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MND Local: Ecological and tourism challenges for Baja California Sur’s 3 oldest protected areas

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The first Protected Natural Area (in Spanish, Área Natural Protegida , or ANP) in Baja California Sur was established in 1972, two years before the then territory officially became a Mexican state. That was the Ojo de Liebre Lagoon Complex, a gray whale sanctuary whose designation as a Biosphere Reserve helped pave the way not only for the state’s whale watching industry but for the 12 other ANPs that would subsequently be added.  These protected areas have been the site of many conservation success stories, but there have also been numerous setbacks, both due to climate change and to the pressures on these ecosystems from business and tourism-related developments. This is particularly true for the three oldest ANPs, which all date to the 1970s. Ojo de Liebre Lagoon Complex and El Vizcaíno The Ojo de Liebre Lagoon Complex has been a federally protected breeding sanctuary for gray whales in Baja California Sur for over 50 years. (Simec/Conanp) Ojo de Liebre is a case in point. By 19...
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Ex-Pemex CEO arrested on domestic violence charges

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Víctor Rodríguez Padilla, the former CEO of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), was arrested in Mexico City on Tuesday following a domestic violence complaint filed by his wife, María Felicia Jiménez Lavie. The arrest came after Jiménez posted a video on YouTube that shows Rodríguez hitting, pulling and pushing his wife at their home in the state of Morelos. The security camera video also shows the pair’s 6-year-old son fleeing the scene after the violence erupts.  Mexico’s National Arrest Registry indicates that Rodríguez’s arrest took place in the Narvarte neighborhood of the Benito Juárez borough on Tuesday afternoon at 5:32 p.m., after which he was handed over to the Morelos Public Prosecutor’s Office, where an investigation file for the crime of domestic violence was opened.   Following the release of the video, President Claudia Sheinbaum advocated for the full application of the law in the case involving Rodríguez and pledged that her government “wouldn’t protect anyone in the face ...
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Mexico’s light vehicle exports recover in first semester of 2026

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Exports of light vehicles made in Mexico increased slightly in the first half of 2026, despite the United States’ imposition of tariffs on Mexican autos last year and a sharp decline in exports in June. The national statistics agency INEGI reported Tuesday that Mexico exported just under 1.69 million light vehicles (light trucks and cars) between January and June, a 1.4% increase compared to the same period of last year. Mexico’s light vehicle exports have their worst first quarter since 2021 INEGI also reported that light vehicle exports declined 9.2% annually in June to 301,009 units. The newspaper El Economista attributed the decline in June to the U.S. tariffs, which aim to protect the U.S. auto industry and which took effect in April 2025 . U.S. content in Mexican vehicles is exempt from the 25% duty, lowering the effective tariff for virtually all cars shipped north. The United States is easily the largest market for light vehicles exported from Mexico. In the first s...
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Mexican researcher Nora Vázquez Laslop helps drive breakthrough antibiotic discovery

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A team of international scientists, including Mexican researcher Nora Vázquez Laslop, has discovered an antibiotic whose mechanism of action could open new ways to fight bacterial resistance to medicines, according to new research published in the science journal Nature .   Vázquez, acting professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, helped identify the  compound manikomycin from soil bacteria ( Streptomyces rimosus ), known for decades for producing other antibiotics such as terramycin and oxytetracycline, one of the antibiotics in the tetracycline family. Nora Vázquez Laslop (third from right) and Alexander S. Mankin (far right) are co-directors of the Mankin and Vázquez Laslop Laboratory, engaged in studies of molecular mechanisms of protein synthesis. Seen here with their lab team, both are co-authors of the manikomycin study. (Mankin and Vazquez-Laslop Laboratory) Classic antibiotics usually act on the ribosome – the cellular ...
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United States’ EPA highlights bilateral progress on Tijuana River sewage crisis

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Both the United States and Mexico are making progress on actions aimed at solving the Tijuana River sewage crisis, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Last December, Mexico and the U.S. signed an agreement intended to solve the border sanitation problem plaguing the San Diego and Tijuana metropolitan areas. The signing of Minute No. 333 , as the agreement is called, targeted the decades-long Tijuana River sewage crisis that has long been a point of contention between the U.S. and Mexico. Mexico, US sign accord to solve toxic sewage crisis in Tijuana and San Diego On June 30, more than six months after Minute No. 333 was signed, the EPA published its second quarterly update for 2026 “detailing the implementation of two historic agreements signed with Mexico in 2025 to permanently end the years-long Tijuana River sewage crisis.” The other agreement the EPA was referring to is a bilateral memorandum of understanding that was signed in July 2025...
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Mexico City unveils US $127M in drainage system upgrades to tame flooding

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The Mexican government is investing 11.2 billion pesos (US $642.6 million) in waterworks nationwide as part of flood mitigation efforts , the head of Mexico’s Water Commission (Conagua) Efraín Morales shared on Monday.  An investment of 2.2 billion pesos ($126.6 million) is funding six main projects across eastern Mexico City and the neighboring México state to improve drainage capacity in the metropolitan zone’s most flood-affected areas. The infrastructure is expected to be fully operational in approximately two weeks.   At President Sheinbaum’s July 6 press conference, Conagua Director Efraín Morales shared advances on six of more than 100 water projects planned for the eastern Mexico City metropolitan area this year. (Juan Carlos Ramos Mamahua/Presidencia The municipalities expected to benefit most from the upgrades are Nezahualcóyotl, Los Reyes La Paz, Chalco and Valle de Chalco in México state, as well as the Mexico City borough of Iztapalapa. The upgrades are expected to...
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Mexico wakes up from its World Cup dream — but sets its sights on 2030

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Ten-man England fended off a late wave of frenzied attacks from Mexico, standing tall through 11 minutes of stoppage time to defeat El Tri 3-2 and advance to the World Cup quarterfinals. The result ends Mexico’s participation in the global soccer tournament as both a team and co-host, Sunday night’s game being the 13th and final match to be played in Mexico . Raúl Jiménez attempts a bicycle kick during Mexico’s round of 16 match against England. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro) After a domineering start to the round of 16 match, Mexico’s hopes were dampened late in the first half when Jude Bellingham netted twice in less than two minutes. The double gut-punch muted the roar of the 80,000+ soggy El Tri fans in Mexico City Stadium who had weathered a one-hour rain delay — and exorbitant ticket prices . The first goal came completely against the run of play, El Tri getting caught too far forward then failing to react quickly enough as Declan Rice raced 60 yards down the right fla...
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