Africa
Hundreds of birds seized in Nigeria
Officials in Nigeria seized over 1,600 birds at Lagos International Airport. The country said it was its largest wildlife-trafficking bust. Nigeria is a popular transit hub for ivory, pangolin scales, and other wildlife products. The birds are now set to be handed over to the National Parks Service for rehabilitation before being released into the wild.
Rwanda agrees to take hundreds of migrants
Rwanda government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said the country plans to accept up to 250 migrants from the United States. The migrants will be given workforce training, health care, and other accommodations, Makolo said. The Untied States has yet to comment on the deal but said it’s constantly talking to countries willing to take migrants.
Asia
Thousands of mosquito-born virus reported in China
At least 7,000 cases of a mosquito-born viruses have been reported in China’s Guangdong province the past month. The virus is spread through infected mosquito bites and can cause fever and severe joint pain. This type of infection is rare in China but common in other parts of the world like South and Southeast Asia and parts of Africa.
Dozens missing in India from flash floods
Rescue operations are under way in India’s Uttarakhand state as dozens of people remain missing after a cloudburst triggered flash flooding. At least 100 people are missing, and one person has died. Cloudbursts involve an extreme downpour of rain over a small area in a short amount of time.
Europe
Former Romanian president passes
Ion Illiescu, who served as Romania’s president from 1990-1996 and 2000-2004, has passed away at the age of 95. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in early June. Illiescu became the country’s first freely elected president. In 1989, he was accused of crimes against humanity over the violent revolt to topple Romania’s previous leadership. Prosecutors indicted him in 2018 for his role in the 1989 revolution, but charges were eventually dropped.
Wildfire spreads in France
Thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes in southern France because of a massive wildfire. Meanwhile, an elderly woman died in her home, and one person remains missing. The fire started on August 5 and burned more than 50 square miles of land.
Latin America
Nine people missing in Haiti after kidnapping
Authorities in Haiti are searching for nine people, including an Irish missionary and a three-year-old child, who were kidnapped from an orphanage. Local leaders said the attack on the orphanage was planned. Haitian media reported that gang members are believed to be responsible for the attack.
Mexican prosecutor shot and killed
Ernesto Cuitlahuac Vasquez Reyna, a federal prosecutor who worked in Mexico’s Tamaulipas state, was killed in a drive-by shooting. Authorities are still investigating the attack, but early reports suggest the incident may have been linked to organized criminal gangs. Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villareal condemned the attack in a social media post and offered to help the Attorney General’s Office and Mexico’s Government in “the search for justice and the construction of peace.”
North America
U.S. cancels $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccines
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is set to cancel $500 million in funding for vaccine development to fight viruses like the flu and COVID-19. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy , Jr. said mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits. He added that the department will use the funding for “safer, broader vaccine platforms.”
Man arrested, accused of killing four people and abandoning baby
Police in Tennessee have arrested a man who is suspected of killing members of his girlfriend’s family and leaving a baby abandoned in front of a stranger’s home. The man, Austin Robert Drummond, was on the run for a week before he was arrested. Officials have yet to release a motive, and the baby is safe and being cared for.
