In Mexico, Sheinbaum reports on security amid explosion in Zacatecas
In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum presented the government’s second annual report, stating that the number of homicides had fallen by 51% since the start of her term, foreign direct investment had reached a record level, and the economy remained stable. At the same time, opposition senators questioned the government’s crime statistics and said the administration allegedly protects officials linked to drug trafficking, Mexico News Daily reports.
Sheinbaum acknowledged that her administration’s relationship with Washington had faced difficulties and stressed that sovereignty is not subject to negotiation, transfer, or division. According to polling company El Financiero, the president’s approval rating stood at 68% ahead of the report.
Explosion in Zacatecas and operation in Michoacán
In the municipality of Ojo Caliente in the state of Zacatecas, a car carrying explosives detonated near a municipal police station. Eleven people were injured, including a police officer. It was the third explosives-related attack in the state in four days. The blast damaged 30 properties and 13 vehicles, after which classes were suspended in Ojo Caliente and military personnel were deployed.
Authorities are examining the possibility that the explosion was a response to the detention of a suspected member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The following day, Mexican Army and Navy forces killed Luis Enrique Barragán Chávez, known as El Guicho or R5, during a shootout in Tocumbo, Michoacán. Security Minister Omar García Harfuch called him the leader of the Cartel de los Reyes and the main coordinator of extortion targeting avocado producers. The United States had offered a $3 million reward for his arrest on drug and weapons charges.
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Disputes with the United States over tariffs and cheese names
Mexico’s trade negotiations with the United States were complicated by a dispute over geographical cheese names. U.S. officials insist that Mexico amend its May agreement with the European Union, which protects names such as Parmigiano Reggiano and manchego. The United States considers these names generic, while the European Commission said the agreement is not subject to revision.
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 innovation ministers in North Carolina. He called for the removal of U.S. tariffs on Mexican cars, steel, and aluminum, which Mexico City considers unjustified. Sheinbaum noted that most Mexican exports continue to enter the United States duty-free under the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement.
Meanwhile, the Mexican peso reached a 28-month high against the dollar on Friday, at 16.863 pesos per dollar. Mexico’s central bank also raised its 2026 GDP growth forecast from 1.1% to 1.5%.
