MONTANA  –  Visitors were forced to flee as a huge hydrothermal explosion shot steam and debris into the air at Yellowstone National Park.

Videos show dozens of people running as a large column of grey mud shoots from the ground, sending rocks and boiling water high into the air around Biscuit Basin.

The National Parks Service reported no injuries but said the nearby boardwalk and benches were damaged in the blast.

The service closed the area, a few miles from the Old Faithful geyser.

A US Geological Survey photograph shows a huge grey area of debris thrown out by the eruption.

The survey said that a hydrothermal explosion is caused by water flashing to steam in a shallow hydrothermal system.

Surrounding rocks are blown apart as the steam expands. The often violent events result in the “rapid ejection of boiling water, steam, mud, and rock fragments”.

They can reach heights of 1.2 miles (2km) and leave huge craters. Most of the ejected material is called breccia – angular rocks cemented by clay.

The survey said hydrothermal explosions can pose significant local hazards and damage or destroy thermal features.

In Yellowstone, the explosions are not related to volcanic activity.

Similar eruptions occurred in Biscuit Basin in 2009, 1991 and after an earthquake in 1959. (BBC)…[+]

ANKARA   –  It’s been well over a decade since millions of Syrians flooded into Turkey en masse, seeking refuge from the civil war at home. But today, there are increasing signs the refugees may have worn out their welcome.

This month, anti-Syrian riots took place in several cities across the country. In the capital Ankara, opposition parties are calling for mass deportations, and the government is calling on the Syrian regime it once sought to topple to help resolve the problem.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now publicly seeking a meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, the man he once labeled a terrorist, to reset relations. Before the Syrian civil war, the two leaders vacationed together, but years later, after the Syrian regime brutally crushed a public revolt, Erdogan sought to oust him from office and backed local forces fighting against him.

“We believe that it is beneficial to open clenched fists,” Erdogan said this month. “We want disputes to be resolved through mutual dialogue at the negotiation table.”

Turkey is hosting an estimated 3.1 million Syrian refugees – more than any other country. Unofficial estimates are much higher, given that undocumented refugees aren’t counted.

But overcoming a bitter, years-long personal feud and extremely complex relations between Ankara and Damascus will be no small feat. Turkish troops remain in control of a swath of Syrian territory along the Turkish border where Syrian opposition groups are sheltering.

For Erdogan, “immigration and refugees are the main concern,” said Bilal Bagis, an analyst at the government-leaning SETA think tank in Ankara. “It’s becoming a political argument against the incumbent government in Turkey… and it definitely has turned into something that needs to be resolved.”

Assad has long made clear that there will only be a meeting when Turkey withdraws troops from Syria, although he indicated this week that he would meet if the topic was at least on the agenda.

“If the meeting leads to results, or if there’s a hug, a scolding, or even cheek-kissing that serves the country’s interest, I will do it,” Assad said. “The problem is not in the meeting itself but in the content of the meeting.”

While there are no signs that Turkey would withdraw from Syria or drop its support for the Syrian opposition, the olive branch from Ankara indicates the pressure Erdogan is under to deal with the discontent at home.

This month, reports of a Syrian man sexually abusing his seven-year-old Syrian cousin sparked riots and violence in the central Anatolian city of Kayseri, with Turks targeting Syrian-owned businesses and cars.

The government blamed social media for fueling the unrest, which quickly spread to other cities. In Antalya, a teenager was killed and in Istanbul, an Arab man was threatened with a knife at a restaurant in an upscale part of the city. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said hundreds of people were arrested in the aftermath.

The riots exposed long-simmering tensions between Syrians and Turks that have been made worse by the economic pressures brought by Turkey’s sky-high inflation.

Unlike European nations, where Syrian refugees are being permanently resettled, most Syrians in Turkey are treated as “guests” with temporary protection and are subject to a number of restrictions.

Most Syrians cannot travel freely within the country. Fewer than 10% of Syrian adults have work permits, with the rest being limited to informal, under-the-table jobs. Untold numbers of Syrian children are not in school, either because they work or face difficulty enrolling due to rules requiring them to attend schools in the areas where they were initially registered. Only a small proportion of Syrians have been granted citizenship in the country of 85 million. (CNN)…[+]

PANAMA – Ten migrants drowned in a flooded river near Panama’s coastal community of Carreto while crossing the Darién Gap, Panama’s National Border Service (Senafront) said Wednesday. Senafront did not specify the nationalities of the migrants or when they drowned.

