Firefighters across the Mediterranean struggled on Monday to contain wildfires blazing through Türkiye, Greece, and Albania, as strong winds and extreme heat intensified the crisis.
In Türkiye’s Black Sea province of Karabük, smoke filled the skies as a wildfire burned for a sixth consecutive day, destroying forested areas and prompting the evacuation of more than a dozen villages. Meanwhile, in Bursa, three firefighters died when their vehicle crashed, the Forestry Ministry confirmed. Additional fires were being fought in the southern provinces of Mersin and Antalya, where over 3,600 residents were evacuated.
Türkiye has faced a surge in wildfires amid soaring temperatures in recent weeks, with 10 firefighters killed last week during a fire in the central province of Eskişehir.
While hot, dry summers are typical in the Mediterranean, recent years have seen more severe heatwaves, fuelling larger and more destructive fires amid global climate change.
In Greece, at least 44 wildfires ignited in the past 24 hours. Strong winds reignited fires on the island of Kythera, while a blaze near Mount Hymettus in Athens was swiftly brought under control by emergency crews.
In Albania, around 900 firefighters and army personnel worked to contain a wildfire threatening the coastal city of Saranda and surrounding tourist areas on the Ionian coast. Police reported that 13 individuals were arrested for arson over the past three days.
Bulgaria, with assistance from several European nations, deployed firefighting aircraft to combat a major wildfire near the border with Türkiye. Authorities said roughly 16,000 acres had been destroyed, and two suspects were detained during the investigation.
In Greece, several villages were evacuated over the weekend, with five people injured in separate incidents. Meanwhile, Serbia saw relief as rainfall helped extinguish more than 100 wildfires across the country.
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The 13th session of the World Urban Forum concluded in Baku on 22 May after six days of discussions focused on housing, climate resilience, urban governance and social inclusion, bringing together tens of thousands of participants from around the world to shape the future of sustainable cities.
The 13th edition of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku showed Azerbaijan’s “meaningful contribution to multilateralism,” the country’s President Ilham Aliyev has said.
SpaceX has completed a largely successful test flight of Starship V3, the largest and most powerful rocket in history.
The nomination of Russian-Armenian businessman Ruben Vardanyan for the 2026 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize has triggered criticism.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said Belarus will not be dragged into the war in Ukraine, while also stressing that Minsk and Moscow would jointly respond to any aggression against them.
Fighting in the Russia–Ukraine war has intensified sharply, with both sides launching significant strikes far beyond the front lines as the conflict enters its 1,549th day.
As the 13th edition of the World Urban Forum ended, Azerbaijan's Pavilion showcased reconstruction efforts in its liberated territories and foregrounded the importance of mine removal in resettlement efforts.
NATO fighter jets were activated on Thursday (21 May) after at least one drone entered Latvian airspace, according to Latvia’s armed forces, marking the latest in a series of security incidents across the Baltic region linked to the war in Ukraine.
A French appeals court has found Airbus and Air France guilty of corporate manslaughter over the 2009 Rio–Paris crash, marking a major development in a case that has stretched on for 17 years.
At least 90 miners have died in a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China, in what is the country's deadliest mining accident in 17 years. The blast occurred on Friday at 19:29 local time (11:39 GMT) at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, according to Chinese state media.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 23rd May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
SpaceX has completed a largely successful test flight of Starship V3, the largest and most powerful rocket in history.
Ukraine’s military denied that it struck a student dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region on Friday (22 May).
China already dominates the global rare earth supply chain. Now, scientists have discovered new deposits in northeastern China that could prove cheaper and cleaner to extract than those mined elsewhere in the country.
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