Less resistance than expected to junk food ban in schools 

Education Minister Mario Delgado fielded a question about the ban on junk food in schools, which took effect earlier this year.

“The truth is we thought there was going to be a lot more resistance, but we’re surprised by the level of cooperation of teachers and parents,” he said.

“I believe we’re at a different level of awareness at this time in our country, with respect to the issues of preventive healthcare and healthy eating,” Delgado said.

The education minister highlighted the “creativity” of “cooperatives” that prepare and sell food in schools, noting that the ministry he leads has received videos of fruit such as watermelon and cantaloupe cut into heart and star shapes.

“They put a toothpick in and the kids like it,” Delgado said.

“… We’ve seen a lot of creativity. And on the Vida Saludable [Healthy Life] website new material is uploaded every week, recipes, for example,” he said.

“The DIF [family services agency] collects recipes from schools and uploads them to the site, videos as well,” Delgado said.

Rodríguez: Attorney general is in ‘perfect’ health

A reporter asked Rodríguez about the health of Federal Attorney General Alejandro Gertz after an El Universal newspaper columnist revealed on Monday that the 85-year-old was hospitalized on June 9 due to an obstruction in his coronary arteries.

“Due to the seriousness of his ailment, the 85-year-old official underwent a [cardiac] catheterization [procedure] in which two valves were placed [in his heart],” wrote Salvador García Soto, who posted a “medical note” about the attorney general’s admission to a Mexico City hospital to his X account.

García said that Gertz stayed in the Santa Fe ABC Hospital for five days.

Rodríguez said that Gertz, attorney general since 2018, attended various meetings with government officials on Monday and is in “perfect condition.”

“That is the information we have at the moment,” she added.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)

Villahermosa residents protest National Olmec Museum in beloved Tomás Garrido Park

By
MND Staff
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The Tomás Garrido Park is an extension of the La Venta Museum-Park, one of the few open-air museums in Latin America, and features over 30 Olmec heads.
The Tomás Garrido Park is an extension of the La Venta Museum-Park, one of the few open-air museums in Latin America, and features over 30 Olmec heads. (Carlos Canabal Obrador/Cuartoscuro)

Thousands of locals are protesting the construction of a major new museum in Villahermosa, the capital of the southeastern state of Tabasco, citing a risk of ecocide.

In December 2024, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced plans to develop a 14,700-square-meter Olmec museum, choosing the underused grounds of the zoo in the Tomás Garrido Park in Villahermosa as the development site.

The park, created by the Tabasco poet Carlos Pellicer Cámara to be a harmonious space where culture and nature meet, was inaugurated in 1958 and has since been considered the “green lung” of the city.

The seven-hectare park houses 33 Olmec monuments, including altars, stelae, colossal heads and monoliths dating from between 1300 and 200 BCE, most of which were moved to Villahermosa in the 1950s from the nearby ancient pre-Hispanic city of La Venta. 

The proposed National Olmec Museum, designed by architect Enrique Norten, is meant to house those artefacts, protecting them from the elements. The museum’s structure would also include workshops, storage rooms, laboratories and a temporary exhibition hall. 

But the rainforest park is also home to trees such as the cedar, royal palm, ceiba and flamboyant, as well as flowering plants such as orchids and bromeliads. The thousands of residents in Villahermosa who are protesting the development are concerned that the museum’s construction would endanger those species. 

Though the Olmec heads are a fixture of the Tomás Garrido Park, the weather takes a toll on the basalt stone sculptures, limiting their preservation.
Though the Olmec heads are a fixture of the Tomás Garrido Park, the weather takes a toll on the basalt stone sculptures, limiting their preservation. (Marco Polo Guzmán/Cuartoscuro)

A petition posted on Change.org, titled “Demand the Cancelation of the National Olmec Museum,” has collected nearly 60,000 signatures. In addition, hundreds of people marched across the city in protest of the development earlier this month, while others took to social media to voice their opposition. 

“The proposal to build the National Olmec Museum on park land is a threat that could destroy hundreds of endemic tree species and, consequently, cause an irreparable loss of biodiversity in our city,” the petition’s creator, Luis Felipe Cornelio Priego, said. “Furthermore, this project threatens the work and vision of the prestigious poet Carlos Pellicer Cámara.”

