NPR 2012-07-02

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Out of the National Mall, Angeline Patil is dripping with sweat. She stands under a tree.

 

“Ah, it’s really hot.”

 

But despite sweltering temperature, she is out for a usual run.

 

“Almost maybe a mile or less.”

 

The mall seems nearly deserted¹ as many seek air conditioned shelter in the nearby museums. But Patel is still smiling and hoping to make close to ten miles.

 

“Yeah, I feel it’s good to get it done with. I’m probably not gonna be smiling. You know, a mile air of green thing."

 

Patel isn’t carrying water, saying she relies on the water fountains.

 

“But today I would say bring my extra water ’cause I still need more of it.”

 

Alison Keyes, NPR News.

 

About 10,000 people are still out of their homes in Colorado Springs because of a major wildfire that’s been burning for a week. Nearly 350 homes were destroyed. Don Reeves owns a house in a neighborhood called Caro Lakes. He says the firefighters are doing a great job, but he is frustrated² that he can’t get any information on his home.

 

“Because our home is in the neighborhood that is in the National Forest, we are concerned that obviously with the break-ins that have occurred in Colorado Springs, whether or not our area is actively³ patrolled.”

 

Officials warn of another problem: bears. Black bears have been displaced from their usual habitat by the fire, and they are loyal to neighborhoods by the scent⁴ of garbage. People rushing to leave failed to secure their trash against wildfire. 

 

The problem in northeastern India is too much water. Monsoon⁵ rains had inundated⁶ more than 2,000 villages in Assam state. Officials say at least 62 people died in floods and landslides⁷. Thousands of homes have been destroyed.

 

If the polls are right, Mexicans are poised⁸ today to bring back to power the PRI or PRI Party which lost the presidency⁹ 12 years ago. This is the same party that ruled Mexico for more than 70 years. The PRI’s presidential candidate Enrique Pe?a Nieto has been waiting the polls for months. From the central state of Mexico, NPR’s Carrie Kahn reports.

 

Here in Mexico State, just outside the capital, Enrique Pe?a Nieto is very popular. He was recently the governor and left office with high marks. Voters today have said they believe he is the best to fix the sluggish¹⁰ economy and violence that is good to Mexico for the past six years. And many voters say they believe Pe?a Nieto is different and not like the old PRI that ruled the country with an iron fist for most of the 20th century. Primary on voters minds are the economy, jobs and crime. Many say they are unhappy with the current administration of Felipe Calderón who promised to create jobs but spent much of his term launching a violent war against drug traffickers. Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Mexico State.

 

This is NPR News from Washington.

 

The European Union implemented¹¹ new sanctions against Iran today, barring EU countries from buying oil from Iran. The embargo¹² was designed to pressure Iran not to pursue a nuclear weapons program.

 

British Prime Minister David Cameron says he’s considering putting the United Kingdom’s continued relationship with the EU to a public vote. Larry Miller¹³ reports.

 

Cameron doesn't want to leave the EU, saying that’s not in Britain’s best interest, nor does he want further integration¹⁴ with a 27-nation bloc¹⁵. He wants to scale it back. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Cameron says there’s too much bureaucracy in the EU, too much meddling¹⁶ in internal British issues and too much binding¹⁷ EU legislation that should be scrapped¹⁸. Cameron concedes his government’s coalition¹⁹ partners won't agree. The Liberal Democrats²⁰ are dedicated²¹ to European integration. So a referendum would not happen before the next election. And that’s if the Conservatives win. Cameron’s trying to appease²² his party and also lay out now what’s likely to be a key part of the Conservatives' campaign strategy. For NPR News, I’m Larry Miller in London.

 

If you are a fan of My Little Pony²³, there’s only one place to be this weekend, the Meadowlands in Secaucus, New Jersey²⁴ for a convention of enthusiasts²⁵ for the Hasbro toy line first released in 1983. The Pony’s popularity led to television specials and movie and a cartoon series. About 4,000 people are attending the convention, many in costume. There’s a subset of fans that call themselves “bronies,” boys and men who love My Little Pony. Twenty-six-year-old Zac North from Dayton, Ohio says he likes the show because it’s colorful and innocent, which he says is something he doesn't have in his life.

 

I’m Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.

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