International

Fire causes closure of Metropolitan Park in Chile

Photo: biobiochile

December 23 |

Chilean authorities announced this Friday the complete closure of the Metropolitan Park on San Cristobal hill in order to extinguish all remaining outbreaks of the fire that started last night.

The decision was made by the Undersecretary of Housing, Gabriela Elgueta, who said that “the five accesses to the park will be closed to be able to do the work of liquidation of the fire that is already under control. An aircraft will come to allow this”. This closure includes a local swimming pool and the Zoo.

On the other hand, the director of the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), Christian Little, corrected the figure of 5 hectares affected, specifying that only 2 had been affected.

However, in view of the hypothesis of intentionality in the fire, Little said that “it will soon be known”, and assured that “he has specialized investigation units” working on the case together with the “Carabineros Criminalistics Department (Labocar) and the Investigation Police”.

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CEL

According to the presidential delegate for the Metropolitan Region, Constanza Martínez, the number of forces and institutions that were working to contain the fire was “enormous”, and that it “could be controlled in the early hours of the morning”. Although she pointed out that there was “a small resurgence during the morning”, but at the same starting point.

The official pointed out that the country is currently experiencing a hot summer, and that the next few days will have temperatures of “around 34 degrees”. Martinez said this meant “a double call for responsibility.”

“Almost 100 percent of fires are caused by human action or omission. Therefore, also when there are higher temperatures, the amount of humidity also drops, there is a greater amount of wind and there are more possibilities that a spark or a cigarette or leaving a bottle somewhere can cause fires,” he added.

International

Trump urges Putin to reach peace deal

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his desire for Russian President Vladimir Putin to “reach a deal” to end the war in Ukraine, while also reaffirming his willingness to impose sanctions on Russia.

“I want to see him reach an agreement to prevent Russian, Ukrainian, and other people from dying,” Trump stated during a press conference in the Oval Office at the White House.

“I think he will. I don’t want to have to impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil,” the Republican leader added, recalling that he had already taken similar measures against Venezuela by sanctioning buyers of the South American country’s crude oil.

Trump also reiterated his frustration over Ukraine’s resistance to an agreement that would allow the United States to exploit natural resources in the country—a condition he set in negotiations to end the war.

International

Deportation flight lands in Venezuela; government denies criminal gang links

A flight carrying 175 Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States arrived in Caracas on Sunday. This marks the third group to return since repatriation flights resumed a week ago, and among them is an alleged member of a criminal organization, according to Venezuelan authorities.

Unlike previous flights operated by the Venezuelan state airline Conviasa, this time, an aircraft from the U.S. airline Eastern landed at Maiquetía Airport, on the outskirts of Caracas, shortly after 2:00 p.m. with the deportees.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who welcomed the returnees at the airport, stated that the 175 repatriated individuals were coming back “after being subjected, like all Venezuelans, to persecution” and dismissed claims that they belonged to the criminal organization El Tren de Aragua.

However, Cabello confirmed that “for the first time in these flights we have been carrying out, someone of significance wanted by Venezuelan justice has arrived, and he is not from El Tren de Aragua.” Instead, he belongs to a gang operating in the state of Trujillo. The minister did not disclose the individual’s identity or provide details on where he would be taken.

International

Son of journalist José Rubén Zamora condemns father’s return to prison as “illegal”

Guatemalan court decides Wednesday whether to convict journalist José Rubén Zamora

The son of renowned journalist José Rubén Zamora Marroquín, José Carlos Zamora, has denounced as “illegal” the court order that sent his father back to a Guatemalan prison on March 3, after already spending 819 days behind barsover a highly irregular money laundering case.

“My father’s return to prison was based on an arbitrary and illegal ruling. It is also alarming that the judge who had granted him house arrest received threats,” José Carlos Zamora told EFE in an interview on Saturday.

The 67-year-old journalist was sent back to prison inside the Mariscal Zavala military barracks on March 3, when Judge Erick García upheld a Court of Appeals ruling that overturned the house arrest granted to him in October. Zamora had already spent 819 days in prison over an alleged money laundering case.

His son condemned the situation as “unacceptable”, stating that the judge handling the case “cannot do his job in accordance with the law due to threats against his life.”