Rats scuttle about Mexico City's prestige boulevard "all day"

Rats had become an unwelcome sight on Mexico City's Paseo de la Reforma, the emblematic avenue hosting corporate offices and prestige hotels and flats. In parts of the avenue notably outside the Four Seasons Hotel by the Chapultepec park, this was blamed on unspecified locals leaving food on the pavement or stuck on trees, supposedly for the birds and squirrels, El Sol de México reported on 7 February. "That's what the rats eat," a local resident told the daily. Pockets of greenery, scarce and overflowing bins and the abundance of fast-food chains and eateries were other factors making this a desirable area for the critters. Another paper, Milenio, exclaimed they were strolling about "in full daylight."

Bogotá begins year clearing tonnes of curbside trash..

The Bogotá municipality cleared over 9,100 tonnes of trash, mostly building material, heavy items or broken furniture left on pavements through January 2026, or some 300 tonnes of débris dumped outside every day, the broadcaster Radio Santa Fe reported on 5 February. Over 2,200 tonnes of similar refuse and 500 tyres were separately cleared in the first week of February, the broadcaster reported on 8 February. This was almost as much as the 13,000 tonnes of refuse people deposited with mobile Ecopoints or municipal collection vans (Ecopuntos móviles, run by the UAESP or Special Administrative Unit for Public Services) throughout 2025. The city's 211 collection vans move around with advance notice so people will dispose of unwanted items correctly and prevent the city's notorious trash piles.

Pollsters find Mexico now far more violent than in 2015

Extreme violence increased by 68% in Mexico between 2015 and 2025 in general terms, with criminal killings rising some 30% in that time in spite of a recent dip, Excelsior reported on 10 February, citing a private research firm. Pollsters México Evalúa found a 22% drop in criminal killings over 2024-25, but broadly an increase over a decade, especially in parts of the country, and suspected a redefinition of homicide categories may be behind official claims that murders were down. Its research analysed figures given by the SESNSP, a police coordination agency, and the national registry of missing persons (RNPDNO). It found for example a rise of almost 370% over 10 years in the categories of "other life threatening offences" and almost 213% in missing persons, which includes kidnappings. A record of almost 13,000 people were cited as missing in Mexico in 2024, Excelsior reported, citing México Evalúa.