Hawaii wildfires: Residents flee into sea to escape blazes
Residents of a Hawaiian town were reportedly forced to jump into the sea to escape flames as fierce wildfires sweep across parts of Maui.
Local media reported "apocalyptic scenes" in Lahaina, parts of which were destroyed or severely damaged by the blaze.
The fire prompted evacuations and caused power outages. Rescue efforts have been hampered by debris.
The Lahaina fire is one of at least seven ongoing in Hawaii.
A local affiliate of CBS News, the BBC's US partner, reported that dozens of homes and businesses have been destroyed in the city of about 13,000 people on the western part of the island of Maui, the second largest and third most populated island in the state.
‘Worst nightmare’: South Korea mulls disastrous Scout jamboree
Youngsters faced a heatwave, flooded tents, sewage spills and an expensive evacuation – but concerns were raised before the event even began
Media outlets in South Korea have labelled its hosting of the World Scout Jamboree a “national disgrace”, a “survival game”, and a “worst nightmare”. Public outcry has intensified online and strangers are approaching scouts on the streets, apologising on behalf of their country and handing out gifts.
South Korea has successfully hosted large events such as the Fifa World Cup and Winter Olympics, but the mismanagement of the global scouting event, which struggled with heat and hygiene and eventually had to be evacuated as a typhoon approached, has left many wondering: where did it all go wrong?
Although there have been many accounts of positive experiences at the World Scout Jamboree in the south-western county of Buan, the event was plagued with problems.
Portugal fires - live: Fears of new wildfires as blistering 37C heat sparks warnings over extreme weather
Though the Odemira wildfire was tamed on Wednesday morning, 100 municipalities remain at maximum risk
Portuguese authorities fear new wildfires could spark as blistering 37C heat has provoked extreme weather warnings.
Yellow warnings - the lowest level on a three-tier scale - will remain in place across the Beja and Faro districts until 10 August at the minimum, with the Met Office anticipating that, on Friday, temperatures will reach highs of 37C across Faro in the Algarve region of southern Portugal.
Vitor Vaz Pinto, regional commander of the emergency and civil protection authority (ANEPC), said on Wednesday the wildfire in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo region, was brought under control at 10.15am.
The wildfire started on Saturday, but high temperatures and strong winds hampered efforts by more than 1,000 firefighters and water-dousing planes to extinguish the flames, which destroyed some 8,400 hectares, according to preliminary data.
Indigenous peoples and their fight for conservation
Across the globe, Indigenous peoples still have to fight for their basic rights. Although they are regarded as guardians of natural resources, they often face repression.
Indigenous peoples around the world are defending their human rights and culture as well as nature and their homeland. Time and again, they are faced with massive repression, discrimination and racism. There are approximately half a billion Indigenous people worldwide.
Defending their rights often goes hand in hand with a call for better environmental and climate protection. They frequently pay for it with their lives.
Between 2012 and 2021, human rights groups and organizations documented the deaths of more than 1,700 environmental and homeland defenders in some 60 countries. More than 35% of those killed were identified as Indigenous people, according to data published by environmental and human rights organization Global Witness.
Son of Niger's ambassador to France detained in capital Niamey
The son of Niger's ambassador to France has been detained in Niamey, the ambassador told journalists on Wednesday. It is unclear whether he was taken into custody due to his involvement in an ongoing anti-corruption case or to his mother's refusal to follow the military junta’s orders and quit her role.
3:01pm: President Bazoum and his family experiencing grim living conditions
Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum and his family are running out of food and experiencing other shocking conditions, a statement issued by Bazoum’s political party stated Wednesday.
According to the statement, the president’s family, which has been under house arrest for the past two weeks, has been without both electricity and running water for a week, and only has dried and canned foods left to eat.
An advisor who spoke with the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity said Bazoum remains in good health.
12:18pm: Son of Niger ambassador to France detained in Niamey
The son of Niger's ambassador to France, Idrissa Kané, has been detained in Niamey, the ambassador told AFP on Wednesday.
Kané is general manager of Niger’s Post Office and involved in a case of alleged misappropriation of public funds being handled by the Niger’s anti-corruption body, Halcia.
It is unclear whether he was taken into custody due to this case or to his mother's defiant attitude towards Niger’s new military leaders.
Russia’s latest effort to sway young minds: High-school textbooks praising the conflict in Ukraine
Russia is ramping up its efforts to ensure even its youngest citizens fall in line with the official narrative when it comes to the war in Ukraine.
The country’s Ministry of Education this week unveiled new history textbooks with sections about what it calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea and Western sanctions. Critics say the move is a part of a sustained effort to indoctrinate school children and stifle any independent thinking.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has always maintained that Moscow’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine is an effort to liberate the country from a “Nazi regime” and Western influence. He even went as far as suggesting there was no such thing as an independent Ukraine, insisting instead that the country has traditionally been part of Russia and that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people.”
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