INAH Director General Diego Prieto said the plan for the museum arose following a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommendation to relocate the pre-Columbian artefacts to protect them from rain and high temperatures. Prieto said that the museum would house the original artefacts to protect them from deterioration, while replicas would be made for Tomás Garrido Park.

INAH delegate in Tabasco Carlos Arturo Giordano added that the National Olmec Museum would be the first national museum to be constructed outside of Mexico City, giving “first-world relevance to the place where it is being built.”

Authorities have also previously stated that the project complies with the current environmental regulations.  

Nevertheless, opponents argue that there are several alternative spaces, such as abandoned buildings, that would be suitable to house the museum without harming the park.  

Following recent protests, Tabasco Governor Javier May Rodríguez said a public consultation would be held to decide the future of the project. 

With reports from El Financiero, Excelsior and Infobae

Mexico moves up a notch on Swiss competitiveness ranking 

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MND Staff
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Mexican flag waving from a pole
According to the new ranking, Mexico's strongest assets for economic competitiveness are its fiscal policy, its employment record and its domestic economy. (Alexander Schimmeck/Unsplash)

Mexico moved up one position in the 2025 World Competitiveness Ranking conducted by the Institute for Management Development (IMD) of Switzerland, which evaluates 69 economies globally. But the results indicate that there’s plenty of room for improvement. 

Mexico’s slight increase from spot 56 to 55 reflects a marginal improvement in the country’s economic development and performance compared to 2024. 

schoolids at the school door
One of the recommendations that the ranking organization (IMD) has for Mexico to move up in the ranking is to implement structural reforms in education and clean energy. (Carolina Jiménez Mariscal/Cuartoscuro)

Among the Latin American nations that IMD evaluated, Mexico ranks below Chile (42) and Colombia (54), but above Brazil (58), Peru (60) and Argentina (62). 

In the overall ranking, Switzerland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Denmark and the United Arab Emirates ranked as the world’s most competitive economies. Meanwhile, Canada (No. 11), Germany (No. 19) and Luxembourg (No. 20) climbed the most within the top 20. 

The United States came in at No. 13 and the United Kingdom at No. 29.

The IMD is an independent academic institute with Swiss roots and campuses in Singapore and China. It emphasizes that its competitiveness ranking is not based solely on the usual economic indicators.

“An economy’s competitiveness cannot be reduced to its GDP, productivity or employment levels,” reads a statement on the IMD website. “It can be gauged only by considering a complex matrix of political, social and cultural dimensions.” 

Still, currencies and trade are important factors in the ratings.  

“Strong currencies are emerging as an indicator of long-term success,” Arturo Bris, director of the Global Competitiveness Center (GCC), which compiled the ranking for the IMD, said. “At the same time, the reorganization of global trade networks is revealing how accessible countries have been acting in their best interests, and the consensus is proving positive for economies, in stark contrast to the effects of polarization.”

How do the results for Mexico break down?

According to the report, Mexico’s performance looks as follows.

Economic performance: Mexico ranked 39th, with notable results in employment (No. 9) and domestic economy (No. 30), but lower rankings in international trade (No. 52) and prices (No. 55). However, international trade moved up five positions compared to 2024. 

Government efficiency: Mexico ranked 62nd, with its best rating in fiscal policy (No. 23). However, it lags behind in institutional framework (No. 62) and business legislation (No. 62).

Business efficiency: The country came in at 54th, with efficiency and productivity recording at the top (No. 38), but with weaknesses in finance (No. 62), and attitudes and values ​​(No. 57).

Infrastructure: Mexico ranked 61st, with lags in basic infrastructure (No. 66), technological infrastructure (No. 62), and education infrastructure (No. 64).

In identifying Mexico’s “challenges and considerations,” IMD’s report notes that Mexico must leverage U.S. economic policy to boost its domestic market through innovation and nearshoring.

It also points to the need for structural reforms in education and clean energy, as well as improving logistics infrastructure and strengthening international relations to achieve higher GDP growth (2-3%). Mexico is currently forecast to grow between 0 and 0.2% in 2025.

