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FIFA takes over Azteca Stadium, now ‘Mexico City Stadium,’ for World Cup

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Soccer’s world governing body FIFA on Thursday formally received full control of Mexico City’s Banorte Stadium — better known as Azteca Stadium — only to learn that there remain logistical issues related to the arena’s box seats. With the handover, the venue has now been officially renamed Mexico City Stadium for the duration of the World Cup as FIFA prohibits corporate-sponsored names, a long-standing policy intended to prevent sponsors not affiliated with the organization from receiving exposure. Banorte Stadium management announced the administrative transfer in a social media post . “Throughout the 2026 World Cup, the stadium will be known as ‘Estadio Ciudad de México,’ as mandated by FIFA. … [T]he stadium’s operation and communications will be handled through FIFA and its official channels,” it said. The reassignment occurred two days later than originally planned as the stadium obtained special permission to delay the handover to allow Cruz Azul — one of the two Mexico ...

What bothers city-dwelling Mexicans more than crime? Potholes

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For residents of Mexico’s cities, potholes remain the primary concern, followed by the supply and delivery of drinking water, insufficient public lighting and traffic congestion. According to the latest National Survey of Urban Public Safety conducted by the national statistics agency INEGI, 82.7% of those surveyed considered street potholes to be the most important problem in Mexican cities. The survey was carried out by interviewing adults in more than 27,000 homes across 91 urban areas from Feb. 23 to March 13. Although Security Minister Omar García Harfuch and others focused on the reduction of the perception of insecurity when the survey was first published in late April, a deeper dive into the data by the newspaper El Economista examined how other details might impact the country’s economy. The fact that more than eight out of 10 adults expressed such concern about potholes while worries about crime fell from 56.6% to 52.1% should be instructive for authorities, who tend to...

A sunken Japanese ship adds to the reef system off the Tamaulipas coast

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The Mexican Navy sank a donated Japanese ship off the coast of Tamaulipas this week, expanding a growing artificial reef system in the Gulf of Mexico that officials say will boost marine life, fishing and tourism. The former oceanographic research vessel Onjuku, donated by Japan in the late 1970s and used for more than four decades by Mexico’s navy, was sunk Tuesday in a controlled operation about 15 nautical miles (27.8 kilometers) off the coast. After holes were cut in the ship’s hull, small explosive charges were applied. The sinking was also shown during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Tuesday morning press conference. Admiral Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles described the broader initiative as “the vision of a country that transforms steel into life.” An artificial reef is a human-made structure placed on the seafloor to mimic some functions of a natural reef — giving fish, various types of coral and other organisms hard surfaces to colonize where the bottom was previously fla...

Police arrest 6 in Pachuca after citizens report tunnel toward Pemex pipelines

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State police in Hidalgo arrested six men this week as they were digging a tunnel in an attempt to reach underground Pemex pipelines to steal fuel, authorities said. The men were detained in the Loma Bonita neighborhood of state capital Pachuca on Monday. La rápida atención a un reporte ciudadano permitió a la Policía Estatal frenar el robo de hidrocarburo directamente de ductos de Pemex en #Pachuca . En la acción fue frustrada la excavación de un pozo, además del aseguramiento en flagrancia de seis personas y una camioneta. Tu… pic.twitter.com/91GZ7z64Ep — Seguridad Pública de Hidalgo (@SSP_Hidalgo) May 12, 2026 The Hidalgo Security Ministry said that a quick response to a citizen’s report allowed state police to “stop the theft of fuel directly from Pemex pipelines in Pachuca.” The citizen who reported the alleged crime and other people in the area reportedly heard sounds emanating from underground, alerting them to the construction of a tunnel. In addition ...

Yucatán teams with World Wildlife Fund to launch US $20 million fund to protect mangroves and water systems

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The Yucatán state government has teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund and an international alliance of institutions to amass funding of more than US $20 million to protect its jungles, mangroves and underground water systems. Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena on Wednesday launched the Herencia Maya (Maya Heritage) project , saying it will guarantee long-term financial resources for the conservation of 11 protected state nature reserves. The historic project — combining the resources of government, NGOs and private donors — aims to help protect more than 581,000 hectares of natural areas across the state. For example, Governor Díaz Mena said Herencia Maya will guarantee financing — through an investment of more than US $12 million over the next five years — to care for and preserve 52,000 hectares of mangroves along 273 kilometers of coastline. The project will allow for the development of marine species and curb environmental degradation and deforestation, while also restoring mangrove...

Mexico’s ‘Olinia’ electric mini-car is complete and will debut June 7, officials say

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A prototype of Olinia, the low-cost Mexican electric mini-car project promoted by the Mexican government, is now complete and will debut June 7 ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Roberto Capuano Tripp, the director of the Olinia project, shared a first glimpse of the electric car prototype at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Wednesday morning press conference. The Mexican government plans to begin producing the car in 2027. Resultados que transforman. Les presento el prototipo del minivehículo mexicano, Olinia. pic.twitter.com/xmuL6skRhj — Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) May 13, 2026 “Olinia is a technological project, an industrial project, and above all, a project for the people,” Capuano said. “A project from Mexico for the world.” About Olinia Reminiscent of a small European electric vehicle, Olinia features compact proportions and a tall, boxy body to maximize interior space. It is designed for ease of maneuverability on narrow streets and short trips. “The goal is t...

In video message, Chihuahua governor insists she did not know of CIA’s presence in her state

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Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos asserted on Tuesday that she didn’t authorize or have knowledge of the presence of “foreign people” — i.e., U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) personnel — in a drug lab raid in the northern border state in April. Her declaration in a video message came as the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) conducts an investigation into the alleged participation of CIA officers in the dismantlement of a drug lab in the municipality of Morelos on April 18. Ante la desinformación y ataques políticos a propósito del exitoso operativo en la Sierra Tarahumara, donde se aseguraron toneladas de precursores químicos y miles de litros de metanfetamina, quiero compartir con ustedes información importante sobre los avances de la… pic.twitter.com/9iXDiinfvH — Maru Campos (@MaruCampos_G) May 13, 2026 President Claudia Sheinbaum has said that her government didn’t authorize or have any knowledge of the alleged CIA participation in the ope...