For this evening, reports from National Public Radio, Reuters, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (NOTE: Scroll down or click HERE for today’s previous entry.) — MCM
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High stakes elections lie ahead in Guatemala, Ecuador and Argentina. Reported by Carrie Kahn and Eyder Peralta | NPR Latin American democracies face tests this weekend with elections in Guatemala and Ecuador — and as a far-right candidate starts getting traction for a run for Argentina’s presidency this fall. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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How Mexican narcos use remittances to wire U.S. drug profits home, by Diego Ore | Reuters An army of civilians recruited by the Sinaloa Cartel and other drug syndicates across Mexico help move illicit drug profits earned in the United States south of the border. The criminal scheme essentially piggybacks on the vast legal network of money-transfer firms that help migrant laborers send money home to their families. Remittances to Mexico hit a record $58.5 billion last year, according to . . . READ MORE . . .
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City empties as thousands flee huge wildfire closing in on capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, by Tammy Webber and Jim Morris | AP VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Residents heeded warnings to evacuate the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories as a massive wildfire burned toward the city of 20,000, while firefighters today battled a growing fire that set homes ablaze in a city in British Columbia. Thousands of people in Yellowknife drove hundreds of kilometers (miles) to safety with authorities guiding motorists through fire zones, or . . . READ MORE . . .
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Powerful Hurricane Hilary heads for Mexico’s Baja. Rare tropical storm watch issued for California, by Mark Stevenson and Julie Watson | AP MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Hilary churned off Mexico’s Pacific coast today as a powerful Category 4 storm threatening to unleash torrential rains on the mudslide-prone border city of Tijuana before heading into Southern California as the first tropical storm there in 84 years. Forecasters warned . . . READ MORE . . .
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Hurricane Hillary will likely be a powerful tropical storm by the time it hits Baja California. Reported by Erik Anderson | NPR Hurricane Hilary continues her march toward Baja California, and people on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border are getting ready for projected heavy rains and flooding. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.