The agency said the case is still under investigation but suspects that transnational organized criminals and local collaborators led the migrants through unauthorized border crossings, putting their lives at risk. The Darién Gap is a mountainous rainforest region connecting Colombia in South America to Panama in Central America that is a crucial passage for migrants hoping to reach the United States and Canada. There has recently been an increase in the number of migrants willing to risk their lives and safety on the 66-mile (106-kilometer) hike required to cross it and the United States and Panama signed an agreement earlier this month aimed at closing “the passage of illegal immigrants” through it.

Barbed wire blocks a passage at the Panama-Colombia border, as seen from Bogota, Colombia, on July 5, 2024. Since the beginning of July, Panama’s new government, led by President José Raúl Mulino, has placed barbed wire across several routes in the Darién Gap, so that migrants who enter illegally through the border with Colombia are forced to use a single authorized entrance, according to the country’s Ministry of Public Security.

“I will not allow Panama to be a path open to thousands of people who enter our country illegally supported by an entire international organization related to drug and human trafficking,” Mulino said at his swearing-in ceremony. Senafront said the only authorized migration corridor is one that leads to Cañas Blancas, “where specialized patrols are available for their protection and humanitarian assistance.” (CNN)…[+]

KATHMANDU  –  Eighteen people were killed after a plane crashed and caught fire while it was taking off from Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.

The pilot, who is currently receiving treatment in hospital, is the only survivor of Wednesday’s fatal accident after being rescued from the burning wreckage. The Saurya Airlines test flight was carrying 17 company employees, including technical staff, as well as two crew members. It was bound for the Himalayan tourism hub of Pokhara in the country’s west.

Nepal’s aviation industry has a poor safety record that has been attributed to multiple factors over the years, from unpredictable weather to lax regulations. The flight, which was heading for Pokhara as part of a routine maintenance check, crashed at about 11:15 local time (05:30 GMT), a few minutes after it took off from Tribhuvan International Airport, according to a statement by the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority’s search and rescue co-ordination centre.

Police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki told BBC Nepali that the pilot sustained injuries to his eyes and forehead, but said his life was not in danger. One man who was inside a nearby shop when the accident occurred said: “There was a very loud noise, it sounded like maybe a truck had overturned on the road. “We ran after we saw [the crash]. The plane then hit the ground and caught fire. We were about to run to the site but then there was an explosion so we ran away again,” he told AFP news agency.

Airport chief Jagannath Niraula told BBC Nepali that the accident “happened as soon as it left the ground, in not even a minute”, though airport authorities have not been able to confirm the cause of the disaster. However, the head of Tribhuvan International Airport said that an initial assessment showed that the plane had flown in the wrong direction.

“As soon as it took off, it turned right, [when it] should have turned left,” Mr Niraula told BBC Nepali. Footage of the incident showed the plane tilting above the runway before crashing into the ground, into flames. It quickly became enveloped in fire and smoke. Photos showed rescue workers making their way through the wreckage, with large parts of the plane completely blackened and charred. Photos of the aftermath also appeared to show parts of the plane inside an air freight container.

Fire engines and ambulances were rushed to the spot after the incident. Seventeen of those who died were Nepali, while one was a Yemeni national, who was working as an engineer. “The plane was scheduled to undergo maintenance for a month beginning Thursday… It is unclear why it crashed,” said Saurya Airlines marketing head Mukesh Khanal, Reuters news agency reports. Kathmandu’s airport closed temporarily after the crash, but reopened within hours, Reuters said.  (BBC)

Photo: Emergency workers attend scene of Nepal plane crash. (Reuters)  …[+]

GEORGETOWN – The MV Princess Anisa, a vessel owned by INS Shipping, located at Good Intent, West Bank Demerara (WBD), drifted into the Demerara Harbour Bridge on Tuesday while the crew was asleep, resulting in major damages to the anchorage systems at spans 41-42 of the Bridge.

The cost to repair the damages stands at USD 5.5million, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill disclosed. According to the captain and crew, the vessel, which was loaded with rice, had dropped anchor at 12:00 am at Versailles and the crew had gone to rest.

General Manager, Wayne Watson told Kaieteur News that the vessel drifted into the bridge at approximately 04:00hrs, while preparations were being made for retraction. He said that staff of the Harbour Bridge observed the vessel drifting towards the bridge.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the Public Works Minister said that he was informed that the collision resulted in major damages to the anchorage system at spans 41-42 of the bridge, including damage to anchor chains, wire ropes, chords bolts, and minor abrasions to pontoons 41.2 and 42.1. Despite the collision, there was no halt to vehicular traffic transiting the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

Further, Minister Edghill disclosed that the owner of the vessel will be held accountable and is expected to provide compensation for all damages incurred as a result of the vessel drifting into the Demerara Harbour Bridge. Works to remedy the situation commenced immediately and are estimated to be completed within two days. (Kaieteur News)

Photo: The MV Princess Anisa. (Kaieteur News)     …[+]

PARAMARIBO – Dinesh R. on Monday told the judge that he earns a living selling Viagra pills and that he did not sell XTC pills. The police seized about 1,790 pills, but the lab must still analyse them to determine if they are in fact XTC pills.

