World

Mexico: The booming trade fuelling a US drug epidemic and a deadly street war

Published

2 years ago

May 4, 2023

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We barely slow for red lights as cars pull out of our way.

We virtually take off as we scream over a hilly stretch of road.

We’re on board a Red Cross ambulance answering an emergency call in the northern Mexican city of Tijuana. It’s one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

A two-person team, talking into the walkie-talkie, asks for details of the emergency.

“It’s a shooting,” paramedic Zulma Cruz tells me. “We get as many as a dozen a day sometimes,” she says as we see blue lights flashing in the distance and pass a National Guard vehicle with a soldier holding a machine gun, silhouetted against the night sky.

As we approach, what is now a crime scene as well as a medical emergency, I can see that the streets of one of the most cartel-infested neighbourhoods in this city are awash with police and military.

A second ambulance is surrounded by locals, watching on, and I can see ambulance teams inside treating a man who appears to be conscious.

“He is stable but critical,” Zulma tells me as she grabs an oxygen canister and her trauma pack and heads off to assist her colleagues.

Zulma is an experienced paramedic, who is used to the menacing presence of security forces and the stares of the local community, many of whom identify with or are part of the cartel.

This is another gangland assassination attempt – the patient has been shot in the head.

Three cartels are fighting for control over Tijuana – the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation, and the Tijuana Cartel.

There are over 2,000 murders a year here – that’s over six murders a day. To put that into perspective, in London last year just over 100 people were murdered.

It’s that crazy, and the Red Cross teams are the only ones capable of saving lives out here on the streets.

Zulma tells me that sometimes while she has been trying to save the lives of other victims of a hit, the cartel gunmen have approached her and told her to stop treatment.

Her Red Cross colleague, who didn’t want to be named, said the gunmen couldn’t be persuaded.

“That man dies here,” the gang member said, “then he shot him again,” her partner told me.

“We just had to walk away.”

I ask Zulma if she thinks a lot of this violence and chaos on the streets is linked to the growing fentanyl business.

“It definitely is, it definitely is,” she replies without hesitation.

“I think that it is linked to all that, the drugs, the cartels and fights for selling on the street, and sometimes they cross into each other’s turf…”

Another call for the Red Cross, this time for a fentanyl overdose.

Their medics carry the antidote to fentanyl poisoning – one of the most toxic drugs in the world.

Read more: Inside a secret fentanyl lab

It’s called Narcan, and it can save the lives of those who are almost dead.

They arrive on scene as the fire brigade administer first aid. Paramedic Alan Leon jumps out and gets ready to give the victim Narcan.

He briefly talks to the family gathered around the victim, unconscious on a pavement in a quiet residential area.

The man is completely unresponsive. His name is Juan, and he is dying.

Alan instructs a policeman holding a drip to raise it higher.

He then administers the Narcan directly into a cannula, and into the victim’s vein, while explaining to his emergency service colleagues what he’s doing.

They all wait. Time is critical and they’re hoping they’ve caught this victim in time.

Alan gently presses into Juan’s chest with his fist and tells everyone to wait.

He feels Juan’s chest again and then there is a sudden movement – the Narcan is working.

Moments later Juan sits up, utterly surprised, and grabs at the medical paraphernalia all around him.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” he says. It really is quite remarkable.

Alan tells him to wait a minute, and then gives him another shot of Narcan.

“It’s reversing the fentanyl,” he tells Juan.

After a few minutes, Juan stands up and leans against a vehicle parked nearby – he is talking, he’s shocked he’s alive.

His wife and young son, who had watched the whole scene unfold, hug him as he fist bumps our producer.

Fentanyl use, fentanyl trafficking, gang wars, death and murder – the ambulance crews see it all every day, and it’s all linked.

Tijuana’s red-light district is the most public location for the cartel wars and the use and sale of fentanyl on the streets.

It’s also a popular tourist hang out.

The gangs make a fortune from the drugs and sex industry here 24 hours a day, which is why they fight so hard to hold or take territory.

The area is constantly patrolled by police, the National Guard, and the Mexican army, who were deployed here last year to try to reduce homicides, and to fight organised crime.

We joined the Baja California State Police on one of their patrols through the district.

They told us the cartels don’t care what fentanyl does to people, they are interested in one thing only – money.

“They know what they’re doing, they know what they’re producing, they know the problems they cause selling the drugs, they know that people are becoming more addicted in this country, they know it’s a problem, but they don’t care, they only worry about their own interests,” an officer, who didn’t want to be named, told me.

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The cartels know Mexico’s security services have a huge presence in the city, but they taunt them anyway, by posting videos on social media platforms like TikTok, showing off their guns, drugs, and money.

“Many times it’s to send a message to the other organisations, sometimes it’s to send a message to the police officers that we can’t touch them, but we are fighting back against all these organisations… we try to stop them in all the conflict zones and arrest them,” the officer explained.

