Spain battles wildfires as 115,000 hectares burn and thousands evacuated
Wildfires raging across Spain have scorched more than 115,000 hectares (about 284,000 acres), killed at least three people and forced thousands to eva...
Top European leaders will travel to Washington on Monday to join U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in critical talks aimed at ending the war with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend the White House meeting, officials confirmed on Sunday.
The talks follow Trump’s closed-door summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, which the former U.S. leader described as a step towards a possible deal.
“Now it’s really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done,” Trump told Fox News. “And I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit, but it’s up to President Zelenskyy.”
Putin said after the three-hour meeting that he and Trump had reached an “understanding,” though details remain undisclosed.
Germany described the Washington talks as an “information exchange,” with Chancellor Merz expected to focus on peace terms, territorial issues, and maintaining pressure on Moscow.
“Chancellor Merz will discuss the current peace efforts with the heads of state and government and underscore Germany's interest in a swift peace agreement,” government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said.
Von der Leyen said she would travel to the U.S. at Zelenskyy’s request, after hosting the Ukrainian leader in Brussels on Sunday and attending a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” – a group of countries backing Ukraine’s defence.
In Helsinki, the Finnish presidency confirmed that Stubb would attend the meeting “on peace in Ukraine.” The Elysee Palace and Italian news agency ANSA also confirmed the participation of Macron and Meloni respectively.
The expanded diplomatic effort underscores growing pressure on Kyiv to consider a negotiated settlement with Moscow. However, key sticking points remain, including Russia’s territorial demands and the absence of a ceasefire.
Zelenskyy rejected Putin’s reported proposal to freeze current front lines in exchange for Ukraine ceding all of Donetsk province, which Russia partially occupied in 2014 and now claims almost entirely.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
A deadly heatwave has claimed 1,180 lives in Spain since May, with elderly people most at risk, prompting calls for urgent social support.
Media accreditation is now open for COP30, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, set to take place in Belém, Brazil in 2025.
Wildfires raging across Spain have scorched more than 115,000 hectares (about 284,000 acres), killed at least three people and forced thousands to evacuate, as emergency teams struggle to contain dozens of blazes.
France, Germany and Britain will meet on Sunday to help shape Ukraine’s position before President Zelenskyy holds high-stakes talks with Donald Trump in Washington.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held phone conversations on Saturday with his Turkish and Hungarian counterparts, just hours after the U.S.–Russia summit in Alaska ended without a breakthrough on Ukraine.
At least eight people have been killed and four remain missing after a flash flood in northern China, state media reported on Sunday, as the East Asian monsoon continues to trigger severe weather across the country.
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