International
Beryl causes damage, but without injuries or deaths, after making landfall in Mexico
Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the early morning of this Friday north of the municipality of Tulum, Quintana Roo, in the Mexican Caribbean, but so far no injuries or deaths have been reported, reported the Civil Protection Coordinator, Laura Velázquez.
“We have no reports so far of injured or deceased, I repeat they are preliminary data, we are in the aid phase,” the official said during a call made within the framework of the morning press conference of the president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Velázquez specified that the hurricane hit Quintana Roo at 05:05 local time (11:05 GMT) with maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour and gusts of 220 kilometers per hour.
Now Beryl, who made landfall as a category 2 hurricane, degraded in the last hours to a tropical storm on the ground as it passed through the Mexican state of Yucatan (southeast), according to the National Meteorological Service (SMN) of Mexico.
“At this moment we are already in the aid phase, we are already making tours mainly in Tulum throughout the length and breadth of the municipality,” said the head of Civil Protection.
He pointed out that tours are being carried out to quantify the damage, although the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) has reported that in Tulum approximately 40% of the area is without electricity, while in Cozumel seven colonies have electrical energy effects.
In addition, in Isla Mujeres, 50% of homes are without electricity.
The SMN, said in its most recent report, that “Beryl is now a tropical storm. It is located on land over Yucatan and its cloudy bands maintain the probability of intense to torrential rains, intense winds, storm tide and high waves in the Yucatan Peninsula.
For his part, Velázquez specified that so far 58 temporary shelters have been enabled in which 2,193 people are housed who have hot food and “are being very well taken care of.”
He also reported that the airports of Tulum, Cozumel and Cancun did not suffer any affect.
The governor of Quintana Roo, Mara Lezama, reported the fall of trees and affectations in the municipalities of Solidaridad and Benito Juárez, which are the most inhabited areas, in addition to some fall of fences (walls).
The authorities noted that in the area there are 25,611 elements deployed to collaborate in the rescue work, of which 4,150 are elements of the Ministry of National Defense, 1,128 of the Secretariat of the Navy, 4,451 of the National Guard and 2,189 of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).
Meanwhile, López Obrador recommended that people do not go out because there are still fallen trees, which may pose a risk to the population.
Beryl is the first hurricane of the season and sets an “alarming precedent” because a cyclone of maximum intensity had never been formed at this point in the year, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Tuesday.
Of the three cyclones that have occurred in this Atlantic season, Beryl would be the third to impact Mexico, where on Sunday tropical storm Chris entered, which left floods in the center and east of the country.
While storm Alberto, which made landfall on June 20, left six dead in Nuevo León, a state on the northern border of Mexico, and destruction and floods in Monterrey, the second most populous city in the country.
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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