International from Thursday, July 3rd, 2025

Hundreds of firefighters battled a blaze Thursday on Crete island, which burnt swathes of forest and olive groves and forced the evacuation of over 1,000 people, officials said, underscoring the region's vulnerability to destructive wildfires.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 hit a remote island in southwestern Japan on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Five people were injured, including a seven-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl, in a Russian attack on the southern Ukraine port of Odesa overnight, Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear programme by up to two years, suggesting the US military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public.

Indonesian rescuers raced to find victims in rough seas on Thursday after five people died and dozens were left missing when a ferry carrying 65 people sank near the island of Bali, according to search and rescue agencies.

The Arab League, which includes the UAE, has condemned statements made by Israel’s Justice Minister Yariv Levin calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank.