Police said one individual was detained and five victims were reported after a shooting near the intersection of Bourbon Street and Orleans Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana, on August 1.John Gualtieri filmed a video near the shooting site that shows the crowd fleeing.“Let’s go, let’s go. Inside, inside! Come on man,” a voice can be heard saying to Gualtieri.New Orleans Police Department said the investigation remained active and ongoing. Credit: John Gualtieri via Storyful
Olympics organizers are investigating a group of athletes who were found drinking alcohol in the Olympic village on Friday night.That's according to the CEO of the Tokyo Games, Toshiro Muto, who announced the investigation during a press conference on Sunday.TOSHIRO MUTO: “Currently we are investigating the situation…”Muto did not give details on the number of athletes involved or their nationalities.Tokyo police were also at the scene, Muto said, adding it was not clear if they took any action.Organizers had previously said athletes were permitted to drink alcohol only in their rooms and only if alone, as a precaution against coronavirus infection.Unlike the strict COVID-19 lockdowns seen elsewhere, Tokyo is under a looser state of emergency that includes curbs on restaurant hours and the serving of alcohol.The Games are taking place in Tokyo without spectators, and athletes and Olympic visitors have remained in a “bubble” with regular testing for the coronavirus.
Tourists were forced to evacuate as forest fires encroached on popular holiday areas near Bodrum, Turkey, local media reported on Sunday, August 1.At least eight people have died during the recent bout of fires in the region, which have impacted the heavily touristed provinces of Antalya and Mugla.This footage, taken in Mugla province from a road near Bodrum, shows fires burning at higher elevations.On Sunday evening, Bekir Pakdemirli, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, said progress had been made to bring fires in Mugla under control. Credit: @yilmazsonisik via Storyful
Ongoing wildfires in British Columbia cast a haze over Pinantan Lake on Saturday, July 31, as multiple blazes burned nearby.This footage, filmed by Wilfried Mulder, shows the smoke-filled sky northeast of Kamloops.The Embleton Mountain fire burning north of Pinantan Lake was estimated at 991 hectares (about 3.8 square miles) and was classified as “being held” as of Sunday, according to the British Columbia Wildfire Service. Credit: Wilfried Mulder via Storyful
Senators were back on Capitol Hill on Sunday as a bipartisan group of lawmakers put the finishing touches on a $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which key Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said was likely to pass before the end of the week.MANCHIN: "It’s 99.9% finished. They're drafting it. The text will be done. Hopefully we'll introduce it today. We'll vote on it tonight. We'll start an amendment process on Monday. If not, we want to be done by Thursday. We want to move on. Okay?"The massive infrastructure package is one of President Joe Biden's top legislative priorities and would be the largest investment in U.S. roads, bridges, ports, and transit in decades. It includes $550 billion in new spending on top of $450 billion in previously approved funds and would provide money to replace lead water pipes and build a network of electric vehicle charging stations. Senator Jon Tester, a key Democratic negotiator on the legislation, told reporters that one potential holdup is a provision over wages. Democrats want to include a decades-old law that would require contractors to pay prevailing wages - typically higher levels set by unions - on projects funded by the legislation.Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, said on Sunday that she believes at least 10 Republicans will support the measure, enabling it to clear a 60-vote procedural hurdle.But the bill would still need to get through the House of Representatives, where some Democratic progressives have suggested the $1 trillion package is inadequate, and the Senate could impose changes that potentially complicate its chances of becoming law.
Strong storms brought severe weather including potentially damaging winds to eastern North Carolina on Sunday, August 1.This footage, filmed by Dylan Hudler, shows wind gusts battering trees across a road in Jones County, where “frequent thunder and lightning, small hail, and torrential rain” were seen, he wrote in a tweet.Severe thunderstorm watches remained in effect across multiple counties into Sunday evening, according to the National Weather Service. Credit: Dylan Hudler via Storyful
Government data up to July 31 shows that of the 85,196,986 Covid jabs given in the UK, 46,851,145 were first doses, a rise of 38,858 on the previous day.