Last year, Mexico ranked No. 56 overall, the same as in 2023. However, the ranking included three new economies this year: two that ranked below Mexico (Ghana and Nigeria), and one that ranked above Mexico (Puerto Rico).

With reports from El Economista

Pawsome news: Dr. Simi launches budget-friendly veterinary care in Mexico

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MND Staff
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SimiPet care
“It’s about helping dogs,” said Víctor González Torres, founder of the pharmacy chain, “and [helping] humans who have dogs spend less.” (Dr. Simi/X)

Farmacias Similares, the Mexican pharmacy giant known for discount prices and its adorably famous mascot, Dr. Simi, has launched its first SimiPet Care veterinary clinic in Mexico City.

The inaugural clinic opened last week in the Escandón neighborhood, adjacent to Condesa and Tacubaya — with plans to open 20 more branches in the capital by the end of July and dozens nationwide by year’s end, depending on demand.

 

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“We can open maybe 100 this year,” said Víctor González Herrera, CEO of Farmacias Similares.  “It will depend on how we do. Our system is a win-win. If everyone wins, we’ll grow quickly, as we know how to do.”

Herrera said the aim of SimiPet Care — that’s its actual name, not something translated from Spanish — is to make pet health care affordable for millions of Mexican families.

The new veterinary service comes nearly three months after Farmacias Similares announced the launch of the Dr. Simi brand in the United States.

SimiPet Care offers basic veterinary services for dogs and cats, including vaccinations, deworming, glucose tests, wound care and travel certificates. Currently, the promotional price for a consultation is 75 pesos (US $3.95).

Certified veterinarians from top universities will staff the clinics, which operate Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The launch also introduced Dr. Lares, a new character and veterinary zootechnician, who will serve as the face of SimiPet Care. Plush toys of Dr. Lares, depicted as a kind, gray-haired doctor with a bandaged dog, are already available. 

While some have speculated that she is Dr. Simi’s wife, the company has not confirmed this. Her name, “Lares,” plays on the word “Simi-Lares,” reinforcing her connection to the brand.

Dr. Simi, the mascot who has become a global cultural icon, remains the primary face of Farmacias Similares, but Dr. Lares will represent the veterinary division.

“Right now it’s about helping dogs,” said Víctor González Torres, founder of the chain, “and [helping] humans who have dogs spend less.”

A law to establish public veterinary clinics across Mexico — approved by Congress and signed into law by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in January 2024 — states that pets be provided with free preventive medical care (such as sterilization) and emergency medical treatment as needed.

However, implementation is subject to the availability of federal, state and local funding resources. Thus, while a public veterinary hospital has opened in Mérida, Yucatán, and there are free vet clinics operating in Mexico City, the national rollout has been spotty.

At 75 pesos per visit, SimiPet Care is a promising option in the meantime. Its first location, which opened Thursday, is at 63 Calle Prosperidad in the Escandón neighborhood of the Miguel Hidalgo borough of Mexico City.

With reports from Infobae, Excélsior and El Universal

At the G7, Sheinbaum courts Canadian business leaders

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MND Staff
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men in suits seated around a conference table at G7
Many of the Canadian business leaders who met with President Sheinbaum at the G7 Summit represented companies with a longstanding presence in Mexico. (Claudia Sheinbaum/X)

President Claudia Sheinbaum met with prominent Canadian business leaders at the Group of 7 summit on Monday, where she promoted Mexico’s investment opportunities to an appreciative audience.

Mexico is not a member of the G7, but Sheinbaum had accepted an invitation to attend the meeting in the Canadian town of Kananaskis, some 90 miles outside of Calgary, Alberta. The invitation had been extended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the urging of the Business Council of Canada (BCC). 

President Sheinbaum seated in front of Mexican flag
The president presented the Canadian business leaders with an explanation of Plan México, her administration’s signature project with the aim of getting Mexico to join Canada and the United States as one of the world’s top 10 economies. (Claudia Sheinbaum/X)

Accompanying the president at her appearance with the BCC were Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Finance Minister Edgar Amador Zamora and Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente.

