TV Azteca is in a financial bind and is entering a bankruptcy proceeding.
From Reuters via Investing.com: “Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca said on Thursday [February 26] that shareholders had approved a voluntary bankruptcy process for restructuring the company’s finances and liabilities.”
TV Azteca’s explanation?
“TV Azteca, controlled by Mexican business magnate Ricardo Salinas Pliego, blamed the bankruptcy process on multiple factors: the recent payment of nearly $2 billion in back taxes to Mexican authorities, a ‘complex negotiation’ with international creditors, the pandemic and the impact of license payments to the government in 2018. The company also pointed to ‘profound transformations’ in the television industry, including changes in the advertising market. TV Azteca is one of Mexico’s most-watched broadcasters.”
“ ‘This is a last‑resort tool aimed at preserving the value of the company, ensuring the continuity of its operations, and facilitating the orderly fulfillment of its obligations without interrupting its functioning,’ Rafael Rodriguez, TV Azteca’s CEO, said in a statement.”
“Under Mexican law, the bankruptcy process will seek an agreement between the company and creditors to restructure its debts and avoid closure. If no deal is reached, the company’s assets will be sold off to pay creditors. The process usually lasts six months.”
“Trading in the broadcaster’s shares on the Mexican stock exchange has been suspended since 2023, when the company failed to file its corporate results.”
There’s a political angle here.
“Salinas, a conservative, has had fights with left-wing President Claudia Sheinbaum and her allies over the past year amid a public feud over his back taxes. Sheinbaum repeatedly accused Salinas of being a tax dodger; he accused the government of extortion. Sheinbaum’s government had threatened to seize assets and revoke broadcast licenses if Salinas did not pay. The president has made an aggressive push to increase tax revenue to fund an expanding slate of social programs.”
“Last month, Salinas’ conglomerate Grupo Salinas said it would pay 32 billion Mexican pesos ($1.86 billion) to conclude 20 years of tax disputes with the Mexican government. Sheinbaum had previously said his companies owed more than $4 billion.”
The communique reads thusly: “Regarding the developments in the Middle East, the SRE expresses its profound concern and makes an urgent call to all the parties to prefer the diplomatic route and abstain from the use of force, with the goal of preserving peace and stability in the region.”
“In accordance with our constitutional foreign policy principles and the pacifist conviction of our country, we call for the conflict to not be escalated, its humanitarian consequences and effects on the civilian population and the global stability would be grave. We reiterate the necessity of resolving controversies through dialogue and negotiation.”
“Our embassies in the Middle East remain attentive and in continuous contact with female and male fellow Mexicans who reside in or are passing through the region, with the goal of providing the consular assistance that they need.”
Notice that the communique doesn’t specifically name any of the countries involved.
Even before that, the SRE had tweeted a message on Twitter X, reporting that “our representations in Iran, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon, and Kuwait have been in permanent contact with the Mexican community, continue monitoring the situation, and have activated their protection and consular assistance protocols for nationals and family members of our diplomatic personnel…The recommendation issued by local authorities is hereby extended: remain indoors, in safe places, avoid travel, and follow the instructions of the competent authorities at all times. In light of the airspace closures and flight disruptions across the entire region, it is requested to consult with the corresponding airline regarding the status of your flights. The Foreign Ministry reiterates its recommendation not to travel to the region.”
That was followed by phone numbers of Mexican embassies in various countries. Then it recommends the “Sistema de Registro para Personas Mexicanas en el Exterior” which is a registration system for Mexicans outside of Mexico.
The comments section includes complaints that Mexico is not condemning the attacks, and also this sardonic comment: “Están mas seguros los Mexicanos en en el Golfo Pérsico que en Puerto Vallarta.” (Mexicans in the Persian Gulf are safer than those in Puerto Vallarta), in reference to the recent Mencho Mayhem which occurred in Puerto Vallarta and other cities.
A later SRE tweet said that “Following up on the current situation in the Middle East, the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs reports that the governments of Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, and Qatar have closed their airspaces. Mexicans who wish to leave the region must contact their airlines and, if they require consular assistance or protection, the representations of Mexico, whose consular contact numbers are listed below. In all countries in the region, the need for shelter and avoiding unnecessary transfers remains in place.”
Smoke from burning vehicles in Guadalajara.. Source: Excelsior
The raid was carried out by Mexican Army Special Forces, supported by the National Guard, the Mexican Air Force and intelligence personnel of the Mexican Attorney General’s department. There was also intelligence provided by the U.S. Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel (JITC-CC).
