The attack occurred near the Xola metro station before 8 a.m. in the borough of Benito Juárez. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
The personal secretary of Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada and a government advisor were shot dead on a busy avenue in the capital on Tuesday morning, authorities said.
The Mexico City government said in a statement that Ximena Guzmán, Brugada’s personal secretary, and José Muñoz, an advisor, were killed at the intersection of Calzada de Tlalpan and Napoleón Street in the neighborhood of Moderna, located in the Benito Juárez borough.
The statement said that the aggressors were on a motorbike when they opened fire on the vehicle in which Guzmán and Muñoz were traveling.
The Mexico City government said that the local Security Ministry and Attorney General’s Office, “with support from the government of Mexico,” are carrying out investigations “to determine the motive of the attack.”
“In addition, an analysis of [footage from] video surveillance cameras in the area is being carried out to identify the probable culprits, who it is known were traveling on a motorcycle,” the government said.
“There won’t be impunity. The culprits will be arrested and they must face justice. From the Mexico City government we send our condolences to the relatives and loved ones [of the victims], and all necessary support will be provided,” the statement concluded.
President Claudia Sheinbaum read out the Mexico City government statement at her morning press conference and pledged that justice will be served.
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this situation,” she said, adding that the federal government will provide “unconditional support” for Brugada.
Sheinbaum also said that the two victims had collaborated with the ruling Morena party for an extended period.
“Our solidarity and support to the families of these two people, who had been working in our movement for a long time. We know them. Our solidarity with their families and with Clara,” she said.
While Sheinbaum was mayor of Mexico City, her then security minister Omar García Harfuch — now the federal security minister — was targeted in an armed attack in the capital that was attributed to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
García Harfuch was wounded in the 2020 attack, while three other people were killed.
Following her morning press conference on Monday, the president accepted letters of credence from the ambassadors to Mexico of Algeria, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, the United States and Slovakia. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
The acceptance of letters of credence from new ambassadors to Mexico and the upcoming judicial elections were among the topics President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Monday morning press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s May 19 mañanera.
Sheinbaum accepts letter of credence from new US ambassador
Sheinbaum told reporters that she would welcome new ambassadors to the National Palace, including new U.S. ambassador Ronald Johnson, in the early afternoon.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m., she posted a photo to social media that showed her with Johnson along with a letter of credence from United States President Donald Trump.
The president on Monday also accepted letters of credence from the ambassadors to Mexico of Algeria, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Slovakia.
Sheinbaum with Ambassador Ronald Johnson on Monday. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico’s richest person, Carlos Slim, was also reportedly at the dinner hosted by Verástegui, a well-known actor, singer, pro-life advocate and leader of an ultra-conservative political movement. He made an attempt to contest the 2024 presidential election in Mexico, but the National Electoral Institute rejected his candidacy after he failed to accumulate the total number of signatures required to meet the eligibility requirements.
Sheinbaum didn’t comment on Johnson’s dinner with Verástegui, who the new U.S. ambassador described as his “brother.”
Instead, she reiterated that her administration wants a “good relationship with the United States government.”
Sheinbaum said last week that when she saw the new ambassador, she would request “a lot of coordination” and “collaboration” between Mexico and the United States as well as a “relationship of respect.”
Sheinbaum predicts large turnout at June 1 judicial elections
Sheinbaum noted that Mexico’s first-ever judicial elections are just two weeks away.
“We’re very happy, I’m very happy, because there will be broad and free participation,” she said.
“… The people will decide who they want to be part of the judicial branch, [it’s] unprecedented,” Sheinbaum said.
“And I’m also happy because there is a lot of unity between the government and the people,” she added.
Later in the press conference, Sheinbaum conceded she didn’t have an “approximate” number on how many people will vote in the judicial elections.
However, “when polls are done … half of the people say they’re going to vote,” she said.
“… We have to wait and see what the turnout is. It’s better that the people [elect judges] than just a few or the president,” Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum argues that elections are necessary to rid the judiciary of ills such as corruption and nepotism. She said earlier this month that holding judicial elections is “a very democratic way to clean up the judicial power, … to put an end to this nepotism, corruption, and these judges that release criminals from organized crime with impunity.”
There are a range of concerns about the popular election of judges, including that the ruling Morena party will attempt to stack the courts with judges sympathetic to their cause and that organized crime groups could effectively install judges by pressuring or coercing citizens to vote for their preferred candidates.
“It’s better that the people [elect judges] than just a few or the president,” Sheinbaum reiterated on Monday. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)
‘Our support for Marina del Pilar’
Sheinbaum reiterated her support for Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila, whose United States tourist visa, along with that of her husband, was revoked this month.
