Below is a summary of current world news.
Brazil's wetland fires up 980% as extreme drought predicted
Fires in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands have increased nearly tenfold so far this year, reaching the highest level since the wetlands suffered their worst fires on record in 2020. Satellite data from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) showed the number of fires in the Pantanal through June 5 was up 980% compared to the same period last year. The figures are alarming as the region enters its most dangerous wildfire season, which usually begins in July and peaks in August and September.
Kremlin warns Western countries over long-range weapons deliveries to Ukraine
Western countries supplying weapons to Ukraine for attacks on Russian territory will be forced to confront Russia, the Kremlin said Thursday, after President Vladimir Putin said he was considering supplying weapons to Western countries in retaliation. Meeting with senior editors of international news agencies in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, the Russian leader said Moscow was considering providing Western countries around the world with advanced long-range weapons similar to those the West is supplying to Ukraine.
South Africa's ANC seeks to form a government of national unity
South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) will call on other parties to form a government of national unity after losing its parliamentary majority for the first time in the democratic era, its president, Cyril Ramaphosa, said on Thursday. The liberation movement once led by Nelson Mandela has governed South Africa since winning a landslide victory in the 1994 general election that marked the end of white-minority rule, but last week's election punished its checkered record.
Hunter Biden's sister-in-law says she found his gun and threw it away
Hunter Biden's sister-in-law testified Thursday that she found his gun but threw it away out of fear it would worsen his addiction, potentially bolstering prosecutors' case that President Joe Biden's son violated laws banning illegal drug users from owning guns. Jurors in the first criminal trial of a U.S. president's son saw surveillance footage of Hallie Biden tossing Hunter Biden's gun in a supermarket trash can and text messages from her saying she feared for his life.
Dutch voters kick off EU elections as nationalist parties gain ground
Dutch voters cast their ballots on Thursday, the start of a four-day European Parliament election that is likely to shift the balance of power on the continent to the right and will determine how the European Union of 450 million people confronts external challenges including an increasingly aggressive Russia, growing industrial competition from China and the United States, climate change and migration.
France to provide Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine, Macron announces
France plans to provide Ukraine with Mirage 2000 fighter jets, President Emmanuel Macron told French television on Thursday. Macron said the French government would announce the fighter jets to Ukraine when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits France on Friday as part of celebrations marking the anniversary of the Normandy landings.
European countries detail Iranian nuclear violations in diplomatic strategy
The three European countries sent a letter to the UN Security Council detailing Iran's violations of the 2015 nuclear deal. Diplomats said Thursday that the move was aimed at pressuring Iran to resolve the issue diplomatically and avoid the reimposition of UN sanctions. The letter from Britain, France and Germany did not explicitly threaten to “immediately reinstate” UN sanctions but noted that UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which established and authorized the nuclear deal, expires on October 18, 2025.
Dozens killed in Gaza Strip after Israeli attack on UN school
Israel bombed a school in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, allegedly targeting up to 30 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters inside. A Hamas official said 40 people were killed, including women and children who had taken shelter in a United Nations compound.
Video footage showed Palestinians carrying dozens of bodies and wounded to a hospital after the attack, which came at a delicate time for brokered talks on a ceasefire that could include the release of some Palestinians held by Hamas hostages and in Israeli prisons.
President Biden pledges continued support for Ukraine on Normandy invasion anniversary
US President Joe Biden on Thursday made an impassioned plea for the defence of freedom and democracy at the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, urging Western nations to continue working with Ukraine and not succumb to Russian tyranny. Speaking at a joint ceremony with French President Emmanuel Macron and US veterans at the Normandy American Cemetery, Biden said it was “completely unthinkable” to succumb to Russian aggression and pledged not to ease support for Ukraine.
SpaceX's Starship successfully returns to Earth with fourth landing test
SpaceX's Starship rocket survived a fiery hypersonic return from space and achieved a groundbreaking landing demonstration in the Indian Ocean on Thursday, completing a full test mission to circle Earth on the rocket's fourth attempt. Starship's controlled descent into the Indian Ocean just 65 minutes after liftoff from Texas capped the latest progress in the company's test-failed rocket development campaign, a multibillion-dollar effort by Elon Musk's space company to build a reusable satellite launcher and lunar lander.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)