Hawaii fires: Maui death toll climbs to 80
Eighty people have now been confirmed to have been killed by wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, officials say.
There are fears the numbers will rise further, as hundreds are still uncontactable.
Firefighters have been trying to contain fires in several areas, including the historic town of Lahaina which has been utterly devastated.
Hawaii's attorney general has announced a "comprehensive review" into how the authorities responded to the wildfires.
It comes as questions mount over whether officials warned residents fast enough.
State officials reopened Lahaina to people with proof of residency on Friday for the first time since flames swept rapidly through early this week, razing much of the coastal town which has a rich history and attracts some two million tourists a year.
Defiant leaders of Niger coup confident of holding on to power
Analysts says key figures in new regime were underestimated as elected president remains confined to residence
The leaders of the military takeover in Niger remained defiant this weekend, apparently confident that disarray among regional opponents, support from other military regimes in neighbouring countries and a wave of popular mobilisation at home will allow them to keep power for the indefinite future.
Mohamed Bazoum, the democratically elected president of Niger, remains confined to his official residence in Niamey, the capital, amid faltering international efforts to convince the new rulers of the unstable but strategically important country to return to barracks two weeks after launching a coup.
Analysts say that Abdourahamane Tchiani, the former commander of the presidential guard who leads the new regime, and his fellow senior officers had been underestimated by observers in the region and further afield.
South Korea: Protesters rail against Fukushima release plan
Japan's plan to release Fukushima nuclear wastewater is backed by conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Some Koreans, however, believe that doing so would put health and environmental safety at risk.
Hundreds of South Koreans gathered in Seoul on Saturday to oppose an initiative by Japan to release treated nuclear wastewater from the tsunami-devastated Fukushima plant into the ocean.
The protesters are concerned that releasing the water would increase food safety risks for South Koreans and that it would also harm the environment.
An earthquake and tsunami in 2011 damaged the Fukushima plant, putting out a massive amount of radioactive material into the atmosphere.
What happened during the protest?
The demonstrators held signs with slogans such as "Protect The Pacific Ocean" and "Nuclear Power? No Thanks!" Some of the signs also negatively depicted conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who backs the plan.
France sees a slight rebound in Covid-19 with the emergence of ‘Eris’ variant
France has seen a slight rebound in the number of Covid-19 cases since August 1. The emergence of a new variant nicknamed "Eris" has led to a rise in the number of medical procedures and emergency room visits. Although there is no cause for panic, experts say it is worth keeping an eye on the situation as many superspreader events like festivals take place during the summer months.
Covid-19 is once again making headlines at the height of summer in France, as well as several other countries, due to an upsurge in cases.
The number of visits to emergency rooms for suspected Covid-19 cases rose by an average of 31 percent in the week following the Bayonne Festival – one of Europe’s largest festive gatherings, which attracted 1.3 million people from July 26 to July 30 – compared to the previous week.
Nine hundred and twenty patients across all age groups were seen, according to Santé publique France, a government body under the authority of the health ministry, which stated that such numbers remain "moderate". These are the only figures available for now, as daily monitoring of the pandemic ended on June 30 due to the "favourable epidemiological context".
Life and death on the front lines of fighting in Myanmar
The Karenni have battled Myanmar's military for decades. Now, a new generation of fighters faces an intensifying conflict. A report from Kayah state.
The rebel commander studies a chicken bone in a search for clues as to the fate of his coming attack against the Myanmar military.
Scraggly bearded Reh Du, 27, frowns. The signs from the bone are mixed.
Nevertheless, his underlying confidence in the plan of attack against Myanmar’s military in the hills of eastern Kayah state is steadfast.
“I believe we will win,” the shrapnel-scarred fighter says after his act of divination – a practice these ethnic Karenni fighters embrace in uncertain times.
“Today or tomorrow,” he says.
‘Reasonable’ to believe genocide against Armenians being committed, former ICC chief prosecutor says
A former International Criminal Court chief prosecutor has said there is “reasonable basis to believe that genocide is being committed against Armenians” in the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“There are no crematories and there are no machete attacks. Starvation is the invisible genocide weapon. Without immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks,” said Luis Moreno Ocampo in an expert opinion letter on Monday.
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked area between Eastern Europe and Western Asia that is home to a large Armenian population but is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been battling over the region for decades. Ocampo worked at the Netherlands-based ICC until 2012.
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