In brief: Tropical storm dumps more misery

MEXICO CITY – Tropical Storm Polo churned south of the Baja California Peninsula on Saturday night, whipping up waves along the shore and swirling more rain onto residents trying to recover from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Odile.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Polo was centered about 90 miles south of Cabo San Lucas on Saturday night. Its sustained winds had weakened to 40 mph. Polo’s center was forecast to pass by during the night and begin moving farther from land.

The center predicted Polo would continue losing strength over the weekend. It warned, however, that coastal areas could see dangerous surf and rip-current conditions. Mexican authorities alerted residents to the danger of heavy rain.

Polo came six days after Odile, a Category 3 hurricane, lashed Cabo San Lucas and the nearby city of San Jose del Cabo, knocking out power and water service in the area. Authorities sent in federal troops and police to help restore order and calm outbreaks of looting. Tens of thousands of tourists were flown out from the coastal resort region.

Many areas remained without power or water Saturday. Authorities were bringing in food, generators and other necessities for hurricane victims, many of whom lost their homes.

NATO commander blames Russia

VILNIUS, Lithuania – NATO’s top general said Saturday the two-week-old truce between Ukraine and pro-Russian militants fighting in the country’s east is a “cease-fire in name only,” and he said that by enabling a free flow of weapons and fighters across the border, Russia has made it nearly impossible to determine how many of its troops are operating inside Ukraine.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told a news conference after meeting with NATO military chiefs that he is hopeful about Saturday’s announced agreement for creation of a buffer zone between Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces.

The deal reached by representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the Moscow-backed rebels and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe marks an effort to add substance to the Sept. 5 cease-fire agreement that has been frequently broken by clashes.

Breedlove has put the main blame on Russia for the continuing conflict.

“So the situation in Ukraine is not good right now,” he said. “Basically, we have a cease-fire in name only.”