MEXICO CITY: The Mexican government said on Monday that a gas leak caused a blast that killed at least 37 people at the offices of state oil monopoly Pemex in Mexico City, raising fresh questions about the firm’s safety record.
Attorney General Jesus Murillo said no trace of explosives was found at the site of the explosion, the latest in a string of disasters to hit the lumbering oil giant.
New President Enrique Pena Nieto is seeking to overhaul Pemex as part of a raft of economic reforms aimed at boosting growth in Latin America’s No. 2 economy.
“We have been able to determine that the explosion was caused by an accumulation of gas in the basement of the building,” Murillo told a news conference in Mexico City. He said the gas was believed to be methane.
Murillo said the gas may have leaked from containers in a storage facility connected to where the explosion took place by a tunnel. Or it could have leaked from an aging pipeline that passed through the building.
Another possibility is that it emanated from sewage in the ground under the building, he said.
Mexico City is built on a dried-out lake bed, and the stench of sewage often hangs over parts of the downtown.
Murillo said contractors working on supports under the building needed electricity and used an extension cord, which could have caused a spark that ignited the gas.
Thursday afternoon’s blast at a building at the Pemex headquarters complex in downtown Mexico City prompted speculation the incident could have been an act of sabotage.
That raised fears that drug war violence that has killed an estimated 70,000 people in the past six years could have entered a new, more sinister phase, and rattled investors.
The explosion next to Pemex’s flagship tower block prompted renewed criticism of the oil giant’s safety record.
For years a source of national pride, Pemex has proven stubbornly resistant to change. The firm has become a touchstone for Mexico’s capacity for economic reform since oil output began to fall behind the performance of other major producers.
A symbol of Mexican self-sufficiency since President Lazaro Cardenas expropriated US and British oil companies in 1938 and nationalized the oil industry, Pemex has also become a byword for inefficiency and graft.
Pena Nieto, who took office in December, has made passing an energy reform to boost crude production a priority this year.
Geoffrey Pazzanese, who co-manages Federated Investors’ $523 million Federated InterContinental Fund, said an accident would help the government push its energy reform.
“It’s probably going to be positive for the reform. It underlines the need for Pemex to invest in its own capital spending,” he said before Murillo spoke. “You have a big explosion in a building that’s right in the middle of the city.
“Conspiracy theories aside, people are probably outraged about the situation and that tends to spur action,” he added.
There were mixed responses on the streets of the Mexican capital to the government’s news conference about the blast.
Fernando Chapa, 61, a university administrator, said the evidence seemed credible and that it looked like an accident.
“It doesn’t suit anyone having an attack there. These are old buildings that have leaks. It’s like in the mines,” he said.
But supermarket worker Jorge Lopez was not convinced.
“I don’t believe it. What a coincidence that there was a gas buildup,” said Lopez, 28. “These are the results they give us after all these days? I don’t know...”
Mexico is the world’s No. 7 oil producer and a top exporter to the United States. But output has slumped from a peak of 3.4 million barrels per day in 2004 to under 2.6 million bpd now.
While the company had said it improved safety prior to the blast, fires, explosions and other safety breaches that are regular occurrences.
Mexico loses hundreds of millions of dollars a year to theft of oil carried out by drug gangs, petty criminals and corrupt workers. The Mexican government relies on oil revenues to fund nearly a third of the federal budget.
The heavy tax burden has limited Pemex’s ability to fund new projects and lift crude output. The government has warned that Mexico could become a net oil importer as early as 2018 if major new oil finds cannot be developed.
The company had pinned its long-term hopes of boosting production on the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where the government estimates there are significant oilfields.
The last conservative administration had helped Pemex by drawing more outside investment into mature oilfields via the auction of private contracts.
Gas leak caused Pemex blast: Mexico
Gas leak caused Pemex blast: Mexico
A penalty shattered Palestinian World Cup dreams for 2026. The squad has inspired hope
- The Palestinian team needed to win its last three Group B games in Asian qualifying to advance to another continental playoff round
AMMAN: An engrossing qualifying journey of 16 games and the obstacles of a war came crashing down in an instant for Oday Dabbagh and his Palestinian team.
