English

Gavin Blackburn

Cyprus

Crews in Cyprus battle huge wildfires, villages forced to evacuate

Wednesday's fires broke out on the first day of a heatwave in Cyprus with forecasters expecting temperatures on Thursday to hit 45 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest day of the year.

Thailand

Thailand closes border crossings with Cambodia after landmine blast

Many border checkpoints had already been closed by one side or the other after relations deteriorated following an armed confrontation in which one Cambodian soldier was killed.

Syria

Syria asks Turkey for defence support after sectarian clashes

Turkey, which has long expressed readiness to assist Damascus, was working towards providing training and technical support to help strengthen Syria's defence capacity, the officials added.

Indonesia

Indonesian police arrest 44 people suspected of starting forest fires

The fires are often started illegally by plantation owners or traditional farmers to clear land for planting, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said in a statement.

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Israel

Israeli woman arrested on suspicion of plot to kill PM Netanyahu

The woman was arrested two weeks ago, but was released on condition she stay away from all government buildings and from approaching the prime minister.

Europe News

UK and Turkey sign preliminary deal for Eurofighter Typhoon jets

Turkey is also seeking to return to the US-led F-35 fighter jet programme, from which the country was ousted in 2019 following its purchase of Russian-made S-400 missile defence systems.

Culture news

Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne dies aged 76, his family says

Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents’ groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat.

Gaza

Over 1,000 aid-seekers killed in Gaza since May, UN says

In January, Israel banned the main UN organisation delivering aid to Palestinians in Gaza, UNRWA, from operating, claiming the agency turned a blind eye to Hamas members in its ranks.

Europe News

Italy says one woman in same-sex union entitled to paternity leave

The court argued that the child’s interest in having time with both parents and the parents responsibilities didn’t depend on their sexual orientation.

South Korea

Initial probe into South Korea's Jeju Air crash hints at pilot error

The findings sparked vehement protests from bereaved families who accused authorities of trying to shift responsibility for the disaster to the deceased pilots.

Gaza

Journalists in Gaza facing starvation, four news organisations warn

In a joint statement, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Associated Press (AP), Reuters and BBC News said their teams working in Gaza face "the same dire circumstances as those they are covering."

Europe News

UK man obsessed with James Bond convicted of trying to spy for Russia

Howard Phillips, 65, intended to help two apparent Russian agents who were in fact undercover British intelligence officers.

Europe News

Moldovan oligarch accused of €850m bank fraud detained in Greece

Vladimir Plahotniuc fled Moldova in 2019 as he faced a series of corruption charges including allegations of complicity in a scheme that led to a massive theft from a Moldovan bank.

Europe News

US and Germany agree to ship five Patriot defence systems to Ukraine

The Patriot missile system can detect and intercept a wide range of oncoming air targets, high-end ballistic missiles in particular, and is regarded as one of the world's best.

Afghanistan

UN concerned by Taliban's arrest of women for dress code violations

The Taliban, which returned to power in 2021, has cracked down on the way women dress and behave in public, notably through so-called morality laws forbidding them from showing their faces outside the home.

Sudan

Egypt funds free train rides for Sudanese refugees returning home

Sudan has been mired in civil war since April 2023 with the power struggle between the army and the RSF causing an almost nationwide humanitarian crisis.

Europe News

Foreign ministers of 28 countries call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

The signatories included the foreign ministers of around 20 European countries as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management.

Gaza

Israeli military launches first ground operation in Deir al-Balah

Eyewitnesses said massive air strikes took place on the city overnight into Monday, one of the last remaining areas of the Strip not to suffer significant damage from the Israel-Hamas war.

Syria

Syria evacuates Bedouins out of Suwayda as shaky ceasefire holds

Syrian state media said on Sunday that the government had coordinated with some officials in Suwayda to bring in buses to evacuate some 1,500 Bedouins from the city.

Europe News

UK police arrest six after asylum seeker hotel protest turns violent

Chanting "Save our kids" and "Send them home," more than 100 demonstrators, some waving England flags, gathered outside the Bell Hotel on Sunday evening. The protests escalated as night fell, with flares and projectiles thrown toward police vans blocking the entrance.

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