Latin American nations bid to join Mexico in Arizona case

PHOENIX Seven other Latin American countries want to join Mexico in supporting a lawsuit challenging Arizona’s immigration enforcement law.Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru filed separate, nearly identical motions to join Mexico’s legal brief supporting the lawsuit filed by U.S. civil rights and other advocacy groups.A federal judge formally accepted Mexico’s filing July 1 but did not immediately rule on the latest motions filed late last week.

Mexico says the law would lead to racial profiling and hinder trade, tourism and the fight against drug trafficking.The law is to take effect June 29. It requires that police conducting traffic stops or questioning people about possible legal violations ask them about their immigration status if there is “reasonable suspicion” that they’re in the country illegally. (AP)

2014 World Cup head says plans now on track to Brazil

JOHANNESBURG  Preparations for the 2014 World Cup are back on track just two months after FIFA publicly criticized organizers for missing deadlines, Brazil’s top soccer official has said.”There are no problems,” Brazil soccer federation president Ricardo Teixeira said as the tournament’s official logo was launched Thursday.He acknowledged uncertainty over Sao Paulo’s role as a host city after Morumbi Stadium was removed from the project last month – despite repeated denials it would have to be dropped.FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke previously described Brazil’s lack of progress as “amazing.”FIFA awarded the 2014 World Cup hosting rights six years ago, but Brazil has barely begun building and renovating the 12 stadiums it needs.

Teixeira said that “the situation is completely different” to when Valcke spoke.”Some of the stadia have commenced building. We have already defined exactly what’s going to be happening in terms of budgets for the construction up to December,” he said through a translator.He did not cite any specific details, however.Teixeira said construction work at Belo Horizonte and Salvador had begun, but there were doubts over the status of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, and Curitiba as hosts.”We will come up with a definition about what role Sao Paulo will play in the World Cup,” Teixeira said. “Will there be a stadium built or not? How will they participate as a city?

“The issue with Sao Paulo will have to be solved as quickly as possible. Curitiba Stadium is facing some financial constraints, but once financial guarantees are in place construction will begin.”Brazil also must upgrade airports essential to moving teams, fans and officials around such a large country.

“The three main priorities we have are airports, airports, airports,” Teixeira said.Organizers also are considering dividing the 12 host cities into four regions to limit travel.Teixeira also admitted that Brazil, which has a reputation for high urban crime, has issues guaranteeing security.”It’s not surprising – this is a problem that’s not linked to any specific country,” he said. “We have sent a huge security group to South Africa, they were here for a few days and they had to analyze the situation and pick on those issues that needed to be sorted.”(AP)

Tropical Storms Hit Central U.S., 10 Killed

Managua Tropical Storm Alex, the season’s first hurricane in the Atlantic, killing at least 10 people in Central America, local media reported on Monday. Hundreds of people were evacuated from lowland areas in El Salvador, when Alex storms into the Gulf of Mexico. Six people were killed and their bodies were found drifting in the River San Lucas, said an official with Nicaragua. In the western part of Guatemala, a landslide buried two farmers as they worked on a road improvement project, the Office of Emergency Response, Conred, reported.

U.S. National Disaster Management Center, Alex is still going strong storms on Tuesday local time Wednesday Hurricane season this year came not as usual. Pacific typhoon, Agatha, who appeared before the June 1 killing 156 people in Guatemala.Tropical storm Alex was somewhat weakened after the rain down in Belize, but continue to create gusts of wind and heavy rains, said the United States National Hurricane Center .

Nevertheless, the storm did not immediately threaten the activities of oil drilling in wells Macondo of BP Plc (British Petroleum), U.S. Coast Guard said. Alex, the first hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season in 2010, has a wind speed of nearly 65 km per hour and was at about 90 km west of Chetumal, Mexico.

The storm was expected to subside when entering Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula, said Miami-based hurricane center. Atlantic cyclone began to move on June 1 to 30 November and meteorological experts predict this year will be the most prone to hurricanes. (Xinhua-Oana)