International
Firefighters battle second day of blazes near Jerusalem
AFP
Fires tore through the hills west of Jerusalem for a second day on Monday as firefighters struggled to contain an expanding blaze, Israeli police and the fire service said.
Police and local officials “began evacuating hundreds of families” from communities on the western outskirts of Jerusalem, police said in a statement.
Ten firefighting planes and a helicopter supported hundreds of firefighters, the National Fire and Rescue Authority said in a statement.
“The rate of fire progress is extremely fast,” it said, adding that in some areas, firefighters were able to contain the blazes but not overcome them.
Fire and Rescue Commissioner Dedi Simchi announced he was calling all fire and rescue personnel to help battle the “huge” blaze.
The fires had broken out in the wooded hills east of Jerusalem on Sunday, sending acrid-smelling clouds of smoke that hung over the holy city and its iconic Dome of the Rock and forcing the evacuation of a psychiatric hospital.
Firefighters managed to contain the blaze before strong winds sent flames racing through the trees again on Monday afternoon.
A spokesperson for the Fire and Rescue Authority told AFP three communities had been evacuated so far.
Police said the cause of the fire was not clear.
Fires have flared this summer around the Mediterranean basin, including in Greece, Turkey, Algeria and Morocco.
Israel experienced a week-long heatwave in early August.
International
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
International
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Several U.S. strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to Iranian state media citing local authorities, as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.
Officials in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said the island of Qeshm was struck multiple times by what they described as U.S. missiles during the evening. The reports were carried by the Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim.
Iranian state television also reported that the Bandar Abbas region, located on the Iranian coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of what authorities described as an “enemy U.S. air attack.”
According to local officials quoted by state television, no casualties have been reported following the strikes.
The reported attacks come amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran, although U.S. authorities had not immediately commented on the reported operations.
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International4 days agoICE reverses course and moves forward with New Jersey migrant detention facility project
-
International1 day agoU.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
-
International4 days agoMarco Rubio launches U.S. campaign to “dismantle” the International Criminal Court
-
International4 days agoJudge rules Trump’s IRS lawsuit was a “bad faith” attempt to manipulate the judicial process
-
International3 days agoFrance Holds Largest Bastille Day Military Parade as Europe Highlights Strategic Defense
-
International3 days agoPresident Noboa Declares New Security Strategy as Ecuador Faces Record Violence Levels
-
International3 days agoForeign Medical Teams Race to Prevent Health Crisis in Venezuela Earthquake Camps
-
International1 day agoU.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
-
International2 days agoLatin Music Stars Unite in Miami to Raise Aid for Victims of Venezuela’s Devastating Earthquake
-
International1 day agoEl Salvador Sends Eighth Humanitarian Flight to Earthquake-Hit Venezuela
-
Central America1 day agoNicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
-
International2 days agoTrump Administration Seeks Global Action Against “Resurgent” Left-Wing Terrorism