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Argentine fans book flights to the US for World Cup Final against Spain
Argentina fans bought flights to the United States within hours of the national carrier putting on special services for the Sunday World Cup final in New Jersey against Spain. This shows that Argentina is willing to pay almost any price to support the defending champions. Aerolineas Argentinas, a state-run airline, said that two special Buenos Aires to New York flights released on Wednesday evening had sold out by the morning of Thursday. The flight was priced at $5,000 for economy class and $10,000 for business class, which is far higher than the usual fares. Spain won a 2-0 victory over France in the semifinals on Tuesday, and Argentina defeated England 2-1 on Wednesday at the?Atlanta stadium to advance to the final on July 19. The title match will take place at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford. Aerolineas website shows that there are no seats left on its New York flights until?July 21. The airline's flights from Miami to South Florida were also fully booked, according to the spokesperson. Other airlines were still marketing seats on Thursday, but mainly via connections and not non-stop special fan charters. American Airlines advertised Buenos Aires to New York fares on its website for July travel, while Copa 'and LATAM also listed Buenos Aires to New York or Buenos Aires to Miami?options. The travel company 'Despegar' said that searches for flights to New York increased by 6,000% within hours of the final whistle. This is a sign of the incredible demand created by Argentina’s bid to retain its title. The chance to watch 'Lionel Messi and his team face Spain at the World Cup has outweighed the cost to get there for Argentines. Reporting by Eliana Razewski in Buenos Aires, Kylie Madry and Christian Radnedge for Christian Radnedge.
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BHP Electrical workers support strikes at key Australian Iron Ore Export Hub
The Electrical Trades Union said that electrical workers at BHP’s Port Hedland Bulk Port Terminal voted overwhelmingly in favor of a work stoppage following four months targeted work bans. The Australian union reported that 97.5% percent of high-voltage workers supported work stops in a poll asking if they would support an unlimited number of stoppages lasting from 30 minutes to 24 hours. The union stated that the 'high-voltage electric workers maintain an electrical network which keeps BHP mine sites, worker accommodations, and Newman nearby, running. The union announced in May that workers would vote to stop work after six months of unsuccessful talks with the?management. Adam Woodage, Secretary of the Electrical Trades Union WA, said: "Like Port Hedland workers, they want fair and transparent classifica-tions, equal pay for equally hard work, and conditions that can't be changed by a manager at their whim." BHP has not responded to the request for comment immediately. After failing to agree on the terms of a four-year labour agreement, hundreds of BHP iron ore workers at Port Hedland held an eight-hour strike on Thursday. Port Hedland, a major artery for BHP, is where it routes $80 million worth of iron ore every day. This action was the biggest at BHP in at least three decades as unions try to gain a foothold in Australia's Iron Ore Regions.
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NTSB finds evidence that bird strikes occurred before fatal New York helicopter crash
The National Transportation Safety Board announced Thursday that it had 'found evidence of bird strikes before a tourist heli smashed upside down in the Hudson River, 'New York City,?April 2025 killing all six passengers. Agustin Escobar was the CEO of Rail Infrastructure for Siemens Mobility, a train transportation division of Germany's Siemens, and he died in this accident. The NTSB confirmed that evidence had been found of a bird'strike' on the Bell 206L-4 helicopter. At least two dozen helicopter operators are listed on the tour website Viator. They offer tourists a bird’s eye view of Manhattan. Many operators offer shuttle helicopter services to area airports. This was the eighth tourist flight of the day. It flew from the Statue of Liberty over to the George Washington Bridge and then turned south to fly over the Hudson River. Witnesses reported hearing loud "bangs and pops" before the helicopter broke apart and fell into the Hudson River. A witness also reported that, just minutes before, she had seen a large flock take off near the Newport lighthouse, Jersey City, New Jersey. The NTSB report stated that "when the helicopter banged, I immediately believed it was a Bird Strike." Five passengers on a helicopter in New York died when it crashed into the East River. The pilot, however, survived. The helicopter was on charter flight with an open door that allowed passengers to take photos of the skyline. After 67 people were killed in a crash between an American Airlines regional plane and an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport, Washington D.C. in January 2025, regulators focused on helicopter safety. The FAA has restricted helicopter traffic in the vicinity of that airport permanently and also imposed restrictions on helicopters around the country. David Shepardson, David Gaffen and David Shepardson contributed to this report.