“Our support for Marina del Pilar. She has done very good work at the head of the Baja California government,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that the Federal Attorney General’s Office had no information that indicated that the governor was under investigation in the United States.
There is speculation that Ávila, via her husband Carlos Torres Torres, has links to a money laundering network, but the governor denies she has “done something wrong.”
“She does good work, the people like her a lot,” Sheinbaum said. “I’ve seen it, I’ve noticed it while in Baja California.”
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
As a signatory, high-end department store Palacio de Hierro has pledged to boost its Mexican-made inventory from its current 30% to 42%. (Shutterstock)
More than 20 prominent business groups in Mexico have agreed to increase the average domestic content of the products they sell over the next three years.
Last week, 22 groups representing 28 companies ranging from grocers to luxury department stores signed a “voluntary agreement” with the Economy Ministry (SE) to increase the availability of “Made in Mexico” products in their inventory.
In announcing the agreement on May 15, Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard touted its advantage to small producers, who can supply the bigger stockists with Mexican products that only they make. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced the agreement during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Thursday morning press conference, mentioning that the framework for the “Hecho en México” (Made in Mexico) program is the government’s six-year Plan México national investment strategy.
The agreement is expected to generate approximately 400,000 additional jobs in the manufacturing sector, he said.
Ebrard also praised the commitment of the companies and brands that are expected to formally sign on in the next 90 days, adding that the participants agreed to renew the pact in 2028.
The president added that the agreement dovetails with Plan México’s primary objective of more domestic production and job creation.
The agreement intends for consumers to find more domestically produced goods at retail outlets across the country, as well as online channels, boosting national industries by increasing sales.
Ebrard said the agreement should allow small and medium-sized businesses to integrate into marketing chains.
“In the short term, many products can only be supplied by small and medium-sized businesses which should provide an opportunity to play a bigger role in the supply chain,” he said.
What businesses signed the agreement?
The 22 groups signing the agreement with the SE are: Bizzarro, Chedraui, Casa Ley, Coppel, HEB, The Home Depot, La Comer, Fresco, City Market, Liverpool, Suburbia, OfficeMax, S-Mart, Soriana, Tiendas Extra, Círculo K, Super Kompras, Office Depot, Petco, Palacio de Hierro, Sears, Grupo Sanborns, Grupo Merza, Walmart, Oxxo México, Mercado Libre, Amazon and 7-Eleven México.
Ebrard said supermarkets will aim to increase their domestic content levels from their current 50% to 70%, while department store chains will boost this percentage from 30% to 42%. Pharmacies have committed to increasing their percentage from 40% to 55%.
E-commerce companies such as Amazon and Mercado Libre have agreed to affix visible labels on their platforms to clearly identify all products made in Mexico.
The SE launched its “Made in Mexico” program in February, issuing an agreement regulating the use of the “Hecho en México” certification stamps.
The SE’s Unit of Regulations, Competitiveness and Competition is responsible for enforcing the agreement, ensuring compliance with established rules and overseeing the authorization process for businesses seeking to use the stamps.
Gloria Bellack and her husband Richard are the founders of a longtime, well-known nonprofit in Zihuatanejo, Por Los Ninos. (Por Los Niños)
Over the years, Zihuatanejo has seen its share of remarkable women from other countries who call Mexico home. Whether part-time or full-time, these women seem determined to make a lasting impression on their adopted community. One of these remarkable women is Gloria Bellack, who, in 1999, along with her husband Richard, founded one of the most successful nonprofit organizations this bustling and vibrant city has seen.
Originally named the Bellack Foundation, it is now known as Por Los Niños, an organization with a mission to help underprivileged children through assistance to local schools and scholarships for students. The organization distributes money raised from Sailfest, Zihuatanejo’s popular two-week regatta event and fundraiser, which attracts folks in the sailing community from far and wide each year.
Por Los Niños’ mission centers on helping underserved children in the Zihuatanejo area through assistance to schools with meals, supplies and more. It also awards scholarships to promising students. (Por Los Ninos)
From figure skater to Reno showgirl
Bellack started her life far from Zihuatanejo, from humble beginnings in Beaumont, England, where she began ice skating early. As she grew older, figure skating became her passion, and she eventually taught the sport around the country, including in Leeds, a coal mining town.
“The coal was so thick that after class, when we removed our clothes to shower, there was an outline of soot stenciled on our bodies. And sometimes the fog was so thick, it was hard to breathe, much less skate,”
Bellack married and had a son, but by the age of 45, she had married three more times. During this period, she mingled with the musical legends like Mick Jagger, Englebert Humperdinck and even Princess Margaret, whom she met at an awards ceremony.
