
-
Bluff and last-minute orders: Trump's path to Iran decision
-
US strikes on Iran open rift in Trump's support base
-
Indiana's Haliburton has torn right Achilles tendon: reports
-
England rally after Pant heroics to set up thrilling finish to India opener
-
US hit by first extreme heat wave of the year
-
Holders Thailand among seven set for LPGA International Crown
-
England set 371 to win India series opener after Pant heroics
-
UK and Ukraine agree to deepen ties as Zelensky meets Starmer
-
New York state to build nuclear power plant
-
Syria announces arrests over Damascus church attack
-
Bradley eyes playing captain role at Ryder Cup after win
-
US existing home sales little-changed on sluggish market
-
Top US court takes case of Rastafarian whose hair was cut in prison
-
Greece declares emergency on Chios over wildfires
-
Embattled Thai PM reshuffles cabinet as crisis rages
-
Killer whales spotted grooming each other with seaweed
-
Where is Iran's uranium? Questions abound after US strikes
-
EU approves MotoGP takeover by F1 owner Liberty Media
-
Duplantis says vaulting 6.40m is within the 'realm of possibility'
-
Pant piles on agony for England with record-breaking century
-
NATO to take 'quantum leap' with 5% summit pledge: Rutte
-
Textor sells Crystal Palace stake to boost hopes of European competition
-
Earth's satellites at risk if asteroid smashes into Moon: study
-
Syria president vows those involved in church attack will face justice
-
Russian barrage kills 10 in Kyiv, including 11-year-old girl
-
Military bases or vital waterway: Iran weighs response to US strikes
-
Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro dies aged nearly 99
-
Rahul and Pant build India lead against England
-
UK probes maternity services after scandals
-
Asian countries most vulnerable to Strait of Hormuz blockade
-
Anger as Kanye West to perform in Slovakia after Hitler song
-
Israel targets Iran Guards, Tehran prison in fresh wave of strikes
-
Star-packed, Covid-shaped 'Death Stranding 2' drops this week
-
IOC is in 'best of hands', says Bach as he hands over to Coventry
-
Oil prices seesaw as investors await Iran response to US strikes
-
Beijing issues weather warning for hottest days of year
-
Tehran hit by Israeli attacks, vows response to US strikes
-
New CEO of Jeep owner Stellantis starts with leadership shake-up
-
Russian drone and missile barrage kills eight in Kyiv
-
Oil dips, dollar firms after US strikes in Iran
-
Paris Olympics and Paralympics cost taxpayer nearly 6 bn euros: state body
-
Eurozone business activity almost flat again in June
-
In Norway's Arctic, meteorologists have a first-row seat to climate change
-
Iran vows retaliation for US strikes as Israel keeps up attacks
-
Russian drone and missile barrage on Kyiv kills seven
-
Oil rises, dollar firms after US strikes in Iran
-
'Noble to attend': Budapest prepares for 'banned' Pride march
-
Art market banking on new generation of collectors
-
Turning 80, UN faces fresh storm of doubts
-
'A great start': NBA crown just the beginning for Shai

Firefighters battle peatland blazes as haze shrouds Indonesian city
Firefighters on a western Indonesian island were battling large peatland fires on Friday that have covered Palembang, a city of nearly two million people, in a haze for weeks, officials said.
A prolonged dry season has caused higher risks of wildfires on the archipelago nation's major islands, stoking fears of repeat haze-belching forest fires that have also affected neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore in recent years.
The fire has burned through 75 hectares of peatland in the Ogan Ilir regency of South Sumatra province and around the toll road connecting it to Palembang, head of Sumatra island's forest and land fire control Ferdian Krisnanto told AFP.
"That is our estimation because there were two big hotspots last night. (The burning area) could be bigger once we have validated it with satellite image," said Krisnanto.
"From our observation, the peatland is most likely burned by someone".
The fires are often started illegally to quickly and cheaply clear land for cultivation -- particularly for palm oil and pulpwood.
The latest fires, raging for around two weeks, have caused the sky in Palembang to become hazy and reduced visibility for residents, according to an AFP journalist.
The local Palembang administration and hospitals reported an increasing number of patients with respiratory infections, the majority of them children.
Winds also blew ash from the fires into the city, littering its streets and trees.
"I haven't let my child play outside recently because the fire has made the weather hotter," said 35-year-old mother Rudini, who like many Indonesians has one name. "I do not want him to get a nose bleed".
Satellite imagery seen by AFP shows multiple wildfire hotspots south of Palembang as of Friday.
Drained peatlands release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and produce parched areas that are prone to fires.
The fires in 2015 were among the deadliest on record, cloaking Southeast Asia in toxic smoke for weeks and causing many people to become ill, schools to close, and planes to be cancelled.
X.Karnes--AMWN