International
A forest fire destroys the town of Jasper in the Rocky Mountains of Canada
An out-of-control forest fire has destroyed much of the Canadian tourist town of Jasper, in the Rocky Mountains, Canadian authorities confirmed on Thursday.
The head of government of the province of Alberta, where Jasper National Park and the town of the same name are located, Danielle Smith, declared in tears during a press conference that the town will recover.
“Magic has not been lost and it never will. The Government of Alberta will provide the necessary support to families and communities to recover and rebuild stronger so that future generations can continue to experience this unique community,” Smith said.
Images on social networks show this Thursday the desolate streets of Jasper with all the buildings reduced to piles of ashes.
Early on Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that he has authorized the deployment of military personnel in Alberta to help combat the 176 fires (54 out of control) that are currently active in the province, following the request made on Wednesday night by Smith.
Jasper National Park is one of Canada’s natural gems and one of its main tourist attractions. Last year, the park, which is located in the northern area of the Rocky Mountains of Canada, received 2.48 million visitors.
On Monday night, unexpectedly, the Canadian authorities ordered the evacuation of the town, in the heart of the park, after the change of winds pushed two forest fires towards the town where about 10,000 people reside in the summer.
The 10,000 residents of Jasper along with about 25,000 tourists had to leave the area on Tuesday although the Canadian authorities fear that there may still be people camping inside the park and that they have not received the order to evict the territory.
On Wednesday, the strong winds fueled the growth of the fires and at night the flames began to consume buildings in Jasper.
Also, western Canada is facing a wave of high temperatures that is fueling the appearance of hundreds of forest fires. The provinces of British Columbia and Alberta alone have 555 active fires this Thursday.
Throughout the country there are 983 active forest fires of which 410 are out of control. So far this year, the burned area in the country is 2.4 million hectares.
In addition, last year, Canada suffered its worst season of forest fires in history. Thousands of forest fires burned 17 million hectares of land, about 170,000 square kilometers.
International
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized what he described as unfair fees imposed on American ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand that Washington take back control of the strategic waterway.
“Our Navy and commerce have been threatened in a very unjust and reckless way. The rates that Panama charges are ridiculous,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The president-elect also denounced the growing influence of China in the canal, a situation he called concerning as U.S. businesses depend on the waterway to transport goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
“This complete scam against our country will end immediately,” he stated.
The Panama Canal, completed by the United States in 1914, was handed over to Panama under the 1977 treaty signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Panama took full control of the commercial passage in 1999.
“It was exclusively for Panama to manage, not China or anyone else,” Trump said. “We would never allow it to fall into the wrong hands!”
“If Panama cannot guarantee a ‘safe, efficient, and reliable’ operation of the canal, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in its entirety, without a doubt,” the Republican added.
Panamanian authorities did not immediately respond to Trump’s statements. While he will assume office on January 20, Trump has been exerting his political influence in the final days of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Five percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, which allows vessels traveling from Asia to the U.S. East Coast to avoid the long and dangerous route around the southern tip of South America.
The countries that use the Panama Canal the most are the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea.
In October, the Panama Canal Authority reported earnings of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.
International
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised more “destruction” in Ukraine on Sunday, in response to a drone strike that hit a residential building in the city of Kazan, located in central Russia, on Saturday.
Russia accused Ukraine of launching a “massive” drone attack, which struck a luxury apartment block in Kazan, about 1,000 kilometers from the border.
Videos shared on Russian social media show drones hitting a high-rise glass building. No casualties have been reported as a result of the attack.
In his statements, Putin addressed the local leader of Tatarstan, the region where Kazan is located, during a virtual ceremony marking the opening of a road.
The attack in Kazan is the latest in a series of increasingly frequent bombings in this nearly three-year-old conflict. Ukraine has not commented on the attack.
Putin had previously threatened to strike the center of Kyiv with a hypersonic ballistic missile in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities were retaliation for Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles to target Russian territory.
International
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
At least nine people were killed on Sunday after a small aircraft crashed in a commercial area of the tourist city of Gramado, in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, authorities confirmed.
“There are nine confirmed deaths according to Civil Defense services, and there are no survivors from the plane,” said Cléber dos Santos Lima, director of the Interior Police Department of the Civil Police of the state, in a statement to AFP.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact number of passengers and crew aboard the aircraft, a turbo-prop Piper Cheyenne 400. However, Civil Defense had previously stated that “preliminarily, the plane was carrying ten people.”
The plane crashed on Sunday morning “into the chimney of a building, then onto the second floor of a house, and finally fell onto a furniture store,” according to a statement from the Rio Grande do Sul Public Security Secretariat.
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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