Their legacy will long continue.
Players left the field in tears in the immediate aftermath at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman, Jordan, last Thursday after their quest for a first appearance at a World Cup evaporated on a contentious penalty awarded deep in extra time. Fans looked on, stunned.
“It’s very hard,” Dabbagh, the team’s star striker, told The Associated Press. “It was massive for us to get to the next stage — we prepared well, we had a positive atmosphere, and we had the fans with us. We gave everything, but it was gone in a moment.”
Needing to win its last three Group B games to reach the playoffs for the last two of Asia’s automatic spots at the World Cup, the No. 101-ranked team in the world beat Iraq in Basra in March, Kuwait in Kuwait City on June 5. Five days later, it was leading 1-0 against Oman in Jordan in the 97th minute.
The Palestinians had never been in a better position in qualifying for a World Cup. Then Oman was awarded, and scored, a penalty to make it 1-1 in the last real act of the game.
Not long after the dejected players had picked themselves up, the Palestine Football Association (PFA) made an official complaint to soccer’s world governing body, FIFA, about the penalty. It didn’t change the fact, however, that the long road trip was over.
“We tried to put smiles on the faces of Palestinians amid their great pain,” head coach Ihab Abujazar said. “The heroic players are our pride and glory, a symbol of all that is beautiful in the Palestinian nation.”
Playing Away
It may have been different if the Palestinian team, admitted into FIFA in 1998, was able to play home games in front of its fans in Gaza or the West Bank in the third round of qualifying. The Israel-Hamas war meant that couldn’t happen. And so the many of the team’s home games have been taking place in the nearby Jordanian capital of Amman, home to a large community of Palestinians.
“It is easier to play in your home,” Dabbagh, who helped Aberdeen win the Scottish Cup last month, said. “But the circumstances there are so difficult so we choose to play in Amman as it is close to Palestine, the people are the same, and we have a lot of fans there.”
There’s been no domestic soccer in the Palestinian territories since the war started in 2023. Hundreds of athletes are among the more than 55,000 Palestinians killed in the conflict and sports facilities have been destroyed.
“Everything that goes on makes us all sad,” Dabbagh said. “As players, we try to focus on football during the games, but we use what is happening as motivation to bring happiness to the people of Palestine.”
All but two of the roster of 27 national squad players are contracted to foreign clubs either in the region or in Europe, a change from the start of the conflict when a number of players weren’t able to leave the West Bank or Gaza to report for international duty.
Over the past year or so, the Palestinian squad has assembled for training camps in Algeria, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to prepare for World Cup qualifying.
The top two teams in each of three Asian groups in the third round earned direct spots for next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The third- and fourth-place teams in each group advanced to a playoff for two more places. A win would have secured fourth spot in the group for the Palestinians. The last-minute draw meant they finished a point behind Oman in fifth.
What’s next?
Now their focus has to shift to the 2027 Asian Cup, which will take place in Saudi Arabia. The Palestinian team has already qualified for the tournament.
Dabbagh is ready to show that the team is set to remain a force in Asian soccer and continue to be ambassodors for millions of people.
“We will keep using football as a message to show the world that there are other things in Palestine” he said. “We will keep going. The dream is not over, it is just delayed.”
Kubica wins ‘mental battle’ to triumph at Le Mans
- In a thrilling 93rd edition of the race, which saw the top four separated by just over 20 seconds going into the final 15 minutes, Kubica and his AF Corse co-drivers Philip Hanson and Ye Yifei (#83) finished just 14.084sec ahead of Porsche
- Kubica was one of Formula One’s brightest prospects when he won the 2008 Canada Grand Prix but a harrowing accident in a rally in Andorra in 2011 almost cost him his life
LE MANS: Former Formula One driver Robert Kubica has long since tackled the demons of a near-fatal accident 14 years ago but Sunday’s victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans is arguably his greatest achievement yet.
