Posts

Second Cuba-centered quake in 8 days shakes the Yucatán Peninsula

Image
Eight days after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake shattered glass windows and damaged facades at hotels in Cancún, a second quake measuring 5.1 was recorded shortly after noon on Monday, again startling residents across the Yucatán Peninsula, which is not prone to earthquakes. Both temblors were centered off the coast of Cuba, the first with an epicenter 118 kilometers offshore from Mantua, Cuba. The second on Monday sparked concern of a tsunami reaching Mexico’s Quintana Roo coast, but state authorities quickly ruled out that idea and are concentrating instead on inspecting for any structural damage. Seismic activity is not often felt on the Peninsula, even though the Oriente Fault — an underwater fracture zone considered one of the most active tectonic boundaries in the Caribbean — runs along the south of Cuba. At their closest points, the distance between Cuba and the Yucatán Peninsula is less than 200 kilometers (120 miles). Quintana Roo authorities established communication w...

‘We will defend this territory with our lives’: Activists blockade Topolobampo ammonia plant

Image
Before dawn on Monday, Indigenous activists opposing a controversial ammonia plant in the northwestern Port of Topolobampo, Sinaloa, moved an encampment to block the access road leading to the facility, escalating a 12-year conflict that has grown from a local land-defense struggle into a national campaign.  Movement leaders say they will not participate in further talks with the Mexican government unless construction on the plant, being developed by Switzerland-based Proman Gas y Petroquímica de Occidente (GPO) , is suspended.  Protesters are aiming to prevent any further construction on the plant, which is just weeks away from completion. (Juahn Ayala) The action came after weeks of intensive protests . On June 12, Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena met with community representatives in the nearby town of Los Mochis, where she announced a new environmental inspection of the project, guarantees for the right to protest and continued dialogue with affected communities. “I kno...

Armed men kill Oaxaca mayor who had requested government protection

Image
A mayor in the southern state of Oaxaca was murdered on Saturday, weeks after his request for protection from state authorities went unmet. Joel Ángel Bravo Martínez, mayor of the Mixtec region municipality of San Miguel Amatitlán in northern Oaxaca, was shot dead by armed men who broke into his home, according to media reports. The Oaxaca Attorney General’s Office (FGEO) said in a statement on Saturday that it was investigating the homicide. “Multidisciplinary teams, made up of members of the State Investigation Agency (AEI) and personnel from the Institute of Forensic Services, were deployed to the scene to conduct technical processing, remove the body, and collect forensic evidence,” the FGEO said. “Given the seriousness of the incident, a joint and immediate response was coordinated with the agencies that make up the state and federal Security Cabinet. As a result of this operational coordination, police presence was stepped up and a continuous tactical...

MND Local: FIFA World Cup fever takes over Guadalajara’s metro zone

Image
The last several days in Guadalajara’s metropolitan zone have been mostly all things FIFA, as the 2026 World Cup held its tournament opener in Mexico City on Thursday and the GDL metro area successfully hosted its first 2026 World Cup match on the same day at Guadalajara Stadium (Estadio Akron). The excitement brought local fans and foreign visitors alike into the streets all weekend — to attend Thursday’s game in town, to raucously celebrate Mexico’s 2-1 victory over South Africa and to party and watch games throughout the weekend at fan zones set up in Guadalajara and Zapopan. Violent rainstorms on Friday, however, literally put a temporary damper on celebrations as the metro zone saw flooding that suspended afternoon fan events in the afternoon right in the middle of the much-hyped U.S.-Paraguay match. World Cup fan zones draw crowds into the streets throughout the weekend Guadalajara fans were in the mood to celebrate. (GDL2026/Facebook) By Friday afternoon, a day after M...

Why did the Japanese men’s national team abandon its practice pitch in Monterrey?

Image
Japan’s national team has been at its base training camp in Nashville, Tennessee, for a week now and has already played its first 2026 World Cup game — a 2-2 tie Sunday against the Netherlands at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Texas. But a short stop in Mexico before all of that caused some controversy. En serio, ¿nadie pudo prever algo tan elemental en Nuevo León? A siete días del Mundial Japón tuvo que cambiar sus planes para entrenar en las instalaciones de Rayados de Monterrey por las pésimas condiciones de las canchas que recibió en la UANL. pic.twitter.com/f8irirefSU — Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) June 4, 2026 “Liga MX embarrassment: Japan ditches Tigres’ facilities after poor pitch conditions” read a headline in Diario AS following Japan’s attempt to practice earlier this month in Monterrey, the city where it will face Tunisia on Saturday, June 20. Additionally, video of Japan’s practice at the Tigres Training Center (CET) went viral on Mexican social media, fuelin...

The time is now for Mexico to go all in on fracking: A perspective from our CEO

Image
I understand that many people will disagree with me on this article, but I ask that you please take a few minutes to read my thoughts and the data below before forming an opinion. Fracking is one of those topics that brings an immediate reaction (often negative) from people. People reference news programs they saw, oftentimes many years ago, where someone tasted gas in their water, or where a community reported seeing its water table drop from nearby fracking activity. Mexico is currently evaluating the prospect of initiating fracking in the country, with President Claudia Sheinbaum appointing a special commission to investigate if and how the country can do “sustainable fracking.” The results of this investigation are due next week, and so I thought I would do some digging into what the potential for Mexico could be. I reached out to Pablo Eisner, a former geologist who is now the COO of the Houston and Mexico City-based Mexico Petroleum Company. I recently met Pablo at...

Peso nears its best rate of 2026 as US-Iran tensions ease

Image
The peso rebounded on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested tensions between the United States and Iran were easing. At Friday’s opening, the exchange rate stood at 17.20 pesos to the US dollar, nearing its low point of the year. The lowest point so far was the 17.13 pesos per US dollar rate that it reached on Feb. 18. “The peso is benefiting from the increased risk appetite among investors, stemming from the progress in the Middle East negotiations,” financial services holding company Grupo Monex said.  Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Banco Base, said the peso’s attractiveness is also supported by “a weakening U.S. currency and increased appetite for emerging market assets, in an environment marked by expectations of interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve.” Siller also said Mexico’s currency is benefiting from “a drag effect from the Colombian peso,” which is gaining against the US dollar because of the greater probability that the right-w...