Page 7 - aruba-today-20220507

A7
WORLD NEWS Saturday 7 May 2022

Mexico closes U.S. gravel quarry that had been pressured

By MARK STEVENSON ously pursue all lawful av-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The enues available to it in or-
Mexican government said der to protect its rights and
Friday it has closed a lime- resume normal operations,"
stone gravel quarry owned it said.
by a U.S. company, a move The company's property
likely to add fuel to an on- includes several adjoining
going trade dispute with sites; some have have al-
the firm. ready been quarried, and
The Environment Depart- others haven't. In late 2018
ment said Friday it closed the company filed for an
the quarry owned by Vul- arbitration panel under the
can Materials near Playa old North American Free
del Carmen, on the Carib- Trade Agreement, after
bean coast. Parts of the Mexico refused to allow
quarry have been exca- quarrying at some of the
vated below the water sites.
table, and the department The company said a deci-
said the mining threatened sion is expected in the sec-
water quality and subsoil ond half of 2022. The Envi-
conditions. ronment Department said
But the timing of the move the company is seeking
raised questions: Vulcan about $1.5 billion in dam-
has been operating the ages.
quarry for around three The Mexican government
decades, and President Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during a joint statement with Guatema- originally said a tenta-
Andrés Manuel López Ob- lan President Alejandro Giammattei at the National Palace in Guatemala City, Thursday, May 5, tive agreement had been
rador had recently threat- 2022. reached with Vulcan Ma-
ened the company. Associated Press terials, and the company
López Obrador wants the said it was willing to open a
water-filled quarry to be at a freight terminal it oper- the government, or open a the Mexican government is water park and cruise ship
used as a theme park to ates on the coast. He has water park itself. illegal." facility. But it has no experi-
rival the nearby XCaret pressured the Alabama- Vulcan issued a statement "The Company has the ence at doing either, and
park. He also wants Vulcan based aggregates com- Thursday saying it "strongly necessary permits to oper- would really just like to con-
to build a cruise ship dock pany to sell the property to believes that this action by ate and intends to vigor- tinue mining gravel.q

Powerful blast at Havana hotel kills 8 people, injures 40

By ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ cident," President Miguel the Old Havana neighbor-
HAVANA (AP) — A power- Díaz-Canel, who visited the hood of the city.
ful explosion apparently site, said in a tweet. The Granma reported that lo-
caused by a natural gas blast happened as Cuba cal officials said 13 people
leak Friday killed eight peo- is struggling to revive its were missing. An elementa-
ple and injured at least 40 key tourism sector that was ry school next to the hotel
when it blew away outer devastated by the corona- was evacuated and local
walls from a five-star hotel virus pandemic. news media said no chil-
in the heart of Cuba's capi- Cuba's national health dren were hurt.
tal. minister, José Ángel Portal, Police cordoned off the
No tourists were staying at told The Associated Press area as firefighters and res-
the 96-room Hotel Sarato- that hospitals had received cue workers toiled inside
ga because it was under- about 40 injured people, the wreckage of the hotel,
going renovations, Havana but estimated that the which is about 110 yards
Gov. Reinaldo García Za- number could rise as the (100 meters) from Cuba's
pata told the Communist search continues for peo- Capitol building. The hotel A photographer documents the five-star Hotel Saratoga after
Party newspaper Granma. ple who may be trapped has been used frequently it was destroyed by a deadly explosion in Old Havana, Cuba,
"It has not been a bomb or between the debris of the by visiting VIPs and political Friday, May 6, 2022.
an attack. It is a tragic ac- 19th century structure in figures.q Associated Press