A standoff overnight between Massachusetts State Police and "several heavily armed men" in the woods ended with 11 arrests, authorities said. CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro reports the ordeal, which started during a police traffic stop, led to the shutdown of part of Interstate 95 on a busy holiday weekend, according to police.
During a trip to Michigan, President Joe Biden addressed the latest ransomware attack by the same group that hit meat supplier JBS Foods last spring, this time impacting a key software vendor known as Kaseya whose products are widely used by IT management companies.
In California, Los Angeles County public health officials have advised mask wearing in indoor public spaces to deal with rising COVID-19 cases involving the delta variant. Because of the variant's rapid spread in the state, the advisory applies even to those who have been vaccinated against the virus.
Atami (Japan) (AFP) – Streets are devastated in the town of Atami in Japan, where rescue workers are on the move. Two people are presumed dead and around 20 others are missing after a mudslide was triggered by torrential rains in central Japan.
Mekele (Ethiopia) (AFP) – Ethiopian soldiers captured by the Tigray Defence Force walk towards Mekele Rehabilitation Centre, in the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region. According to the Tigray Defence Forces (TDF), more than 7,000 captive Ethiopian soldiers have walked from Abdi Eshir, about 75 km southwest of Mekele, for four days.
Nkandla (South Africa) (AFP) – Supporters have gathered outside the rural home of South Africa's ex-president Jacob Zuma for the past couple of days in a show of solidarity ahead of the July 4 deadline for him to surrender to police for contempt of court.
Statues of Britain's Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II were torn down outside Manitoba province's legislature in Winnipeg on Canada Day on Thursday. Queen Victoria, who was monarch during the colonial era, was left covered in red-painted handprints with a sign that read: “We were children once.
Some younger Americans are still hesitant to get vaccinated against Covid-19, despite knowing the risks. CNN's Amara Walker reports.
Rosario (Argentina) (AFP) – Wall-scaling artists have painted a mural of Lionel Messi in the Argentinian town where he was born 34 years ago. The mural covers one end of a four-story apartment building in the La Bajada neighborhood of Rosario where the star lived as a child, and faces the primary school he attended.
The Delta variant of the coronavirus has been detected in at least 98 countries and continues to evolve and mutate, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday, expressing concerns over discrimination against those who lack or have limited choice of vaccines.
A blaze on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico resembling a large "eye of fire" has been brought under control, according to Mexico's state oil company Pemex.
Fourth of July weekend has arrived. Some may be reaching for an umbrella this weekend while others will be searching for a way to escape the heat. Meteorologist Tyler Mauldin has the forecast.
