Americas, 10-10-22

For now, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, teleSUR, and Agencia EFE; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. — MCM

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UN mulls quick foreign troop deployment to ease Haiti crisis, by Dánica Coto | AP  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The United Nations Security Council was evaluating options including the immediate activation of foreign troops to help free Haiti from the grip of gangs that has caused a scarcitY of fuel, water and other basic supplies. Such a force would “remove the threat posed by armed gangs and provide immediate protection to critical infrastructure and services,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres wrote in a letter submitted to the council on Sunday. READ MORE . . .

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Haiti activists rally at White House seeking end of U.S. support for Henry, by Brian Ellsworth | Reuters Activists n Sunday rallied at the White House to call on the Biden administration to end support for the government of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, as the Caribbean nation faces a humanitarian crisis due to gangs blocking the distribution of fuel. Haiti’s dire situation has gotten increased attention from around the world in recent weeks as severe fuel shortages have forced many businesses and hospitals to shut their doors, just as health authorities confirmed a surprise cholera outbreak. A broadcast of the rally showed several hundred people . . . READ MORE . . .

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Venezuela decrees national mourning for Las Tejerias landslide. From teleSUR. Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday decreed three days of national mourning after confirming the death of 22 citizens and the disappearance of 52 people in Las Tejerias, in the state of Aragua, as a result of a landslide that took place on Saturday night. To facilitate recovery actions, he declared the communities of Las Tejerias, the epicenter of the landslide and flooding, as a “Natural Disaster and Catastrophe Zone.” Maduro asked Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, his ministers and all security agencies to carry out “the maximum deployment” to attend to the people affected . . . READ MORE . .  Click HERE for coverage in Spanish.

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Ian leaves scenes of recovery, despair on Florida coast, by Jay Reeves | AP  FORT MYERS, Fla. — On a coast where a few miles meant the difference between life and death, relief and ruin, the contrasting scenes of reality less than two weeks since the Hurricane Ian’s onslaught are jarring, and they point to the way disaster can mean so many different things to different people. READ MORE . . .Click HERE for coverage in Spanish.

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California’s drought withers tomatoes, pushing grocery prices higher, by Nathan Frandino, Christopher Walljasper and Aude Guerrucci | Reuters FIREBAUGH, Calif. — A lack of rain and snow in central California and restricted water supplies from the Colorado River in the southernmost part of the state have withered summer crops like tomatoes and onions and threatened leafy greens grown in the winter. That has added pressure to grocery prices, putting a squeeze on wallets with no end in sight. The rise in food prices this year has helped drive U.S. inflation to its highest levels in 40 years. California’s drought conditions, on top of Hurricane Ian ravaging citrus and tomato crops in Florida, are likely to push food costs even higher. Drought in an area known as the U.S. salad bowl has not only impacted fresh produce, but also pantry staples like pasta sauce and premade dinners.Click HERE for a related news story from EFE written in July.