Weakened storm still a threat to Caribbean islands

A residence in the Figueroa neighbourhood stands destroyed nine months after Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Photo / AP file

Caribbean: Hurricane Beryl weakened to a tropical storm but was still expected to dump heavy rain over the Lesser Antilles at the end of the weekend on its way to the eastern Caribbean, bringing a new threat to islands still rebuilding from last year's storms. A tropical storm warning was issued for Guadeloupe and Dominica, the latter still recovering after a battering by Hurricane Maria in September as a Category 5 storm. A tropical storm watch was issued for French Caribbean territories and a state of emergency was declared in the US territory of Puerto Rico.

Brazil: Police in Rio de Janeiro have arrested a Brazilian man suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend in Sydney, Australia, in late April. The Rio police department said Mario Marcelo Ferreira dos Santos Santoro was arrested hiding in a relative's home in the city's Botafogo district. Police say he is suspected of strangling Cecilia Muller Haddad, whose body was found April 29 in Sydney's Lane Cove River.

Afghanistan: The US-led coalition headquarters in Kabul has confirmed that a US service member has been killed in an apparent insider attack in southern Afghanistan. Two other US service members were wounded but in stable condition. A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yosuf Ahmadi, said that the shooting was carried out by a member of the Afghan security force who acted alone, but that the group "appreciated" his attack. It was not immediately clear what became of the shooter.

Canada: A former newspaper reporter said that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologised to her after what she says was an inappropriate encounter nearly two decades ago. Rose Knight also confirmed that she is the reporter who was referred to in an editorial 18 years ago in the Creston Valley Advance that said she was groped by Trudeau while covering a music festival in British Columbia. She said she doesn't plan to take the matter further. "I enjoyed my career as a reporter, but it ended a long time ago. I avoided issuing a statement earlier out of concern for my and my family's privacy. The incident referred to in the editorial did occur as reported. Mr Trudeau did apologise the next day.

The woman who made the groping allegation against Justin Trudeau in 2000 has issued a statement, including her name. #cndpoli pic.twitter.com/W9uOziNh3m

— Catherine Cullen (@cath_cullen) July 6, 2018

United States: A bear that was relocated to northern New Hampshire a week ago after she and her cubs were raiding trash bins and bird feeders near Dartmouth College in Hanover is on the move, travelling nearly 110km in seven days as she likely tries to find her way back home and to her cubs. The bear was captured on June 29 and taken north to Coos County, near the Canadian border, where she was released with a tracking collar. Her four cubs were taken to a centre that helps orphaned animals. Andy Timmins, bear project leader for the state Fish and Game Department, tells the Valley News he is not surprised by the sow's movements and has mixed feelings about the local, state and federal decision to move the bear.

Yemen: Heavy fighting between the Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Shia rebels along the country's west coast has killed more than 165 people from both sides, Yemeni officials said, amid efforts by the UN special envoy to restart peace talks between the warring parties. The security officials said the battles have been concentrated over the past two days in al-Tuhytat district, south of the key port city of Hodeida. It comes as Yemenis continue to flee the west coast seeking shelter in safer areas.

Last week, U.S. Magistrate Judge Karla Spaulding ruled in favor of France, concluding emphatically that the wreck is indeed Ribault’s flagship, la Trinité, and so is now clearly the protected property of France.

So what’s next for the wreck? https://t.co/FEjvVKqjmU

— Florida Times-Union (@jaxdotcom) July 7, 2018

United States: A US federal court has ruled that a shipwreck off Florida's Atlantic coast belongs to France and not Global Marine Exploration, the salvage company that found it in 2016. A report by the Florida Times-Union says a US magistrate ruled last week that the wreck was la Trinite, the flagship of French captain Jean Ribault. In 1565, Ribault aimed to reinforce a struggling French colony in what is now Jacksonville. A hurricane wrecked his fleet, giving rival Spanish troops the opportunity to seize Fort Caroline and affirm Spain's claim to Florida.

India: Thousands participated in the funeral of two young men and a teenage girl in disputed Kashmir, hours after police say they were killed when government forces fired at anti-India protesters. Police said in a statement that some residents threw stones at an Indian Army patrol as it passed through southern Redwani area.

Somalia: A least nine people were killed in an attack on Somalia's Interior Ministry in Mogadishu and security forces killed all three attackers after a two-hour gun battle inside, police said, as the al-Shabaab extremist group claimed responsibility. Witnesses said some staffers died or were injured while leaping from windows or walls in an effort to escape. At least 13 people were wounded, paramedic Mohamed Adam said.

Iran: Iran's state-run IRNA news agency is reporting that the country's Foreign Ministry has summoned its Dutch ambassador to Tehran over the Netherlands' expulsion of two Iranian diplomats. The report quotes the ministry's spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, as saying the "unfriendly measure" by Dutch Government was "irrational and illegal" and that Iran reserved the right to reciprocate. The Dutch secret service AIVD had announced that the Netherlands had expelled two staff members of the Iranian embassy, without providing further information.

Flames are seen burning where a New Jersey home exploded early Saturday morning. Two people were killed in the blast, officials said. The cause of the explosion is not currently known. https://t.co/GA3X6tGIjb pic.twitter.com/7wJt79kqte

— ABC News (@ABC) July 7, 2018

United States: A house exploded in New Jersey, killing a husband and wife and reducing the two-storey home to piles of scattered rubble, but no foul play was suspected, authorities said. The blast initially reported as a gas explosion shattered windows in nearby homes, KYW-TV reported. Debris was strewn over several blocks, and pieces could be seen hanging from a tree and power line. John Paladino, 73, and Carole Paladino, 72, were the only occupants.

Egypt: An Egyptian court sentenced a Lebanese woman to eight years in prison over insulting Egyptians in a video she posted online, and set July 29 as the date for her appeal, state media reported. Mona el-Mazbouh was initially handed down 11 years but the sentence was later reduced to eight, the state-run Al-Ahram news agency reported. It was unclear why the sentence was reduced. The sentence comes after she posted a 10-minute video in which she used profanities to describe her holiday in Cairo where she says she was sexually harassed. She calls Egyptians the "dirtiest people" and Egypt "the country of pimps ... of beggars." El-Mazbouh later posted an apology video, saying "I definitely didn't mean to offend all Egyptians." She was arrested in May before departing from Cairo.

- AP