She taught skating in Australia for three years before relocating to the United States in 1980. There, Bellack began a new career as a figure-skating showgirl in the Razzle Dazzle ice follies in Reno, Nevada, a large-scale, theatrical ice-skating revue that also featured celebrities.
Much like in England, the ever-popular Bellack met during this time with some of the most fascinating celebrities of the era, including singer Vicki Carr, Olympic skater Dorothy Hamill, entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. and actor John Travolta. It was also where she met Richard Bellack, a handsome airline pilot with United Airlines, who eventually became husband number five.
Bellack meeting actor John Travolta. (Gloria Bellack)
Together, the Bellacks lived for eight years on a boat in San Diego, where Gloria — who had retired from skating — held several positions at the KKIC Yacht Club at Shelter Island, including that of rear commodore.
A pull toward Mexico and helping others
Throughout these years, the Bellacks felt drawn to Mexico and began to search for places to live during the winter months. Having visited in 1974, Richard felt that Zihuatanejo was high on the list of possibilities, as he preferred it over any other place they had experienced in the country. Together, they decided to explore it further.
While staying at a hotel in Zihuatanejo, they noticed a large group of children gathered on a basketball court. Curious, they investigated, thinking it a school event. However, it turned out to be a “clean the beach day” event. This encounter became a pivotal moment in their lives.
By chance, they met Lisa Martin, an American who had aligned herself with Marina Sánchez, a teacher and founder of a school dedicated to teaching the city’s poorest Indigenous children. These children’s education was sketchy at best, but Sánchez and Martin dreamed of a school with the same advantages as government-run institutions.
Since these children spoke Nahuatl, not Spanish — a requirement at that time — the government did not provide support for their education. The duo wanted to change all that.
The Netza School was little more than a rudimentary shack, dependent on donations from well-meaning locals and tourists. Gloria, who had suffered from dyslexia, only learning to read as an adult, identified with the challenges these children faced.
And so the Bellacks decided to get involved in the project.
The birth of Zihuatanejo’s Sailfest
Around the same time, the Bellacks began to make friends with the sailing community in Zihuatanejo, made up of people from Canada and the U.S. The couple noticed that each year, these folks brought school supplies for disadvantaged children as they sailed from port to port. A Zihuatanejo hangout, Rick’s Bar, started to accept the donations, and soon a loose association formed.
Sailfest began in 2001 with over 100 boats that arrived in Zihuatanejo with sailing enthusiasts wanting to help local schoolchildren. (Por Los Niños)
More formal fundraising efforts for the Netza school began when Latitude 38, a well-known international sailing magazine, teamed up with a catamaran and hosted the Sail Parade event to raise the much-needed funds. Boaters sold tickets to eager tourists on their boats.
The event was a success, raising over US $2,000 in its first year. From this, Zihuatanejo’s popular Sailfest fundraising event was born.
Each year thereafter, Sailfest expanded to include more events, including chilli contests, dances and cruises, and became a highly anticipated event.
“It was such a success that people began to plan their holidays around it,” Bellack said.
The formation of Por Los Niños
The Bellacks eventually formed a foundation, enlisting the help of another expat, Bill Underwood, who, like the Bellacks, committed to matching donations during the first eight to 10 years of fundraising. With these extra funds, they expanded their donations to include many other schools.
Despite the more recent yearly decline of participating boaters in Sailfest — from a peak of 100 boats to only 10–12 participants in 2025, there is no question that Sailfest is still a significant success.
“The decrease in boats is due in part to the creation of a Sailfest in Barrio Navidad a few years ago, which caused many boaters who would normally make the annual trek to Zihuatanejo to anchor there instead,” Bellack explains.
Some people also blame the economy, while others blame the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for the boats’ dwindling numbers. However, the annual fundraiser is still a success: In 2024, it raised over 4.7 million pesos (US $205,000).
Community Kitchen
The organization keeps responding to the changing needs of underserved Zihuatanejo schoolchildren. This video tells the story of how Por Los Niños responded to the COVID-19 pandemic closing schools.
Over the years, this money has built countless classrooms, kitchens and bathrooms in Zihuatanejo and several surrounding communities. The organization has provided uniforms, lunch meals, books, school supplies and computers. It has also given out scholarships to hundreds of children.
Last year, their scholarship recipients had a 100% graduation rate. A large percentage of the organization’s scholarship students have also gone on to pursue higher education.