This district in Tijuana is ground zero for the fentanyl trade in Mexico, and the city is the gateway for drug and people smuggling over the border.

This trade is fuelling an illegal drug epidemic in the United States, and a street war inside Mexico.

World

Women’s Euros: Concerns for player safety as tournament kicks off in Switzerland

Published

13 hours ago

July 2, 2025

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Women's Euros: Concerns for player safety as tournament kicks off in Switzerland

The Women’s Euros begin in Switzerland today – with extreme heat warnings in place.

Security measures have had to be relaxed by UEFA for the opening matches so fans can bring in water bottles.

Temperatures could be about 30C (86F) when the Swiss hosts open their campaign against Norway in Basel this evening.

Players have already seen the impact of heatwaves this summer at the men’s Club World Cup in the US.

It is raising new concerns in the global players’ union about whether the stars of the sport are being protected in hot and humid conditions.

FIFPRO has asked FIFA to allow cooling breaks every 15 minutes rather than just in the 30th minute of each half.

There’s also a request for half-time to be extended from 15 to 20 minutes to help lower the core temperature of players.

FIFPRO’s medical director, Dr Vincent Gouttebarge, said: “There are some very challenging weather conditions that we anticipated a couple of weeks ago already, that was already communicated to FIFA.

“And I think the past few weeks were confirmation of all worries that the heat conditions will play a negative role for the performance and the health of the players.”

Football has seemed focused on players and fans baking in the Middle East – but scorching summers in Europe and the US are becoming increasingly problematic for sport.

While climate change is a factor, the issue is not new and at the 1994 World Cup, players were steaming as temperatures rose in the US.

There is now more awareness of the need for mitigation measures among players and their international union.

FIFPRO feels football officials weren’t responsive when it asked for kick-off times to be moved from the fierce afternoon heat in the US for the first 32-team Club World Cup.

FIFA has to balance the needs of fans and broadcasters with welfare, with no desire to load all the matches in the same evening time slots.

Electric storms have also seen six games stopped, including a two-hour pause during a Chelsea game at the weekend.

This is the dress rehearsal for the World Cup next summer, which is mostly in the US.

The use of more indoor, air conditioned stadiums should help.

There is no prospect of moving the World Cup to winter, as Qatar had to do in 2022.

And looking further ahead to this time in 2030, there will be World Cup matches in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The temperatures this week have been hitting 40C (104F) in some host cities.

FIFA said in a statement to Sky News: “Heat conditions are a serious topic that affect football globally.

“At the FCWC some significant and progressive measures are being taken to protect the players from the heat. For instance, cooling breaks were implemented in 31 out of 54 matches so far.

“Discussions on how to deal with heat conditions need to take place collectively and FIFA stands ready to facilitate this dialogue, including through the Task Force on Player Welfare, and to receive constructive input from all stakeholders on how to further enhance heat management.

“In all of this, the protection of players must be at the centre.”

World

Women’s Euros 2025: Where is it, how to watch and when are England and Wales playing?

Published

13 hours ago

July 2, 2025

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Women's Euros 2025: Where is it, how to watch and when are England and Wales playing?

England are looking to defend their title at the 2025 Women’s Euros.

But conquering this year’s competition will be tricky right from the group stages.

The Lionesses will come up against Wales, who made history by qualifying for their first major tournament, and two other European heavyweights: France and the Netherlands.

As the tournament kicks off, extreme temperatures have raised questions about whether players are being protected in hot and humid conditions.

Here is everything you need to know about Euro 2025.

Where is Euro 2025 being held?

This year’s Women’s Euros is being held in Switzerland.

The competition kicks off on Wednesday 2 July, with the final on Sunday 27 July.

Matches will be held in eight venues across Switzerland from Zurich to Geneva, with the final game being played in Basel.

What teams have qualified?

A total of 16 teams have qualified for the competition.

Eight teams progressed directly from the qualifying league stage and seven teams qualified via the play-offs.

As hosts, Switzerland qualified automatically.

The teams playing in the tournament are:

• England
• Belgium
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Iceland
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Sweden
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Wales

How much do the winners get?

This year, the total available prize money for the tournament stands at €41m (£34m) – more than doubling from the prize pot in 2022.

All competing sides receive a €1.8m (£1.5m) participation fee, with the remaining money going to the quarter-finalists, semi-finalists, runners-up and winners.

The maximum prize money achievable for the tournament winners, if they also win their three group stage matches, is €5.1m (£4.3m).

Who has (and hasn’t) made the England squad?

Some notable names will be missing from the England squad this year.

Goalkeeper Mary Earps announced in May that she is retiring from international football with immediate effect.

Within days, two other names, Fran Kirby and Millie Bright, also announced they would not be taking part in Euro 2025.

The departure of Bright, Earps and Kirby is a loss of three experienced players – between them they have 218 international appearances.

