International from Wednesday, August 13th, 2025

Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds continued to rage across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning houses, farms and factories and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists.

Hamas' chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya held talks with Egyptian mediators over a potential ceasefire in the Gaza war on Wednesday while Israel struck the territory's main city prior to a planned takeover and again invited Palestinians to leave.

Firefighters battled multiple wildfires across Greece on Wednesday, including blazes threatening villages and towns near the western city of Patras and on two tourist islands.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Wednesday that Israel’s leader Benjamin Netanyahu had “lost the plot” as the country weighs up whether to recognise a Palestinian state.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet President Donald Trump during a visit to the US next month to attend the UN General Assembly meeting, the Indian Express newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travelled to Berlin on Wednesday for a German-hosted virtual meeting with Donald Trump and European leaders, two days before the US president meets Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Typhoon Podul hit Taiwan's sparsely populated southeast coast on Wednesday packing winds of up to 191 kph, as a large swathe of southern and eastern parts of the island shut down and hundreds of flights were cancelled.