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Sixty Palestinian detainees released by Israel arrived in Gaza in a visibly weakened state, reaching a hospital in Khan Younis exhausted, wounded and, in some instances, unable to stand on their own. On Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) transported the men to Nasser Medical Complex for medical checks, where families and healthcare workers gathered to welcome them back. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3‘Back from the dead’: The continuing anguish over Gaza’s 9,500

Rampur, India – In the sweltering heat of July, more than 100 people sit cross-legged on woven mats, chanting slogans and waving the Indian flag in a small town in northern India. About 200km (132 miles) from New Delhi — where student-led protests over education reforms recently compelled a federal minister to resign — students, alumni and local residents have launched an indefinite sit-in. They are protesting a proposed plan to demolish 38 of the 40 buildings that make up Mohammad Ali Jauhar

A Romanian fighter jet has downed a drone believed to be of Russian origin after it entered the country’s airspace. The episode on Friday was the first time Romania has intercepted an unauthorized aircraft since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Nicusor Dan said. The development has heightened concerns that the war in neighboring Ukraine could further spill into NATO territory. Romania is among several alliance members that have faced repeated drone intrusions in

More than 20,000 local residents and vacationers have been evacuated from southwest France as fast-moving wildfires continue to spread across the region. Roughly 800 firefighters were working to contain the blaze about 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Bordeaux on Thursday. They were supported by hundreds of gendarmes and members of the armed forces assisting with emergency operations. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3Spain and France confront intense wildfires amid heightened risk • list 2 of

Tensions in the Middle East intensified after two oil tankers transporting Saudi crude to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday. The move followed an announcement by Yemen’s Houthi group declaring a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia. The shutdown of the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a vital passage linking the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean, has added new strain to global shipping lanes. This comes as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains unstable amid the continuing US-Israel conflict

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has dropped to its lowest level in ten years during the first half of 2026, according to newly released government data. The figures, published on Friday, represent a significant achievement for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has made reducing destruction in the world’s largest rainforest a central goal of his administration. Between January and June, approximately 1,295 square kilometres (500 square miles) of forest were cleared in the

Last month became the warmest June ever observed in Western Europe, with temperatures exceeding the 1991–2020 average by more than three degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. In a statement released Thursday, the climate monitoring agency reported that the region’s average temperature climbed to 20.74C (69.33F). The surge was largely driven by a powerful heatwave in the latter half of the month that shattered records in

The FIFA World Cup quarterfinal lineup has been finalized following an intense round of 16 filled with dramatic comebacks, penalty shootouts, and surprising results. France, Morocco, Norway, England, Spain, Belgium, Argentina, and Switzerland have advanced to the final eight, setting up four high-profile quarterfinal clashes to be staged across the United States. Beyond the action on the field, the competition continues to face controversy. Egypt has accused officials of bias after its narrow

Officials in Monaco have stated that, at this point, they do not believe “terrorism” was the motive behind an explosion that injured three people. The powerful detonation occurred Monday evening at the entrance of a residential building, shortly after a man reportedly left a package at the scene. Prosecutor Stephane Thibault told journalists on Tuesday that the suspect, who escaped on foot, appears to have acted alone and has not yet been apprehended. Footage from security cameras shows the

Kyiv, Ukraine – On May 22, Ukraine’s president, prime minister, parliament speaker, senior ministers and top military commanders stood in silence at a military cemetery outside Kyiv as soldiers carried the coffins of Andriy Melnyk and his wife, Sofiya, past the assembled officials. The ceremony, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, was intended to honour “Ukrainian heroes.” Melnyk had been a leading figure in the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), a movement that sought an independent Ukrainian

United States Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Switzerland to meet Iranian officials for discussions on putting into practice the interim agreement aimed at ending the US conflict with Iran. Earlier this week, Washington and Tehran agreed to extend their negotiations under a 60-day ceasefire. However, tensions escalated on Saturday when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Despite the

A Ukrainian drone strike on a maritime terminal in southern Russia has left one person dead, Russian officials have said, marking another incident in a series of attacks targeting key infrastructure. According to Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of Russia’s Krasnodar region, falling drone fragments ignited a fire at part of the facility in the Temryuk district on Saturday. While the governor did not provide extensive details, Russian media outlets reported that damage occurred at a Black Sea

A record-setting and deadly heatwave sweeping across South Asia has driven temperatures to perilous levels, disrupting everyday life for hundreds of millions of people and intensifying concerns about the fragility of one of the world’s most densely populated regions. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are among the countries experiencing temperatures far above seasonal norms, with some areas nearing or surpassing 45-50 degrees Celsius (113-122 degrees Fahrenheit). Recommended Stories • list 1 of

Israel’s armed forces have announced new evacuation directives for residents of several towns and villages in southern Lebanon, including locations outside the areas currently held by Israeli troops, despite an existing truce intended to pause hostilities with Hezbollah. In a statement posted Sunday on social media, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, urged civilians to leave immediately. “For your safety, you must evacuate your homes at once and move at least

A military court in Jakarta has begun hearing the case against four Indonesian soldiers accused of carrying out an acid attack on an activist who opposed the growing role of the armed forces in civilian government. On Wednesday, military prosecutors formally charged the four men — Edi Sudarko, Budi Hariyanto Widhi Cahyono, Nandala Dwi Prasetia and Sami Lakka — with premeditated aggravated assault. Under Indonesia’s criminal code, the offence carries a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison. The

Ukrainian authorities report that Russian strikes across several regions have resulted in at least five deaths and damage to a vessel in the port of Odesa. At the same time, Moscow stated that its air defences intercepted more than 200 Ukrainian drones. According to Sumy regional governor Oleh Hryhorov, a Russian drone attack on Saturday killed two men in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region. The strike targeted civilians in the border town of Bilopil, located near Russia. In the central

Super Typhoon Sinlaku is advancing toward the remote Mariana Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean, where the powerful system is expected to unleash destructive winds and torrential rainfall. Sinlaku developed on April 9 and has become the most intense storm recorded so far in 2026. On Monday, it produced sustained winds reaching 278 km/hour (173 mph), according to reports from The Associated Press. Storm Position and Strength By midday Tuesday local time (02:00 GMT), the storm’s center was

More than three million government officials across India have launched what is set to be the largest national population survey in the world, initiating a yearlong exercise that could significantly influence welfare distribution and political representation nationwide. The census, postponed partly due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, officially commenced on Wednesday and is scheduled to continue until March 31 of next year. In the initial phase, census workers will spend

Oil released from an unidentified ship along with two “natural” seepage points in the Gulf of Mexico has spread into seven protected natural areas, affecting more than 600km (373 miles), Mexican officials reported on Thursday. The announcement comes after weeks of debate in Mexico regarding the response to the spill, which was first detected in early March off the coasts of Veracruz and Tabasco. While authorities stated that there is no evidence of “serious environmental damage,” the marine

Estonia and Latvia have each reported that drones crossed into their airspace from neighbouring Russia, heightening fears of regional spillover from the ongoing war in Ukraine. Estonia’s Internal Security Service announced on Wednesday that a drone entering from Russian territory hit the chimney of a power plant in the northeastern village of Auvere. Authorities confirmed that no injuries were reported as a result of the incident. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that the drone