The operation sought to capture el Mencho when he was in the town of Tapalpa in the state of Jalisco. A firefight and pursuit ensued, in which Oseguera was wounded, after which he died in flight in a government helicopter enroute to Guadalajara (after which the flight was diverted to Morelia).
PRESIDENT CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM – President Sheinbaum spoke out about the operation the day it happened, and later, but she is also invovled in many other things. She doesn’t want it to appear that there’s a crisis.
WHO WILL RUN THE CJNG ? Often when a cartel boss is killed or captured, there’s a power struggle to see who will rule.
One possible successor is El Mencho’s stepson, California-born Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Mexico.
Navy Seals are curently in Mexico to train personnel and the Green Berets are coming in too.
Obviously, there may be other operations we don’t know about.
WHAT ABOUT TOURISM? No Americans were harmed during the CJNG retaliation, but some American tourists were inconvenienced and told to “shelter in place”.
In the long term, will this greatly affect tourism to Mexico? Probably not unless things like this occur frequently.
THE WORLD CUP The world soccer championship, known as the World Cup, is scheduled for this June and July in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
One of the venues is Estadio Akron in Zapopan. That’s in the Guadalajara metro area, where some of the violence was. Is that going to be a problem?
Not according to Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, international soccer’s governing body. Infantino was in Colombia and said that“Of course, we are monitoring the situation in Mexico these days, but I want to say from the outset that we have complete confidence in Mexico, in its president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and in the authorities, and we are convinced that everything will go as smoothly as possible.”
Hopefully he’s right about that.
DISINFORMATION Besides its considerable real world damage, the CJNG also carried on a disinformation campaign online, to make it appear that thing were worse than they actually were (which of course was bad enough).
From OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project): “The cartel’s online response to the killing of their boss…was the most powerful example yet of how propaganda — and disinformation — can be spread by social media accounts that experts believe to be linked to Mexican criminal syndicates. According to Alberto Escorcia, a Mexican journalist specializing in disinformation and artificial intelligence, it is common for these accounts to share fake, misleading, or AI-generated images of violence alongside real ones. ‘It was amplified to appear as though the whole country was on fire, and the truth is that it wasn’t,’ Escorcia said.”
“The gunfire in Puebla turned out to be a false alarm, as was the claim that armed men had taken over Guadalajara airport. A widely shared photo of a burned-out passenger plane on a runway was debunked as fake, as was another of the main church ablaze in the beach resort of Puerto Vallarta…Escorcia immediately traced a significant number of these false images back to three X accounts that, through his years of research, he believes are connected to the cartel.”
“ ‘What the Jalisco Cartel trolls do is generate a critical mass. They know how to game the Twitter [X] algorithm,’ Escorcia told OCCRP.”
A MESSAGE TO READERS – The goal here at Mexico News Report is the opposite of disinformation. The goal is accurate, documented reports on what is occurring in Mexico. Consider donating to Mexico News Report today. Click here and thank you!
In the medal count, 29 national teams and one “individual neutral athlete” (a Russian) won at least one medal.
Norway was the winner in the medal count, with 18 gold medals and 41 total medals (gold, silver and bronze). The U.S. was in second place, with 12 gold medals and 33 total medals.
Mexico sent five competitors to the 2026 Winter Olympics. Here’s how they did:
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING (Esquí de Fondo) – Allan Corona and Regina Martinez.
Regina Martinez, an emergency room doctor in Miami, placed 108th in the Women’s 10 Kilometre Freestyle.
ALPINE SKIING (Esquí Alpino)- Mother and Son Sarah Schleper and Lasse Gaxiola. Colorado-born Sarah Schleper is 47 years old and has participated in seven Winter Olympics, four for the U.S. and three for Mexico. Sarah is married to Federico Gaxiola and their 18-year old son is Lasse Gaxiola, the other competitor in Alpine Skiing for Mexico.
Lasse Gaxiola did not finish the Men’s Slalom. In the Men’s Giant Slalom, Lasse placed 53rd.
Sarah Schleper placed 26th in the Women’s Super-G. She was disqualified from the Women’s Giant Slalom because her skis were a fraction of an inch too long.
FIGURE SKATING (Patinaje Artístico) – Donovan Carrillo competed for Mexico in both the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics.
In the 2026 Winter Olympics, Donovan Carrillo placed 19th in the free skate and had an overall 23rd placing.