Today, although retired from the day-to-day management of events, Gloria, 81, and Richard, 86, remain actively involved in Por Los Niños. They attend all events, and annually, Gloria hosts a much-anticipated fundraiser, called High Tea with Gloria, in the couple’s home. In a nod to England, guests are encouraged to wear elaborate hats and fancy clothes while sipping tea (and other beverages of a stronger nature) and nibbling on cucumber sandwiches and pastries
When asked what her involvement in Sailfest has meant to her, Gloria said, “It’s given me a lot of faith, excitement and inspiration. And, it makes me happy. “
The writer divides her time between Canada and Zihuatanejo.
According to authorities, transnational companies have avoided paying IEPS excise tax on shipments of gasoline and diesel because they "report" the fuel as "vegetable oil or lubricants," or "any other product" that is not subject to the IEPS — the Special Tax on Production and Services. (Unsplash)
In collusion with customs agents and the merchant marine, transnational corporations have brought large quantities of fuel into Mexico without paying the IEPS excise tax, resulting in lost revenue of around 1 billion pesos per shipment, according to the federal government’s top anti-corruption official.
In an interview with the newspaper El Universal’s program Con los de Casa last week, the federal Anti-Corruption and Good Government Minister Raquel Buenrostro said that transnational companies have avoided paying IEPS excise tax on shipments of gasoline and diesel because they “report” the fuel as “vegetable oil or lubricants,” or “any other product” that is not subject to the IEPS — the Special Tax on Production and Services.
She said that “each unloading” of a shipment of fuel for which the IEPS is not paid costs tax authorities a seemingly incredulous amount of around 1 billion pesos (US $51.7 million).
“We’re talking about a well-designed, sophisticated scheme in which customs agents and even high-ranking managers in certain companies participate,” Buenrostro said in a separate press conference.
She described the practice as “technical smuggling.”
It is also known as “huachicol fiscal,” — fiscal fuel theft, or tax-robbed fuel.
Huachicol is a colloquial term for stolen fuel in Mexico, huachicoleo is fuel theft and huachicoleros are fuel thieves. Fuel is most commonly stolen in Mexico via illegal taps on Pemex pipelines.
Fuel on which tax is evaded comes into Mexico via its seaports and its land border with the United States, especially that with Texas, the largest fuel-producing state in the U.S.
“We’re trying to be prudent because we don’t … [want] to cause chaos in the market, but we do want justice to be served,” Raquel Buenrostro said. (Victoria Valtierra/Cuartoscuro)In her interview on the El Universal program, Buenrostro didn’t identify any of the large “high prestige” companies allegedly involved in the evasive practice, asserting that to do so would cause “all their shares” to decline in value.
“We’re trying to be prudent because we don’t … [want] to cause chaos in the market, but we do want justice to be served,” she said.
Buenrostro previously noted that Vitol, a Switzerland-based Dutch energy multinational, is among the companies that have been accused of evading Mexican taxes on imported fuel.
Citing estimates from the Energy and Economy ministries and the federal tax agency SAT, El Universal reported that if the evasion of Mexico’s value-added tax (IVA) and the IEPS on imports of gasoline and diesel was stopped, an additional 100 billion pesos (US $5.2 billion) would flow into federal coffers each year.
Buenrostro, a former tax agency chief nicknamed the “Iron Lady,” said that SAT filed fuel smuggling complaints with the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) and a special prosecutor’s office during the 2018-24 presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
She explained that complaints against government officials were filed with the special prosecutor’s office tasked with investigating crimes in which public servants were allegedly involved.
The anti-corruption minister said that none of the fuel smuggling cases SAT reported have been resolved.
“No progress has been made,” she said, adding that the ministry she leads doesn’t have any documents relating to new fuel smuggling complaints filed since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office last October.
In a recent press conference, Buenrostro said that “Vitol is only a representative case,” stressing that “there are other companies that are being investigated” for tax evasion on fuel imports.
The news website Infobae reported that Vitol “has already been investigated for acts of corruption and bribery in Mexico,” but it has not been convicted of any crime.
According to the Naval Ministry, Tamaulipas’s Port of Altamira is one of four Mexican ports involved in a “smuggling network” that is evading taxes on imported fuel from the United States. (Gobierno de México)
Citing an investigation by the Naval Intelligence Unit of the Navy Ministry, El Universal reported last month that “a smuggling network” that brings gasoline into Mexico from the United States “operates at at least four Mexican ports: Altamira and Tampico in Tamaulipas; Ensenada in Baja California; and Guaymas in Sonora.”
“Authorities and directors at institutions and companies … are involved: the exporters, the importers, the shipping companies, the customs and tax authorities at ports, the distributors and the gas station owners that sell this illegal fuel at lower prices,” El Universal said.