 Dinesh R. was busy selling blue pills, when he was arrested. “I wanted to buy two thousand pills so I paid €1,100, but I was conned because I received fewer pills. I wanted to sell each pill for SRD 20, so that I would earn €1,193 and make a profit of €93. I did not know that the pills are illegal. If I had known this, I would have destroyed them,” said Dinesh R. The defendant’s attorney, Maureen Nibte, told the court that no permit is needed to sell Viagra pills, so she requested the release of her client who has been in jail for the past 7 weeks. Dinesh R. claimed that the pills had a combined weight of 600 grams. The judge granted the attorney’s request and ordered the release of the defendant. He took into account the fact that the blue pills could in fact be Viagra pills. The defendant is scheduled to return to court in October…[+]

PARAMARIBO – The chairman of the PL party, Paul Somohardjo, on Monday made it clear, that he is not interested in claiming political posts after the general elections of May 2025. Recently it was announced that the PL and the ABOP, that had opted for a joint venture a few years ago, would no longer stick to a joint lists of candidates.

 Rumors suggest that the split was the result of disagreements about putting Somohardjo’s son, Bronto Somohardjo, on the third spot of the joint list of candidates. The PL and ABOP will reportedly use separate lists of candidates. The chairman of the PL made it clear that “it is not true.” “I will not be on any list. I had said that before. I no longer have those ambitions,” Somohardjo told Times of Suriname. The PL chairman pointed out that he just wants to lead the election campaign of the PL, but that he himself will not be on the lists of candidates. “There is nothing wrong between ABOP and the PL with regards to the lists of candidates,” said Somohardjo. The chairman of the ABOP, Ronnie Brunswijk, recently announced that the ABOP and the PL would not hand in joint lists of candidates for the upcoming elections. “Both political parties are decided to hand in their own lists,” said Brunswijk, who did not mention any reasons for this change in tactics…[+]

 PARAMARIBO – Hundreds of the nation’s educators recently made it clear, that they do not think that the second chance schools of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture will have the desired result. They explained that they are convinced that the  education gaps of about three years can’t be closed in one month. “We hope that the teachers who signed up to be stationed at the second chance schools, will not do it for the money but that they will actually work to close the education gaps during the summer vacation. “This huge backlog of lessons can’t be cleared in a few weeks,” said the teachers who added that the classrooms are very hot during the summer vacation and that it will therefore be difficult for students to process the lessons. The teachers pointed out that the classrooms of the nation’s public schools do not have air-conditioning units or fans. A teacher who runs a seventh grade explained that her pupils can neither read nor write and that it would therefore take longer to bridge the education gaps. The teachers are urging parents not to see the second chance schools as daycare centers during the summer vacation, but to also lend a helping hand when their children have to do their homework. “Teachers can do their utmost but they do not have a magic wand. Parents must also provide assistance to their children at home.”…[+]

PARAMARIBO – The gas station owners who attended a union meeting of the SSEB on Sunday night, made it clear that they wanted to close their gas stations immediately, but eventually decided to give the administration of President Chandrikapersad Santokhi one last chance.

 “The government was given two weeks to present a proposal that the gas station owners could work with,” said Sirodjenie Jankie, deputy chairperson of the SSEB. If the government fails to meet with the union within a week and if it fails to present a solution within the next two weeks, all of the gas stations will be closed for business. Jankie pointed out that seven months ago the SSEB delivered a request to raise the profit margin but that the government still has not given any response. “We are the ones taking the risks. We are the ones collecting the government take and all other income when we sell gasoline and we also have to give an advance, without any guarantee that we will earn our money back, so why can’t we get a higher profit margin. This problem has existed for many years but the government still keeps stalling. The gas station owners are fed up with waiting and want to see results,” said Jankie. The SSEB pointed out that the government take and the price for utilities were raised in the past couple of months, and that the gas station owners therefore have to right to demand a raise. Jankie made it clear that the government also has not paid its fuel bills these past couple of months…[+]