Millions of American renters on Sunday were at risk of being forced from their homes, after a pandemic-related U.S. government ban on evictions expired at midnight.The expiration is a blow to President Joe Biden who had made a last-ditch request to Congress on Thursday to extend the moratorium, citing the raging Delta variant.On Friday, the House of Representatives adjourned without reviewing tenant protections after a Republican congressman blocked a bid to extend it by unanimous consent until October 18th.Democratic Representative Cori Bush and others spent Friday night outside the U.S. Capitol to call attention to the issue.BUSH: "This is not ok, we cannot allow humans – 7 million of them possibly – to be sent out to the streets. We, as a country, have not handled the crisis we have right now."Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren arrived on Saturday to support the protest, noting that Congress had approved $46.5 billion in rental assistance, but that the distribution of that money to renters was moving too slow.WARREN: "We still have tens of billions of dollars that is unspent. I don't want to spend that money after people have been moved out of their homes. I want to use that money to keep people from being moved out of their homes."According to a study by the Aspen Institute and the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project, more than 15 million people in 6.5 million U.S. households are currently behind on rental payments, collectively owing more than $20 billion to landlords.
A line of showers produced dozens of waterspouts over Lake Erie near Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday, August 1.This footage shows several waterspouts and dark storm clouds over Lake Erie as viewed from the Cleveland suburb of Rocky River.A cold front was forecast to move through Cleveland on Sunday, bringing possible scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms to the area, according to the National Weather Service. Credit: Chris817 via Storyful
Government figures show a further 65 deaths from coronavirus, bringing the UK total to 129,719.
BROADCAST AND DIGITAL RESTRICTIONS~**Broadcasters: NONE. Digital: NONE*~President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said on ABC's "This Week" that he does not expect the United States will return to lockdowns, despite the growing risks of COVID-19 infections posed by the Delta variant.FAUCI ON JULY 30: "I don't see that at all happening..."Fauci's comments on Sunday follow a recent interview with Reuters, during which the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said he did not see there being a nationwide vaccine mandate either, but hoped that full FDA approval for COVID-19 vaccines would come this month and spur more Americans to get shots to slow a rising infection rate.FAUCI ON JULY 30: "It's going up [the infection rate]. How far up it goes is going to depend on how we as a society address it. The more people you get vaccinated, the less likely it's going to go up even more."Although Fauci did not think the U.S. will need to shut down again as it did last year, he warned on ABC that "things are going to get worse" as the Delta variant continues to spread.According to a Reuters analysis, the average number of new U.S. cases reported each day has nearly doubled in the past 10 days and the number of hospitalized patients in many states is surging.Florida has one of the worst outbreaks in the nation, based on new cases per capita. It has reported more than 110,000 new cases in the past week, a 50% increase from the week prior.
Ireland’s Olympic rowing medallists have returned home from Tokyo, with women's four bronze medal-winner Emily Hegarty telling a press conference that they "enjoyed every minute" of their sporting odyssey.
Officials in Minnesota extended an air quality alert until August 3, as wildfire smoke descended on the state, leaving the Twin Cities cloaked in a murky haze over the weekend.Minnesota’s Pollution Control Agency said the smoke, blown from fires burning in Canada, would intensify and worsen in the state over the weekend.This footage, taken in Saint Paul on July 31 by Natalie McGuire, shows smoke along the Mississippi River, reducing visibility towards buildings downtown.Amid drought conditions, Minnesota is itself at risk of forest fires, and authorities have implemented burning restrictions across the state. Credit: Natalie McGuire via Storyful
At least seven people have died after forest fires broke out in the southern Turkish province of Antalya, local media reported on August 1.According to authorities, the fires broke out on July 28 at several locations in Manavgat, a coastal district in Antalya. As of July 30, some 960 personnel and over 20 aircraft were involved in the firefighting response.This footage, taken in Kalemler, inside Manavgat, shows the charred remains of buildings. According to local reports, at least two people perished in Kalemler during the fires.Official reports indicated that 107 of 112 wildfires in Turkey had been brought under control on August 1. Credit: @balaates via Storyful
Firefighters battled wildfires in the Palermo area of Sicily, Italy, on July 30, after blazes ignited amid high temperatures.Evacuations were ordered for homes near Monte Pizzuta, located southwest of central Palermo, according to local media.This footage, shared on Friday, shows firefighting efforts in Palermo.The fires in Sicily have been declared a national emergency, as Prime Minister Mario Draghi signed a ministerial decree to dispatch support from around Italy to help quell the fires. Credit: Vigili del Fuoco Palermo via Storyful
Saadia Abidi and her family in Tunisia are grieving.Her 71-year-old sister recently died of COVID-19.A sharp increase in cases and years of government neglect to maintain the countries health systemhas stoked anger from a struggling public."My sister was born in 1951, she was 70 years old and still in good health but she died of COVID-19. A lot of people died."Tunisia’s public health sector was once a point of national pride.But misgovernance has undermined it impacting people like Abidi and many in poorer regions. So far, around 940,000 people have been fully vaccinated among a population of 11.6 million. Tunisia has reported around 18,000 deaths and more than half a million infections.At one point last month it had the worst infection rate in Africa.Failures in dealing with spiralling COVID-19 cases in Tunisia brought many Tunisians into the streets in protest at the government in the weeks leading up to President Kais Saied's decisions to sack Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspend parliament, with support from the army. That debacle was the final straw for many people in the government's handling of the pandemicand prompted Saied to announce soon afterwards that the military would take it over.
