International
Starmer asks Sunak to call elections after the Labour advance in the municipal elections
The head of the opposition in the United Kingdom, Labour Keir Starmer, urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday to immediately call general elections that allow the country to “sturn the page,” after the collapse of the conservative vote in the by-elections held yesterday.
In an intervention in Blackpool (northwest), where Labour snatched the seat of that constituency from the ‘tories’, Starmer described that result as “historic” and considered that he sends a direct message – since a deputy was chosen in the House of Commons – to Sunak.
The opposition leader stressed that the transfer of vote from conservatives to Labour has exceeded 20% for the fifth time in the last by-elections to choose seats that have been left vacant due to the resignation of their occupants during this legislature.
For his part, the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, called the first results declared so far of the municipal elections “disappointing” although he warned that there are still “many to be announced.”
However, the British conservatives scored a relevant victory that will alleviate their lousy result in the municipal elections, by managing to keep Ben Houchen as mayor of the metropolitan area of Tees Valley, in the northeast of England.
According to the provisional results, Houchen, one of the most popular ‘tories’ councilors, obtained 53.6% of the votes, compared to 41.3% of his Labour opponent, Chris Mcean, and 5% of the Liberal Democrats.
In a slow count, which will continue throughout the weekend, the triumph in Tees Valley is presented as one of the few bright moments for the conservatives of the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, who faces a historic collapse in these partial local elections.
Despite everything, the percentage of Houchen, mayor since 2017 of that metropolitan area that includes cities such as Middlesbrough, Darlington or Hartlepool, plummets compared to the 72.8% support he obtained in the elections in 2021.
For his part, the president of the Conservative Party, Richard Holden, said that “there is no doubt” that the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, will lead that formation in the next general elections, scheduled for this year, although he predicted “a few hard days” before the first results of the municipal elections in England.
Citizens elected their representatives in 107 out of a total of 318 consistories in England, the most populous region of the United Kingdom, which were last chosen in 2021. There were also elections for the mayor of London and 9 other mayor’s offices and 37 police commissioners were elected.
The final results are not expected to be known until tomorrow, Saturday.
One of the most painful for the ‘tories’ was the result achieved in the by-election that was held in the constituency of Blackpool South (northeast England) to elect the new deputy to occupy that seat in the House of Commons after the resignation of conservative Scott Benton due to accusations of alleged influence peddling.
In it, Labour deputy Chris Webb prevailed, who snatched the seat from the ‘tories’ with 10,825 votes – a majority of 7,607 -, above the conservative David Jones, with 3,218 votes.
The ‘tories’ barely avoided falling to third position in that constituency, with only 117 votes above the candidate of the nationalist Reform UK party, Mark Butcher.
The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, called the triumph in that consistory “really historic” for his formation.
For his part, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson forgot to carry a document with an identification photo when going to vote in the municipal elections, a mandatory requirement that, ironically, introduced by his Government in 2022.
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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