CHINA – Palestinian factions including rivals Hamas and Fatah have signed an agreement on “ending division and strengthening Palestinian unity” in Beijing, China said Tuesday. The announcement followed reconciliation talks hosted by China involving 14 Palestinian factions starting Sunday, according to China’s Foreign Ministry, which come as Israel wages war against militant group Hamas in Gaza and as Beijing has sought to present itself as a potential peace broker in the conflict.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the agreement was “dedicated to the great reconciliation and unity of all 14 factions. “The core outcome is that the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) is the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people,” Wang said, adding that “an agreement has been reached on post-Gaza war governance and the establishment of a provisional national reconciliation government.” It was unclear from Wang’s comments what role Hamas, which is not part of the PLO, would play in such an arrangement, or what the immediate impact of any deal would be. The talks were held as the future governance of Palestinian territories remains in question following Israel’s repeated vow to eradicate Hamas in response to the group’s October 7 terrorist attack on its territory. (CNN)…[+]

CANADA – A British-Canadian couple who were attempting to sail across the Atlantic have been found dead on an island off the east coast of Canada. Brett Clibbery, 70, and his wife, Sarah Packwood, 60, had been sailing on their 42-foot sailboat the SV Theros, but their bodies were found in a lifeboat that washed up on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, according to a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The couple left Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia on June 11 en route to the Azores, a group of Portuguese islands in the mid-Atlantic, around 2,000 miles away. They were reported missing on June 18 and their bodies were found last week. It is not clear why the couple abandoned the Theros and got into a lifeboat. An investigation is ongoing, the RCMP said.

Sable Island is a 27-mile long sandbar around 186 miles southeast of Halifax. It is known as “the graveyard of the Atlantic” and there have been more than 350 recorded shipwrecks there since 1583, according to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Clibbery’s son James paid tribute to his father and Packwood in a post on Facebook.

“They were amazing people, and there isn’t anything that will fill the hole that has been left by their, so far unexplained passing,” he wrote. “Living will not be the same without your wisdom, and your wife was quickly becoming a beacon of knowledge, and kindness. I miss your smiles. I miss your voices. You will be forever missed.” Clibbery and Packwood described themselves as adventure travelers and documented their trips on a YouTube channel named Theros Adventures. (CNN)…[+]

LONDON – At least six people are dead and seven missing after a fishing vessel carrying 27 onboard sank in the South Atlantic about 200 miles off the coast of the Falkland Islands. The fishing vessel, FV Argos Georgia, requested assistance soon after it began sinking east of the islands at about 4 p.m. local time Monday, the Falkland Islands government said in press release Tuesday.

The crew abandoned ship and some managed to board life rafts, the government said. Some of those who boarded the life rafts have since been rescued, but a search is continuing for those still missing, the statement said.

CNN has reached out to the Falkland Islands government to clarify the number of dead and missing. “This is a developing situation, and we will provide no further comment,” Sally Heathman, head of communications for the Falkland Islands Government, told CNN on Tuesday.

Citing British and Spanish maritime authorities, the Associated Press reported that 14 people had made it onto a life raft and were rescued by nearby fishing boats. It said at least six people had died and seven remained missing. At least 10 of the crew members were identified as Spaniards, the AP reported. Those who have been rescued will be taken to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in the capital Stanley for medical assessments, according to the Falkland Islands government.

A search and rescue operation involving helicopters and vessels began on Monday and will continue throughout the night on Tuesday. The Falkland Islands said that a search and rescue helicopter had unsuccessfully attempted to rescue crew members on Monday evening but was thwarted due to “extremely challenging weather conditions and very limited time on scene due to range.”

“This accident highlights the harshness of fishing activity and the sacrifice and risk that sea professionals experience,” said Carmen Crespo, chair of the Committee on Fisheries, for the European Parliament in a statement on Tuesday. (CNN)…[+]

WASHINGTON DC – Vice President Kamala Harris, in the first rally of her 2024 presidential campaign, told supporters in Wisconsin that she will spend the coming weeks “continuing to unite our party” ahead of the Democratic National Convention next month and this fall’s showdown with Donald Trump.

If selected, Harris would be the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead the ticket of a major political party. The Democratic National Committee said it is moving forward with a process that will determine the party’s presidential nominee by August 7.

The Trump campaign on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission arguing money raised for President Joe Biden’s reelection bid cannot be transferred to Harris’ campaign. Earlier, the former president also said he wants to debate Harris but hasn’t yet agreed to any specific debates. The president will deliver a speech Wednesday on his decision to drop out of the 2024 race and endorse Harris.

Following an uncharacteristic dry spell of celebrity support for President Joe Biden that persisted for months as he sought a second term, Hollywood has been reignited and is ready to back the party’s new presumptive nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, as she fights against former President Donald Trump.

“My phone is blowing up,” a source close to the Harris campaign told CNN of the sudden influx of Hollywood calls. “I don’t even have time to answer my phone.” One celebrity publicist told CNN that campaign managers are “typically begging” talent representatives to get their clients to participate in politics, but said that over the past 48 hours since Biden stepped aside and endorsed Harris, it’s nearly impossible to get through to the White House. (CNN)…[+]