International

A forest fire destroys the town of Jasper in the Rocky Mountains of Canada

An out-of-control forest fire has destroyed much of the Canadian tourist town of Jasper, in the Rocky Mountains, Canadian authorities confirmed on Thursday.

The head of government of the province of Alberta, where Jasper National Park and the town of the same name are located, Danielle Smith, declared in tears during a press conference that the town will recover.

“Magic has not been lost and it never will. The Government of Alberta will provide the necessary support to families and communities to recover and rebuild stronger so that future generations can continue to experience this unique community,” Smith said.

Images on social networks show this Thursday the desolate streets of Jasper with all the buildings reduced to piles of ashes.

Early on Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that he has authorized the deployment of military personnel in Alberta to help combat the 176 fires (54 out of control) that are currently active in the province, following the request made on Wednesday night by Smith.

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Jasper National Park is one of Canada’s natural gems and one of its main tourist attractions. Last year, the park, which is located in the northern area of the Rocky Mountains of Canada, received 2.48 million visitors.

On Monday night, unexpectedly, the Canadian authorities ordered the evacuation of the town, in the heart of the park, after the change of winds pushed two forest fires towards the town where about 10,000 people reside in the summer.

The 10,000 residents of Jasper along with about 25,000 tourists had to leave the area on Tuesday although the Canadian authorities fear that there may still be people camping inside the park and that they have not received the order to evict the territory.

On Wednesday, the strong winds fueled the growth of the fires and at night the flames began to consume buildings in Jasper.

Also, western Canada is facing a wave of high temperatures that is fueling the appearance of hundreds of forest fires. The provinces of British Columbia and Alberta alone have 555 active fires this Thursday.

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Throughout the country there are 983 active forest fires of which 410 are out of control. So far this year, the burned area in the country is 2.4 million hectares.

In addition, last year, Canada suffered its worst season of forest fires in history. Thousands of forest fires burned 17 million hectares of land, about 170,000 square kilometers.

International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.

International

Trump Floats “Friendly Takeover” of Cuba Amid Rising Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration is considering what he described as a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, as Washington continues to increase pressure on the island’s communist government.

“The Cuban government is talking to us and they have very serious problems, as you know. They have no money, they have nothing at this moment, but they are talking to us and maybe we will see a friendly takeover of Cuba,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Texas.

Earlier in the week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba needed a “radical change,” shortly after Washington eased restrictions on oil exports to the island for what officials described as “humanitarian reasons,” amid a deep economic crisis.

The United States has imposed an energy blockade on Cuba since January, citing what it calls an “extraordinary threat” posed by the communist-run island, located roughly 150 kilometers (90 miles) off the coast of Florida, to U.S. national security.

International

Argentina’s Senate Reviews Milei-Backed Labor Overhaul

Argentina’s Senate on Friday began reviewing the Labor Modernization Law promoted by the administration of President Javier Milei, a proposal that would significantly reshape labor rules across the country.

The upper chamber opened its final discussion of the contentious initiative, which revises the method used to calculate severance payments — lowering the amounts owed in dismissal cases — and introduces an “hour bank” mechanism that allows overtime to be offset with paid leave rather than extra wages.

The legislation also broadens the classification of essential services, a change that would place new limits on the right to strike in designated sectors.

The bill was initially approved by the Senate on February 11 and then moved to the Chamber of Deputies, where lawmakers passed it with amendments. It has now returned to the Senate for definitive approval.

Outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires, workers, trade unions and left-wing organizations staged demonstrations beginning at midday. The gathering later thinned out amid reports of disturbances and a strong police presence. Security forces had secured the area surrounding the legislature since early morning hours.

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Union leaders contend that the reform weakens labor protections, while many business representatives back the measure but stress that sustainable formal employment will require economic expansion, improved credit conditions, greater investment and a more dynamic domestic market.