International
The investigation of the cause of the fire in the Copenhagen stock exchange could take months
The investigation of the causes of the fire that on Tuesday caused serious damage to the historic old building of the Copenhagen stock exchange could last “several months,” the Danish Police reported on Wednesday.
The authorities assumed the fire was controlled on Tuesday afternoon, about eight hours after its emar, but several dozen firefighters continued this Wednesday with the extinguishing work, which is expected to last until Thursday.
“Shortly after the fire broke out, an investigation was opened and we have carried out several interrogations, ensured surveillance and taken a series of steps. But there is still a part left, especially since we have not yet been able to examine the bag itself or do the technical exams,” deputy comissary Brian Belling said in a statement.
The fire devastated half of the building, from the 17th century and whose facade and roof were being restored, and caused the collapse of part of the roof and the iconic spire of its tower, although hundreds of works of art from its interior were saved.
Apart from extinguishing the last flames, the work is now focused on stabilizing the construction and ensuring that the walls of the burned part do not collapse, for which forty containers full of cement have been placed on the outside.
The police have progressively opened to traffic areas of the center that were cut off by the fire, but maintain the cuts in the vicinity of the building, located a few meters from the seat of the Parliament.
When the fire broke out, at 07.30 local time (05.30 GMT) on Tuesday, there were inside it, ten workers from the company that was restoring it and who left the place on their own foot.
“We have said that, no matter what happens, we are obliged to restore the Stock Exchange, out of consideration for our history, our cultural heritage, Denmark and the business world,” the director of the Chamber of Commerce, Brian Mikkelsen, reiterated today.
It is one of the oldest buildings preserved in Copenhagen, built between 1619 and 1623 by order of King Christian IV of Denmark and which functioned as the city’s purse until 1974.
King Frederick X yesterday described what happened as “sad” and the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, as “horrible.”
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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