Valeria Marquez was addressing her TikTok followers in a livestream from her beauty salon in Zapopan, Mexico, when someone arrived at her door to deliver a small parcel.

“He’s a little piglet!” the 23-year-old beauty influencer exclaimed as she returned to her viewers and unwrapped the stuffed animal, smiling as she tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder.

Moments later she was dead, slumped over in her chair with blood pooling on the desk in front of her, even as the livestream continued. The footage ended only when another person picked up her phone, their face momentarily showing to viewers.

According to the state of Jalisco’s Attorney General’s office, Marquez was shot dead by a male intruder into her salon in a case it is investigating as a suspected femicide – the killing of a woman or girl for gender-based reasons.

The death of Marquez – a public figure with more than 100,000 Instagram followers – has sent shockwaves through a country that has long struggled with high levels of both homicide and violence against women.

Just days earlier, another woman – a mayoral candidate in the state of Veracruz – was also shot dead during a livestream, alongside three other people.

While not all homicides involving women are femicides, many are. In 2020, a quarter of female killings in Mexico were investigated as femicides, with cases reported in each one of Mexico’s 32 states, according to Amnesty International.

Last year, there were 847 reported cases of femicide nationwide – and 162 in the first three months of this year, according to Mexican government figures.

Mexico’s response to homicides in general is severely wanting, according to rights groups, who say too few investigations lead to prosecution.

The main challenge, Goebertus said, is increasing authorities’ capacity to investigate and protect witnesses and victims.

Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is at the center of another controversy, and this time it directly involves Mexico.

MrBeast, who is by far the YouTuber with the most subscribers in the world (surpassing the second-place user by almost 100 million), published a video on May 10th in which he visited some of Mexico’s most important archaeological sites, including Chichén Itzá in the state of Yucatán, home to the Temple of Kukulkan pyramid, known as El Castillo, one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

MrBeast also visited the archaeological sites of Calakmul in the state of Campeche and Balamcanché in Yucatán.

The video, which as of Wednesday afternoon has accumulated more than 55 million views, shows MrBeast and his team in the surroundings of Kukulkan, but also inside other archaeological structures, in cenotes and temples.

Some of these sites are not permanently accessible to the public, as the Mexican government has acknowledged.

What is the controversy surrounding MrBeast in Mexico?

The controversy centers on the fact that the YouTuber was allowed entry to sites considered sacred to Mexico’s pre-Hispanic cultures, which in many cases are restricted.

In one part of the video, MrBeast himself says: “I can’t believe the government is letting us do this. It’s truly crazy. Not even archaeologists are allowed in here.”

In response to the controversy, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) – an agency attached to the Mexican government’s Ministry of Culture – declared on Monday that both the visit and the recording were carried out through “formal requests.”

These requests, however, were not made by MrBeast, but rather by “the federal Ministry of Tourism and the governments of” Yucatán and Campeche, the INAH indicated. In the description of his video, MrBeast claims that the publication is a “collaboration with the Mexican Ministry of Tourism.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that there were permits for the “broadcast,” but asked the INAH to report “under what conditions this permit was granted.”

“And if the permit was violated, then (it must be determined) what sanctions apply,” the president added.

Other points have also caused controversy, such as a drone shot that appears to be inside the temple at the top of El Castillo in Chichén Itzá. Regarding this, the INAH said that this did not occur and that the shot was in fact recorded outside the structure.

There are also scenes where MrBeast appears to descend to the archaeological sites by helicopter or where he holds a pre-Hispanic mask in his hands.

All of this, the INAH says, is either false or was edited after the recording: “Clearly, the video involves extensive audiovisual post-production work and alludes to events that did not occur, such as the fact that the producers never descended from a helicopter, spent the night inside the archaeological site, or possessed a pre-Hispanic mask, as the one presented is clearly a contemporary reproduction. All of these are false assertions that reflect the theatricality of the YouTuber in question.”

How easy is it to apply for permits? Is it true that not even archaeologists can enter, as MrBeast claims?

Exploring, filming, and broadcasting in Mexican archaeological sites is a restricted activity that few are allowed to do.

The INAH stated that, while institute personnel were supervising MrBeast’s activities at all times, access was granted to an area that is not permanently accessible to the general public.

“The tours were conducted in publicly accessible areas without affecting visitor access. In the case of Calakmul, the substructure of the Structure II was also visited. Although it is not permanently open to the public, it does provide access by arranging a scheduled visit in advance and with justification, as is the case with tours conducted with the communities surrounding the archaeological site,” it said in its Monday statement.

