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Wildfires on France's Mediterranean Coast force hamlet evacuations
Local authorities reported that a wildfire spread rapidly through several towns near Frejus, France, on Sunday. It threatened homes and forced the evacuation of several hamlets due to'strong winds' and drought conditions. BFM TV reported that local prefect Simon Babre said, "The fire spread very quickly in this heatwave and extreme dryness." Prefect's Office said that the fire had burned about 180 hectares (445 acres), by Sunday evening. Television images showed large flames behind hillside villas that are typical of the French Riviera. Thick black smoke billowed over pine and cypress trees. The fire forced the suspension of train services between Toulon, a Mediterranean port, and Les Arcs. World Meteorological Organization warned last month that sustained high temperatures and low humidity, combined with dry vegetation, would increase the risk of wildfires. According to Climate Monitor, according to 1961-1990, the average high temperature in the town of Les Arcs where the fire was burning was 38 degrees Celsius. This is 11.4 degrees above the normal high temperature for July 19. Reporting by Manon C.; Writing by Michel Rose, Paris Editing Tomasz J.owski
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Two earthquakes in Peru have left at least five dead and twenty injured
The civil defense chief of Peru said that at least five people died and 21 were injured after two earthquakes struck a mountainous region. According to Peru's National Seismological Center, in a post posted on X, the quakes measuring magnitudes 5.1 & 3.7 hit Saturday night in Chupaca Province in Junin Region, approximately 300 km east of Lima. The center reported that the first earthquake struck at a depth of 24 km (15miles) and the second one at 18 km. The ?European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre earlier reported that the first ?earthquake had a ?magnitude of 5.6. Luis Vasquez is the head of Peru's National Civil Defense Institute. He told Exitosa, a local radio station, that "so far, we have verified five deaths and twenty injuries." Vasquez said that according to preliminary reports, about?48 houses had been destroyed or damaged and another 18 homes were also affected. Around 300 people are now being provided with tents. The homes in 'Chupaca' are generally made of adobe block construction. Vasquez said that emergency crews and firefighters arrived early on Sunday to clear the debris, as they were concerned about additional victims being trapped. The Peruvian coast is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region that accounts for 85% of all seismic activity in the world. (Reporting and editing by Chizu Nomiyama; Additional reporting in Bengaluru by Sumedha?Mukherjee)
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One person killed and 13 injured by Russian missiles that strike Kyiv
Officials said that Russian missiles hit?the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Sunday morning, killing one person and injuring thirteen others as fires broke out throughout the city. As Ukraine's airforce warned of a missile threat, a series of powerful explosions shook the night. On Telegram, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that fires had broken out in a dormitory building, an apartment block and a grocery. Klitschko stated that several non-residential and warehouse buildings were damaged in the attack. In addition, parked cars and offices were set ablaze in "several" districts. Workers at one site swept through smouldering debris and sprayed bombed out apartments. Vlad, a resident of the area, said that he was inside his apartment at the time when a blast ripped off his balcony doors and hit him on his head. My grandmother is unable to walk. "How could I leave her behind and run away?" ?he said. State Emergency Service sent emergency workers to three different city districts. According to the military administration in Kyiv, two people were injured and there were also damages to warehouses. In recent weeks, Russian forces have intensified their ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv and other cities as Ukraine is running low on the critical U.S. designed air defences that can shoot them down. (Reporting and editing by Michael Perry, Yuliia Dyesa, Andrii Peleschuk and Dan Peleschuk)
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US data center protests grow in number and intensity
