In today’s world, the news happens so fast that it’s nearly impossible to keep up with the latest, breaking developments. Here are five quick headlines to keep you updated on the stories that might have gotten lost in the shuffle this week.
U.S. retailers have seen a steady decline in Latinos spending money on nonessentials since President Trump won the election.
NBC News reported this week that many U.S. retailers, including O’Reilly Automotive and Target, have seen significant slumps in earnings following the election of President Donald Trump last November. According to CEOs from various companies, the downturn in business has been noticed more along the border and in Latino-dominated neighborhoods. According to NBC News, it’s because Latinos, especially undocumented Latinos, are afraid of being profiled and harassed by immigration officials and local law enforcement. Industries such as footwear have seen some of the most significant drops in Latino spending. NBC News reports that Latino spending power reached $1.4 trillion dollars in 2016 and companies have spent years trying to court more Latino customers.
“People are squirreling money away and don’t want to leave their houses to go to stores,” Eric Rodriguez, the Vice President, Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation for UnidosUS, told NBC News.
Read More: US Retailers Hit As Immigration Worries Weigh On Hispanic Spending
New travel warnings have been issued for Mexico but experts say they shouldn’t be cause for alarm.
The U.S. Department of State has updated their travel warning for U.S. citizens traveling to Mexico. The report cites an increase in violent crimes in many popular tourist destinations but State Department officials are saying that Americans should not get overly concerned if visiting the country. The warning mentions cities Playa del Carmen, Cancun, and Tulum, which are popular tourist destinations. The report states that some violence between rival gangs and organized criminal entities has been taken to the streets in broad daylight but there is no evidence that Americans have been targeted specifically because of their nationality.
“[The] Mexican government dedicates substantial resources to protect visitors to major tourist destinations,” State Department spokesperson Pooja Jhunjhunwala told Condé Nast Traveler.
“As the travel warning explains, there have been situations among individuals involved in criminal activities,” a spokesperson for Mexico’s Tourism Board told Condé Nast Traveler. “We can add that the overwhelming majority of those incidents have taken place in locations not frequented by international tourists (such as inner-city areas or private properties).”
Read More: Mexico Travel Warning: What the Update Means for Travelers
An American teenager tried smuggling a Bengal tiger cub he bought in Mexico into the U.S.
An 18-year-old man from California has been arrested for trying to smuggle a Bengal tiger into the United States from Mexico. According to The Washington Post, U.S. Customs and Border Protections inspected Luis Eudoro Valencia’s car as he was crossing the border into San Diego, Calif. from Tijuana, Mexico. During the search, they found the tiger cub on the passenger side floor board and the teenager told them that he bought the tiger for $300 from a man in Tijuana. The man who sold him the tiger, according to the teen, was walking a full grown tiger on a leash. Valencia has been released on $10,000 bond and will have a hearing in front of a federal court Sept. 5. If convicted, Valencia could face up to 20 years in prison, according to The Washington Post.
“CBP officers are often faced with unusual situations,” Pete Flores, the director of field operations for Customs and Border Protection in San Diego, told The Washington Post.
Read More: Teen Tells Judge He Bought Tiger Cub On Streets Of Mexico
Climate change has turned a Bolivian village into a ghost town as residents flee.
Inside Climate News has reported that a village in Bolivia, which can be dated back to pre-Inca times, is on the brink of losing all of its residents following a record breaking drought. The village was once thriving because of the quinoa boom but the drought has left the fields and lakes drying up. The Drought has forced 80 percent of the residents to leave the village and head to the cities in an attempt to find work.
“Before it was much stabler. Rain arrived in the rainy season. There was a time for wind, when the wind came. But now it’s not like that,” Justino Calcina, a resident of Santiago K, told Inside Climate News. “Our only sustenance in this town, and in this region, is—or was—quinoa.”
Read More: Climate Change Is Making This Bolivian Village a Ghost Town
Brazil has opened up protected Amazonian land for commercial mining to boost the economy.
In a move that has shocked many environmental activists, Brazilian President Michel Temer has opened a large region of the Amazon — it’s the size of Denmark — to commercial mining, according to The Guardian. Temer said the opening of the land will not impede on any environmental and indigenous protections that are in place but many remain skeptical about the move. It is reported that there are rich deposits of gold, copper, tantalum, iron ore, nickel and manganese.
“A gold rush in the region will create irreversible damage to local cultures,” Mauricio Voivodic, the executive director of World Wildlife Federation-Brazil, told The Guardian. “In addition to demographic exploitation, deforestation, loss of biodiversity and water resources, this could lead to an intensification of land conflicts and threats to indigenous peoples and traditional populations.”
Read More: Brazil abolishes Huge Amazon Reserve In ‘Biggest Attack’ In 50 Years
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