Hundreds of flights cancelled after strike in Italy

Rome: Hundreds of flights across Italy were cancelled on Saturday, forcing travellers at the peak of tourist season to make alternate plans, after air transport unions went ahead with a planned work stoppage two days following a train strike that paralysed rail service. Summertime in Italy is often the peak season for transport strikes, stranding commuters and tourists alike as unions press demands for better work contracts and conditions. This year, the strikes are taking their toll amid a tourism boom following two years of pandemic losses. AP

Forest fire in Spanish island forces evacuation

Barcelona: A forest fire in the Spanish island of La Palma has forced the evacuation of at least 500 persons, authorities said on Saturday, in the first natural crisis on the island since a volcanic eruption on 2021. The fire started in the early hours of Saturday morning in El Pinar de Puntagorda, a wooded area at the north of the island in the Canaries, as many European cities brace for extreme heat in the coming week. Vicente Rodriguez, the mayor of Puntagorda, said the area had suffered from a lack of rain, like much of drought-hit Spain, and temperatures reached 40 Celsius last week. Reuters

Brazil demands 10-yr pause on deep-sea mining

San Juan: Brazil has sought a 10-year precautionary pause on deep-sea mining in international waters just days after companies and countries were allowed to start applying for provisional licences. The call came during a two-week conference held by the International Seabed Authority, a regulatory UN agency based in Jamaica that failed to approve a set of rules and regulations to govern deep sea mining by a July 9 deadline. The agency has not issued any provisional licenses, nor has it received any applications, although the government of Nauru is expected to apply soon for a license via the Canadian-based Metals Co. AP