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Ontario asks for federal assistance to evacuate remote Canadian towns as wildfires ravage them
Canada is experiencing more wildfires now than in mid-July of the previous two years, and the area that has been burned has increased compared to the year 2025. The majority of fires are located in remote parts of central provinces such as Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. In recent years, wildfires have affected remote indigenous communities disproportionately. Indigenous Services Canada reported that 1,600 people had been evacuated due to fires in First Nations communities as of July 15, 2015. CBC News reported that the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation in northwestern Ontario, also known by its former name Collins First Nation was evacuated Monday following a rapid-moving fire which swept through an area near 'Armstrong', located more than 500 km (310 miles), north of Toronto. Video showed community members going door-to-door to warn residents. Then, as the flames approached their homes, more than 20 people and their pets escaped on boats. Helen Paavola, chief of the community in question, told CBC that it was all destroyed within an hour. According to Ontario's Aviation Fire and Emergency Services, the wildfire that affected the Armstrong area, which included Namaygoosisagagun?and Whitesand First Nation nearby, had reached more than 350,000 ha by Thursday. Jill Dunlop said, "In response?to the significant threat of wildland fire activities in northern Ontario, Ontario has issued a Request for Assistance. The province is prepared to expedite deployment of federal resources that will support evacuations." She added that the Canadian Armed Forces were among those who would be able to help. Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that the federal government will continue to work closely with its provincial and municipal counterparts, and provide any additional assistance needed. According to the government, there were 859 fires burning across the country as of Thursday. 113 were deemed out-of-control. 2.384 hectares (5.89 acre) of land have been burned so far. Carney stated on Wednesday that "the wildfire situation in Canada has deteriorated dramatically over the past three weeks, particularly in Northwestern Ontario." "Thousands of people were forced to leave their communities because they didn't know if their houses would survive." Canadian National Railway?said that employees and residents in the town of Armstrong had been evacuated Monday night following a viral video posted on social media showing a CN Train surrounded by a?fire? in the surrounding area. CN announced that it had temporarily suspended rail operations in the vicinity of Armstrong due to a?wildfire'. Fury Gold Mines, based in Vancouver, announced on Wednesday it had suspended exploration and drill at its Eau Claire Project in northern Quebec following the evacuation of all personnel because of a nearby forest fire. Green Technology Metals is an Australian-listed company that focuses on lithium exploration. It has a mine near Armstrong. Green Technology Metals did not reply to an email asking if it evacuated staff. The majority of gold mines in northern Ontario are located away from the fires. Thunder Bay is the largest city in Northwest Ontario and has many wildfire evacuees.
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Carney: Canada won't share bridge tolls until US debt is repaid.
Mark Carney, the Prime Minister, said that Canada would not share toll revenue with the United States until Canada had recovered its initial investment. The delay in opening the Gordie-Howe bridge, which was paid for by Canada has caused tensions between the United States, and Canada. This is at a time when the two countries are trying to update their trade agreement. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said last week that he had negotiated "a better deal" with Canada to enable the U.S. bridge's July 27 opening. Carney was criticized by political opponents for caving in to the U.S., after American officials claimed that they had "gone from receiving no revenue" to a significant amount of revenue. Carney told a Thursday press conference that the agreement between Michigan and Canada on the Gordie-Howe bridge was unchanged since 2012, when Canada agreed pay for the bridge. According to the deal, Canada had the right to keep all toll revenues until it recovered its bridge investment costs. Carney said that any sharing of?toll revenues will not happen until the entire debt has been repaid. Carney added that Canada and the U.S. would share net revenues during the first fifteen years, after operating costs such as maintenance and snow removal. He said that he expected net revenues to be modest for the first couple of years after these costs. "When the splitting starts, all the portions that are going to the U.S. Government will be reinvested?into economic development." Details of the agreement reached between Canada and the U.S. are not public. Two sources said that a deal was reached last week, and the U.S. It would receive 50% of the toll revenue profit and be able veto any toll increase that is 10% higher than current tolls. Fen Hampson is a professor at Carleton University who specializes in international affairs. He said that the deal represented a win for Canada. If you do the math on when Canada will split the revenues, it won't leave much to?split." Carney said that it was in Carney's interest that Americans thought they forced a Canadian concession. It's better for Trump to think that he has won, or else he could be vindictive. Shuvaloy Majumdar, a Conservative Member of Parliament from the opposition, called it "a terrible?deal" in a letter he sent to government last week. Majumdar wrote: "Canadians are entitled to the complete agreement, an accounting of all costs and a clear explanation about what was given."
