2025-08-09 14:43
ANKARA, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Turkey on Saturday welcomed a peace accord between Azerbaijan and Armenia and said it hoped a planned strategic transit corridor, which could boost exports of energy and other resources through the South Caucasus, would open soon. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a U.S.-brokered peace accord on Friday during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that also included exclusive U.S. development rights to a transport corridor through Armenia, linking Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani enclave that borders Baku's ally Turkey. Sign up here. The transit corridor that would pass close to the border with Iran would be named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity. It would be known by the acronym TRIPP, and operated under Armenian law. NATO member Turkey has strongly backed Azerbaijan in its conflicts with Armenia but has pledged to restore ties with Yerevan after it signs a final peace deal with Baku. Speaking in Egypt, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the corridor could "link Europe with the depths of Asia via Turkey," and it would be "a very beneficial development." Later on Saturday, Turkey's presidency said President Tayyip Erdogan had discussed the peace agreement with Ilham Aliyev, his counterpart from Azerbaijan. Erdogan welcomed the agreement and offered Ankara's support in achieving lasting peace in the region, it said. The agreement could transform the South Caucasus, an energy-producing region neighbouring Russia, Europe, Turkey and Iran that is criss-crossed by oil and gas pipelines but riven by closed borders - including between Turkey and Armenia - and longstanding ethnic conflicts. Iran welcomed the agreement "as an important step toward lasting regional peace", but warned against any foreign intervention near its borders that could "undermine the region’s security and lasting stability". https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkey-welcomes-strategic-transit-corridor-after-azerbaijan-armenia-peace-deal-2025-08-09/
2025-08-09 14:23
NEW DELHI, Aug 9 (Reuters) - At least seven people, including two children, died after a wall collapsed following heavy rain in India's capital, New Delhi, local media reported on Saturday. The victims, casual labourers and their families, were pulled from the debris and taken to hospital after Friday night's rain, the reports said, citing senior police official Aishwarya Sharma. Sign up here. After a brief pause, monsoon rains have lashed most parts of Delhi, a teeming city of 20 million, flooding streets and causing traffic disruptions. Many workers live in illegal settlements built without proper permits, leaving them vulnerable to collapses during prolonged rainfall. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/land-use-biodiversity/seven-dead-after-wall-collapse-indias-capital-2025-08-09/
2025-08-09 13:43
SAO PAULO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - A crash between a bus and a truck in Brazil's center-western state of Mato Grosso killed 11 people and injured another 45 late Friday, the toll road operator and Brazil's federal highway police said on Saturday. The injured were sent to nearby hospitals, firm Nova Rota do Oeste and the highway police said in separate statements. Sign up here. Among the injured, 11 were in critical condition, 26 in moderate condition and eight had only minor injuries, they added. Initial information indicates that a bus collided head-on with a truck transporting cottonseed near the city of Lucas do Rio Verde, according to the firm, which said it had been notified about the crash at 9:40 p.m. local time on Friday (0140 GMT Saturday). https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bus-collision-with-truck-kills-11-injures-45-brazil-2025-08-09/
2025-08-09 12:46
PARIS, Aug 9 (Reuters) - A wildfire in the southern French prefecture of Aude is not expected to be under control until late on Sunday, the regional chief firefighter said on French television. The fire, which began Tuesday, is one of the largest recorded in France since 1949. Spread over 16,000 hectares (around 40,000 acres), it has led to one fatality, the injury of 19 firefighters and six civilians, and several dozen homes have been destroyed. Sign up here. "The fire is contained but not controlled. We still have hot spots (...) until Sunday evening the fire will not be brought under control," Colonel Christophe Magny told a news conference broadcast on BFM TV. All of the local departmental roads have been reopened, but the entrance into the wildfire zone is prohibited due to the risk of rekindling, the local French prefecture said in a statement on Saturday. French authorities have attributed the fire to the impact of climate change. An orange heatwave warning - the second highest warning level that encourages people to remain vigilant - is in effect for the department until midnight on Sunday, the prefecture said. Before the fire began, the region's wine growers had dug up an extensive area of their vineyards, which traditionally serve as a natural, moisture-retentive firebreak, as declining wine consumption and subsidies have reduced profits. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/major-french-wildfire-is-unlikely-be-under-control-until-late-sunday-2025-08-09/
2025-08-09 12:42
SAO PAULO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - At least 11 people died, while over 40 were injured, in a crash between a bus and a truck in Brazil's center-western state of Mato Grosso late Friday, news outlet G1 reported on Saturday, citing local authorities and the firm that runs the toll road. Among the over 40 people injured, 12 were in critical condition, G1 reported. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/least-11-dead-collision-involving-bus-truck-brazil-2025-08-09/
2025-08-09 06:09
ATHENS, Aug 9 (Reuters) - A wildfire on the outskirts of Athens was contained on Saturday morning, but evacuations of at-risk areas continued as strong winds were expected through the weekend. At least one person died and homes and farmlands were destroyed on Friday as wildfires stoked by gale-force winds broke out across Greece, from near the capital to regions around the historical site of Ancient Olympia. Sign up here. The worst blaze broke out in the small town of Keratea, southwest of the capital, where firefighters discovered the body of an elderly man in a burned-out structure. A fire brigade spokesperson said on Saturday the fire there was under control but not out. Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed "a wildfire hot spot" by scientists, with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach. Much of the region around Athens has had barely a drop of rain in months. Wind gusts of up to 80 kph (50 mph) fanned the flames around Keratea on Friday, setting olive orchards alight. Homes were engulfed as locals wearing flimsy face masks assisted firefighters. Police went door to door late at night making sure that homes had been evacuated. Much of the area smouldered on Saturday morning, and images on local media showed houses gutted by fire. Other blazes in the region of Ancient Olympia and on the touristy island of Kefalonia appeared to have abated also. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/greece-wildfire-contained-strong-winds-prompt-evacuations-2025-08-09/
