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Two Dead, Homes Burn in Massive Wildfire in Cyprus 

Smoke fills the air as firefighters battle a forest fire in the Cypriot village of Souni, in the Limassol province, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke fills the air as firefighters battle a forest fire in the Cypriot village of Souni, in the Limassol province, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Two Dead, Homes Burn in Massive Wildfire in Cyprus 

Smoke fills the air as firefighters battle a forest fire in the Cypriot village of Souni, in the Limassol province, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke fills the air as firefighters battle a forest fire in the Cypriot village of Souni, in the Limassol province, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)

Two people were killed and hundreds evacuated as a massive wildfire tore through southern Cyprus, destroying homes and threatening communities amid an intense heatwave.

At least 100 square kilometers (39 square miles) was razed to the ground in a region north of the city of Limassol after the blaze broke out around midday on Wednesday, with several fronts still active on Thursday morning.

Two people were found dead in a burned-out vehicle, trapped by the fire. At least 10 people were injured, two of them seriously, police said.

As dawn broke, a red hue hung over Limassol, a sprawling coastal city where development in recent years has spilled over to its surrounding mountains. Firefighting aircraft were redeployed at first light after darkness forced a pause.

Authorities said it was too early to give a precise account of damage, or what started the fire.

"We are talking about very strong winds, with gusts, which were constantly interchanging," fire brigade spokesperson Andreas Kettis said.

Temperatures on the island peaked at 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, triggering an amber weather alert. A new amber warning was in place on Thursday, with highs forecast to hit 44 degrees Celsius - the hottest of the year so far.

Cyprus has requested help through the European Union's civil protection mechanism, with Spain expected to send two aircraft on Thursday, government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said. Jordan has also pledged assistance.

Cyprus has struggled with a protracted drought, pushing scarce water resources to critically low levels. The affected area sits just north of Cyprus's Kouris reservoir, the island's largest. It was at just 15.5% of its capacity on Wednesday.

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World

Trump Says Tuesday Deadline to Make a Deal with Iran Is Final

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
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Trump Says Tuesday Deadline to Make a Deal with Iran Is Final

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 April 2026. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump said on Monday the Tuesday deadline he has set for Iran to make a deal is final, calling Iran's peace proposal significant but not good enough.

Trump has warned US forces will unleash broad attacks on Iranian infrastructure if his Tuesday night deadline is not met. Iran has rejected Trump's deadline.

"They ‌made a ‌proposal, and it's a ‌significant ⁠proposal. It's a significant step. ⁠It's not good enough," Trump told reporters during an Easter egg event for children on the White House South Lawn.

"It could end very quickly, the war, if they do what they have to do. They ⁠have to do certain things. ‌They know that, they've ‌been negotiating I think in good faith," he ‌said.

Trump's senior aides have been negotiating ‌with Iran indirectly through Pakistan, attempting to get a deal in which Iran will forswear nuclear weapons and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the oil ‌transit waterway. Iran said it wanted a permanent end to the war, ⁠not ⁠just a temporary ceasefire.

Trump said it appeared the latest team representing the Iranian government is "not as radicalized" as others who have been killed in airstrikes. "We think they're actually smarter," he said.

Trump said if it were up to him, the United States would take control of Iran's oil, but he said the American people would probably not understand such a move.

World

Red Cross Chief Condemns ‘Deliberate Threats’ Against Civilians in Mideast War

A man walks past the damaged building of the Shahid Beheshti University following a strike, in Tehran on April 4, 2026. (AFP)
A man walks past the damaged building of the Shahid Beheshti University following a strike, in Tehran on April 4, 2026. (AFP)
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Red Cross Chief Condemns ‘Deliberate Threats’ Against Civilians in Mideast War

A man walks past the damaged building of the Shahid Beheshti University following a strike, in Tehran on April 4, 2026. (AFP)
A man walks past the damaged building of the Shahid Beheshti University following a strike, in Tehran on April 4, 2026. (AFP)

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday condemned "deliberate threats" against civilian targets that have marked the widening Middle East war.

Without naming any side, ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said there had already been widespread destruction of "essential" infrastructure and that "any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law" and "indefensible".

Spoljaric spoke out as the conflict headed for a new crisis point with US President Donald Trump threatening attacks on Iranian bridges and power stations unless Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.

The ICRC chief, whose body is considered a key guardian of the Geneva conventions, has already warned over the conduct of the war since it started on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Iran has responded with retaliatory strikes on Gulf states and Israel.

"Deliberate threats, whether in rhetoric or in action, against essential civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must not become the new norm in warfare," Spoljaric said in a statement.

"Any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law. It is indefensible, inhumane and devastating for entire populations."

She added: "States must respect and ensure respect for the rules of war in both what they say and what they do. The world cannot succumb to a political culture that prioritizes death over life."

Spoljaric said that, across the Middle East, ICRC "teams are seeing the destruction of infrastructure essential for civilian life. Power plants, water systems, hospitals, roads, bridges, homes, schools and universities have come under fire.

"Most alarming are potential threats to nuclear facilities. Any miscalculation can cause irreversible consequences for generations to come.

"I urgently call on parties to spare civilians and civilian objects in all military operations. It is their obligation under international humanitarian law."

World

Death Toll From Extreme Weather in Afghanistan Increases to 110

Residents inspect a building that partially collapsed due to heavy flooding in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP)
Residents inspect a building that partially collapsed due to heavy flooding in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP)
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Death Toll From Extreme Weather in Afghanistan Increases to 110

Residents inspect a building that partially collapsed due to heavy flooding in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP)
Residents inspect a building that partially collapsed due to heavy flooding in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP)

The death toll from extreme weather that has triggered widespread flooding and landslides in many parts of Afghanistan has increased to at least 110, authorities said Monday, with another seven people missing and more heavy rain forecast.

Storms and heavy rainfall began across Afghanistan about 12 days ago, affecting most of the country’s 34 provinces. Over the past 24 hours alone, 11 people have died and six have been injured, the Disaster Management Authority said. Seven people were reported missing in separate incidents, all believed to have been carried away by floodwater.

Overall, the flooding, landslides and lighting strikes have killed 110 people and injured 160 in the past 12 days, the authority said, while 958 homes have been completely destroyed and another 4,155 have suffered partial damage.

The Defense Ministry said Monday that it had used a helicopter to airlift two people to safety after they became stranded by floodwater in the western province of Herat.

More than 325 kilometers (200 miles) of roads have been destroyed, while businesses, agricultural land, irrigation canals and fresh-water wells have also been damaged, affecting 6,122 families, the authority said. It said the figures are preliminary.

Authorities issued weather warnings for Tuesday for nearly the entire country, warning people to stay away from rivers and areas prone to flooding.

Earlier this year, heavy snowfall and flash floods left dozens of people dead across the country.

Two major highways have been closed for days due to landslides and floods, forcing travelers to take long, circuitous routes to reach their destinations. The Kabul to Jalalabad highway — the main route linking the capital to the Pakistani border and eastern Afghan provinces — has been shut since last Thursday, while the road from Jalalabad, the main city in eastern Afghanistan, heading northeast to Kunar and Nuristan provinces has been closed since Sunday by falling rocks.

Snow and heavy rain often trigger flash floods that kill scores, or even hundreds, of people at a time in Afghanistan. In 2024, more than 300 people died in springtime flash floods.