North America

GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) — California’s largest single wildfire in recorded history kept pushing through forestlands on Tuesday as fire crews tried to protect rural communities from flames that have destroyed hundreds of homes.

Clear skies over parts of the month-old Dixie Fire have allowed aircraft to rejoin nearly 6,000 firefighters in the attack this week.

“Whether or not we can fly depends very much on where the smoke is. There’s still some areas where it’s just too smoky,” fire spokesman Edwin Zuniga said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior members of President Joe Biden’s administration met with counterparts in Mexico Tuesday for talks on addressing illegal migration to the U.S., according to the White House.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas led the delegation to meet with senior Mexican government officials about working jointly to slow crossings along the U.S. southern border. Officials also discussed other economic and security issues as well as COVID-19 response.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Fred swirled just south of Puerto Rico early Wednesday heading for the Dominican Republic and Haiti, with forecasters warning that its heavy rains could cause dangerous flooding and mudslides.

After a quiet month of no named storms in the region, Fred became the sixth of the Atlantic hurricane season as expected late Tuesday and tropical storm warnings were already in effect for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Facebook said Tuesday that it has removed hundreds of accounts linked to a mysterious advertising agency operating out of Russia that sought to pay social media influencers to smear COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

A network of 65 Facebook accounts and 243 Instagram accounts was traced back to Fazze, an advertising and marketing firm working in Russia on behalf of an unknown client.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden first announced the framework he’d reached with a bipartisan group of senators for a big infrastructure bill, he said it meant more than building roads and bridges.

Agreement, he said two months ago, would send a signal “to ourselves and to the world that American democracy can deliver.”

The senators who led the legislation to passage Tuesday agreed.

“We all knew that, quite honestly, that the world was watching,” said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats pushed their expansive $3.5 trillion framework for bolstering family services, health, and environment programs toward Senate passage early Wednesday, as Republicans unleashed an avalanche of amendments aimed at making their rivals pay a price in next year’s elections.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 10 (APP): Pakistan Monday told the UN Security Council that India’s “belligerent and aggressive” policies posed an immediate and pervasive threat to international and regional peace and security, especially as the Indians had nuclearized the Indian Ocean, an important avenue for global trade.

“In pursuance of its hegemonic designs, India has nuclearized the Indian Ocean and continues to induct advanced weapons systems and naval delivery platforms,”Ambassador Munir Akram said in a written statement submitted to the 15-member Council, which was held virtually.

WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US officials vowed to review classified documents related to the Sept 11, 2001 terror attacks to see which could be made public — a recurring demand of some victims’ relatives.

The FBI said in a letter to the US attorney for the southern district of New York that it “has decided to review” its prior privilege to not disclose certain sensitive documents and will “identify additional information appropriate for disclosure.”

WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned against travel to Israel, France, Thailand, Iceland and several other countries because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases in those nations.

The CDC has been adding to its highest “Level 4: Very High” COVID-19 level as cases spread around the globe.

The United States added Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, along with other places, including Aruba and French Polynesia.

MEXICO CITY, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Senior U.S. and Mexican officials will meet on Tuesday to discuss plans to reopen their shared border, and Washington has agreed to send Mexico up to 8.5 million more coronavirus vaccine doses, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said.

Ebrard told reporters U.S. Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas and national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet in Mexico City for talks with their Mexican counterparts as part of a drive to get cross-border activities back to normal.