Meet Merlin the Duck: Mexico's World Cup 'ambassador'

British Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsFootball 2026SportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifyFootball 2026SportBusinessWorld of BusinessTechnology of BusinessNYSE Opening BellTechnologyArtificial IntelligenceIntelligence RevolutionAI v the MindTech NowHealthCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthScienceNatural WondersClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoBBC MaestroDiscover the WorldLiveLive NewsLive SportSite searchHomeNewsSportFootball 2026BusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersMeet Merlin the Duck: Mexico's World Cup 'ambassador'A family's pet duck called Merlin has become Mexico's "ambassador" for the Fifa World Cup. Merlin went viral after videos were shared showing the two-year-old duck waddling through the streets of Mexico City wearing the Mexican team's jersey and custom socks. The BBC’s Will Grant was amongst the fans who turned out in the city centre to meet Merlin, eager to get a photo with the county's most famous animal. ShareSaveGiant World Cup ball whips through streets in wild weatherA bystander has captured the moment an inflatable World Cup football blew off its structure and bounced through the streets of El Salvador's capital. Watch: Peru police dress up as World Cup mascots during drug raidPeruvian police officers disguised themselves as 2026 World Cup mascots to break into the home of a suspected drug dealer - and football fan. Protesters topple World Cup player statues in Mexico CityTeachers demanding higher pay have been demonstrating for several days and threaten to disrupt the tournament if their demands are not met. How Cuba is addressing its housing crisis with shipping containersBBC's Will Grant visited Barrio Toledo, where at least 700 containers are being repurposed into two-bedroom homes with kitchens, bathrooms and patios. Anti-government demonstrators and police clash in BoliviaProtesters have been calling for the president to resign after weeks-long unrest. Huge crowd attends free Shakira Copacabana beach concertShakira's appearance followed shows by Lady Gaga and Madonna, who have also performed on Copacabana beach in previous years. 'I want them to know it's a really bad business to kill journalists'Journalists are now able to upload their work to a website so that if anything were to happen to them, their work could still be published. Mass trial for 486 alleged gang members begins in El SalvadorFootage released by the attorney general's office shows large groups of men in prison attending the trial via video link. Watch: Fire damages roof of Rio's Olympic velodromeAround 80 firefighters and 20 fire trucks tackled the blaze, the state's military fire department said, adding that no one was hurt. BBC looks at how Cubans are living with fuel shortagesThe BBC's Will Grant spoke to several Cubans as the country grapples with severe electricity shortages, which is attributed in part to US sanctions. Watch: BBC on streets of Mexican city gripped by deadly cartel violenceBBC international correspondent Quentin Sommerville travelled to Culiacán in northern Sinaloa state following an explosion in violence. BBC sees damage in Puerto Vallarta after Mexican cartel violenceBBC's Will Grant visits Puerto Vallarta, a popular coastal resort town, to see the damage. BBC's Will Grant on the atmosphere in Mexico following unrestThe BBC's Will Grant describes how locals are feeling in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, Mexico, after a wave of violence hit the streets. What the killing of drug lord 'El Mencho' means for MexicoNemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho", was killed during a security operation to arrest him, Mexico's defence ministry has said. Giant tortoises return to Galápagos island after nearly 200 yearsOne hundred and fifty eight captive-bred juvenile tortoises were released on the Galápagos island of Floreana. Giant robot tribute to Brazil's President Lula comes last in carnival competitionRio de Janeiro's iconic Carnival parades began with a tribute to Brazil's President Lula, illustrating his rise from poverty to power. Search dogs, rescuers and helicopters as Mexico City holds earthquake drillAbout 8.2 million people participated in the first drill of the year, achieving an average evacuation time of 1 minute and 52 seconds. Watch: Giant phantom jellyfish floating off ArgentinaA rare phantom jellyfish has been spotted by scientists exploring the deep sea in the South Atlantic. BBC on the front line with Colombia's war on drugsBBC Senior international correspondent Orla Guerin joined a special operation over Colombia's cocaine heartland, tasked with destroying crude cocaine labs hidden deep in the jungle. Public pay their respects to Cubans killed in Venezuela during US raidThe BBC's Will Grant is in Cuba's capital, Havana, where people lined the streets to pay tribute. HomeNewsFootball 2026BusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthSportAudioVideoLiveWeatherBBC ShopBritBoxBBC in other languagesThe BBC is in multiple languagesRead the BBC In your own languageBBC News BrasilBBC News Mundo (Spanish)BBC News မြန်မာ (Burmese)BBC News 中文 (Chinese)BBC News IndonesiaBBC News 코리아 (Korean)BBC News ไทย (Thai)BBC News Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)BBC News Azərbaycanca (Azeri)BBC News Magyarul (Hungarian)BBC News Кыргыз Кызматы (Kyrgyz)BBC News Polska (Polish)BBC News Русская служба (Russian)BBC News na srpskom (Serbian)BBC News Україна (Ukrainian)BBC News O'zbek (Uzbek)BBC News عربي (Arabic)BBC News فارسی (Persian)BBC News Türkçe (Turkish)BBC News বাংলা (Bengali)BBC News دری (Dari)BBC News ગુજરાતી (Gujarati)BBC News हिन्दी (Hindi)BBC News मराठी (Marathi)BBC News नेपाली (Nepali)BBC News සිංහල (Sinhala)BBC News ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Punjabi)BBC News Afaan OromooBBC News አማርኛ (Amharic)BBC News Afrique (French)BBC News HausaBBC News Gaelic NAIDHEACHDANBBC News ÌgbòBBC News Japanese 日本語BBC News GahuzaBBC News PidginBBC News SomaliBBC News SwahiliBBC News தமிழ் (Tamil)BBC News తెలుగు (Telugu)BBC News ትግርኛ (Tigrinya)BBC News اردو (Urdu)BBC News YorùbáBBC News World ServiceFollow BBC on:Terms of UseSubscription TermsAbout the BBCPrivacy PolicyCookiesAccessibility HelpContact the BBCAdvertise with usDo not share or sell my infoBBC.com Help & FAQsContent IndexSet Preferred SourceCopyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.