‘Unfair competition for Pemex’
Buenrostro said that transnational companies’ evasion of tax on imported shipments of fuel in recent years doesn’t just lead to a loss of tax revenue but also represents “unfair competition for Pemex,” Mexico’s state-owned oil company, and “other legal importers of fuel.”
“In addition, because it is unregulated fuel, it also poses safety and environmental risks,” she said.
Buenrostro said that the government was considering a reform to the Hydrocarbons Law to tighten controls on fuel import permits, as well as other measures to prevent the evasion of tax on gasoline and diesel brought into the country.
“We’re not going to allow the state to continue being harmed by such shameless [tax] evasion schemes,” she said.
Buenrostro said that “the intention” of Mexican authorities “is not to go against foreign investment, but rather demand that [foreign companies] comply with the law like any national company.”
According to the news website La Silla Rota, Francisco Barnés de Castro, a former chief of Mexico’s Energy Regulatory Commission, led a recent study that found that huachicol fiscal has increased “alarmingly” in Mexico and become a “direct threat” to public finances and the “formal” energy sector.
Fuel imported to Mexico on which the IEPS excise tax wasn’t paid is sold at a cheaper price, putting companies that do pay their taxes at a disadvantage, according to Barnés de Castro. He claimed that there has been a lack of political will and government action to combat the problem.
Barnés de Castro called for a strengthening of “customs supervision” and the application of “criminal penalties” to discourage the technical smuggling of fuel, according to La Silla Rota.
Murders, disappearances and ‘a complex web of institutional protection’
Infobae reported on Monday that the “huachicol fiscal” scheme in Mexico has left “a trail of murders, disappearances, suspicious contracts and a complex web of institutional protection.”
“… This [scheme] operates with [phony] invoices, customs agents and administrative offices that legalize illegality from customs and borders,” the news website said.
Infobae said that Sergio Carmona Angulo, dubbed “El Rey de Huachicol” (The King of Stolen Fuel), was a central player in the tax evasion scheme. He was murdered in Nuevo León in 2021, but “the machinery” of the illicit scheme “didn’t stop,” the news website said.
“Businesspeople, carriers and operators continue moving fuel through customs with evasion mechanisms that remain active today,” Infobae said, adding that the practice has cost Mexico more than 500 billion pesos in lost tax revenue in recent years.
Infobae reported on the murder and disappearance of other people allegedly linked to hauchicol fiscal in Mexico. It also said that “several politicians and high-level officials have been pointed out for their closeness to Carmona.”
Among those mentioned by Infobae are Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal Anaya and Mario Delgado Carrillo, the current federal education minister and former president of Morena, Mexico’s ruling party.
Infobae reported that Villarreal, who took office in 2022, “was linked to electoral funding” provided by Carmona and took flights on aircraft owned by the now-deceased “King of Stolen Fuel.”
It noted that Xochitl Gálvez, a former senator and presidential candidate in 2024, “revealed” in 2023 that Delgado “traveled on aircraft owned by Carmona during [election] campaigns in the north of the country.”
Criminal organizations such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel are also allegedly involved in illicit fuel schemes, including the smuggling of stolen crude oil from Mexico into the United States.
Mexican cartels are alleged to have co-conspirators on the other side of the border.
As Mexico News Daily reported in late April, a Utah couple and their two sons are facing federal charges in the United States for allegedly smuggling US $300 million worth of crude oil from Mexico in collaboration with Mexican criminal organizations.
Del Toro will sport the iconic pink "leader" jersey going into Tuesday’s Stage 10, a 28.6-kilometer race covering a flat route from Lucca to Pisa. (Giro d'Italia/Facebook)
Isaac del Toro, a 21-year-old from Ensenada, Baja California, has become the first cyclist from Mexico to lead the Giro d’Italia, one of cycling’s three most prestigious events, along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.
Though del Toro finished second to Belgian star Wout Van Aert in Sunday’s portion of the race, his overall time stands as the lowest, meaning that he’ll be wearing the iconic pink jersey going into Tuesday’s Stage 10.
The pink jersey, or maglia rosa, is always worn by the race’s overall leader at the start of that day. Monday was a rest day, one of two during the three-week race.
“I cried with happiness,” del Toro said after Sunday’s 181-kilometer stage from Gubbio to Siena, which included 30 kilometers on the gravel roads of the Tuscan countryside, where threats of tire punctures and crashes abound. “It’s incredible, a very beautiful feeling. I can’t even fully grasp it yet.”
Del Toro, who is in the second year of a three-year contract as a pro rider for UAE Team Emirates XRG, holds a 73-second lead over teammate Juan Ayuso of Spain, with Italy’s Antonio Tiberi third 90 seconds back.