On Saturday, 142 protests were held in 42 states by opponents of the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure. This was the first nationwide effort to channel the anger that has been roiling local politics and the AI infrastructure over the last year. The protests were organized by HumansFirst, a grassroots organization co-founded with a former leader from the modern Tea Party. She compares the growing opposition to data centres to the right-wing populist movement which emerged in 2009 as a protest against what they saw as excessive taxes and government overreach. HumansFirst, a group of protesters, called the construction of data centers "unaccountable". They also said that it was an "unacceptable invasion on our freedom." A June/Ipsos survey found that data center opposition unites Americans regardless of their ideologies. Only a third approve of the speed of construction of data centers in the U.S. Only 14% of respondents said they would be in favor of a data centre being built to support artificial-intelligence projects for technology companies such as Meta Alphabet Amazon Microsoft and Elon Musk’s xAI. The Data Center Coalition's president, Josh Levi, said that the data center industry continues to work with residents, policymakers and stakeholders to ensure that data centers do not negatively impact the communities where they operate, while minimizing any negative effects on households and businesses. Chris Barron of Right Turn Strategies who handles press relations for HumansFirst, did not have a tally available. The RED and BLUE STATES are represented Amy Kremer, HumansFirst's co-founder, compared the current effort to the early Tea Party movement in 2009. However she stated that the anger against data centers was nonpartisan. They just found out one day that they were going to be living with this monstrosity, and they didn't want it, said Kremer. He predicted that data centers would be an important issue during the midterm elections in November and in the presidential race in 2028. Kremer has criticised Republicans for giving Big Tech "free passes," but some organizers and she have said that they don't support policies such as moratoriums on approvals of data centers like the ones adopted by Democratic states like New York. The organizers of the groups involved have made demands such as transparency in the process of development, protection of the environment and resources, benefits to the community, like the creation of union jobs that are well paid, and accountability for developers who break their promises. Texas, the Republican stronghold and a hotspot of data center development in the United States, was home to 18 protests, more than any other state. Georgia, a battleground state, had 11 protests. California, a state dominated by Democrats, had eight rallies. Pennsylvania's swing state and Florida and Indiana's Republican-leaning states each had seven. Jake Watts, 26, who was a volunteer for the protest in Atlanta on Saturday, described it as a?protest that is one of many similar actions taking place this month. About a dozen people came from Georgia's smaller towns, where some of the biggest data centers are under construction. Ivan DelSol (54), a left-leaning Californian, led a protest against a data center proposal in Imperial County. The project would use up to 260 million gallons of water (984 million liters), per year, from the Colorado River. DelSol said, "It is dystopian to use so much fresh water in AI." He later added that around 50 people were present despite temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The data center industry claims that its water use is not as important as other industries, despite the fact that water is often cited as one of the top concerns for the public, particularly in regions with water shortages. Eva Cardona (31), a 31-year-old activist who calls herself a "political nomad" organized a demonstration in Tyler, Texas that attracted about 12 people. I've heard about AI that is unregulated and its rapid growth. This alarms me. Cardona: "I wanted to do more than just a standard Facebook post."
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Seven warehouse workers killed in Russia by Ukrainian drones after fire breaks out at Moscow oil depot
Regional governors reported on Saturday that waves of Ukrainian drone attacks killed seven people who were working at a warehouse in the capital region. They also caused a fire to break out at an oil depot. Evgeniy Pryshov, the governor of Tambov, said that 25 people were injured when Ukrainian drones?slammed? into a warehouse belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s?largest?online retailer?, in the town of?Kotovsk, located 475 kilometres (290 miles) south of Moscow. Pervyshov posted on Telegram that "Seven people working the nightshift?died right there on the spot." 28 UAVs were destroyed on approach. If they had succeeded in their mission, the number civilian casualties would have been higher." The governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov said that falling 'drone debris' caused a fire at an oil depot in the city of Noginsk. He didn't specify the extent of the damage, but said that two people had been?injured? in the city and the nearby maternity hospital was evacuated.