Sheinbaum asked the INAH to provide information on the nature of the permit for the MrBeast video. Until it is announced, its scope and the points it covers are unknown.

However, by law, exploration of Mexico’s archaeological sites is permitted for a very small group of institutions.

In September 2024, the INAH responded to a request for citizen information requesting the “requirements and steps” necessary to enter the Kukulkan pyramid at Chichén Itzá.

In this request, the director of the Chichén Itzá Archaeological Zone, José Francisco Javier Osorio León, mentions that “in accordance” with the provisions of the Federal Law on Archaeological, Artistic, and Historical Monuments and Zones, “all types of material work to discover or explore archaeological monuments will only be carried out by the National Institute of Anthropology and History or by scientific institutions or those of recognized moral standing, with prior authorization.”

Likewise, Article 31 of this law states that the authorizations granted by the INAH must specify “the terms and conditions to which the work must be subject, as well as the obligations of those who carry it out.”

While the details of the permits for MrBeast’s video are still unknown, the INAH stated that, although the YouTuber’s video offers “distorted” information, its dissemination “may motivate interest among young audiences in Mexico and around the world to learn about our ancestral cultures and visit archaeological sites.”

Meanwhile, Federal Culture Secretary Claudia Curiel de Icaza spoke out against the activities carried out by MrBeast and his team at the archaeological sites.

“This isn’t the first time this type of incident has happened, and it’s been clarified. Of course we don’t agree, and of course there will be appropriate sanctions because that’s not what these spaces are for,” Curiel de Icaza said Tuesday at a decorative and utilitarian art event.

Sudden, hurricane-force winds toppled the luxury Bayesian superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily last August, according to an interim report into the disaster, which found the boat had “vulnerabilities” to extreme wind which were not known to the owner or crew.

The 184-foot sailing boat owned by British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was anchored about a half mile from the port of Porticello on the Italian island’s northern coast when it sank, killing seven people, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

The interim report by the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) gives a detailed account of the hours before the Bayesian suddenly capsized and the desperate escape attempts by the 12 guests and 10 crew on board in the moments after.

On the evening of August 13 when Bayesian’s guests and some of its crew retired for the night, the seas were calm and the winds were light, but thunderstorms were forecast, the report said.

Bayesian’s skipper, James Cutfield, told the overnight watchkeepers to wake him if the wind speed increased above 23 mph or if the boat started dragging anchor, the report said.

At around 3 a.m., one of the watchkeepers noticed storm clouds and lightning seemed to be getting closer, though the wind was blowing at around 9 mph from the west.

An hour later, the wind picked up to 34 mph. Around 3:55 a.m., the watchkeeper filmed a video of the advancing storm and posted it to social media, according to the report, before closing the cockpit windows and forward hatches to protect the yacht’s interior from rain.

Eyewitnesses described furious gales and hurricane-like winds that left an avalanche of debris near the pier.

At 3:57 a.m., the yacht started dragging its anchor, and the watchkeeper woke the skipper and other crewmembers, the report said. Some of the guests were also woken by the storm. Lynch made his way to the boat’s flybridge to see if the taxis arranged for 8 a.m. that morning would have to be canceled because of the storm. The yacht’s chef began stowing cutlery, pots and pans.

Then, the wind suddenly increased to more than 80 mph, and at around 4:06 a.m. the yacht “violently heeled over” to a 90-degree angle in less than 15 seconds, sending people, furniture and other loose items flying across the deck, the report said.

“There was no indication of flooding inside Bayesian until water came in over the starboard rails and, within seconds, entered the internal spaces down the stairwells,” the report said.

Guests and crew scrambled to escape the sinking ship, with two guests using furniture drawers as a ladder to escape their cabin, according to the report.

The survivors treaded water and used cushions from the boat as flotation devices before the boat’s chief officer was able to detach and inflate a life raft, the report said.

Responding to a flare from the life raft, the skipper of a nearby ship rescued the survivors before calling the local coast guard, the report said.

Seven people died in the accident, including the yacht’s chef Recaldo Thomas, Morgan Stanley International director Jonathan Bloomer, prominent American lawyer Chris Morvillo, and both of their wives – Judy Bloomer and Neda Morvillo. Cutfield and 14 other people survived the sinking, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares.

Winds of 73 mph were enough to knock the Bayesian beyond the point of no recovery, the investigation found. It also said it is possible Bayesian could have been vulnerable to lighter winds.

