THE first steps to relocate migrants who were kept at sea by Italy for nearly three weeks has begun as a new crisis loomed with more than 350 rescued people still on board another rescue ship in high seas.

The Ocean Viking, operated by the Doctors without Borders and SOS Mediterranee aid groups, has been on standby since it completed the rescue of 356 men, women and children in the central Mediterranean nine days ago.

The ship is in international waters, about 32 nautical miles from European shores between Malta and the Italian island of Linosa. Both countries have refused it permission to unload the migrants.

The situation on board remains under control, SOS Mediteranee head of mission Nick Romaniuk said on Wednesday. “But we cannot resist forever,” he added.

France has confirmed that it will take some of the migrants, repeating the model of an agreement reached earlier this week by some EU members.

MEANWHILE, Brazil’s official monitoring agency has reported a sharp increase in Amazon wildfires this year. President Jair Bolsonaro suggested, without citing evidence, that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) could be setting them to make him look bad.

Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, a federal agency monitoring deforestation and wildfires, announced a record number of wildfires this year, counting 74,155 as of Tuesday, an 84% increase compared to the same period last year.

“Maybe – I am not affirming it – these (NGO people) are carrying out some criminal actions to draw attention against me,” said Bolsonaro in a Facebook video published on his page.

ELSEWHERE, a former Danish prime minister has lashed out at Donald Trump for his tweet about military spending, saying defence willingness is not just about the amount of money spent.

Lars Loekke Rasmussen’s comment is the latest in an escalating spat between the US and Denmark after Trump scrapped a visit to the country, saying current PM Mette Frederiksen was “nasty” when she rejected his “absurd” idea of buying Greenland.

Loekke Rasmussen, who led the country until June, tweeted to the US president: “We have had (proportionally) exactly the same numbers of casualties in Afghanistan as US. We always stand firm and ready.”

FINALLY, Sudan’s top general has been sworn in as the leader of a joint military-civilian body created to rule the country during a three-year transition period towards democratic elections. General Abdel-Fattah Burhan was sworn in before the country’s leading judge and will lead the 11-member Sovereign Council for 21 months, followed by a civilian leader appointed by the pro-democracy movement for the next 18.

The move came after more than four months of negotiations.