The 40-year-old Pole roared to victory in his bright yellow “privateer” Ferrari to give the Italian marque a third consecutive win in the most famous endurance race in the world.
In a thrilling 93rd edition of the race, which saw the top four separated by just over 20 seconds going into the final 15 minutes, Kubica and his AF Corse co-drivers Philip Hanson and Ye Yifei (#83) finished just 14.084sec ahead of a Porsche (#6) driven by Kevin Estre, Matt Campbell and Laurens Vanthoor.
In so doing they knocked the two factory Ferraris, who started the race as favorites, into third and fourth.
“It’s been a long 24 hours but an enjoyable one. Grazie mille, grazie a tutti,” said Kubica over the team radio as he took the chequered flag.
Kubica was one of Formula One’s brightest prospects when he won the 2008 Canada Grand Prix but a harrowing accident in a rally in Andorra in 2011 almost cost him his life.
Trapped upside down in his car before being freed and whisked to hospital, Kubica suffered several serious injuries and underwent a partial amputation of his right forearm.
“What happened was very unfortunate, but I was very lucky,” he said after Sunday’s victory.
“It took me quite a few years, not only to recover physically but also mentally.
“What happened happened and I have to accept it. One of the worst periods of my life was when my mind wouldn’t accept the fact that my arm was failing.”
He returned to racing cars, however, winning the WRC2 championship and taking part in sports car races. In 2017 he moved back into Formula One, testing for Renault before racing for Williams in 2019.
But Sunday’s win which made him the first Pole ever to win Le Mans tops any of his other achievements behind the wheel.
“It was quite difficult to live with, but I’m happy to have achieved my personal goals,” he said.
“The best thing I’ve achieved in my life — it’s nothing to do with racing — it’s more the battle I won with my mind.”
Both of Kubica’s co-drivers were also first-time winners with Ye the first Chinese driver to triumph.
“I’m at a loss for words,” said Ye who arrived in Le Mans at the age of 14 on an exchange program to try and become a professional driver.
“It’s going to take me some time to realize everything that’s happened today. Right now I feel like I’m dreaming. Maybe in two seconds I’ll wake up and none of this will exist.
“In China, the car industry has come a long way. When my father was my age, there were no cars on the roads, and we’re talking about the 1990s. Becoming a professional driver was impossible.”
With three of the top four, it was certainly a good day for Ferrari but there will undoubtedly be some at headquarters in Maranello who might not be so happy.
As the winning car was not entered directly by the manufacturer, but by the AF Corse team, Ferrari will not take the points for victory in the World Endurance Championship.
Cadillac locked out the front row of the grid but #12 of Will Stephens, who had taken pole, had to settle for fifth with the second car (#38), featuring former Formula One world champion Jensen Button, coming home in eighth.
International Day of Family Remittances: Pakistani PM hails expats for record payments this year
- In current fiscal, overseas Pakistanis remitted record $34.9 billion, a 28.8 percent increase over the previous year
- Pakistan received $3.7 billion in workers’ remittances in May 2025 alone, a strong 13.7 percent year-on-year
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday hailed the record $34.9 billion in remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis this fiscal year, describing it as a sign of their “growing confidence in the government’s economic policies.”
In a statement marking the International Day of Family Remittances, the premier said the 28.8 percent year-on-year rise in remittances had significantly bolstered the country’s foreign exchange reserves. Pakistan received $3.7 billion in workers’ remittances in May 2025 alone, a strong 16 percent increase month-on-month and 13.7 percent year-on-year.
“These historic figures are a testament not only to the hard work and loyalty of our diaspora but also to their growing confidence in the government’s economic policies,” Sharif said, calling remittances a “powerful pillar supporting Pakistan’s economic resilience.”
“This trust reinforces our resolve to redouble efforts for the revival and growth of our economy.”
With over 9 million Pakistanis living abroad, mainly in the Gulf, Europe, and North America, the prime minister praised the expatriate community for their enduring commitment to families back home and their role in sustaining the national economy.
Sharif reiterated the government’s commitment to attracting foreign investment and expanding exports to ensure long-term economic stability, stressing that remittances remained crucial to this goal.