NO MEDALS FOR MEXICO
To summarize, Mexico won no medals in the 2026 Winter Olympics, and has never won a medal in any Winter Olympics.
Nor did any other Latin American country, with one first-time exception.
In fact, until these games, no Latin American country, and no tropical country had ever won a medal at the Winter Olympics.
BRAZIL GETS A MEDAL
But in these 2026 Olympics, a gold medal in alpine skiing was won by Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, the first Latin American and the first competitor from any tropical nation to win a Winter Olympics medal.
Well, sort of. Braathen’s father is Norwegian and his mother Brazilian, and he was partially brought up in Norway.
On February 22nd, Mexican Army Special Forces, with the support of the Mexican Air Force and National Guard, launched a raid on Nemesio Ruben “el Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, leader of the CJNG (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación). Here is a U.S. government wanted poster for El Mencho:
The raid was in Tapalpa, Jalisco state. El Mencho was wounded and captured, dying in a plane enroute to Mexico City.
In reprisal, the CJNG cartel launched hundreds of attacks in 20 states, blocking roads with burning vehicles and setting stores and banks on fire.
From the Associated Press: “Cars burned out by cartel members blocked roads at more than 250 points in 20 Mexican states, authorities said, and left smoke billowing into the air. Jalisco’s capital, Guadalajara, was turned into a ghost town Sunday night as civilians hunkered down. School was canceled Monday in several states. Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 dead, including seven National Guard troops.”
Smoke from burning vehicles in Guadalajara. Source:Excelsior
There was U.S. intel involvement in the Mexican military operation. From Reuters: “A new U.S.-military-led task force specializing in intelligence collection on drug cartels played a role in the Mexican military raid on Sunday that killed the Mexican drug lord known as ‘El Mencho,’ a U.S. defense official told Reuters. The Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel, which involves multiple U.S. government agencies, was formally launched last month with the goal of mapping out networks of drug cartel members on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. officials said.”
“The U.S. official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, did not offer further details on any information that the U.S.-military-led task force may have offered Mexican authorities. The official stressed the raid itself was a Mexican military operation.”
“A former U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity without referring specifically to the task force, said the U.S. compiled a detailed target package for El Mencho and provided it to the Mexican government for its operation. This detailed dossier included information provided by U.S. law enforcement, U.S. intelligence, the former official said.”
The U.S.- Mexican border has been secured, with the lowest level of illegal crossings in 50 years.
But that doesn’t mean nobody is trying to cross illegally.
On January 9th, a Mexican and Ecuadorian tried a clever trick – disguise themselves as construction workers. They crossed in the El Paso sector where there is construction going on.
You can watch the video here. It was released February 12th.
The two would-be illegal entrants wore safety vests. They were guided to their jumping off point by two people smugglers.
Then they just climbed out of a low area and walked normally, as if they were construction workers who belonged there.
It was a clever trick, but they were apprehended anyway.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks tweeted this: “Disguises won’t fool us! Border Patrol Agents in the El Paso Sector apprehended two illegal aliens attempting to blend in as construction workers near the Paso del Norte Port of Entry. Despite desperate smuggling tactics like these, the reality is that the border is closed. Smugglers are selling false promises and transportation services that only lead to arrest, prosecution, and deportation.”
Disguises won’t fool us!
Border Patrol Agents in the El Paso Sector apprehended two illegal aliens attempting to blend in as construction workers near the Paso del Norte Port of Entry.
Despite desperate smuggling tactics like these, the reality is that the border is closed.… pic.twitter.com/UV1DZ5jO4t
Feliz Día de San Valentín to all my readers. In Mexico, Valentine’s Day is often referred to as Día del Amor y la Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship).
From NBC: “Two Mexican navy ships laden with humanitarian aid docked in Cuba on Thursday [February 12th] as a U.S. blockade deepens the island’s energy crisis.
One of the Mexican Navy ships that went to Cuba was the Papaloapan. Here it is:
The Papaloapan in Florida in September of 2025. Source: WarshipCam
What sort of aid was on the ships?
“The Mexican government said that one ship carried some 536 tons of food including milk, rice, beans, sardines, meat products, cookies, canned tuna, and vegetable oil, as well as personal hygiene items. The second ship carried just over 277 tons of powdered milk.”
Trump’s oil blockade on Cuba continues.
“The [Mexican] ships arrived two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country selling or providing oil to Cuba, prompting the island to ration energy in recent days.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum plans to send more aid.
“Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that as soon as the ships return, ‘we will send more support of different kinds.’ Her administration noted that it still plans to send 1,500 tons of beans and powdered milk. Sheinbaum has previously said the humanitarian aid would be sent while diplomatic maneuvering to resume oil supplies is underway.”
If you’re planning to fly to Cuba, you’d better have enough fuel to fly out of the island, because foreign planes cannot refuel on the island.
“Cuban aviation officials warned airlines earlier this week that there isn’t enough fuel for airplanes to refuel on the island. On Monday [February 9], Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Cuba, while other airlines announced delays and layovers in the Dominican Republic before flights continued to Havana. The cuts in fuel are expected to be another blow to Cuba’s once thriving tourism economy.”
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day of February 8th, 2026, shows a sunspot region visible above a hill in Zacatecas. Here it is:
“Active Sunspot Region 4366 Crosses the Sun” Source: Daniel Korona
From the NASA caption: “Explanation: An unusually active sunspot region is now crossing the Sun. The region, labelled AR 4366, is much larger than the Earth and has produced several powerful solar flares over the past ten days. In the featured image, the region is marked by large and dark sunspots toward the upper right of the Sun’s disk. The image captured the Sun over a hill in Zacatecas, Mexico, 5 days ago. AR 4366 has become a candidate for the most active solar region in this entire 11-year solar cycle. Active solar regions are frequently associated with increased auroral activity on the Earth. Now reaching the edge, AR 4366 will begin facing away from the Earth during the coming week. It is not known, though, if the active region will survive long enough to reappear in about two weeks’ time, as the Sun rotates.”
Trump’s noose is tightening on Cuba and Mexico is not sending oil there. (See here and here).
U.S. in orange, Mexico in green, Cuba in red, Venezuela in blue. Source: mapchart.net
From the New York Times: “When President Trump declared a ‘national emergency’ last month, accusing Cuba of harboring Russian spies and ‘welcoming’ enemies like Iran and Hamas, it came with a warning: Countries that sell or provide oil to the Caribbean nation could be subject to high tariffs. The threat seemed to be directed at Mexico, one of the few countries still delivering oil to Cuba.”
Since communism was installed in Cuba in 1959, Mexico has maintained a close relationship with the island.
“Mexico and Cuba’s long alliance — rooted in economic and cultural cooperation and a shared wariness of U.S. intervention — survived and even deepened after the Cuban Revolution, when Mexico preserved ties with Havana even as much of the region aligned with Washington.”
On the other hand, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum doesn’t want to endanger Mexico’s trade with the United States.
“Ms. Sheinbaum now faces a fraught balancing act: upholding her country’s historical alliance with Havana, while managing its vital yet increasingly tense relationship with the United States.”
So how is President Sheinbaum squaring that circle?
“The Sheinbaum administration has been careful not to provoke Mr. Trump, who has strained Mexico’s economy with tariffs and threats of military action to stop fentanyl from crossing the border. He has also threatened to withdraw from the free trade deal with Canada and Mexico, the U.S.’s largest trading partner.”
So Sheinbaum is sending aid to Cuba but is now not sending oil.
“Ms. Sheinbaum has largely held to her country’s commitment to Cuba, a Communist country, where people are struggling with surging food costs, constant blackouts, a lack of critical medicine and dwindling fuel. But Mexico has not sent any oil to Cuba since early last month.”
“ ‘No one can ignore the situation that the Cuban people are currently experiencing because of the sanctions that the United States is imposing in a very unfair manner,’ she said during a news conference on Monday [November 9th]. She added that Mexico had deployed two Navy ships carrying more than 814 tons of humanitarian aid — mostly staple foods and hygiene supplies — to Cuba.”
“Cuba, whose main oil provider was Venezuela, has faced chronic fuel shortages for years, but the situation has become far more severe since last month, when President Trump took control of Venezuela’s oil supply. He halted deliveries to Cuba, which now only has a fraction of the oil it needs.”
“Mexico had been sending about 22,000 barrels a day, but that figure dropped to about 7,000 toward the end of 2025 — which was still far less than Venezuela was sending, according to Jorge Piñon, a University of Texas oil expert who tracks the shipments closely. The last delivery from Mexico arrived in early January, he said, days after President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela was captured by U.S. forces.”
“To navigate the crisis, Ms. Sheinbaum has tried to distinguish between commercial contracts between Mexico’s state-owned oil company Pemex and the Cuban government, and humanitarian aid, which she insists must continue. She has also called for diplomatic talks between Mexico and the United States, and has offered her country as a mediator for discussions between Washington and Havana.”
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