International
Bathing with elephants, the popular Thai tourist activity criticized by animal rights activists
The bathing with elephants offered by some centers is a controversial activity to attract tourists in Thailand, which some organizations denounce that it involves risks by stressing animals that weigh more than a ton and have a very high sensitivity.
After the Spanish Blanca Ojanguren, 22 years old, was fatally attacked last Friday by an elephant in a tourist center on the island of Yao Yai (southwest of the country), where she took a bath with her boyfriend, the warnings made by some organizations about the implications of this practice resonate.
The police are still investigating the event
The Yao Yai Police confirmed to EFE on Monday that it is still investigating what happened to the Spanish woman and “gathers evidence” to determine the precise cause of her death.
Following the event, the Spanish Cristina Palacio, co-director of the Kindred Spirit sanctuary, located in the Thai town of Chiang Mai – where bathing with pachyderms is not allowed – emphasizes that “the main problem is the captivity of wild animals.”
Palacio told EFE that tourists must be provided with “correct information” about the nature of elephants so that they can demand “different and respectful experiences.”
Maternal separation
For its part, World Animal Protection warns that the first step to getting an elephant to be bathed by strangers is to “separate the offspring from their mothers, keep them isolated, deprive them of food and water and, in many cases, beat them repeatedly until they can be controlled with fear.”
There is no evidence that this method, which the NGO says it knows through sources that it does not identify, is complied with in all tourist centers that have these animals, while about 2,800 are exhibited in centers for various activities in Thailand, according to data from the organization.
These practices, they insist, have been spreading in Asian countries to attract foreign visitors, as it is seen as a less aggressive spectacle, leaving behind elephant rides, whose attractiveness has decreased in recent years, when – the NGO believes – awareness against animal abuse has grown.
Bathing elephants: health risk for animals and humans
The nature reserve of the tourist island of Phuket prohibits visitors from having direct contact with animals, except to observe them from a prudent distance, and on its website clarifies: “Elelphants do not want to be bathed by humans and humans should not bathe elephants.”
This center warns about the health risks that these baths contain for the animal and for humans, because – among other factors – the elephant can urinate or defecate, increasing the chances of infection for himself and for tourists who stay close, thanks to these offers that allow up to two hours of contact for a price close to one hundred euros.
“In wet and slippery conditions you can fall. With a three-ton elephant nearby, potentially stressed, this is something you really want to avoid,” warns the reserve, which does not deny that pachyderms enjoy bathing or covering themselves with mud, but only when they want it.
The activity generates disparity of opinions and other centers, including a very popular one 155 kilometers from Bangkok that was open on its website this Monday, offer bathing with elephants as one of their activities, defending the protection of the animal and denying possible abuses.
Thailand, the country of elephants
Thailand, which leads the number of elephants in Southeast Asia, tries to control the growth of this population with contraceptive programs to mainly prevent the rapid reproduction of pachyderms in wildlife.
According to government records, there are currently between 4,013 and 4,222 wild elephants (living in freedom), which have caused the death of 240 people since 2012 and that sometimes cross to areas inhabited by people, due to the loss of natural habitat.
It is also estimated that there is a similar population of domestic elephants in the country, of which there is no recent official data on serious incidents with humans, most of them used in shows intended for tourists.
International
Japan reopens Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Plant despite public concerns
La centrale nucléaire japonaise de Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, la plus grande au monde, a repris ses activités mercredi pour la première fois depuis la catastrophe de Fukushima en 2011, malgré les inquiétudes persistantes d’une partie de la population.
La remise en service a eu lieu à 19h02 heure locale (10h02 GMT), a indiqué à l’AFP Tatsuya Matoba, porte-parole de la compagnie Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco).
Le gouverneur de la préfecture de Niigata, où se situe la centrale, avait donné son feu vert à la reprise le mois dernier, en dépit d’une opinion publique divisée. Selon une enquête menée en septembre par la préfecture elle-même, 60 % des habitants se déclaraient opposés au redémarrage, contre 37 % favorables.
Mardi, plusieurs dizaines de manifestants ont bravé le froid et la neige pour protester près de l’entrée du site, sur les rives de la mer du Japon.
« L’électricité de Tokyo est produite à Kashiwazaki. Pourquoi seuls les habitants d’ici devraient-ils être exposés au danger ? Cela n’a aucun sens », a déclaré à l’AFP Yumiko Abe, une riveraine de 73 ans.
La centrale de Kashiwazaki-Kariwa avait été mise à l’arrêt lorsque le Japon a fermé l’ensemble de ses réacteurs nucléaires à la suite du triple désastre de mars 2011 — un séisme, un tsunami et un accident nucléaire — survenu à Fukushima.
International
Markets rise as Trump halts Europe tariffs and floats Greenland agreement framework
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday lifted his threat to impose new tariffs on several European countries and said he had outlined the framework of a future agreement on Greenland during a meeting in Davos with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
“Based on this understanding, I will not impose the tariffs that were scheduled to take effect on February 1,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, without providing details about the proposed “framework.”
The announcement boosted financial markets. Wall Street, which had been trading slightly higher, extended its gains following Trump’s message, while the U.S. dollar strengthened against the euro.
Trump has repeatedly insisted that Greenland, rich in mineral resources, is ‘vital’ to the security of the United States and NATO, particularly as Arctic ice melts and global powers compete for strategic advantage in the region amid rising tensions with China and Russia.
Last week, the U.S. president threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25% on eight European countries for supporting Denmark and sending a military exploratory mission to Greenland. All of the targeted countries are NATO members, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, Europe’s largest economies.
Trump said on Wednesday that additional discussions are underway regarding the “Golden Dome” missile defense system, specifically in connection with Greenland.
He assigned Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiations.
Hours before his post, Trump ruled out the use of force to seize Greenland for the first time, but demanded “immediate negotiations” for its acquisition, reiterating his view that only the United States can guarantee the security of the Arctic island.
International
Venezuela’s interim president predicts 37% increase in revenues for 2026
Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, said Wednesday that the country’s revenues are expected to increase by about 37% in 2026, in a statement made during a session of the Federal Government Council at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas.
Rodríguez said the projected rise in foreign currency income comes as agreements on Venezuelan oil sales with the United States are being implemented, including deals in which Washington will trade Venezuelan crude and manage the proceeds before transferring funds to Caracas.
“This year, revenues expressed in foreign currency will increase by 37%,” Rodríguez declared, according to EFE. She noted that the increase will also benefit regional governments and local authorities. “You will have more resources for your management, which I know you need,” she added.
Rodríguez said the distribution formula for revenues will remain the same as in 2025: 53% for communes, 29% for state governments, 15% for municipalities, and 3% for institutional strengthening. She also said the government would intervene to “correct imbalances” in how funds are allocated, particularly among some municipal and regional authorities.
The announcement follows reporting that Venezuela received at least $300 million from oil revenues tied to a U.S.–Venezuela deal that could involve up to 50 million barrels of crude. Washington officials have said the interim government met U.S. requirements under the agreement.
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