Wildfires burn out of control in Lebanon and Syria
AP, Beirut
Strong fires spread in different parts of Lebanon forcing some residents to flee their homes in the middle of the night as the flames reached residential areas in villages south of Beirut.
Fire engines were overwhelmed by the flames in the Mount Lebanon region early Tuesday, forcing the Interior Ministry to send riot police engines equipped with water cannons to help. Two small aircraft were sent from the nearby Mediterranean island of Cyprus and are helping in putting out the fires.
California becomes first US state to push back school start time
AFP, Los Angeles
California has become the first state in the country to push back start times at most public schools in the hope the measure will help adolescents perform better in class. The new law signed on Sunday by Governor Gavin Newsom calls for middle schools to ring in classes no earlier than 8:00 am and high schools no earlier than 8:30 am.
Jacob Zuma to appeal graft trial: Lawyer
AFP, South Africa:
South Africa’s embattled former president Jacob Zuma will appeal a court ruling that he face trial on corruption charges over a 1990s arms deal, his lawyer said Tuesday.
“Mr Zuma would like to exercise the full extent of his constitutional rights, which includes the right to appeal,” Zuma’s lawyer Thabani Masuku told the High Court in the southern eastern city of Pietermaritzburg.
Arrest warrant issued for Papua New Guinea ex-PM
AFP, Port Moresby
An arrest warrant has been issued for former Papua New Guinea prime minister Peter O’Neill on charges of corruption, authorities announced Tuesday.
The country’s acting police commissioner David Manning said a district court had issued the warrant on Friday for the former leader, who was forced out of office in May after eight years in power.
