
Medecins Sans Frontieres says Mediterranean rescue mission blocked after ship seizure in Italy
CNN
A humanitarian ship that rescued over 400 migrants at sea in recent weeks has been seized by Italian authorities, in a move that French medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned would endanger the lives of migrants in the Mediterranean.
In a press release Sunday, the organization called for the "swift release" of its search and rescue vessel "Geo Barents," which was detained by authorities on administrative grounds in the port of Augusta, Sicily, on July 2. According to the Italian Coast Guard, the seizure was the result of a "periodic inspection" required for foreign ships docking in Italian ports, which "highlighted various technical irregularities that could compromise the safety of the crew and of the people on board."
The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries formally signed a long-sought landmark free trade agreement on Saturday, capping more than a quarter-century of torturous negotiations to strengthen commercial ties in the face of rising protectionism and trade tensions around the world.

Judge restricts federal response to Minnesota protests amid outrage over immigration agents’ tactics
Immigration agents carrying out a sweeping operation in Minnesota can’t deploy certain crowd-control measures against peaceful protesters or arrest them, a federal judge ruled Friday. The order follows widespread outrage over a fatal shooting, reports of US citizens getting detained and Minnesotans getting asked for documents for no clear reason.

The smell of wet grass from the recent atmospheric river rains, mud and gasoline wafts through the warm Southern California air as Alec Derpetrossian works the chainsaw with a foreman, Randy Magaña, who helps him guide where to put the blade. Derpetrossian is still learning how to adequately use the large tool.










