World News Briefs For Saturday, 21 Dec 2019
Hello Australia!! - What could be NSW's most dangerous day lies ahead - Clampdowns are stopping India's growing protests - Incredible video of two cruise ships crashing - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:
Potentially catastrophic conditions are in store for New South Wales amid the extreme heat and bushfire emergency, where up to 10,000 people will be working today among police, volunteers, State Emergency Services (SES), ambulance and firefighters. "We are looking at probably the largest deployment of emergency services personnel this state's ever seen," said NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliot, "They're there, four days before Christmas, to keep families safe." Premier Gladys Berejiklian says people should be looking out for road closures and heeding the BOM and Rural Fire Service: "We are expecting very difficult circumstances today in relation to all of the fire fronts," she said, "As you know, it's a catastrophic definition today which means that very short notice, any of the fire fronts that are active can become very dangerous in a short amount of time."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is cutting short an overseas vacation in an undisclosed vacation, although it appears he took his family to Hawaii. Morrison is expected to fly into Sydney on Saturday and later will visit Rural Fire Service headquarters over the weekend.
British prosecutors have charged the wife of an American diplomat in the traffic collusion that killed 19-year old motorcyclist Harry Dunn in Northamptonshire in central England. The driver Anne Sacoolas was allowed to leave the UK under diplomatic immunity, and the local prosecutors are asking the UK Home Office to extradite her. But the US State Department insists that diplomatic immunity still stands, legal experts in the UK support that, and Ms. Sacoolas' attorney Amy Jefress said, "Anne will not return voluntarily to the UK to face a potential jail sentence for what was a terrible but unintentional accident."
Two Carnival Cruise ships collided at the port of Cozumel, Mexico, resulting in six passengers being injured as they evacuated the area, and damage to one of the ships. "Carnival Glory was maneuvering to dock when it made contact with Carnival Legend which was already alongside," a Carnival spokesman said, "We are assessing the damage but there are no issues that impact the seaworthiness of either ship." The ships' passengers were advised to spend their day ashore in Cozumel.
At least six people were killed in the latest day of protests against India's controversial citizenship law which critics say opens the door to official discrimination against Muslims. At least five of the dead were killed by gunfire, but police officials deny that officers were responsible. This brings the national death toll in the protests to at least 14 lives lost. Police have banned public gatherings in parts of the Indian capital and other cities for a third day, and cut internet services to try to stop growing protests.