NEWS SUMMARY AT THIS HOUR

There were plenty of organized fireworks displays at designated locations tonight but many more unofficial ones everywhere across the USA on the 242nd anniversary of the nation's independence.

As I traveled about York, Pennsylvania and vicinity this evening it seemed like every street had one of more fireworks displays going on in spite of a semi-steady rain falling right after sunset.

Happy Independence Day to all.

British anti-terrorism police are investigating a new incident which resembles the one that caused a row with Russia earlier this year.   They say that two people have been exposed to the nerve agent Novichok.

British media began reporting Wednesday morning about the new incident, which happened seven miles from where Sergei and Yulia Skripal, a Russian defector and his daughter, were found unconscious earlier this year.

This time a British couple became ill last Saturday and eventually went unconscious.   

Both incidents happened within miles of the British chemical and biological facility at Porton Down.

Police are telling the public they should not pick up things they aren't sure of.

Last week the British government was successful in its bid to give the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons the power to attribute blame for chemical attacks.

The Syrian government opened up a barrage of missiles and rockets and shells tonight across the Southern Deraa countryside, a reboot of the offensive against jihadist opposition forces that rejected Russian mediation efforts.  Fierce fighting with numerous casualties is being reported in social media.

Syrian and Russian air strikes are also reported in the area near the Jordanian border and not too far from Israel's border and the Golan Heights.  There is a report that some mortar shells have strayed into Jordanian territory.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says it is unrealistic to expel Iran from Syria and that all sides should be involved in any upcoming settlement in Syria including nations like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.

The news agency of ISIS says that the son of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Huthaifah al-Badri, was killed by the Syrian army when he was attacking a thermal plan in Syria's Homs province.

There was a heated debate in Germany's Parliament July 4th with the leader of the Social Democrats, a key component of Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition, warning against "closed camps" to house migrants reaching Germany.  Andrea Nahles has not committed her party to the compromise agreement on migrants, which still has many loose ends.

Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is trying to cut a deal with Austria on stopping the flow of migrants into Germany,turning them back into Austria while Merkel told a German television interviewer that any "transit centers" at the country's border would only hold migrants for 48 hours, then they would move to other centers.

Speaking in parliament Wednesday before Merkel, the leader of the largest opposition party, the Alternative for Germany's Alice Weidel, said:  "You failed everywhere. You've achieved nothing.  You've divided Germany and you've divided Europe,  Please stand down."

French President Emmanuel Macron says that African countries will have to take the lead if centers for migrants who want to emigrate to Europe are to be set up.  Macron spoke on a visit to Nigeria.

The European Union deal on migration approved last week suggested the establishment of centers for migrants on the shores of North Africa where they could apply for entry into Europe.

The European Union Parliament votes Thursday on a controversial copyright law that is seen as a threat to freedom of information on the internet.   The proposal will shut down the ability of websites and social media to link to news stories on grounds of copyright infringement.

Authorities evacuated thousands of tourists from Liberty Island in New York Harbor today when a protester climbed the Statue of Liberty.  It took police two hours to bring the protester down.  A group of other protesters were holding a demonstration at the statue to protest immigration policy.

Activists from the environmentalist group "Greenpeace" said they flew a drone and tiny radio controlled plane into a building at a French nuclear power plant Tuesday.  They say they were trying to illustrate the danger of operating nuclear plants.

Other "Greenpeace" protesters were removed Wednesday hanging from a bridge in Vancouver, Canada.  An RCMP aerial extraction team was bringing to an end a some 36 hour long protest to block an oil tanker from leaving the harbor.   About a dozen people were protesting with the Mounties considering recommending charges of mischief and jeopardizing the safety of a vessel,  according to the Canadian Press.

The Associated Press says that President Trump broached the notion of using military force against the leftist government of Venezuela last year.  Trump is said to have brought up the idea in meetings with officials including former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.   No word on who leaked the information to the media.

The Chinese government routinely warns its citizens about travel to the United States including issues like expensive medical bills, public shooting incidents, robberies, search and seizure by customs agents, fraud., but they've added "natural disasters" to their latest list issued by China's embassy in Washington.

With US tariffs set to be imposed on Chinese goods Friday, there's media speculation that this is some sort of retaliation by the Chinese government.

But a Chinese foreign ministry official told Reuters that summer is a heavy travel season and that the warnings are normal things for Chinese embassies in foreign countries to issue.