The BCC, which brings together 170 business leaders whose companies employ 2.1 million people in Canada, has expressed interest in expanding its presence in Mexico. Meeting attendees included senior executives from companies such as TC Energy, WestJet Airlines, Palliser Furniture, ATCO, BRP and Element Fleet Management, all with established operations in Mexico.

According to Sheinbaum, the meeting focused on showcasing Plan México, the government’s blueprint to turn Mexico into one of the 10 largest global economies. 

“We met with members of the Canadian Business Council interested in investing in our country [to talk] about the benefits and opportunities of Plan México,” Sheinbaum said on her official X account, where she shared images of the meeting.

The BCC had issued a statement before the meeting with the Mexican president, saying they were “pleased to learn” that Sheinbaum had accepted Prime Minister Carney’s invitation. According to the BCC, this was an invitation they had “strongly urged” the government to extend.

“In addition to strengthening bilateral ties between Mexico and Canada, we encourage the two leaders, together with President Donald Trump, to commit our three countries to the expedited review and extension of our trilateral trade agreement,” the statement concluded. 

According to De la Fuente, Sheinbaum will hold bilateral talks with Carney, as well as meetings with leaders from Germany, India and the European Union.

With reports from López Dóriga

With new Chair Law, Mexico says workers have right to sit down on the job

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MND Staff
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Store workers standing for their entire shift
The motivation for Mexico's new Chair Law is that prolonged standing on a regular basis at work can lead to adverse health outcomes. (Victoria Valtierra/Cuartoscuro)

A new law safeguarding workers’ right to take periodic breaks is now in effect throughout Mexico, and employers who don’t allow employees to get off their feet and sit in a chair from time to time will face hefty fines.

A labor reform known as the Ley Silla (Chair Law) was approved by Congress late last year and published in the federal government’s Official Gazette on Dec. 19, 2024. Upon publication, employers were granted 180 days to become compliant with the law’s requirements.

The law establishes that employers’ primary obligations are: (1) ensuring there are a sufficient number of seats with backrests for employees’ use, and (2) not preventing employees from taking seated breaks when the nature of the work allows it.

Employers in the service and retail industries, and similar sectors, are the employers most directly impacted by the Chair Law, whose objective is to prevent employees from having to remain standing for the entirety of their shifts. 

The motivation for the reform is that prolonged standing on a regular basis at work can lead to adverse health outcomes, according to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). 

The end result of the Chair Law is that employers should see a reduction in occupational risks and costs associated with disabilities.

Research cited by EU-OSHA shows a clear link between the time workers must stand and symptoms related to lower back complaints and lower limb complaints.

Former presidential candidate Jorge Álvarez Maynez speaks to a worker at an Oxxo in Toluca, México state, about the new Chair Law.
Former presidential candidate Jorge Álvarez Maynez speaks to a worker at an Oxxo in Toluca, México state, about the new Chair Law. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)

Prolonged standing can lead to various musculoskeletal, circulatory and other health issues. Such issues include low back pain, muscle fatigue, swelling in the legs and feet, varicose veins and poor circulation. In some cases, prolonged static standing can contribute to joint problems, foot issues and cardiovascular problems.

EU-OSHA defines prolonged standing as standing more than one hour without moving from the workstation and standing more than four hours a day.

Although Mexico’s Chair Law specifies that service and retail industry employers are subject to its requirements, it does not exempt employers in other industries. As a result, it is likely that all employers will have to meet the law’s requirements. 

Employers covered by the Chair Law must:

  • Provide a sufficient number of chairs with backrests for employees.
  • Allow employees to take periodic breaks to sit and rest on chairs with backrests during their shifts, and make sure that work spaces feature adequate space for employees to alternate between standing postures and other postures.
  • Company regulations must include rules regarding rest periods and the use of chair backrests.
  • Companies must inform and advise employees about the health risks related to prolonged standing.

If employees find employers are not complying with the law, they can file a formal complaint with the Labor Ministry.

In cases of noncompliance, fines can be levied, ranging from 28,000 pesos to $280,000 pesos (US $1,472 to $14,720). In case of recidivism, the offending company can be closed down.

With reports from Expansión, El Universal and El Economista

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