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Seven warehouse workers killed in Russia by Ukrainian drones after fire at Moscow oil depot
Regional governors reported on Saturday that waves of Ukrainian drone attacks killed seven warehouse workers and injured dozens more. Another attack caused a fire to break out at an oil depot within the capital region. Evgeniy Pryshov, the governor of Tambov, said that 25 people were hurt after Ukrainian drones crashed?into the warehouse of Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer?in Kotovsk, located 475 km (295 miles) south of Moscow. Pervyshov, a Telegram user, wrote: "Seven night workers died right there on the spot." He added that 28 drones had been?also fired upon as they approached. He said that if they had reached their goal the number of casualties among civilians could have been higher. In another incident, Andrei Vorobyov said that 24 people had been injured following a drone strike on a Wildberries warehouse located in Elektrostal, east of Moscow. Tatyana Kim is the co-founder of Wildberries and the?CEO. She said that it was a "terrible" night for Russia and the company. She offered her condolences the families of the victims. Vorobyov reported that in Noginsk city, which is also located in the Moscow Region, falling drone debris caused an oil depot to catch fire. He did not specify the damage to the facility, but said that two people had been injured in Noginsk. A nearby maternity clinic was evacuated.
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China's aluminium imports in June fell as overseas prices increased and curbed flow
Imports of aluminium, both unwrought and fabricated, fell?17.4% from June 2012 to June 2013, according to?customs figures released on Saturday. This was due to an unfavorable import arbitrage. According to the General Administration of Customs, volume?dropped?to 250,000 metric tons. Imports in the first half 2026 totaled 1.88 million tonnes, down 5.1% compared to a year ago. This data includes both primary metals and alloyed, unwrought aluminium. Import arbitrage was unfavorable, making overseas aluminium costlier than locally produced metal. Traders said that the London Metal Exchange's higher prices and physical premiums increased losses for Chinese importers in the second quarter. Early in June, the benchmark three-month aluminum on the LME reached a four-year-high of $3 724 per ton due to Middle East?supply?concerns. It then ended the month with a drop of almost 16%. Rusal had been trying to divert some cargoes out of China and onto markets in Japan and Asia, where the buyers paid higher prices. Japan aluminium buyers have agreed to pay an?upgrade' of $395 per ton to the benchmark price, up 13% from the $350 increase in the second quarter. In June, the exports of?China?s unwrought aluminum and products reached a new record. Imports of Bauxite (a major?raw material used in aluminium) rose 12.6% on an annual basis to?20.32 millions tons in June. Imports for the first half of 2026 reached 120.93 millions tons, an increase of 17.4% year-on-year. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that China produced 3,98 million?tons of aluminum in June. This was a 4.7% increase from a previous year. (Reporting and editing by Dylan Duan; Amy Lv, Lewis Jackson, and Muralikumar Anantharaman).
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Why are parts of North America covered in smoke from wildfires in Canada?
In recent years, orange-hued skylines, smoke from wildfires and scorched forests have become commonplaces in North America as global warming has contributed to "massive forestfires". Many of these fires are located in northern Canada which is home to some the largest, intact forests on earth. Canada has more active wildfires now than in the previous two years. The area that has been burned this year is also greater than the 10-year average. Here are some facts regarding the recent smoke and wildfires. Why does Canada have so many wildfires? Canada is the second largest country in the world based on area. It has nearly one tenth the total forest land and 24% of all boreal forests. Many are not accessible by road, and many of them have no inhabitants. Forest fires are an important part of nature that helps to eliminate pests and unhealthy shrubbery. In recent years the size and intensity have increased. Climate change is causing temperatures to rise, resulting in drier forest. Fires spread more quickly in drier forests. Lightning or campfires can start fires in populated areas. Mike Flannigan is a professor at Thompson Rivers University, British Columbia. He is a wildland fire expert. He said that warmer temperatures have extended the wildfire season and more lightning has also caused fires. Climate scientist Andrew Dessler is a professor of atmosphere sciences at Texas A&M College of Arts and Sciences. He said that the Canadian fires are burning in forests that have been largely left unmanaged for the last 100 years. He also said that higher