Hundreds of firefighters are struggling to contain a fast-moving wildfire sweeping through southern France, in what has become the country’s largest and most intense blaze of the summer. One woman has died and nine others have been injured, as the inferno scorched through 13,000 hectares of the Corbières hills in the Aude department. The wildfire ignited on Tuesday afternoon in the village of Ribaute and quickly spread through the dry,…

A Russian nuclear submarine base located in the country’s remote far eastern region sustained damage last week following one of the strongest earthquakes to strike the area in decades, The New York Times reports, citing satellite imagery. Photos taken by Planet Labs, a commercial satellite imaging company, revealed visible damage to a floating pier at the Rybachiy submarine base on the Kamchatka Peninsula, a strategic facility for Russia’s Pacific Fleet.…

Elizaveta Krivonogikh, the 22-year-old believed to be the secret daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has broken her silence in a series of cryptic but emotionally charged posts online. Known publicly by the alias Luiza Rozova, the art school graduate has resurfaced on social media after years of silence. Rozova alludes to “the man who took millions of lives and destroyed mine,” a scathing comment interpreted by many as a…

In a significant tightening of immigration policy, the United States is set to introduce a pilot programme requiring tourist and business visa applicants from selected countries to post bonds of up to $15,000. The move, unveiled by the State Department, is aimed at reducing visa overstays but could effectively price out many prospective travellers. According to a formal notice, the 12-month pilot will target nationals from countries with high rates…

A Moldovan court has sentenced Yevgenia Gutsul, the pro-Russia leader of the semi-autonomous Gagauzia region, to seven years in prison for funnelling Russian money to finance a now-banned political party. The high-profile ruling, delivered on Tuesday, marks a turning point in Moldova’s effort to curtail Russian influence and will likely heighten already strained relations with the Kremlin. Gutsul, 38, was convicted of systematically channelling undeclared funds into Moldova between 2019…

Google has taken a significant step towards the long-term goal of artificial general intelligence (AGI) with the unveiling of Genie 3, a cutting-edge AI system capable of generating realistic virtual environments from simple text prompts. According to Google DeepMind, the company’s artificial intelligence research division, the model is a foundational piece of technology designed to help train robots, autonomous vehicles, and intelligent agents by simulating the real world. Described as…

Rescue teams in Norway have resumed the search for Alec Luhn, a prominent US-born environmental journalist, who went missing during a solo hike in treacherous weather conditions in the remote Folgefonna national park. Luhn, 38, who has reported for The New York Times, The Atlantic, and served as The Guardian’s Russia correspondent from 2013 to 2017, was reported missing on Monday after failing to catch a scheduled flight from Bergen.…

A key Israeli security cabinet meeting expected to deliberate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial call for the “full occupation” of Gaza has been postponed, amid growing tensions and doubts over the plan’s feasibility. As ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remain stalled, Israeli officials had previously briefed both local and international media that Netanyahu was weighing an expansive military offensive aimed at seizing full control of the Gaza Strip. This would mark…

Four suspected gunmen, including 19 persons, went on trial in Moscow on Monday over the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack, which left 149 people dead in one of the deadliest assaults in modern Russian history. The attack, which took place on 22 March last year, saw four armed men from Tajikistan allegedly storm the concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow. The assailants opened fire on the crowd before setting…

New Zealand plans to begin charging international tourists to access some of its most iconic natural sites and ease restrictions on commercial use of conservation land, as part of a sweeping and controversial overhaul of its environmental policy. Under the proposals, overseas visitors could be required to pay between NZ$20 and NZ$40 (approximately £9 to £19) per person to enter selected sites. The initial list is expected to include world-famous…

BP has made its most significant oil and gas discovery in a quarter of a century off the coast of Brazil, marking a major milestone in its strategic shift away from renewables and back towards fossil fuel production. The discovery in the Santos basin, located roughly 400km offshore in deep waters near Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, is believed to be the company’s most substantial find since uncovering the…

Switzerland was left reeling following Trump’s decision to lay a 39% tariff on them, one of the highest rates imposed in his sweeping global trade reset. Announced on Friday, coinciding with the country’s National Day holiday, industry leaders warned the move could cost tens of thousands of jobs and tip the Swiss economy into recession. Negotiators in Bern had reportedly believed they were on the brink of securing a 10%…