Nine in 10 Mexicans voting in an unprecedented recall election engineered by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador have backed him to stay in office, underlining his domination of a polarised political agenda. Critics and supporters had viewed his victory as a foregone conclusion in a ballot that had fed speculation it could open the door...
The citric kick of the limes which grow abundantly across Mexico – the world’s largest producer of the fruit – help give the country’s cuisine its distinctive flavour. But aggressive price-fixing by criminal groups has sent prices soaring, prompting some eateries to stop offering limes with their tacos – and leaving diners in a sour twist. “If...
A small squad of soldiers with about a half-dozen trucks and sandbag emplacements stands guard on a rural highway in western Mexico. In one direction, almost within earshot, one drug cartel operates a roadblock extorting farmers. In the other direction, a rival cartel carries out armed patrols in trucks bearing its initials. The Mexican army has...
Just outside the Olivos metro station in Mexico City, there is a haunting reminder of the darkest day in the capital’s transit system: a gaping hole in the overhead track of Line 12. Thick electrical wires hang between the concrete support columns, daylight visible where the overpass once stood. Occasionally, pedestrians glance up and shudder...
Masked men claiming to represent Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel have taken the unusual step of circulating a video threatening to kill a national television news anchor for what they viewed as unfair coverage. The video circulated Monday showed masked and heavily armed men surrounding a man seated at a small desk who delivered a message...
Nearly 3,300 migrants stranded in Mexico since January due to a US border policy have been kidnapped, raped, trafficked or assaulted, according to a new report by the campaigning group Human Rights First. The report documents cases of migrants and asylum seekers stuck in Mexico since Joe Biden took office on 20 January. The number of cases has jumped...
It took just 83 days for Adriana Mejía to lose half her family, as Covid unleashed a Mexican tragedy whose full impact is only now becoming clear. First to depart was her father, Juan, a 90-year-old carpenter who died at the family home in Mexico City last July after summoning his eight children to say goodbye. Two...
Mexico’s government has acknowledged that the country’s true death toll from the coronavirus pandemic now stands above 321,000, almost 60% more than the official test-confirmed number of 201,429. Mexico does little testing, and, because hospitals were overwhelmed, many Mexicans died at home without getting a test. The only way to get a clear picture is...
The Biden administration announced on Monday that two senior officials will travel to Mexico and Guatemala to discuss the increase in migrants attempting to enter the US. Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the national security council, said Roberta Jacobson, special assistant to the president and coordinator for the south-west border, “will travel to Mexico to engage with Mexican government...
Seizures of the synthetic opioid fentanyl by Mexican security forces have increased by at least 486% in 2020, the country’s defence secretary has announced. Mexico’s military and police forces seized an estimated 1.3 tons of the synthetic opioid this year, compared to 222 kilograms in 2019. Luis Cresencio Sandoval, the country’s defence secretary, said the increase was...