“These vulnerabilities (when in the motoring condition with sails lowered, the centreboard raised and 10% consumables on board) were not identified in the stability information book carried on board,” the report said. “Consequently, these vulnerabilities were also unknown to either the owner or the crew of Bayesian.”

Marine salvage experts are currently working to recover the yacht from the ocean to better understand what happened.

It seems some parents in New Zealand just can’t get the message. Once again, King has topped the list of baby names rejected by the country’s Registrar General.

The royal title led the list of banned baby names for 14 years in a row until 2023 when it was replaced by Prince, which ranks second in the latest iteration.

Other regal references including Duke, Majesty and Emperor are also a no-go in the country, which polices birth names under its strict registration law.

New Zealand registered 60,000 births last year and rejected 38 proposed names, according to a letter from John Crawford-Smith, Principal Advisor of the Department of Internal Affairs, in response to a written inquiry.

Under the law, baby names must not be offensive, unreasonably long, or include numbers and symbols. They must also refrain from resembling official titles and ranks “without adequate justification,” according to the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021.

New Zealand is part of the British Commonwealth and a constitutional monarchy that calls Charles III its King. It’s not known if the 11 parents who applied to call their child King meant it as an ode to Charles, but all were asked to have a rethink, according to Crawford-Smith.

In 2024, more than 1,000 children in the United States were called King, according to the Social Security Administration. (Liam and Olivia were the top US names last year).

Most of New Zealand’s rejected names had royal links. Ten applications for Prince were rejected, followed by four for Princess. Names like Kingi, Kingz, Prinz, Prynce, and Royallty were also banned – potentially because department staff also consider how names sound when spoken when deciding if they’ll be approved.

Officials also consider community perceptions of the proposed name. That may be why other names, including Sativa and Indica, both strains of cannabis, were rejected.

Fanny, once a popular first name, was also declined.

Parents are given an opportunity to explain their rationale before the Registrar General makes a final decision. “We continue to urge parents to think carefully about names,” Crawford-Smith wrote in the letter. “Names are a gift,” he added.

New Zealand is not the only country that imposes laws to regulate newborns’ names.

In 2015, a French judge in the northern part of the country refused to let two parents name their child Nutella because of the risk of humiliation.

Sweden also has a naming law and has nixed attempts to name children “Superman,” “Metallica,” and “Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116.”

In the United States, some naming fights have centered on adults.

In 2008, a judge allowed an Illinois school bus driver to legally change his first name to “In God” and his last name to “We Trust.”

But the same year, an appeals court in New Mexico ruled against a man – named Variable – who wanted to change his name to “F— Censorship!”

Indian police have killed 31 suspected Maoist rebels in what is being described as the “biggest ever operation” against the long-running insurgency.

Security forces spent 21 days attempting to capture the rebels along the border of the states of Chhattisgarh and Telangana in central India, Home Minister Amit Shah said Wednesday.

Describing the operation as a “historic breakthrough,” Shah said security forces carried out the “biggest ever operation” against the rebels, killing 31 of them in Karreguttalu Hill, considered a Maoist stronghold.

Indian authorities have been battling Maoist rebel groups, also known as Naxals, across several central and northern states since 1967. Inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, insurgents have over the decades launched attacks on government forces in an attempt to overthrow the state and, they say, usher in a classless society.

“Our security forces completed this biggest anti-Naxal operation in just 21 days and I am extremely happy that there was not a single casualty in the security forces in this operation,” Shah wrote on X, congratulating the soldiers for their “bravery and courage.”

“So far, a total of 214 Naxal hideouts and bunkers have been destroyed in this operation,” a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs said, adding that hundreds of explosives were recovered during the search.

The insurgents are known as Naxalites in India after Naxalbari, a village in West Bengal state where they originated in the late 1960s.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the operation in a post on X.

“This success of the security forces shows that our campaign towards rooting out Naxalism is moving in the right direction. We are fully committed to establishing peace in the Naxal-affected areas and connecting them with the mainstream of development,” Modi said.

The Indian government has cracked down in areas where Maoist groups are active – an approach that, while appearing to reduce the threat level, has been criticized by some observers as heavy-handed and prone to abuse.

Incidents of violence by rebel groups fell from 1,936 in 2010 to 374 in 2024, according to data from the home ministry. The total number of civilian and security-forces deaths have also fallen by 85% during this period, the data shows.

At least 31 suspected Maoist rebels and two police officials were killed in February, in what was described by police as the deadliest combat this year so far.

In 2021, 22 Indian security force members were killed and 31 injured in 2021 during a four-hour gun battle with insurgents, officials said.