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US networks are faced with a dilemma about whether or not to broadcast Trump's speech on election security
U.S. TV networks are considering whether or not to broadcast a planned address by President Donald Trump on Thursday, who will reportedly?focus his remarks on the security of elections, four months before?critical midterm election. Most of these speeches have been broadcast on television because they are considered to be important for the public. Reports on Wednesday said that the White House was considering using the speech as a way to reveal sensitive intelligence about China's intent or ability to influence the 2020 U.S. elections. Some Trump officials are concerned this could be misleading. Karoline Lavitt, White House Press secretary, said during a press briefing on Thursday that it is "also very likely" that Trump will address the current economic situation and Iran at the beginning of his speech. She said it is "all the more reason" that the networks should broadcast the speech in real time and Americans should tune in. Trump has spent many years sowing doubts over the outcome of elections, falsely claiming that his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 was rigged. Trump has claimed, without any evidence, that mail-in votes are rife in fraud and voting machines can be manipulated. Non-citizens voting is also widespread. Democrats such as U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez have asked networks to not air the speech. They claim Trump will likely?repeat false claims. The three?major U.S. television networks - ABC, CBS, and NBC - did not answer questions regarding whether or not they would be broadcasting the speech live. CNN and Fox News did not reply to requests for comment. Refusing to broadcast the speech could anger an administration which has already put unprecedented pressure on major broadcast networks. Walt Disney's ABC faces two pending Federal Communications Commission inquiries, one of which examines whether the daytime talk show 'The View' violated equal time rules by interviewing Democratic Senate candidate in Texas. Trump has attacked NBC, and Comcast (which he calls "Concast"), repeatedly. He stormed out last month of an interview with NBC's political reporter Kristen Welker, after calling it "a one-sided crooked" network. Comcast?announced plans to split into 2 publicly traded companies by a spinoff NBCUniversal Sky. Analysts?have stated that the move could'make NBCUniversal a takeover target. The takeover of Paramount, by David Ellison - whose billionaire dad Larry is an ally of Trump - has caused a stir in the CBS newsroom, and led to the departure of senior staffers from "60 Minutes". Several employees have claimed that political influence was used to make editorial decisions. The network has denied this claim. Ellison now awaits FCC approval of Paramount's purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery could allow him to control CNN, which Trump has long criticized as unfair. Last month, the?Antitrust Division of the U.S. Justice Department approved this deal. The ?conservative-leaning cable news network Fox News, owned by Rupert Murdoch, generally carries all of Trump's speeches but may also be wary of this one. The network was ordered to pay $787 million in 2023 to settle a lawsuit for defamation over false claims it made about the 2020 elections. (Reporting Helen Coster, Additional reporting Edmund Lee; Editing Alistair Bell).
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New York's hydropower line outage irks governor who championed the project
The administration of New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday condemned an "ongoing outage" on the Champlain-Hudson Power Express transmission line. She had championed the $6 billion project to reduce the use of dirty oil-fired power plants and increase the razor-thin'state grid's buffer against unforeseen events. According to the latest transmission outage calendar from grid operator New York ISO, the?1,250 megawatt Champlain Hudson Power Express is expected to remain offline until July 31. New York ISO's data previously indicated that CHPE would not be in service until the end of this week. New York ISO didn't respond to a request for comment. Ken Lovett is Hochul's spokesperson and he said that the CHPE outage was unacceptable. "On the Governor's instruction, administration officials are in daily contact with developers to help identify and solve the problem." CHPE is able to deliver as much as 20% of New York City’s electricity. Hydro-Quebec said on Monday that it is currently offline because of a cable problem. Hydro-Quebec stated that the current cable problem on the U.S. end of the line has nothing to do with the shutdown on July 1. Blackstone Inc. and Hydro-Quebec jointly developed the project. Hochul said last month that CHPE would help replace the lost power with the?closure of the Indian Point nuclear facility. Since then, New York City is relying more on fossil-fuel generators and this has increased pollution in the downstate area. According to the NYISO, this month, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit,?oil-fired-generators have been ramped up in order to meet a surge in energy demand due to increased air conditioning usage. The power line runs 339 miles (546 km) along the length of New York State from the Canadian border, to the converter station in Astoria Queens where the energy enters the New York City grid. New York ISO announced earlier this week that it would not be relying upon CHPE for this summer's grid, despite the fact that grid reserves were "extremely low."
