Parts of the United Kingdom are at “exceptional” risk of wildfires as the heatwave continues, experts have warned. Areas in southern England and the Midlands are highlighted as being at highest risk, according to Natural England. Its fire severity index shows the area of “exceptional” risk is set to increase and spread to the South East and east of England by the middle of the week while most of the rest of England and Wales is deemed to be of “very high” risk over the coming days. The Met...

Police in Canada were searching on Sunday for the suspect or suspects involved in a shooting at a Latino music festival in Toronto that left two people dead and four others seriously injured. “Police are continuing their investigation at the scene,” City Councillor Josh Matlow said on social media, alluding to the attack on Saturday night. The final day of the Salsa on St Clair festival, Sunday, was cancelled, he added. According to initial reports gathered on Saturday evening, “there was an...

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down on Sunday as President Volodymyr Zelensky announced fresh changes to Ukraine’s government, saying he had offered a new and important position to the former premier. Zelensky, who has remained in office under martial law because wartime elections are prohibited, has periodically reshuffled his government in an effort to bring fresh momentum to his administration. Svyrydenko, who has served as Ukraine’s economy minister, was named prime...

Israel will hold national elections on October 27, the last date allowed by law, its parliament said on Sunday, with the vote widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership since the Gaza war erupted. The Knesset, as parliament is known, is set to end its current term on July 17, allowing the ruling coalition to complete a full four-year term for the first time in decades. “Since the current Knesset is expected to serve its full term and the next general election...

Israeli attacks killed at least six people in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including a 9-year-old girl, Palestinian health officials said, as mediators held ‌more talks to safeguard the US-brokered ceasefire. Medics said Israeli gunfire directed at a tent encampment on the eastern side of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed 9-year-old Tala Abu Matar. The Israeli military said it was not aware of the incident. An air strike at a metal foundry in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood killed...

A newly emerged image of a PLA J-16 multirole fighter jet in a rare, heavy air‑superiority “extreme loadout” configuration points to an extension of long-range tactical capabilities, according to a Chinese military magazine. In an analysis published this month, Ordnance Science and Technology said the photo of a J‑16 carrying multiple long‑range missiles circulating in May showed that China’s air force had developed more offensive tactical capabilities. “This J-16 sortie used 10 external-weapon...

Syria’s transitional parliament began its first session on Sunday, tasked with drafting the country’s new constitution and laying the groundwork for democracy after decades of authoritarian rule. Syria’s new authorities dissolved the country’s rubber-stamp legislature after toppling long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, and adopted a temporary constitutional declaration to cover a five-year transition period. In October last year, and in a process criticised as undemocratic, local...