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First migrating monarchs are spotted in Coahuila

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The monarch butterfly’s annual migration from southern Canada to central Mexico is in full swing, with the first sighting confirmed in the border state of Coahuila last week.   Linabeth Flores with the Mexican NGO Profauna confirmed, “We can now officially say that the migration is here.”   The monarch butterflies undertake a perilous southward migration each year from Canada, through the United States, and to Mexico starting in late August to reach their winter resting spot in the pine forests of Michoacán before the bacchanalian breeding season. New generations then migrate north to the Canadian Prairies for spring and summer.   Sightings so far have been concentrated in the cities of Acuña, Múzquiz, Monclova and Cuatro Ciénegas and are expected to increase in the coming days. At the Higher Technological Institute of Múzquiz, several monarchs were spotted feeding on polocote (Mexican sunflower) and pomegranate blossoms.   Before this year’s migration began, two dozen monarch b...
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In a first, 2 longtime searchers for missing relatives — mother and daughter — earn official certification

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After years of searching for missing loved ones, Ceci Flores and her daughter have obtained government certification recognizing their skills, a first for relatives confronting Mexico’s disappearance crisis. Flores announced last week that she and her daughter, Milagros de Jesús Valenzuela Flores, had received the credentials, issued by Mexico’s National Council for Standardization and Certification of Labor Competencies, an agency affiliated with the Education Ministry. Ceci Flores, founder of Madres Buscadoras de Sonora. (Searching Mothers of Sonora/Facebook) The certification recognizes expertise developed by families who search for missing relatives while pressing authorities to investigate their disappearances. Flores, 53, has become a leading voice for Mexico’s searching families since her son Alejandro disappeared in 2015. She later founded Madres Buscadoras de Sonora (Searching Mothers of Sonora) and was named to the BBC’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women in 202...
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4 Mexican bars are among this year’s World’s 50 Best

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Mexico is home to four of the best bars in the world, according to the 2026 edition of The World’s 50 Best Bars , with two of them ranking in the top 10. Here are the Mexican bars that made the list.  h Handshake Speakeasy – Mexico City (No. 6) Crowned The World’s Best Bar in 2024, Handshake Speakeasy has maintained its high global ranking thanks to its culinary approach to mixology.   Located in the heart of Mexico City’s Zona Rosa, the establishment was founded by Rodrigo Urraca, Marcos Di Battista, and Dutch bartender Eric van Beek, who is responsible for its creative cocktail program.   “Hands down, the legend of Handshake Speakeasy speaks for itself,” The 50 Best Bars said, highlighting the bar’s special take on the classic piña colada.  Bar Mauro – Mexico City (No. 10) Located in the Roma Norte neighborhood, Bar Mauro secured 10th place and won the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award 2026, which honors the highest-ranking of the bars that enter the top 50 for the first time...
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Did the killing of ‘El Mencho’ in February change the cartel he led? US report offers clues

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The death in February of Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes did not lead to “large-scale fragmentation” of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), but there are signs that “some structural weakening” of the criminal organization “may have occurred,” according to a U.S. State Department-affiliated security body. Osegeura, the founder and erstwhile leader of the CJNG, was fatally wounded during a Mexican military operation in Jalisco on Feb. 22 . Within hours of the operation to capture “El Mencho,” CJNG members erected narco-blockades and set vehicles, buses and businesses ablaze across many states. (Juan José Estrada Serafín/Cuartoscuro) In an Oct. 9 report titled “CJNG After El Mencho ,” the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) — a public-private partnership between security professionals from global U.S. organizations and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service — noted that ...
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FT: Trump raised energy deals with Sheinbaum amid stalled trade talks

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U.S. President Donald Trump has pressured Mexico to sign energy deals with U.S. companies, “triggering alarm in Mexico City,” according to the Financial Times (FT). The British newspaper’s reporting is based on information it received from three people said to be familiar with a telephone conversation between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in mid-September. Citing two of its sources, the newspaper said that the United States’ “new request on energy” contributed to a delay of a formal round of trade talks which were scheduled for September and which have not yet been rescheduled. (Camila Ayala Benabib/Cuartoscuro, Shutterstock) “Donald Trump has pressed Mexico to ink energy deals with U.S. companies as trade talks between Washington and its largest trading partner stall, triggering alarm in Mexico City where foreign investment in the sector is highly sensitive,” FT wrote in a report published last Friday . “The U.S....
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Senate unanimously approves measure amending Tourism Law to prevent child sexual exploitation

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The Mexican Senate has approved an amendment to the General Tourism Law aimed at preventing the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents. A new measure will require tourism service providers to verify, via official documentation, the kinship, parental authority, guardianship or care and custody status of minors traveling with adults. If such a relationship cannot be proven, service providers, such as hotels and rentals, must refuse their booking — regardless of whether it is made in person or electronically —  and immediately notify authorities for further investigation.   It has yet to be established which official documents will serve as proof of identity, and what specific tourism providers will be obliged to comply. As noted by the lawyer Magda Zayas in an opinion piece for the newspaper Diario del Istmo , the amendment’s effective implementation will require training of front-line personnel and critical back-end updates to online booking systems that operate in Mexico.  ...
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Simon, a Category 2 hurricane, churns up the Pacific coast, heading for Puerto Vallarta

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Hurricane Simon continues to churn slowly off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Monday, pounding western states with dangerous winds, heavy rain and ​flooding that put coastal communities on alert for possible evacuations. With its center still whirling parallel to the coast, Simon’s most damaging winds and rain were forecast to persist near the Puerto Vallarta area. Puerto Vallarta homes and businesses are taking protective measures, and also urging Simon to be “brief and peaceful.” (Héctor Colin/Cuartoscuro) Maximum sustained winds had decreased to near 110 mph (175 km/h) late Sunday and the storm had weakened to a Category 2 hurricane, though it was featuring gusts of up to 135 mph (220 km/h). As of 6 a.m., the hurricane was located approximately 80 kilometers west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes (just south of Puerto Vallarta), and 120 km southwest of Punta Mita, Nayarit. Simon is skirting the coast at approximately 3 km/h and is expected to continue northwest through Tuesday...
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