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Ontario seeks federal assistance for evacuations due to wildfires, as the smoke spreads
Ontario asked for federal assistance on Thursday to evacuate people from remote northern communities that were ravaged by wildfires. Smoke brought poor air quality to Toronto and the Northeastern U.S. Canada now has more active fires than in the previous two years, and has a larger burned area compared to the year 2025. The majority of fires are located in remote parts of central provinces such as Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. Jill Dunlop said that Ontario's Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Jill Dunlop stated on X, "In response the the significant threat of wildland fires in the north of Ontario, the Province has issued a formal request for assistance to the Government of Canada. We are prepared to expedite deployment of federal resources as support to evacuations." She said that the Canadian Armed Forces were among those who would be able to help. In prepared remarks, Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that the federal and provincial governments are in constant communication and will provide assistance as required. In recent years, wildfires have mostly affected'remote indigenous community. Indigenous Services Canada reported that?1,600 people had been evacuated due to fires in First Nations communities this season as of July 15th. According to the government, there were 859 fires burning across the country as of Thursday. Of those, 113 were considered uncontrollable. So far, 5.89 million acres (2.384 million hectares) of land have been burned. Carney said on Wednesday that the wildfire situation had gotten worse in the past three weeks, especially in Northwestern Ontario. "Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes, not knowing whether they would survive." Canadian National Railway announced that employees and residents in the town of Armstrong had been evacuated Monday night following a viral video posted on'social media showing a CN train engulfed in fire. CN announced that it has suspended rail operations in the area of Armstrong, which is more than 500 km (310 miles), north of Toronto. This was done as a precaution because wildfires were raging. Fury Gold Mines, based in Vancouver, announced on Wednesday that they had temporarily suspended exploration and drill at their Eau Claire project located in northern Quebec. This was after the company evacuated all its personnel because of a forest fire nearby. The Australian-listed 'Green Technology Metals', which focuses primarily on lithium exploration, operates a mine near Armstrong. Green Technology Metals did not reply to an email asking if it evacuated staff. The majority of gold mines in northern Ontario are located away from the current fires.
South America's electric vehicle market is booming -- even without Tesla
Luis Zwiebach, a Peruvian green-energy entrepreneur, flew to California 4,000 miles away to test drive Tesla Model 3 sedan. Tesla did not have an official importer, and Zwiebach was unable to navigate Peru's complicated vehicle import regulations.
He did not give up. Zwiebach explained that a man had imported one already and was looking to sell it. "So I went and saw it, and bought it."
The Tesla was initially difficult to charge at a friend's beachhouse outside Lima. He said that the car would not charge because it lacked a grounding device. "We stuck a fork into the ground to create a ground, and the car started charging."
It's easier than ever to buy an EV today in Peru. Tesla does not have a showroom, but Chinese manufacturers like BYD and GWM are selling electric vehicles at about 60% less than a Tesla. They also sell models by Toyota, Kia, and Hyundai. Tesla has not responded to a comment request.
Chinese automakers are expanding their footprint in South America, both with traditional cars and electric vehicles. According to Peru's automotive association EVs still make up a tiny portion of the 135,394 cars sold there in the nine-month period ending in September. However, they are growing. In that time period, hybrid and electric vehicle sales reached a record of 7,256 units. This is a 44% increase on the previous year.
China has increased its sales since opening the Port of Chancay north of Lima last year. The Chinese megaport has cut trans-Pacific shipping time in half, just as Chinese companies face increasing barriers to entry into the United States and increased trade restrictions in Europe. BYD, which produces EVs, hybrids, and combustion engines, plans to open a new dealership in Lima before the end of the year. Chery and Geely already have over a dozen locations in Peru.
Zwiebach, a Lima resident, said that the electric car was doing well in Lima. "More than two cars are sold each day."
He said that the growing demand for renewable energy had led him to expand his business. He now offers EV chargers, solar panels, and regenerative lifts to clients from Lima and Arequipa including real estate developers and universities.
Zwiebach said, "A property developer told him he would buy the penthouse if it had a car charger." So we did. "You just plug it into your home like a telephone."
Chinese automakers are facing a price war that is destroying their profits at home, and an increasing surplus of new vehicles coming off the factory lines of China. According to Felipe Munoz, global automotive analyst at JATO Dynamics, a large portion of this surplus is shipped overseas, mainly to the Middle East and Central Asia, as well as Latin America.
Martin Bresciani is the president of Chile's Automotive Business Chamber, CAVEM. He said that China has "carved out a space" for both petrol and electric cars. "The Chinese have already shown that they meet global standards in terms of quality."
In the first quarter this year, Chinese brands accounted for 29.6% all new passenger cars sold in Chile.
