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Gavin Blackburn

Europe

Swiss police seek witnesses over fire started near Romanian embassy

An employee from the embassy managed to put out the fire, before the Bern fire brigade deployed as a precaution and set up a fire watch at the scene.

Europe

Ash from Mount Etna shuts Sicily's busiest airport during peak week

Italy's federation of travel agencies and tour operators has called for a task force to coordinate responses to disruptions caused by Mount Etna and a review of how airlines handled cancellations.

Europe

Polls close in UK by-election as Farage and Count Binface face-off

Vote counting has already begun and will continue through the night with a result expected by around 7:00 am local time on Friday.

Europe

Millions across Europe swelter under fresh wave of extreme heat

Repeat heatwaves and drought have fuelled a historically hot summer of wildfires, and contributed to the deaths of thousands of people.

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Europe

Two seriously injured as train derails in south England, police say

The ambulance service said there were around 150 passengers on board the train which departed from London Victoria station and veered off the tracks shortly before 4:00 pm local time.

Vietnam

Vietnam discovers tonne of hidden ivory illegally shipped from Africa

Most trade in ivory from elephants and other endangered animals is banned by international agreement under CITES, a treaty to which almost all UN member countries are parties.

Health news

Ebola outbreak spreads to sixth DR Congo province, Africa CDC says

The DRC's deadliest Ebola outbreak from 2018-2020 killed nearly 2,300 people out of 3,500 recorded cases.

Europe

Swedish parliament cuts age of criminal responsibility to 14

The Scandinavian country has been rocked by gang battles for more than a decade, particularly for control of the drug market.

Zimbabwe

Survivors recount Zimbabwe ferry sinking as death toll climbs to 46

The overloaded government ferry, a vital link for villagers and fish traders around the vast Lake Kariba, overturned in choppy waters on Tuesday in one of the country's worst passenger boat disasters.

Europe

Explosion rocks ammunition factory near Rome, Italian police say

Italian media reported that there were no casualties, with the AGI news agency saying employees sheltered in secure areas at the facility.

Europe

Tourists rescued by boat as forest fire threatens Greek beaches

A fire service spokesman said the evacuation had to be by sea as the flames were getting close to the beaches.

Europe

Poland detains Russian over 'execution' plot in Warsaw, PM Tusk says

Poland, a NATO and EU member state along the alliance's Eastern flank, has accused Russia of "sabotage" on several occasions since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Europe

Explosion at Dutch port of Rotterdam leaves one dead, police say

The explosion happened at a refinery and fuel terminal run by Gunvor Energy in an industrial section of the vast port premises.

Iran

Iran rejects Trump claims of US control over Hormuz as 'lies'

Iran has kept control of Hormuz, a vital energy conduit, since the outbreak of the war on 28 February, requiring vessels to obtain permission and pay transit fees before using the waterway.

Europe

Romania shuts down Cernavodă nuclear plant as Danube water level drops

Nearly two-thirds of the Danube has seen flow rates that are the lowest on record for a month of July in 34 years, according to an analysis published on Monday by the European climate change observatory, Copernicus.

USA

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to leave role, Trump says

Leavitt's departure comes as Trump faces steadily sinking poll numbers and the Republican Party risks defeat in the November midterm elections.

Culture news

Eurovision to exclude countries at war from hosting contest, EBU says

The EBU said it could commission an independent security assessment before deciding whether a winning country is capable of hosting the event safely.

USA

'I think we will keep it,' Trump says about control of Hormuz strait

Iran maintains it effectively controls much of the waterway and intends to impose a toll system in response to the US war launched by Trump on 28 February.

Europe

Solar eclipse plunges large swathe of Spain into total darkness

The eclipse, a first in mainland Europe since 2006, also cast its shadow through parts of Greenland, racing south to smother part of Iceland before arcing across the Atlantic Ocean towards northern Spain.

Europe

Germany beefs up intelligence services as 'foreign' threats rise

German officials accuse Moscow of waging a "hybrid" campaign of sabotage, espionage and disinformation against the country, which is among Ukraine's biggest military supporters in the war with Russia.

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