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The president-elect criticized what he described as unfair tariffs on U.S. ships to pass through the canal U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized what he described as unfair tariffs on U.S. ships to pass through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand that Washington retake control of the strategic passageway. A complete swindle of USA “Our Navy and commerce have been threatened in a very unfair and reckless way. The fees charged by Panama are ridiculous,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.The president-elect also denounced a growing influence of China in the canal, a worrisome situation that threatens his country’s interests, since U.S. businesses depend on the canal to transport goods between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. “This complete swindle of our country will cease immediately,” he said. The Panama Canal, which was completed by the United States in 1914, was returned to the Central American country under the 1977 agreement signed by Democratic President Jimmy Cater. Panama retook full control of the commercial passage in 1999. Not China or anyone else “It was exclusively for Panama to administer, not China or anyone else,” Trump said. “We would never and will never let it fall into the wrong hands!” If Panama cannot guarantee a “safe, efficient and reliable operation” of the canal, “then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in full and without question,” the Republican added. Panamanian authorities did not immediately respond to Trump’s statements . Although he will take office on January 20, Trump has been exerting his political influence in the last days of President Joe Biden’s administration. Some 5% of the world’s maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, which allows ships from Asia to the east coast of the United States to avoid the long and dangerous journey around the southern tip of South America. The countries that use the Panama Canal the most are the United States, China, Japan and South Korea. In October, the Panama Canal Authority reported profits of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year. Tags costa rica costa rica news Daily News National News news news costa rica Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. document.addEventListener("DOMContentLiteSpeedLoaded",function(){document.body.addEventListener("click",function(event){if(event.target.matches(".comment-reply-link, #cancel-comment-reply-link")){turnstile.reset(".comment-form .cf-turnstile")}})}) jQuery(document).ajaxComplete(function(){setTimeout(function(){turnstile.render("#cf-turnstile-c-1119451554")},1000)})

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Sportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was a unanimous pick to win his second American League Most Valuable Player Award in three seasons on Thursday, easily outdistancing Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Shohei Ohtani was expected to win the National League honor later Thursday, his third MVP and first in the NL. Judge received all 30 first-place votes in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Witt got all 30 second-place votes for 270 points, and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto was third with 21 third-place votes and 229 points. Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322. Witt topped the big leagues with a .332 average, hitting 32 homers with 109 RBIs. Soto batted .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs. When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. Ohtani was unanimously voted the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels and finished second to Judge in 2022 voting . He didn’t pitch in 2024 following elbow surgery and signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December. Ohtani hit .310, stole 59 bases and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs exclusively as a designated hitter, becoming the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. He helped the Dodgers to the World Series title , playing the final three games with a torn labrum in his left shoulder . Ohtani would become the first primary DH to win an MVP. He would join Frank Robinson for Cincinnati in 1961 and Baltimore in 1966 as the only players to win the MVP award in both leagues. Ohtani would become the 12th player with three or more MVPs, joining Barry Bonds (seven) and Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout (three each). New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte also were among the top three finishers in the NL. Lindor batted .273 with 33 homers, 91 RBIs and 29 steals, while Marte hit .292 with 36 homers and 95 RBIs. Balloting was conducted before the postseason. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB Ronald Blum, The Associated Press

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W hile sales of electric vehicles surge in China, adoption of more environmentally friendly vehicles is stumbling in the United States and Europe as carmakers and governments struggle to meet years-old promises about affordability and charging stations. Adding to those headwinds: an incoming new U.S. president who has disparaged government support for electric vehicles. China is the exception. Driven by government subsidies and mandates, vehicles with electric motors, including plug-in hybrids that combine electric and fossil fuel motors, topped 50% of sales in the month of July. Concerns about range, charging infrastructure and higher prices are sore points among both electric car enthusiasts and skeptics in Europe and the U.S. Solar panels power charging at Detlef Mueller-Salis’ home in Mainz, Germany, so he thought he was all set to go electric. But range concerns, charging times and confusing charging payment methods proved frustrating. So after four years, he and his wife sold their Porsche Taycan and Fiat 500 electrics and bought a BMW 5-Series and a Volkswagen Polo, both internal combustion. The