The Chinese firms are on the rise in Latin America
In its Global EV Outlook, published in 2025, the International Energy Agency stated that EV penetration will double in Latin America by 2024, to around 4%. This growth is boosted both by government incentives as well as an influx affordable Chinese models. According to the latest figures, the EV market share reached 10.6% in Chile in September. In Brazil, it was 9.4%, while in Uruguay, the figure was 28%. These are all records, according local car associations and consulting firms. By mid-2025, Europe and China will have half their new cars be EVs (56% vs 51%). In Japan and America, rates were closer to 2% or 10%. Even in Argentina where trade barriers and economic headwinds are high, EV sales continue to rise from a low baseline. BYD launched its first car in Argentina in October. BYD is already the leader in electric vehicle sales in Brazil and Colombia.
Seven dealerships in Peru, Chile and Uruguay said that part of China's success was partnering with local importers who offer models more affordable, tailored to regional tastes.
This shift is most evident in Uruguay where BYD, behind General Motors Chevrolet and Hyundai, is the third largest seller of all types of vehicles. China's share of the market in Uruguay has doubled since 2023, and now stands at 22%.
Gonzalo Elorriaga, a luxury car dealer in Uruguay's glamorous beach resort city of Punta del Este began displaying BYD vehicles a few year ago. BYD is now the most popular brand, even though he still sells European brands and Japanese ones.
Elgorriaga spoke from his Stars Motors showroom overlooking Mansa Beach.
He said that Chinese brands are now well-known and have a large market. The banks offer prize draws and credit lines in collaboration with the brands. Their appeal is also based on their competitive prices. BYD's battery electric vehicles start at $19,000 in Uruguay.
I can buy three Chinese pickups for the same price as two traditional brands. Federico Guarino, another Uruguayan auto dealer, said that the difference was huge.
NEW MEGAPORT OPENS UP CONTINENT FOR CHINA Chancay's megaport, built in Peru under China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has replaced the restaurants that once welcomed weekend tourists to the sleepy fish town. Gonzalo Ros, the deputy manager of Cosco Shipping (the port operator), said to journalists in October that "each ship brings between 800 and 1,200 vehicles". Cosco anticipates that the total number vehicles arriving from China will reach 19,000 before the end of this year. The vehicles that arrive in Peru are not the only ones. Cosco Shipping has completed its first boat-based vehicle transshipment in September. It sent 250 cars to Chile where Chinese brands accounted for 33% of the total car market in July. Last week, a second trans-shipment of hybrids and electric vehicles to Chile was in progress.
Rios stated that Cosco also sent shipments to Ecuador, and Colombia in order to make Peru a regional hub for the distribution of hybrid, electric, and conventional Chinese vehicles. Chery of China, which had less than 2% share in the Peruvian EV market as of September, has already used the corridor to speed up deliveries across the continent. Customs data from Peru show that 3,057 vehicles arrived in the port in July, compared to 839 in January. Peru doesn't have a large car industry that can complain about Chinese sales, but it has caused tension elsewhere, including in Brazil. Some Chinese companies are investing in Brazil's factories, where the tariff barriers encourage local production. BYD started assembling EVs at Ford's old plant in Bahia in October and Great Wall Motors launched partial production at a repurposed Mercedes Benz facility in August.
Ricardo Bastos is the director of Institutional Affairs for GWM Brazil, and President of the country's EV Association, ABVE. He said that the company anticipates exporting vehicles to the region from its Brazil factory by 2027, or possibly earlier, leveraging favorable trade agreements between Mexico, Chile, and the South American trading bloc Mercosur.
Bastos stated in an interview that "Brazil is the third country after Russia and Thailand to receive a factory (GWM). It's a strategically sound decision, demonstrating the strength Latin America has." Brazil is also importing large quantities of Chinese vehicles. Calculations show that the largest ship in the world, which carries around 22,000 cars, docked earlier this year at Brazil's Itajai Port. Brazilian labor and industry groups claim that China is using the temporary low tariffs for EVs on South America's biggest car market in order to increase its exports, rather than invest to build Brazilian factories and to create jobs. BYD was also criticized for reports about poor working conditions at its Bahia factory. Since then, the government has moved to reimpose import duties. The government has since re-imposed import duties on foreign EVs.
Brazil may soon be able to match Chancay's role as a regional hub. Vitoria, on Brazil's southeast Atlantic coast, is currently the leader in vehicle imports. Stephen Deng, BYD Argentina's Country Manager told the media in October that BYD was expecting Brazilian arrivals in 2027. Deng stated, "I believe Argentina could adopt the same EV prices as Brazil in the future."
Bresciani said that South America still has a long way to go before EVs are adopted, citing the lack of charging stations and distances.
Zwiebach stated that it is difficult to travel along the entire coast of Peru from Tumbes all the way to Tacna.
"But it costs less to operate and you never need to visit the service garage."
(source: Reuters)