So who has manager Sarina Wiegman picked for the 23-person squad, and who has been snubbed?

Use our slider below to look through some of the key players, or see a list of the full England squad, here.

History-making Wales squad announced

The Welsh women’s national football team has qualified for an international tournament for the first time.

Their 23-player squad was announced by head coach Rhian Wilkinson at the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) on Thursday morning.

Midfielder Angharad James captains the side, and is one of four players to have played over 100 times alongside fellow Wales veterans Jess Fishlock, Hayley Ladd and Sophie Ingle, who also made the cut.

Ingle hasn’t featured for club or country since suffering an ACL injury during a pre-season friendly for Chelsea last September.

The 33-year-old returned to full training at the beginning of the month and her inclusion comes as a significant boost ahead of Wales’ first major tournament.

Fishlock, Wales’ record appearance holder and goalscorer, will hope to add to her 47 international goals as she leads the line.

The side beat the Republic of Ireland 2-1 in a play-off match to secure their spot in the Euros.

Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson said after the match: “This team found a way. They never broke for each other, they stayed strong. I’ve never been prouder of a team.

“This team stands on the shoulders of giants [the pioneering female footballers] who came before, and now they’ve proven how good they are.”

What are the Euro 2025 groups?

Similarly to the World Cup, teams in the Euros are split into four groups.

The top two teams in each group will progress to the knockout stage, where games will be decided by extra-time and penalties if needed.

The knockout stage pits the winners of the group against the runners-up, meaning Germany, Poland, Denmark or Sweden could lie in wait for England and Wales in the last eight.

Group A: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Finland

Group B: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy

Group C: Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden

Group D: France, England, Wales, Netherlands

When are England and Wales playing?

The Lionesses start their bid for the Euros title on 5 July when they take on France. The game will take place in Zurich at 8pm UK time.

Wales kick off their campaign earlier the same day, against the Netherlands. That game starts at 5pm UK time in Lucerne.

The two nations will be the last teams in Group D to face each other.

Their showdown will be held in the city of St Gallen, on Sunday 13 July. Kick-off is at 8pm UK time.

Can England win the Euros again?

The Lionesses lifted the Euros trophy in front of a home crowd in 2022, after beating Germany 2-1.

Chloe Kelly delivered the deciding goal in extra time, but can the team do it all again?

Lucy Bronze admitted to Sky News that the team faces “one of the hardest” groups going into the tournament, but added: “We know on any given day, when we play at our best we can beat any team in the world.”

The right-back said: “We have got one of the most talented squads going into the Euros… I wouldn’t want to be a defender on the other team going against some of our players.

“We know it is going to be difficult, there are maybe a handful of teams that are capable of winning it, and we are definitely one of them.”

After naming her squad in May, Weigman told Sky News sports correspondent Rob Harris: “This group is a very well-balanced mix of players with multiple tournaments on their CVs and also those that will make their tournament debuts.

“I am excited to see what we are capable of this summer.”

How to watch the Euros 2025

Eevery single match of the Women’s Euros will be shown across the BBC and ITV, with the two broadcasters showing half of the 31 matches each, except the final, which will be shown on both channels.

Every match will also be screened live at three venues across London and Birmingham.

TOCA Social at The O2 and Westfield White City in London and The Bullring in Birmingham is hosting watch parties for fans hoping to catch all the action.

World

Snake captured on passenger plane – as expert reveals how it got there

Published

13 hours ago

July 2, 2025

admin

Snake captured on passenger plane - as expert reveals how it got there

A flight in Australia was delayed for two hours after a stowaway snake was found in the plane’s cargo hold.

The reptile was found as passengers were boarding Virgin Australia Flight VA337 at Melbourne Airport bound for Brisbane.

Snake catcher Mark Pelley said he thought it could be venomous when he approached it in the darkened hold.

But it turned out to be a harmless 60cm green tree snake.

“It wasn’t until after I caught the snake that I realised that it wasn’t venomous. Until that point, it looked very dangerous to me,” Mr Pelley said.

He said when he entered the cargo hold, the snake was half hidden behind a panel and he feared it could flee deeper into the plane.

“I had one chance to grab it, and if it escaped past me it would have gone into the panels, and then that would have been extremely hard to catch,” he told Sky News.

“Snakes are very fast-moving, thin and agile,” he added.

Mr Pelley said he told an aircraft engineer and airline staff they would have to evacuate the aircraft if the snake disappeared inside the plane.

“I said to them if I don’t get this in one shot, it’s going to sneak through the panels and you’re going to have to evacuate the plane because at that stage I did not know what kind of snake it was,” he explained in a separate interview.

“But thankfully, I got it on the first try and captured it,” he added. “If I didn’t get it that first time, the engineers and I would be pulling apart a [Boeing] 737 looking for a snake still right now.”