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France to activate extreme heat emergency plan for 1st time

The French government will activate its Extreme Heat ORSEC emergency plan for the first time on Friday in all departments placed under the highest red heat wave alert, government spokesperson Maud Bregeon announced. "We will activate today, in all departments placed under red heat wave alert, the Extreme Heat ORSEC plan. (...) We will open cooling centres to shelter the most vulnerable," Bregeon told broadcaster TF1. The plan, unveiled on July 2, aims to organise a coordinated response by all public authorities during extreme heat episodes. Read: At least 3,700 excess deaths reported during heatwave in France, Belgium, Netherlands The new civil protection mechanism is designed to mobilise additional resources during periods of exceptionally high temperatures. It also includes measures to identify and assist isolated people. Nine departments in western France will be placed under a red heat wave alert from noon on Friday, according to the latest bulletin from Met...

One million women lose aid access due to funding cuts, UN Women says

At least one million women and girls have lost access to life-saving support within the last year due to global donor aid cuts, a new United Nations report on Friday found. Nearly nine in 10 women’s organisations can no longer meet the needs on the ground despite a large increase in demand since January last year, following the steepest drop in aid funding on record, the UN Women report found. The Trump administration slashed billions of dollars in foreign assistance this year, while other major international donors have also reduced aid budgets due to fiscal pressures and increased defence spending. The United States had previously been the world's largest aid donor. Read: Pakistan seeks end to wartime sexual violence Some 120 million women and girls require humanitarian assistance and protection worldwide. However, 40% of the 85...

Qatar pauses LNG output revival after tanker attack near Hormuz: report

Qatar paused efforts to rapidly revive production at the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility after an attack on one of its tankers near the Strait of Hormuz raised safety concerns, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. QatarEnergy officials held a series of meetings after Tuesday’s attack, with CEO Saad Al-Kaabi deciding to halt plans to increase output at the Ras Laffan complex, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. Operations at the facility will be kept at minimum levels for safety reasons, while the number of vessels scheduled to dock at the plant in the coming days will be reduced. The decision marked one of the most significant energy-sector consequences of renewed tensions around Hormuz, after attacks on several ships near the strategic waterway and US strikes on Iran for two consecutive days. Read: Pakistan urges restraint after fresh US-Iran hostilities, says renewed conflict in 'no one's interest' The Strait ...

Gulf companies are set to reveal the unequal toll of Iran war

Companies in the Gulf, some of the most directly affected by the Iran war, will provide one of the clearest insights so far of its regional financial impact when they begin reporting their second-quarter earnings this week. In countries from Saudi Arabia and Oman to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, company results are likely to be mixed. Banks and real estate are most exposed given pre-existing challenges that have been exacerbated by the war's impact on inflation on interest rates, while long-term contracts and relatively inflexible demand sheltered telecoms, analysts said. Energy companies faced supply disruption from the four-month conflict, but also potential gains from the price volatility caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel. "The second quarter is going to reveal the real impact of the war," said Tariq Qaqish, deputy CEO at advisory firm FH Capital. He added the first quarter, only partly affected by the conflict which began at...

Iran to bury slain supreme leader in culmination of mass funeral

Iran buries its slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday at the country's holiest shrine, with his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei still hidden from public view after being disfigured in the strike that killed his father. The burial ‌in Mashhad in northeast Iran follows a week of mass funeral processions, rallies and mourning ceremonies that have coincided with a renewed burst of conflict with the United States following weeks of truce. Read: US military carries out fresh strikes on Iran, prompting Iran attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain Crowds marched through Mashhad on Thursday morning, the golden dome and minarets of the Shrine of Imam Reza glinting in the morning sun, as they waved Iranian flags, photographs of the late Khamenei and placards with revolutionary slogans. As Khamenei's body was transported around Iran and Iraq over the past week, the Islamic Republic's clerical leaders encouraged huge crowds to attend in an effort to vaunt the ...

Floods, reservoir breach kill 39 in southern China

At least 39 people have been killed and nine others remain missing due to floods, which also triggered a reservoir breach, in southern China, local authorities said Thursday. The casualties were reported across the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, which borders Vietnam, state-run media reported. The breach occurred in the Liulan Reservoir in the regional capital, Nanning, officials said. Search, rescue and relief efforts are ongoing. Several parts of China have witnessed heavy thunderstorms, torrential rains, landslides and floods in recent days. Read: China issues 'backdoor' security alert over Anthropic's Claude Code Nearly 900 snakes escaped from a farm in the Hengzhou area of the autonomous region after floodwaters caused its walls to collapse. In the northwestern Gansu province, at least 21 people were killed when a landslide struck a village in Tanchang county, state media had reported Wednesday. from Latest World News, International News | Brea...