“Let us renew our collective pledge to work hand in hand with our diaspora, development partners, and all stakeholders to overcome our economic challenges and usher in a new era of investment, prosperity, and national progress,” the premier said.
Pakistan closes pedestrian traffic at all Iran border crossings as Israel strikes escalate
- Closures affect crossings in Balochistan’s border districts of Chaghi, Gwadar, Kech, Panjgur
- All are key routes for cross-border movement, local trade between Iran and Balochistan province
QUETTA: Pakistani authorities have closed all major border crossings with Iran for pedestrian traffic amid escalating cross-border strikes between Iran and Israel, officials in the southwestern Balochistan province said on Sunday.
The closures affect the Taftan crossing in Chaghi district, the Gabd-Rimdan crossing in Gwadar district, the Chedgi and Jirrak crossings in Panjgur district and the Rideeg Mand crossing in Kech district. All are key routes for cross-border movement and local trade between Balochistan and Iran.
“All kinds of pedestrian movement at the Gabd-Rimdan border has been suspended due to the Iran-Israel conflict,” Jawad Ahmed Zehri, assistant commissioner for Gwadar, told Arab News.
Trade activity at the crossing would remain open and Pakistani citizens stranded in Iran would be allowed to return, he said, but no new entries into Iran would be permitted through this point until further notice.
In a separate order, authorities also said the Taftan border crossing in Chaghi district had been closed for pedestrian traffic.
“We have closed pedestrian movements at the Taftan border until further notice,” said Naveed Ahmed, assistant commissioner for Taftan, adding that trade and customs operations from the crossing were continuing as usual.
The Chedgi, Jirrak and Mand Radig border crossings have also been shut, officials in the Kech and Panjgur districts confirmed.
The closures come amid heightened tensions following Israeli strikes on Iranian cities since Friday with scores killed, including senior Iranian military commanders.
The blockade is expected to affect daily wage laborers, small-scale traders and local residents who depend on frequent cross-border movement for commerce, supplies and family visits.
Small items such as fruit, vegetables and household goods are commonly traded by hand or in small vehicles along these routes.
Bilateral trade volume between Pakistan and Iran reached $2.8 billion in the last fiscal year, which ended in June. Both countries have signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of increasing this volume to $10 billion.
Iran also supplies about 100 megawatts of electricity to border towns in Balochistan.
World entering new era as nuclear powers build up arsenals — SIPRI think tank
- Nine nuclear states — US, Russia, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel plan to increase their stockpiles
- Of total global inventory of estimated 12,241 warheads in Jan. 2025, about 9,614 were in military stockpiles for potential use
STOCKHOLM: The world’s nuclear-armed states are beefing up their atomic arsenals and walking out of arms control pacts, creating a new era of threat that has brought an end to decades of reductions in stockpiles since the Cold War, a think tank said on Monday.
Of the total global inventory of an estimated 12,241 warheads in January 2025, about 9,614 were in military stockpiles for potential use, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in its yearbook, an annual inventory of the world’s most dangerous weapons.
Around 2,100 of the deployed warheads were kept in a state of high operational alert on ballistic missiles, nearly all belonging to either the US or Russia.
SIPRI said global tensions had seen the nine nuclear states — the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — plan to increase their stockpiles.
“The era of reductions in the number of nuclear weapons in the world, which had lasted since the end of the Cold War, is coming to an end,” SIPRI said. “Instead, we see a clear trend of growing nuclear arsenals, sharpened nuclear rhetoric and the abandonment of arms control agreements.”
SIPRI said Russia and the US, which together possess around 90 percent of all nuclear weapons, had kept the sizes of their respective useable warheads relatively stable in 2024. But both were implementing extensive modernization programs that could increase the size of their arsenals in the future.
The fastest-growing arsenal is China’s, with Beijing adding about 100 new warheads per year since 2023. China could potentially have at least as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as either Russia or the US by the turn of the decade.
According to the estimates, Russia and the US held around 5,459 and 5,177 nuclear warheads respectively, while China had around 600.
