Spain seeks EU aid as wildfires spread during record heatwave
Spain is calling on European partners for assistance as wildfires rage across the country during one of its longest and hottest heatwaves on record....
Overnight clashes between Pakistani and Afghan security forces at the main border crossing led to widespread panic and forced around 15,000 local residents to flee their homes.
The incidents, which began on Monday—the first working day of Ramadan when food imports typically surge—resulted in Afghan border guards opening fire without warning, targeting both government buildings and civilians.
Local residents have been affected significantly by the border disruptions. “The tensions between the two countries and the continuous closure of the border have been causing multiple problems to the people of the border area,” said Ali Shinwari, a resident of the affected town. In response, relatives and tribesmen in nearby communities have taken in dozens of displaced individuals, providing temporary shelter.
The Torkham crossing, a crucial transit point for travelers and goods between Pakistan and Afghanistan, has been closed since February 21 due to a dispute over the construction of a border-area outpost by Afghanistan. This closure has had a substantial impact on trade, with Pakistan’s foreign office reporting that bilateral trade was worth over $1.6 billion in 2024. The shutdown has also stranded approximately 5,000 trucks carrying essential goods, resulting in estimated losses of at least $15 million, according to Yousaf Afridi, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries for Pakistan's Khyber district.
Both sides have reported casualties, with the Taliban-run Afghan Interior Ministry stating that one Taliban fighter was killed and two injured, while Pakistani security officials confirmed that their forces had also sustained injuries during the clashes. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to respond to requests for comment.
While the situation has calmed by Tuesday morning, the ongoing closure and intermittent clashes continue to disrupt daily life and trade in the region, highlighting the persistent challenges along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
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 resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
'Superman' continued to dominate the summer box office, pulling in another $57.25 million in its second weekend, as theatres welcome a wave of blockbuster competition following a challenging few years for the film industry.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration has unveiled a nearly $1 billion funding plan to boost U.S. production of critical minerals and materials, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, particularly China.
The Philippine government reported that a Chinese jet fighter intercepted a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) aircraft with journalists onboard during a patrol over the Scarborough Shoal on 13 August, further straining tensions in the South China Sea.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited American troops in Gloucestershire, England ahead of President Trump’s historic Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, highlighting Europe’s role in the Ukraine conflict.
U.S. President Donald Trump held a virtual call with European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ahead of his upcoming Alaska summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Russian and Belarusian armies are going to hold Zapad-2025 joint exercises in September. The trainings will include drills on the planned deployment of nuclear weapons and Russian-made, intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik missile, Belarus’s Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said on 13 August.
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