smaller Fiat could run about 136 miles on a charge in summer and 112 in winter, he said, against the manufacturer’s specification of 198 miles. Constantly checking the battery before quick trips to visit grandchildren and elderly parents grew annoying. So did going on vacation with payment cards from five charging plans. The Porsche took 30 minutes to charge instead of the 22 minutes advertised, not a huge difference but “not what the company promised,” said Mueller-Salis, who is retired from a logistics company. Driving fast on the autobahn reduced range so that “you paid for it with charging time.” Both retirees in their 70s, Ken and Roxanne Honeycutt mainly drive their used Kia Soul around their town near Oakland, California. They charge the EV, with a range of about 111 miles, in their garage and don’t rely much on public infrastructure. But for longer trips they have to plan fast-charging stops ahead of time. “We wanted to try it,” Roxanne said of the EV. “Sometimes we found that the charging stations don’t always work, they’re broken down, so that gives you a little bit of anxiety if you know, OK, I need to charge.” On one cold, rainy January day, the Soul’s range dropped faster than expected, so they had to stop twice to charge. Another time, they hit multiple nonfunctioning chargers — even in California, where EV adoption leads the rest of the country. Their range dropped to 13 miles. “We’re used to having a gas station on every corner, 24 hours a day,” Roxanne said, adding they still like the vehicle. Electric cars aren’t going away. They are essential for planet-warming carbon emissions reductions governments agreed to under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Electrified vehicle sales will reach 17 million this year, or one car in five sold globally, according to the International Energy Agency. That includes plug-in hybrids that combine electric with internal combustion motors. But about 60% of those sales are in China. In Europe, sales of electric-only cars fell 5.8% in January-September from a year earlier, while their market share fell to 13% from 14%. Pure EVs accounted for 8% of overall U.S. vehicle sales in October. So, the market is growing, but sales slowed. They’re not plunging, but they’re not yet growing fast enough to meet climate goals. Higher prices matter. A Volkswagen ID. 3 hatchback costs about $42,090, compared to the similar-sized Volkswagen Golf fuel engine version at $29,136, according to the ADAC auto association. U.S. EV prices have fallen significantly since 2022, but the average price in October for a new one, $56,902, still exceeded the average $48,623 for a new vehicle. Cost remains an issue for the more mainstream American consumers EV makers hope to target, according to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Uncertainty over purchase subsidies also complicates price comparisons. EV sales plunged in Germany early this year after the government abruptly canceled the purchase premium of roughly $7,100 for cars up to $42,000 and about $4,700 for cars up to about $68,000. ADAC says that means most internal combustion models are a better deal over a car’s lifetime. Conservative political parties and the industry are now questioning the EU’s goal of eliminating most fuel engine vehicles by 2035, a decision that’s up for review in 2026. The European Auto Manufacturers’ Association is urging that carbon dioxide limits, which carmakers must meet by 2026 or face heavy fines, be relaxed. Some carmakers have pushed back electrification plans. Republican President-elect Donald Trump vowed to end what he called the Democratic Biden administration’s EV “mandate,” though he softened his anti-EV stance as his ties with Tesla CEO Elon Musk grew closer. Automakers are not required to sell EVs under the Environmental Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas emissions standards regulating tailpipe pollution, though they need EVs to make up at least 56% of their total sales to meet the ambitious standards for cutting emissions. Trump may also eliminate critical EV tax credits. Even if fewer buyers choose EVs, tax credits or not, auto companies show no intention of fully retreating from the transition away from gas-burning cars and trucks. China’s auto market, the world’s largest, was transformed by billions of dollars in subsidies, with EV sales reaching 25.8% of the 13.5 million vehicles sold in January-August, according to the China Passenger Car Association. The government is encouraging car buyers to go electric, and many are buying EVs or plug-in hybrids under an economic stimulus program. The phasing out of earlier subsidies in 2022 unleashed a fierce price war, toppling some weaker automakers. Some Chinese EVs sell for less than $20,000 in their home market. The government push encouraged many start-ups that took the Tesla model and ran with it. They simplified car designs to cut costs and filled interiors with gadgetry appealing to a smartphone-savvy generation. Photographer Wu Cong sat inside his $23,000 Hongqi E-QM5 as it recharged in Beijing. He travels often for work, racking up 50,000 miles in the past two years. The EV saves him about $7 in fuel costs for every 62 miles, he said, which would add up to $5,600 over two years. The sedan’s navigation system reminds him to recharge after driving a distance of his choosing. “It will tell you if there are charging stations ahead and if anyone is using them,” he said. Beijing tech worker Shang Wenting said her family hardly uses its gasoline-powered car anymore except for on long trips, preferring a sapphire Tesla Model Y that cost about $37,000. During a weekly trip to a charging station 10 minutes from her home, Shang said the Tesla is cheaper to drive and she loves its “smart features,” like an energy recovery system that means she can press on the accelerator less. “It feels like switching from an old phone to a smartphone,” she said. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Target to open sixth South Dakota location in Brookings, Aldi store also planned