The Giro d’Italia is a race of 21 stages spanning over 3,500 kilometers that tests riders across flat stages, mountain climbs and time trials. It will conclude in Rome on June 1.
Though UAE Team Emirates XRG has four riders in the Top 10, Del Toro’s rise to the top of the standingshas been a surprise. He has no major wins as a pro, but in 2023, he became the first Mexican to win France’s Tour de l’Avenir, a race for amateurs covering much of the Tour de France course.
The short, flat stage — the second and final time trial this year — is expected to have a large impact on the overall standings, especially for contenders, such as pre-race favorite Primož Roglič of Slovenia, looking to make up time.
Roglič, the 2023 Giro d’Italia winner and a four-time winner of the Vuelta a España, crashed Sunday on the gravel and dropped to 10th overall, 145 seconds behind Del Toro.
Though there is no TV coverage in Mexico, the Giro d’Italia can be seen on Max in the U.S. and on the streaming service FloBikes in Canada.
Sunday’s Stage 9 in Tuscany was a two-man battle full of drama at the finish.
Belgium’s Van Aert, 30, a three-time stage winner in the Tour de France, outsprinted the young Del Toro in the final meters on Siena’s steep Piazza del Campo.
Del Toro’s breakthrough in his first Giro resonates in Mexico, where cycling lacks a Grand Tour tradition. Three-week-long Grand Tour races such as the Tour de France (launched in 1903) and the Giro d’Italia (1909) are considered the most prestigious and challenging events in road cycling.
ROMPE EN LLANTO Y NO ES PARA MENOS 💚🤍♥️
Ser el primer mexicano en liderar la clasificación del Giro de Italia a tus 21 años. GRANDE Isaac del Toro. 🐂 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/fFKLp11gBu
— Todo, Menos Fútbol ® (@todomenosfut) May 18, 2025
In the past, Mexico has hosted professional races, such as the Vuelta Ciclista Mexico (Tour of Mexico), which started in 1948 and was revived from 2008 to 2015.
Later this year, Mexico is scheduled to host Desafío México by La Vuelta, a cyclotourist event. It will offer amateurs the chance to ride routes designed to evoke the spirit of the famous Vuelta a España, sometimes along famous cyclists.
*Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Isaac del Toro had the most overall points in the Giro d’Italia. The text has been updated to reflect that del Toro maintains the fastest overall time in the race, which advanced the cyclist to first place on Sunday.
Some regions got a small preview over the weekend of the rainy season that will begin on Wednesday. (Erik Witsoe/Unsplash)
Mexico will get a welcome change of weather this week, as the rainy season ushers in cooler temperatures.
Across the nation, rainfall will become more frequent, breaking months of heat waves that sent temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius in some states, especially Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Michoacán and Guerrero.
The start of the rainy season will soon put an end to the current heat wave. But not quite yet. (Magdalena Montiel/Cuartoscuro)
According to the National Meteorological Service (SMN), the heat wave across much of Mexico is expected to end by Wednesday, giving way to a cold front and higher humidity.
Still, Monday and Tuesday will be hot in much of the country. High temperatures are expected to average between 35°C and 40°C across all coastal states, with extreme temperatures of 41°C to 46°C in regions including the Huasteca, Papaloapan, the Yucatán Peninsula and Tierra Caliente. The northwest will see temperatures ranging from 30°C to 38°C, while the rest of the country can expect to see temperatures between 28°C and 38°C.
By Wednesday, rain should lower those temperatures. Here’s the rain forecast by state for this week:
Heavy rainfall (25 to 50 millimeters) in Hidalgo, Puebla, Tlaxcala, México state and Chiapas.
Showers (5 to 25 mm) in Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Querétaro, Mexico City and Oaxaca.
Isolated rainfall (0.1 to 5 millimeters) in Zacatecas, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Morelos, Guerrero and Quintana Roo.
The start of Mexico’s rainy season is generally considered to occur in early May, but it can vary from year to year and region to region.
Weather authorities have called on the population to stay vigilant about increasing winds in regions of Sonora, Sinaloa, Durango, Nayarit, Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Querétaro, Hidalgo, México state, Mexico City, Puebla and Quintana Roo. These winds can raise the risk of wildfires spreading and may reduce visibility on highways and roads.
Authorities have also warned that heavy rains could cause flooding, mudslides and landslides. They have advised the population to take precautions and heed warnings from the SMN, the National Water Commission (Conagua) and local Civil Protection units.
The Cuauhtémoc's three masts, topping out at more than 48 meters, snapped upon contact with the Brooklyn Bridge, which has a clearance of 41.1 meters. (Especial/Cuartoscuro)
A Mexican Navy training ship on a goodwill tour struck the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on Saturday night, leaving two crew members dead and 22 others injured.
