Update: Military put on standby to evacuate fire-threatened towns in western Canada; 1,000 have fled, many reported missing

 OTTAWA, July 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ottawa prepared to send military aircraft and other help to evacuate towns and fight more than 100 wildfires in western Canada fueled by a record-smashing heat wave. According to wildfire officials, at least 143 fires were active in British Columbia, 77 of them sparked in…

Venezuela arrests activists critical of border fighting

 CARACAS, July 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Venezuelan rights group Fundaredes said Friday authorities had arrested its director and two other activists who have lifted the lid on fighting near the border with Colombia. Director Javier Tarazona and two others were taken by Venezuelan intelligence services, the NGO said on Twitter. A…

France resumes joint military operations with Mali

PARIS, July 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France announced that it will resume joint military operations in Mali, after suspending them early last month following the West African country’s second coup in less than a year. Following consultations with the Malian transitional authorities and the countries of the region France has “decided…

France: More than 110 migrants rescued in English Channel in one day

 LILLE (France), July 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Over 100 migrants, including 29 children, were rescued in a single day as they tried to cross the English Channel to reach the British coast on six makeshift boats on Friday, maritime authorities in France said. Migrants on one boat contacted French rescuers to…

Chancellor Angela Merkel hopes to open up travel for double-jabbed visitors to Germany

LONDON, July 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Double-jabbed people should be able to travel from the UK to Germany without quarantining “in the foreseeable future”, Chancellor Angela Merkel said. The German chancellor said her country was “continuously reviewing” its Covid travel restrictions, after meeting Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Merkel is visiting the UK…

Covid-19: Namibia’s mortuaries at capacity

WINDHOEK, July 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Namibia’s President Hage Geingob has said his country is facing a “dark and sombre moment” as coronavirus deaths and cases rapidly increase. The southern African nation is currently experiencing the worst daily death rate on the continent. The health system is stretched and the country’s…

Ethiopia Tigray conflict: Famine hits 400,000, UN warns

UNITED NATIONS, July 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Recent fighting in the Tigray region of Ethiopia has resulted in a famine that is now affecting more than 400,000 people, UN officials say. In its first public meeting on the crisis, members of the UN Security Council warned that as many as 33,000 children…

Boeing 737 cargo jet crashes into sea off Honolulu, Hawaii; both pilots rescued in critical conditions

The plane was en route from Honolulu to Kahului on the island of Maui when it crashed  HONOLULU (Hawaii, US), July 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Boeing 737 cargo plane with two people on board has ditched off the coast of Hawaii after experiencing engine trouble. The aircraft was en route…

US: Second Florida building evacuated as death toll rises to 22 in condo tower collapse

SURFSIDE (Florida, US), July 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The death toll rose to 22 on Friday from the collapse of a Florida condominium tower after the remains of four more victims were found in the rubble, and local officials ordered a second residential complex evacuated after deeming it unsafe. All residents…

France:Paris threatens E-Scooter ban after woman’s death

Authorities in Paris have warned e-scooter providers they could lose their licences over safety issues  PARIS, July 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Paris has threatened to ban self-service electric scooters unless safety issues are addressed after the death of a woman struck on the pavement. Private companies leasing e-scooters in the French…