Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated later today for his second term as US president, will visit California on Friday to see first-hand the damage caused by wildfires, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Meanwhile, residents of Southern California are bracing for new winds and an increased risk of wildfires, less than two weeks after the deadly fires that killed at least 27 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
The National Weather Service has warned of a “partially hazardous” in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties from this afternoon to tomorrow morning due to low humidity and winds with gusts of up to 113 km / h along the coast and up to 160 km / h in mountainous areas, the Associated Press reported.
The danger of fires will also be in the San Diego area today and tomorrow, where winds of up to 97 km / h are expected.
Local authorities urged residents of the threatened areas to prepare emergency kits and fill their cars with fuel to be ready if evacuation is necessary.
The warnings were issued as firefighters tried to extinguish two large fires in the Los Angeles area that have destroyed 1,400 buildings since they broke out on January 7.
At the same time, a fire warning was issued for the East Coast of the United States for blizzard with heavy snowfall and dangerously low temperatures.
The National Weather Service reported that the warning is in effect for parts of the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut.
The blizzard is expected to cause air traffic disruptions in New York, the capital Washington and Boston.
Due to the expected cold, the inauguration ceremony of President Donald Trump will be held indoors at the “Capital One“ gym.
The Donald Trump administration will begin its official international engagements this week, when Marco Rubio, whose candidacy for secretary of state is expected to be approved very soon, will meet with the foreign ministers of India, Japan and Australia, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA, citing officials from the future administration.
The so-called QUAD (Quadruple Security Dialogue) group, which includes the United States, India, Japan and Australia, is part of the American strategy to counter China's influence and aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. The initiative was supported by Trump during his first term, but was elevated to the leadership level by President Joe Biden, the AP recalls.
Rubio's candidacy is expected to be confirmed by the Senate today, just hours after Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term.
Tomorrow's meetings - together and separately - with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Indian - Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Japanese - Takeshi Iwaya, will be his first talks as secretary of state, current and future White House officials confirmed. The three ministers will also attend Trump's inauguration ceremony later today.
Biden and his Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, have highlighted their work to rebuild ties with allies abroad since taking office from Trump in 2021. The former and future president is skeptical of alliances, including NATO and defense partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region, the AP notes.
In September, leaders of the QUAD countries met with Biden near the US president's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. They agreed to expand the partnership between the four countries’ coast guards to improve interoperability and capabilities, with Indian, Japanese and Australian personnel sailing on U.S. ships in the region.
All countries are concerned about China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, and the U.S.-China rivalry is expected to intensify after Trump’s inauguration. Beijing sent Vice President Han Zheng to Trump’s inauguration ceremony after the U.S. president-elect invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the AP noted.
Trump and the Chinese leader spoke by phone on Friday about the fentanyl trade and a possible ban on TikTok in the United States. Trump announced on social media that the two had agreed to "do everything they can to make the world a more peaceful and safe place!"