temperatures in Canada were causing larger, more intense fires. Climate change is the main reason why this has a major impact on the U.S. at the moment. "Nothing else has changed," said he. What happened this week? Smoke follows the wind as fires grow and forest areas are scorched. Toronto, New York and Washington were affected by the worst air quality in the world earlier this week due to fires burning in northern and Western Ontario and northern Minnesota. Detroit and Chicago had the worst air quality in the world by Friday. Can the fire be stopped? Although some fires cannot be avoided, the government tries to protect communities through the closing of forest areas, the use of non-flammable materials in high-risk places, and better preparation. What has Canada done so far? The federal government has increased funding to fight wildfires. This includes C$316.7 ($227 millions) over a five-year period for aerial firefighting capability and C$47.8 for Parks Canada's National Fire Management Program. Ontario spent C$271 millions on emergency firefighting, surpassing its budget of C$135millions in 2025-26. The budget for 2026-2027 is C$150 millions. WHAT MORE COULD WE DO? Experts and politicians started calling for a National Response Organization after Canada's largest wildfire season in terms of area burned, 2023. These calls increased after fires in the year 2024 destroyed a third of Jasper, a tourist town. The only Group of Seven nation without a federal agency dedicated to combating "wildfires" is Canada. The provinces are responsible for a large part of firefighting. The Canadian Senate released a report in June 2026 that included a call for the creation of a federal coordination office for wildfires, emergency response and funding for a modern fleet of firefighting aircraft. The report noted that wildfires have become a crisis, citing the area burned in the past few years. The federal Office of Emergency Management and Community Resilience announced that it was evaluating recommendations for wildfire response and possible creation of a Federal Emergency Management Agency. The 'leasing of ten new firefighting planes as an example of how they are addressing severe fires by bolstering the provincial and territorial firefighting capability. Canada has approximately 126,000 firefighters working for towns, cities and villages, with about 90% of them being volunteers. Ken McMullen is the president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. He said that only 3,000-5,000 firefighters in Canada are trained to fight wildland blazes. McMullen stated that a centralized approach could help coordinate, train, and move firefighters and equipment throughout the country when necessary. What are some other areas with wildfires? According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 2026 has been a year of fires that is above average in the United States. 3.7 million acres have burned from year-to date, compared with an average 10-year burn rate of 2.7 millions acres. Fires in?the?U.S. West is burning more intensely and consuming more land, after a record low winter snowpack caused drought conditions in more than 90% the region. According to NIFC, the United States has seen 40,000 wildfires this year. This is well above its 10-year average, which was around 31,000 at this time. A wildfire that burned an area as large as San Francisco in northeastern Spain forced thousands of people to flee. This summer, there have been nearly 20 reported wildfires in England and Wales. A historic forest near Paris has also burned and turned the skies black. (Reporting from Nivedita Balu, Toronto; Additional reporting provided by Andrew Hay; Editing done by Caroline Stauffer and Edmund Klamann).
Reports from Kommersant state that Russia has authorized refineries to reduce the environmental standards for gasoline to prevent fuel shortages.
Kommersant reported that the Russian government had authorized a few oil refineries to produce gasoline and diesel fuel with lower environmental specifications for the domestic market. According to data compiled by, fuel shortages have been reported in Russia by media and social media users?in about a dozen different regions. Only two regions in Siberia, besides the Russian-held Crimea have confirmed shortages. Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak called for fuel market forecasts to protect against difficulties in fuel distribution.
Ukraine has been targeting Russian refineries, fuel depots, and pipelines for several months in order to limit Moscow's financial support of the war against its neighbor, which is now in its fifth-year. Kommersant reported citing "a source" that in the fall, the government loosened rules for certain refineries, allowing them the freedom to sell gasoline and Diesel fuel on the domestic market, which deviates from the approved regulations regarding sulphur and other indicators.
Kommersant's sources said that the measure was in place until May 1 of this year but later extended.
(source: Reuters)