World News Roundup: Rescuers pull 394 migrants from dangerously overcrowded boat off Tunisia; Some wildfires rage on in Turkey, affecting coastal resorts and more

Sydney and its surroundings, under a stay-at-home order for five weeks already, reported 239 new locally acquired cases of the highly infectious Delta strain, matching the record daily number in the current outbreak that was reported on Thursday. Anger over Tunisia's pandemic failures fuels political crisis Waiting in line to receive a COVID-19 jab from the Tunisian army, Zubeir Bin Ammar was in little doubt that the military and President Kais Saied were succeeding where the government he removed from power had failed.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Rescuers pull 394 migrants from dangerously overcrowded boat off Tunisia

Two humanitarian rescue ships pulled 394 migrants from a dangerously overcrowded wooden boat in the Mediterranean overnight on Sunday in an operation lasting about six hours, a Reuters witness said. The German and French NGO ships Sea-Watch 3 and Ocean Viking rescued the migrants in Tunisian waters 68 km (42 miles) from the North African coast, near oil facilities and other ships.

Some wildfires rage on in Turkey, affecting coastal resorts

Firefighters in Turkey battled on Sunday to control wildfires still raging in the resort towns of Manavgat and Marmaris, and some tourists were evacuated from Bodrum on the Aegean coast. Most of the dozens of blazes that erupted in Turkey in the last five days have been contained, authorities said. However, fires were still blazing in Manavgat in the south and Marmaris in the west, fanned by sweltering heat and winds, Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said.

Mexico holds referendum on whether to probe ex-presidents

Mexicans on Sunday are set to vote on whether to investigate five of the country's former leaders in a referendum championed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, amid criticism that the move is a political stunt and turnout could below. Lopez Obrador has cast past administrations as deeply corrupt and made combating graft his top priority. But critics say he hopes to use the consultation to energize his base, and that it is unlikely to muster enough votes to be valid.

Israeli cabinet starts first state budget debate in three years

Israeli cabinet ministers on Sunday began debate on the 2021-2022 state budget, more than three years after the government last approved a fiscal spending package. Due to two years of political stalemate and four elections, Israel is using a pro-rated version of the 2019 state budget that was passed in March 2018. A new government led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, a former software entrepreneur, took office in mid-June and unseated Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 years in office.

Syria's Assad asks PM Arnous to form new cabinet

Syrian President Bashar al Assad has tasked Prime Minister Hussein Arnous with forming a new government following an election in May that extended Assad's two-decade-old presidency. Assad originally named Arnous as prime minister last August to replace Imad Khamis, who was fired as Syria grappled with a major economic crisis and a plunging currency with much of the country shattered by a 10-year civil war.

N.Korean leader's sister warns Seoul against military drill with Washington

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on Sunday that if South Korea carries out a planned joint military exercise with the United States it will damage the resolve of the two Koreas to rebuild relations, state media KCNA reported. Kim Yo Jong also said a recent decision to restore hotlines between the two Koreas should not be seen as anything more than reconnecting "physical" ties, and that it would be "thoughtless" to assume that summits are around the corner.

Myanmar army ruler takes prime minister role, again pledges elections

Myanmar's military ruler Min Aung Hlaing has taken on the role of prime minister in a newly formed caretaker government, state media reported on Sunday, six months after the army seized power from a civilian government. In a speech on Sunday, Min Aung Hlaing repeated a pledge to hold elections by 2023 and said his administration was ready to work with a future regional envoy on Myanmar.

Iran denies involvement in attack on Israeli-managed tanker off Oman

Iran said on Sunday it was not involved in an attack on an Israeli-managed petroleum product tanker off the coast of Oman, referring to an incident last week that killed two and which Israel blamed on the Islamic Republic. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accused Tehran of "trying to shirk responsibility" for Thursday's incident and called its denial "cowardly".

Australia's east coast battles rising COVID-19 cases

Australia's east coast states of New South Wales and Queensland faced an escalating battle against the COVID-19 Delta variant on Sunday, with millions under strict lockdown and authorities urging more testing and vaccinations to rein in the outbreaks. Sydney and its surroundings, under a stay-at-home order for five weeks already, reported 239 new locally acquired cases of the highly infectious Delta strain, matching the record daily number in the current outbreak that was reported on Thursday.

Anger over Tunisia's pandemic failures fuels political crisis

Waiting in line to receive a COVID-19 jab from the Tunisian army, Zubeir Bin Ammar was in little doubt that the military and President Kais Saied were succeeding where the government he removed from power had failed. "May God bless the army and the president. I hope they let him rule because we live in a country that was run by the mafia," said Bin Ammar, a teacher. He showed scant concern as to whether Saied's actions on July 25 constituted a coup and a threat to Tunisia's young democracy, as his political adversaries claim.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)