Hurricane Beryl strikes Jamaica as death toll creeps up: World news in brief, 7/4
Hurricane Beryl strikes Jamaica as death toll creeps up
KINGSTON/PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) — Hurricane Beryl churned menacingly over Jamaica on Wednesday afternoon, after uprooting trees, ripping off roofs and destroying farms as it forged a destructive, water-soaked path across smaller Caribbean islands over the past couple days. The death toll from the powerful Category 4 hurricane rose to at least nine, but it is widely expected to rise as communications come back online across drenched islands damaged by flooding and deadly winds. “Everything is destroyed, there’s nothing else in Palm Island,” said Katie Rosiak, the general manager of the Palm Island Resort in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, one of the hardest-hit areas in the eastern Caribbean.
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France’s far-right seen falling short of majority in run-off: Poll
PARIS (Reuters) — Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) will not win a majority of seats in next Sunday’s parliamentary run-off election, according to a poll on Wednesday, suggesting efforts by French mainstream parties to block the far right might work. A Harris Interactive poll for Challenges magazine – the first to be published after politicians across party lines formed an anti-RN front – showed the RN would fall short of the 289 seats required to control the 577-seat National Assembly. The RN and its allies would get just 190 to 220 seats, according to the poll, while the centre-right Republicans (LR) would win 30 to 50 seats. This could rule out the possibility of a far-right minority government supported by part of the LR parliamentary group.
Biden awards posthumous Medal of Honor to two war heroes
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Honor on Wednesday to two late U.S. Army privates who were part of a daring Union Army contingent that stole a Confederate train during the Civil War. The White House ceremony offered Biden a brief respite from the mounting criticism of some fellow Democrats after his shaky and halting performance in last week’s presidential debate against Republican former President Donald Trump. Philip Shadrach and George Wilson were honored posthumously during a White House ceremony that recognized their “gallantry and intrepidity” during what became known as the Great Locomotive Chase, one of the earliest special operations in U.S. Army history, according to the White House.
Israel kills a Hezbollah senior commander in south Lebanon
(TNS) — Israel’s military killed a senior Hezbollah commander in an airstrike after targeting his vehicle in south Lebanon, potentially adding to already simmering tensions. The head of the militant group’s Aziz unit, a regional division in the southern sector, was hit while traveling in the Hosh area in Tyre, Al-Jadeed television said Wednesday. Hezbollah confirmed one of its commanders, Mohammed Naameh Nasser, was killed by Israel.
Putin meets Xi for second time since may as leaders hail ties
(TNS) — President Vladimir Putin trumpeted Russia’s “fully-fledged partnership” with China as he met Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the second time in less than two months, highlighting Moscow’s deepening embrace of Beijing. Russo-Chinese ties “are at their best in history,” Putin said at a meeting on the sidelines of a security summit on Wednesday in Astana, Kazakhstan. “They’re built on equality, mutual benefit and respect for each other’s sovereignty.” “My dear friend, I am very happy at our new meeting,” Xi said.