Mexican officials on Sunday identified the two victims of the crash as América Yamileth Sánchez Hernández, 20, from the state of Veracruz, and Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos, 23, from the state of Oaxaca.
The Cuauhtémoc was on a goodwill tour, attracting many sightseers. One of them took this photo of the ship seconds before its masts hit the bridge. (@Keeyahtay/X)
Investigators are looking into how the Cuauhtémoc, with three long masts and billowing white sails, moved in the wrong direction before hitting the Brooklyn Bridge. Mexico’s Naval Ministry (Semar) said in a statement that 11 of those injured were in critical condition, while nine others were hospitalized in stable condition.
On Monday, Semar reported that 174 of the 277 people on board the Cuauhtémoc had arrived in Mexico City overnight Sunday.
The commander of the Mexican Navy, Admiral Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, said in a statement that the uninjured cadets would continue their training and that the investigation into the crash would be carried out “with total transparency and responsibility.”
The body of América Sánchez was transferred to the Naval Academy in her home state of Veracruz on Monday.
Her mother, Rocío Hernández, described the 20-year-old cadet as “an exemplary daughter” who was “a dedicated student” aiming to become a naval engineer.
Rodolfo Hernández, Sánchez’s uncle, told reporters on Sunday that his niece had sent photos showing her in Central Park the day before the accident. “When news of her death came, we broke down; we didn’t have the strength to bear it,” he said.
Friends of Adal Maldonado said he had always dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a sailor. Being on board the Cuauhtémoc, also known as “The Knight of the Seas,” had been his greatest wish, they recalled.
The accident took the lives of crew members América Yamileth Sánchez Hernández, 20, and Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos, 23. (X)
Why was the Mexican ship in New York City?
The Cuauhtémoc had set sail on April 6 from Acapulco on a 254-day mission to “exalt the seafaring spirit, strengthen naval education and carry the Mexican people’s message of peace and goodwill to the seas and ports of the world,” according to Semar.
The ship had been docked at New York’s South Street Seaport Museum for five days of public viewing when it left New York’s Pier 17 on Saturday, intending to leave the harbor.
At approximately 8:20 p.m. EST, the ship’s three masts, measuring more than 48 meters, hit the base of the bridge, which has a clearance of 41.1 meters. All three masts collapsed and video footage posted on social media shows some of the crew members dangling from the yards and sails.
The New York Times reported that officials said it appeared the Cuauhtémoc had lost power as it backed away from the pier and was dragged toward the Brooklyn Bridge by the current.
The roles that New York City portprocedures and a tugboat operated by McAllister Towing played in the accident are also being examined, but the circumstances are far from clear.
A statement issued by McAllister Towing on Sunday confirmed that one of its vessels “assisted the Cuauhtémoc as it departed Pier 17.”
U.S. Senator for New York Chuck Schumer defended the tug company, telling the New York Times that the tugboat responded after the accident occurred in an effort to assist the Cuauhtémoc. However, according to merchant marine ship captain John Konrad, when docking and undocking in the state of New York, a docking pilot who works for the tugboat company is required to be on board.
On Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum offered condolences to the two sailors killed and criticized those turning the incident into a political issue. “It is shameful that our adversaries are trying to score political points off of an accident in which two people died,” the president said on Sunday.
Victims Cesar Guzmán (R) and Carlos Amador (L) appeared in a photo last week with Jalisco Security Minister Juan Pablo Hernández (second to left). Pablo Cajigal (second to right) is in critical condition following the attack. (Facebook)
Two security experts were killed and four other people were wounded when gunmen opened fire at a taco restaurant in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara on Friday.
Initial reports stated that the two men who were killed collaborated with the United States Embassy in Mexico, but the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara said that the victims were not “currently” employees of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Mexico.
The deceased were identified as César Gustavo Guzmán González, a former policeman and president of the western Mexico chapter of the ASIS International organization for security professionals, and Carlos Amador Chavela, a former high-ranking security official in the state of Hidalgo.
Both men worked as police trainers and had reportedly taught a course at the Police University of Jalisco (Unipol) prior to their murders.
The armed attack occurred at a casual taquería in San Pedro Tlaquepaque, a municipality that borders Guadalajara to the south. The eatery is located on Santa Rosalía Avenue in the neighborhood of Residencial la Soledad, according to the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office (FGE).
The gunmen, who reportedly arrived at the taquería in a vehicle, opened fire at 9:49 p.m. Friday, the FGE said in a statement on Saturday.
The agency said that its homicides unit was investigating the crime, in which two men and two women were wounded in addition to the fatalities. No arrests were reported.
