International

Southern Europe is grappling with dozens of wildfires as a relentless heatwave fuels dangerous conditions across the region, prompting mass evacuations and straining emergency services. Greece In Greece, firefighters supported by the army are battling at least a dozen major blazes, including one threatening Patras, the country’s third-largest city. “The situation remains difficult,” said fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, citing ...

A scorching heatwave is fuelling dozens of wildfires across parts of southern Europe, forcing thousands of people from their homes and pushing temperatures above 40C (104F). Red heat alerts have been issued in parts of Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and the Balkans, warning of significant risks to health. Spain’s weather service Aemet said temperatures could reach 44C (111.2F) in Seville ...

Kuwait has revoked the citizenship of nearly 50,000 individuals in a sweeping nationwide campaign targeting illegal naturalisation, First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousuf Saud Al-Sabah confirmed on Monday. In an interview with the Kuwaiti daily Al-Qabas, Sheikh Fahad revealed that the government, in coordination with several foreign governments, has identified thousands of cases in which citizenship ...

A 6.1-magnitude quake struck Sindirgi in western Turkey on Sunday, the Turkish disaster management agency (AFAD) said, killing at least one person and injuring dozens more. The quake was felt across several cities in the west of the country, including Istanbul and the tourist hotspot of Izmir. “An 81-year-old person died soon after having been rescued from under the rubble,” ...

EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa have hailed a US-brokered deal to end decades of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan and called for its speedy implementation, reports AFP. Christian-majority Armenia and Muslim-majority Azerbaijan have long feuded over their border and the status of ethnic enclaves within each other’s territories. They went to war twice over the disputed ...

Hundreds of firefighters on Saturday battled for a second day a large wildfire near Athens that left one dead, with strong winds raising fears it could spread, reports AFP. A fire department spokesman said over 260 firefighters with nearly 80 fire engines and 12 aircraft were deployed in Keratea, a rural area some 43 kilometers (27 miles) southeast of Athens. ...

At least six people have died and two others were injured after an air ambulance crashed in a residential area near Nairobi, Kenya. According to local authorities, the incident occurred on Thursday (August 7) around 3:00 pm local time, shortly after the aircraft took off from Wilson Airport en route to Somaliland. Kiambu County Commissioner Henry Wafula confirmed that four ...

Myanmar’s military-appointed acting president, Myint Swe, died Thursday morning at the age of 74, the country’s ruling junta announced. He had been suspended from his ceremonial duties since last year due to deteriorating health. “President U Myint Swe passed away at 8:28 am this morning,” the junta said in a statement, confirming he died at a hospital in the capital, ...

A new national temperature record was set in Japan on Tuesday as the city of Isesaki in Gunma Prefecture hit 41.6 degrees Celsius at 2:20 p.m. local time, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. This marks the highest temperature ever recorded in the country since official observations began. Other cities in Gunma and Saitama also saw temperatures soar above 41 ...

A large wildfire in southern France slowed overnight into Wednesday, following efforts by emergency crews to contain the blaze that has already scorched 11,000 hectares of vegetation and injured nine people. The fire began on Tuesday afternoon in the Aude department, where around 1,500 firefighters are working to bring it under control. Several villages remain under threat as crews focus ...