Europe
Thousands flee fires in the Canary Islands as blazes sweep Spain
Rampant forest fires on La Gomera, in Spain’s Canary Islands, have forced the evacuation of more than 5,000 people since Friday, with 910 taken by ferry last night. Firefighters are struggling to contain the blaze, which is still out of control and spreading on three fronts due to high winds and dry vegetation. A smaller area is also ablaze on Tenerife, and two firefighters have died while extinguishing another fire in Torremanzanas, a village on the Spanish mainland near the eastern coastal town of Alicante. Villages have also been evacuated in the Ourense district of Galicia, in northwestern Spain, where yet more fires have been contained after a huge weekend operation involving dozens of aircraft. The extraordinary swarm of wildfires is attributed to Spain’s driest winter in 70 years.
North America
Obama brands Paul Ryan “ideological leader” of Republican party
US President Barack Obama has commented on the selection of Paul Ryan as running mate to his Republican rival, Mitt Romney, depicting the vice-presidential candidate as the “ideological leader” of his party. Mr Obama said Mr Ryan was a “decent man… a family man” and an “articulate spokesman for Governor Romney’s vision but it’s a vision that I fundamentally disagree with”. A dedicated Catholic and fiscal conservative, Mr Ryan chairs the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives and wrote a controversial plan to cut government spending by $5.3 trillion over a decade. The plan would affect government health and welfare programmes in ways that have been heavily criticised by Democrats but are popular with strident Republicans. His selection, and Mr Obama’s statement today, puts clear ideological distance between the two campaigns on the economy.
Latin America
Mayor-elect of Mexican city shot dead
Edgar Morales Perez, the mayor-elect of the city of Matehuala in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi has been shot dead along with his campaign manager Francisco Hernandez. The two were attacked by gunmen as they drove home from a party. The identity and motive of the attackers is unknown and the one survivor has not been able to shed any light. Though San Luis Potosi has generally been spared the violence of the north eastern region that it borders, this shooting follows Thursday’s discovery of 14 corpses in an abandoned van outside the state capital.
Africa and Middle East
Search underway for missing Ugandan military helicopters
A search is being conducted in Kenya for two Ugandan military helicopters which have gone missing. Only one of four helicopters made its scheduled stop in the Kenyan town of Garissa, while the pilot of another has contacted the Kenyan defence department from Mount Kenya. It is unknown whether his helicopter had crashed or landed safely. There has been no word from the other two, and further details are unknown. The aircraft were being sent to reinforce Ugandan troops fighting in Somalia as part of the African Union force against al-Shabab, a Somali Islamist group loyal to al-Qaeda. Al-Shabab still controls many southern and central parts of the country despite losing territory to the AU and its allies. Uganda is the largest contributor to the AU, and has attracted deadly attacks by al-Shabab.
Egyptian President issues statement on replacement of army chiefs
Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi has said his decision to order the retirement of two of his country’s top generals was for “the benefit of this nation”. The statement comes after he ordered the replacement of Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, the powerful head of the military, and General Sami Annan, the Chief of Staff. President Mursi is said to have annulled a key constitutional declaration, issued by the military in June before it handed over power, which gave the military legislative powers, budgetary controls and the right to oversee the drafting of a new constitution. President Mursi is said to have issued a new declaration, giving himself broad legislative and executive powers.
Australasia
Australian asylum panel recommends offshore processing
An independent panel appointed by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has recommended the establishment of offshore processing centres for asylum seekers in Nauru and Papua New Guinea, and the pursuit of a refugee agreement with Malaysia. Asylum seekers often make dangerous journeys to the Australian mainland in poorly maintained and overloaded boats, with several such boats sinking over the years. Fifty asylum seekers died when their boat broke up on rocks in December 2010, and recent months have seen more and more people attempt the crossing. Two boats sunk in June this year, and last Thursday the Australian navy had to rescue over 200 people from a single boat floundering in rough waters. The panel was established to break a political deadlock on the issue.
About the Author
