International
Portugal on alert over fears of fresh wildfire threat
AFP
Portugal, hit by a third heatwave after weeks of wildfires, was on a 24-hour national alert Monday to counter the threat posed by more blazes, authorities said.
Under its measures, the authorities have restricted access forests and banned fireworks displays, as well as stepping up the state of readiness of the emergency services.
Having only just brought under control a fire that destroyed more than 28,000 hectares (69,000 acres) in the Serra da Estrela national park, civil protection authorities said firefighters were tackling another blaze in the central northern Vila Real region.
“According to provisional estimates, this fire has burnt 4,500 hectares,” emergency and civil protection services head Andre Fernandes said of the blaze in a hard-to-access mountainous area.
Two Canadair water bomber planes sent by Greece under the terms of an EU-wide civil protection support mechanism were aiding firefighters’ efforts.
The government issued the alert Sunday after identifying a heightened risk of rural fires as temperatures look set to hit 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) Monday and Tuesday amid an ongoing severe drought.
The latest heatwave comes with Portugal having experienced its hottest July in almost a century.
Since January, the country’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests says more than 94,000 hectares of land have been laid waste to in Portugal’s worst forest fires since 2017, when a series of blazes cost dozens of lives.
Portugal last Wednesday finally extinguished a fire which had burnt more than 25,000 hectares of land in the UNESCO-listed central mountainous area of Serra da Estrela, home to diverse wildlife species including wildcats and lizards.
Minister of the Presidency Marina Vieira da Silva said after meeting mayors of affected municipalities that Lisbon was declaring “a state of natural disaster” to allow the release of rapid aid.
The government is also drawing up a “revitalisation plan” for the Serra da Estrela park.
The consensus among scientists is that climate change has increased the probability of heatwaves, leading to drought and more forest fires.
International
Venezuelan opposition candidate Enrique Márquez detained ahead of Maduro’s inauguration
Enrique Márquez, a minority opposition candidate in Venezuela’s July 28 elections, was “arbitrarily detained,” denounced a political coalition he is part of and his wife, who described the action as “kidnapping.”
Since Tuesday night, there has been a wave of reports of detentions, with at least a dozen arrests just over 48 hours before President Nicolás Maduro’s inauguration for a third six-year term, following a controversial reelection.
“We inform that yesterday, 07.01.25, Enrique Márquez was arbitrarily detained,” stated the Popular Democratic Front (FDP).
“He was kidnapped by paramilitary groups who, using force as their law, aim to silence and intimidate those of us who want a better country and have a different vision,” said his wife, Sonia Lugo de Márquez, on the leader’s X account.
International
American citizen killed by mexican police officer in Ciudad Juárez shooting
An American citizen was shot and killed by a Mexican police officer while driving through Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, just across the border from El Paso, Texas, according to Mexican authorities, as reported by The New York Times.
Chihuahua’s Attorney General, Carlos Manuel Salas, stated that the shooting occurred while the officer was on his way to the attorney general’s office, accompanied by a colleague who was executing a judicial order.
On their way to their destination, a Mustang with New Mexico plates accelerated towards them, prompting the officer to open fire on the driver.
Carlos Salas confirmed that the officer is now in custody and stated that an investigation would be launched by the Internal Affairs Division of the State Attorney General’s Office.
International
At least 13 civilians killed in russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia
A missile attack launched by Russia on Wednesday in the city of Zaporizhzhia, in southern Ukraine, left at least 13 civilians dead and around 30 injured, authorities said.
In images shared on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Telegram channel, civilians were seen lying in a street filled with debris. They were being treated by emergency services and transported on stretchers.
Russia has frequently carried out airstrikes on civilian areas during the nearly three-year-long war. Thousands of civilians have died in the largest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Zelenskyy and regional governor Ivan Fedorov confirmed that at least 13 civilians were killed in Wednesday’s attack. Just minutes before the attack, Fedorov had warned about the threat of high-speed missiles and devastating glide bombs being fired toward the Zaporizhzhia region.
Venezuelan opposition candidate Enrique Márquez detained ahead of Maduro’s inauguration
American citizen killed by mexican police officer in Ciudad Juárez shooting
At least 13 civilians killed in russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
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