Nation and world news in brief for June 17
California wildfire burns 12,000 acres, forces evacuations
(Reuters) — A wildfire burning northwest of Los Angeles on Sunday has forced the evacuation of over 1,000 people from a popular outdoor recreation area and burned over 12,000 acres, authorities said.
Some 400 firefighters armed with 70 firetrucks and two bulldozers are battling the Post fire, which is just 2% contained, according to Cal Fire. It is burning south of Gorman, California, about 60 miles (96.5 km) northwest of Los Angeles.
The fire, which started Saturday afternoon, is moving to the southeast, toward Pyramid Lake, Cal Fire said. Some 1,200 people have been evacuated from the Hungry Valley recreation area, which has trails for motorcycles and off-road vehicles, since the fire broke out. Two structures have been destroyed so far.
Cal Fire said that efforts to contain the wildfire are being hampered by high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds, forecast to continue through Sunday night.
Indian suspect in plot to kill Sikh separatist extradited to US
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — An Indian man suspected by the U.S. of involvement in an unsuccessful plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil has been extradited to the United States from the Czech Republic, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons website and a source familiar with the matter.
Nikhil Gupta has been accused by U.S. federal prosecutors of plotting with an Indian government official to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. resident who advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.
Gupta traveled to Prague from India last June and was arrested by Czech authorities. Last month, a Czech court rejected his petition to avoid being sent to the U.S., clearing the way for the Czech justice minister to extradite him.
Landslide in Ecuador kills at least six, 30 others missing
QUITO (Reuters) — A landslide in Ecuador killed at least six people and left 30 others missing, according to preliminary information from Ecuadorian authorities on Sunday.
The “large-magnitude” landslide occurred in the center of the country in the city of Banos de Agua Santa, the Ecuadorean Secretariat for Risk Management said in a report.
A heavy rainstorm caused by low pressure swept across parts of Central and South America on Sunday, with various countries warning of the increased risk of landslides, rock falls and flooding.
Hamburg police shoot hammer-wielding man ahead of Euro 2024 match
FRANKFURT (Reuters) — German police shot at a man who threatened officers with a sledgehammer and an incendiary device on the sidelines of a Euro 2024 soccer fan parade in central Hamburg on Sunday, police said.
The attacker was injured in the leg and was receiving medical care but his condition is not life-threatening, a police spokesperson said.
The man is a 39-year-old German, and may have been acting in a state of mental agitation as he emerged from a snack bar brandishing the weapons, police said in a press release. The police investigation is ongoing.
Northeastern US to swelter in the first heat wave of the season
(TNS) — The season’s first potent heat wave stretching from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean is set to raise electricity demand and slow transportation networks while threatening health risks.
Manhattan is set to reach 91F on Tuesday and steadily get hotter through the week with humidity making it feel closer to 100F, the National Weather Service said. Residents will find little relief at night because temperatures won’t fall that far, Allison Santorelli, a forecaster with the U.S. Weather Prediction Center said Sunday.
Thai senate likely to approve landmark same-sex marriage bill
(TNS) — Thailand’s senate is set to approve a same-sex marriage bill on Tuesday, which will bring the country closer to being the first in Southeast Asia to guarantee equal rights for gay and lesbian couples.
Approval by both houses of the Thai parliament will effectively make the nation the first in the region to recognize same-sex marriage. Senators have previously expressed overwhelming support for the bill after it cleared the House of Representatives in a near unanimous vote in March.
