International
Kamala Harris rescues Biden for her presidential campaign
The Democratic candidate for the White House, Kamala Harris, rescued the president, Joe Biden, as an asset for his electoral campaign a month after he resigned his own candidacy in an exhibition of unity that leaves behind the political storm that shook the party.
The campaign was prudent when choosing the site. Far from the stadiums that Harris and his new vice president, Governor Tim Walz, have crowded in recent days in the key states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada or Wisconsin.
With Biden, the now vice president appeared at a small gym in Prince George County, Maryland, part of the overwhelmingly Democratic suburbs of Washington; with nothing at stake in the November 5 elections.
In addition, the event, officially of the White House to promote a drop in drug prices negotiated with pharmaceutical companies, attended by a predominantly African-American audience, a sector among which Biden still retains some popularity.
“I could talk all afternoon about the person I’m with in this scenario,” said the Democratic candidate after jumping on the stage with Biden.
“There is a lot of love in this room for our president,” said the vice president, showing a great affection for Biden, who a little less than a month ago gave him the Democratic candidacy.
Harris dedicated part of his speech to praising Biden for his legacy, giving him credit for the government inheritance.
“I think that love is for many, many reasons; including that few leaders in our nation have done more on so many issues, such as the expansion of access to affordable health care,” the vice president added while the public cheered “thank you Joe, thank you Joe!”, in an evident feeling of farewell.
Both praised each other, being proud to have been key to the approval of a reform that allows the Government to negotiate the abusive prices of medicines with pharmaceutical companies, a great concern among older citizens in the country.
When it was his turn, Biden went to the Democratic base for the first time with Harris next to him since he resigned from the candidacy: “Friends, I have an incredible partner,” he said.
Harris and Biden thus made a display of partisan unity after the president was forced to resign his candidacy for re-election under pressure from several party leaders, including the influential former president of the Lower House Nancy Pelosi.
Democrats were alarmed by the nefarious polls and the broad public perception that Biden, 81, is too old to govern one more term. That campaign of harassment and demolition opened major wounds among the Democrats, who have managed to heal in record time.
Harris took the reins of the campaign immediately that same Sunday the 21st and in less than a month he has managed to turn around some polls that gave Trump as the winner almost by acclamation and arouse an enthusiasm in the Democratic base not seen since the time of Barack Obama.
Biden, for his part, had moved away from the campaign during these weeks, dedicated only to executive functions, a respite that even allowed him to enjoy a summer day at the beach with his family this past Saturday in Delaware.
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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