International
Actions to fight forest fires continue in Bolivia
October 24 |
Bolivian authorities reported Monday that work continues to extinguish fires in various provinces of the country, while more than 676 forest firefighters were mobilized in 16 municipalities with active burning.
In this regard, the Vice Minister of Civil Defense, Juan Carlos Calvimontes reported that the departments of Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, La Paz and Beni are the ones suffering from forest fires, while the official described the deployment of firefighters.
“In the country there are 16 fires officially registered, in the department of La Paz there are six”, informed Juan Carlos Calvimontes. Similarly, the department of La Paz is the most affected by fires in the municipalities of Teoponte, Guanay, Mapiri, Palos Blancos, Caranavi and San Buenaventura.
Juan Carlos Calvimontes pointed out that “we are going to enter the community of Inicua in the municipality of Palos Blancos, where all the logistics are ready, we have the heliport, we have the possible places to refill water, we have the cisterns, we have the technical support staff in place, also the forest firefighters who were displaced days ago to work in firefighting by land and air”.
He also reiterated that they will establish “an operations center, in principle in Palos Blancos and from there we will see what other type of actions will be carried out”.
Likewise, the authorities informed that a helicopter and water tankers were already deployed to work in the suffocation of the fire.
In Beni, the municipalities of Rurrenabaque and San Borja remain with fires; in Santa Cruz the affected municipalities are San Ignacio de Velasco, San Matías, Comarapa, Buena Vista and Yapacaní.
In the department of Cochabamba, the affected municipalities are Chimoré, Entre Ríos and Puerto Villarroel. “Sixty land, air and river reconnaissance and exploration operations were carried out, as well as 189 water discharge operations,” Calvimontes explained.
International
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in central Vietnam has risen to 28, with six people reported missing and 43 injured, local newspaper VnExpress reported Friday night.
More than 22,100 homes remain flooded, primarily in the cities of Hue and Da Nang. Floods and landslides have destroyed or swept away 91 houses and damaged another 181, the report added.
Around 245,000 households are still without electricity, particularly in Da Nang, where over 225,000 homes are affected.
Additionally, 80 stretches of national highways are blocked or disrupted due to landslides. Authorities expect the flooding to continue for another day or two in the region.
International
FBI foils ISIS-Inspired attack in Michigan, arrests five teens
Kash Patel did not provide further details, but police sources told CBS News that the potential attack was “inspired” by the Islamic State (ISIS).
“This morning, the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested several individuals in Michigan who were allegedly planning a violent attack during the Halloween weekend,” Patel wrote on X.
“Thanks to swift action and close coordination with our local partners, a possible terrorist act was prevented before it could be carried out,” he added.
CBS reported that five people between the ages of 16 and 20 were arrested on Friday. At least one of them was reportedly acquainted with a former member of the Michigan National Guard, who was arrested in May for plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on a U.S. military facility in the Detroit suburbs.
International
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed concerns over China’s growing military activity near Taiwan during a meeting on Friday with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Kuala Lumpur.
“It was a constructive and positive meeting,” Hegseth wrote on X. “I emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and raised U.S. concerns about China’s actions around Taiwan,” the self-governed island that Beijing claims and does not rule out invading.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea. According to Trump, Taiwan was not discussed during their talks.
“The United States does not seek conflict and will continue to firmly defend its interests, ensuring it maintains the capability to do so in the region,” Hegseth added in his message.
Friday’s encounter followed a September 9 video call between Hegseth and Dong. Their previously planned meeting at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was canceled due to Dong’s absence from the event.
Trump’s sit-down with Xi — their first since 2019 — resulted in some trade agreements but avoided addressing the issue of Taiwan, a long-standing source of tension between the world’s two largest powers.
Trump has taken a more ambiguous stance on Taiwan’s future compared with former President Joe Biden, who repeatedly stated that Washington would support Taipei if China launched an invasion. The Republican president has also criticized Taiwan for “stealing” the U.S. semiconductor industry.
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