Withdrawn from the Olympics but refusing to leave. Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya – seen here with Japanese police at a Tokyo airport said she was taken to the airport against her wishes on Sunday (August 1) to board a flight back home after she complained on Instagram about national coaches at the Tokyo Olympics. She said she had sought the protection of Japanese police at Tokyo's Haneda airportso she wouldn’t have to board the flightand told Reuters she did not plan to return to her home country.The Belarusian Olympic Committee said in a statement that coaches had decided to withdraw Tsimanouskaya from the Games on doctors' advice about her "emotional, psychological state". The 24-year-old was due to compete in the women's 200 metres on Monday.She said coaching staff had come to her room on Sunday and told her to packand was taken to the airport before she could run in the 200 metres and 4x400 metres relay on Thursday.She posted this video asking the International Olympic Committee to get involved in her case. The IOC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.A source at the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation - which supports athletes jailed or sidelined for their political views - said Tsimanouskaya planned to request asylum in Germany or Austria on Monday (August 2).
The UK has reported 24,470 new COVID-19 cases and 65 more deaths in the latest 24-hour period.
Hundreds of people defied rules against mass gatherings over the weekend.View on euronews
This was the first cruise ship since lockdown to set sail through the Venice lagoon, but it may also have been one of the last. Hundreds of people rallied on land and small boats to demand an end to giant liners passing through the historic lagoon city. And it seems they were heard. A few weeks later, the government announced a ban from Aug 1st to defend the city’s ecosystem and heritage. The move ended years of political hesitation, putting the demands of residents and culture bodies above those of port authorities and tourist operatorswho say the city needs the business offered by the cruise industry. The ban came in reaction to threats by UNESCO to put Italy on a blacklist for not banning liners from the World Heritage site. From August 1 ships weighing more than 25,000 tonnes will be prohibited from the shallow Giudecca Canal that leads past Piazza San Marco, the city's most famous landmark. The government’s proposal is to build an alternative port nearby – but this solution doesn’t seem to please either group. Activists don’t want liners even near Venice, concerned about pollution and safety.But port workers are frustrated that it will be some time until the port is ready for liners to dock there.Many have only just started working again after 19 month of lockdowns - and see the latest news as an unimaginable blow. Environmental scientist Jane da Mosto is the executive director of “We are here Venice”, a group focusing on environmental and social projects across the lagoon. She says the ban was not a long-term solution to the fragile city’s problems.iDIRECTOR OF "WE ARE HERE VENICE" NON-PROFIT ASSOCIATION, JANE DA MOSTO]"Of course it was a relief that some, you know, the government was finally doing something with a definite timeline to take these monsters away from the heart of the city but a split second after feeling relieved about that, all the other issues started to come into mind about the urgent need for a long-time solution to the problem."
Courtesy of IOC Team GB swimmer Adam Peaty calls for better funding for the sport after he claimed silver in the men’s 4×100 metres medley relay at the Tokyo Olympics. He told a press conference that "there needs to be more investment than ever".
Archana Devi returned to her family home in India's northern Meerut city on Friday after battling the coronavirus for 100 days.The 45-year old was admitted to hospital on April 21.She underwent extensive treatment before finally being discharged on July 30. Punit, her son, said that he had lost hopes that his mother would survive.But with proper treatment, she finally emerged victorious over the disease.He said she still has a cough and therefore needs oxygen support at home, but seems fine otherwise. Dr. Gyanendra Kumar works at the Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College where she was admitted He said her recovery look so long because she developed fibrosis in her lungs. The hospital had to give her physiotherapy to reduce her dependency on external oxygen support.She's one of thousands of people battling the coronavirus. India was battered by the Delta variant of the virus in April and May.But the number of infections has again been rising, with more cases being reported in recent weeks.The health ministry says the nationwide tally of infections has reached over 31 million since the start of the pandemic.