One of the wounded was identified as Pablo Cajigal del Ángel, a former law enforcement official in Chihuahua, a security expert and a police trainer. He and the three other wounded people were transferred to hospital. Cajigal was reported in serious condition.
The FGE said that police cordoned off the crime scene and collected evidence to be processed at the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences. Authorities haven’t cited any possible motives for the attack. Witnesses said that the victims were directly targeted, according to MVS Noticias.
The photo and others were posted to Facebook by Chappela Investigaciones, a consultancy agency owned by Amador. Another photo showed police in a classroom, presumably at Unipol. On the whiteboard, César Guzmán, Pablo Cajigal and Carlos Amador were listed as “instructores.”
“A pleasure to run into the Mtro. [teacher] Cesar Guzmán (FBI) and the Mtro. Pablo Cajigal, among the best exponents of security in Mexico and the United States,” Amador wrote on Facebook.
US Consulate releases statement on security experts’ deaths
A spokeswoman for the United States Consulate in Guadalajara said in a statement that the Consulate was aware of the armed attack in Tlaquepaque and that it is “deeply” concerned by “any act of violence.”
“… We express our condolences to the victims and their families,” the spokeswoman said.
El consulado de Estados Unidos en #Guadalajara, confirmó que hubo el viernes un ataque armado en Tlaquepaque.
Esto después de las versiones periodísticas que difundieron de que dos instructores que colaboraran con la representación fueron asesinados el viernes en una taquería… pic.twitter.com/J4sb11HrgQ
She noted that “the victims were not currently employees of the United States diplomatic mission in Mexico.”
The spokeswoman didn’t say whether the deceased men had collaborated with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico in the past.
“Due to the ongoing investigation we cannot provide more details at this time. We refer your queries to the appropriate Mexican authorities,” she said.
In brief remarks to reporters on Sunday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said:
“The information I have now is that they weren’t from the [U.S.] Embassy. The Embassy itself released a statement.”
The newspaper Reforma reported on Saturday that Guzmán, Amador — an expert in the prevention of financial crimes — and Cajigal all collaborated with the United States Embassy in Mexico. They reportedly provided security training to embassy personnel at an unspecified time in the past.
Reforma also said that Guzmán was a former agent with Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office and with Interpol.
Other media outlets reported that Guzmán and Amador worked with the United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, an agency of the U.S. Department of State. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the two men had worked for or with that bureau in the past.
In a post to social media, ASIS International expressed its regret over the death of Guzmán.
“We send our most sincere condolences to his family, loved ones, colleagues and the entire security community in Mexico for this irreparable loss,” said the ASIS chapter formerly led by Guzmán.
Mexico's Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez meeting Pope Leo XIV on Sunday. (Rosa Icela Rodríguez/X)
On Sunday, following his inaugural Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Mexico’s Interior Minister, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Mexico on behalf of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The Mass saw the attendance of heads of state from around the world, as well as official delegations from numerous countries.
“From St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV sent greetings to President Claudia Sheinbaum and the people of Mexico,” Rodríguez wrote on her official X account, along with a video that shows her greeting the pope and gifting him an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Sheinbaum had announced her intention to invite the pope to Mexico ahead of Rodríguez’s trip to the Vatican.
“The Interior Minister will go [to the Vatican], where we will deliver a letter to the Vatican. If she can see him [the pope] in person, that’s perfect. If not, a letter will still be delivered inviting him to come to Mexico on a date he deems appropriate,” Sheinbaum said on May 12.
Speaking from the Vatican, Rodríguez highlighted the similarities in attitudes “towards the poor” of the new pope and Mexico’s current administration. She recognized Pope Leo XIV’s social work, his commitment to supporting migrants and his closeness to the Indigenous peoples of Latin America.
El Papa recibe una imagen de la Virgen de Guadalupe
Rodríguez also celebrated the bond between Pope Leo XIV and Pope Francis. She predicted “there will be continuity in the message of unity in favor of the marginalized, migrants and those who most need support in the world,” Rodríguez said. “Leo XIV will also be a pope who will become a friend of the people of Mexico.”
Cardinal Robert Prevost, from the United States, was elected pope under the name of Leo XIV on May 8. Two Mexican cardinals participated in the conclave that elected the new Pope: the Archbishop of Guadalajara, Francisco Robles, and the Archbishop Primate of Mexico, Carlos Aguiar.
Mexico has the second-largest Catholic community in the world, with roughly 111 million Catholics. According to a recent survey by the newspaper El Financiero, 69% of Catholics in Mexico have a positive opinion of Pope Leo XIV.
