Wildfires, driven by intense heatwaves, strong winds, and in some cases suspected arson, raged across southern Europe on Wednesday, torching homes, farmland, and factories while forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.
In Greece, flames swept through olive groves and forests near Patras, disrupting rail traffic and engulfing a cement factory in thick smoke.
Authorities ordered mass evacuations, including residents from two islands popular with tourists — Chios and Cephalonia.
In Spain, a volunteer firefighter died from severe burns while battling a blaze in the Castile and Leon region, bringing the country’s wildfire death toll this year to six. The extreme heatwave, now in its tenth day, has kept much of Spain at the highest fire risk level.
Other blazes were sparked by lightning strikes, such as in Los Romeros, Andalusia, and in Portugal’s Trancoso area, where a previously contained fire reignited.
Albania is also facing a 'critical week,' with 24 active wildfires threatening villages and forcing people to evacuate with their livestock. Across the region, experts warn that insufficient prevention measures are putting firefighters’ lives in danger and urge investments in forest management to avoid catastrophic losses.
Southern Europe’s extreme weather has also disrupted daily life — Pope Leo moved his weekly audience indoors to avoid dangerous heat, while Italy issued red alerts for 16 cities, with Florence expecting temperatures up to 39°C (102°F).
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Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in two southern regions of country on Sunday as raging wildfires forced at least 20,000 people to evacuate and left at least 19 people dead.
The year 2025 was marked by a series of devastating natural disasters worldwide, from wildfires and storms to floods. North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East faced severe challenges as extreme weather destroyed homes, claimed lives and disrupted daily life.
A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a devastating wildfire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles earlier this year.
Wildfires have destroyed about a third of Namibia's Etosha National Park, a roughly 20,000 square-kilometre (7,722 square-mile) tourist destination known for its wildlife, the presidency said.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected a U.S. magazine report on the death toll during January unrest. Nationwide protests erupted in response to soaring inflation and a national currency crisis.
The death toll from nationwide protests in Iran has climbed to 6,126, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday that Europe is "incapable" of defending itself alone without the United States, dismissing calls for a separate European defence force and stressing that transatlantic cooperation remains essential for the continent’s security.
Germany’s Federal Chancellery has addressed allegations that the current Chancellor Friedrich Merz filed hundreds of criminal complaints for defamatory remarks and insults against him in the years before he took office.
France’s National Assembly has approved a bill banning access to social media for children under 15, a move backed by President Emmanuel Macron and the government as part of efforts to protect teenagers’ mental and physical health.
Several people, including children, were reported missing in New Zealand's north island on Thursday after a landslide struck a coastal campsite amid heavy rain that caused evacuations of people to safety, road closures and widespread power outages.
At least four people were killed on Tuesday as floods swept across Tunisia during the worst torrential rain for more than 70 years in some regions, and there were fears the death toll could rise, authorities said.
The world has already entered an era of global water bankruptcy, with irreversible damage to rivers, aquifers, lakes and glaciers pushing billions of people into long-term water insecurity, according to a major United Nations report released on Tuesday.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in two southern regions of country on Sunday as raging wildfires forced at least 20,000 people to evacuate and left at least 19 people dead.
A landmark global treaty to safeguard biodiversity in the high seas came into effect on Saturday, providing countries with a legally binding framework to tackle threats and meet a target to protect 30% of the ocean environment by 2030.
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