belgium8217s largest wildfire
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Belgium’s largest wildfire in decades double…

ByJustpaste.in

A wildfire officials describe as the largest in Belgium’s recent history more than doubled in size within 24 hours, local authorities said Sunday, as hundreds of firefighters entered a third day battling flames tearing through the country’s largest nature reserve.

The blaze has forced the evacuation of two villages near Hautes Fagnes, a protected reserve close to Belgium’s eastern border with Germany. Local farmers have hauled water tankers toward the park to assist firefighting crews, while water bombing aircraft and helicopters sent from Sweden and the Netherlands have joined the effort from the air.

The Belgian fire is one of several burning across Europe this weekend. At least two people died in forest fires on a Greek island off the coast of Athens on Sunday, part of a broader pattern of blazes spreading across the continent.

Belgian officials said intense heat combined with the reserve’s difficult terrain, a mix of bog like wetlands, moorland and forest, has made the fire especially hard to contain. According to figures reported by a French news agency citing local officials, the fire grew from 80 hectares, or about 200 acres, on Friday to 850 hectares by Saturday morning, before expanding further to 3,000 hectares by early Sunday.

Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said two fronts of the fire, one advancing toward Jalhay and the other toward Monschau, have now been brought under control. Authorities said conditions remain difficult overall and that they continue to rely heavily on aerial support to bring the fire under control, though no homes have been damaged so far.

Two water bombing aircraft arrived from Sweden on Sunday afternoon to reinforce four helicopters, two Belgian and two Dutch, already working the fire. Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesman for regional authorities in Wallonia, said Saturday that the blaze ranks as the largest the country has seen in recent history. He said firefighters have allowed portions of the heathland to burn because those areas are extremely difficult to reach. Rescue teams have been unable to access the location where the fire started, leaving its cause unknown for now.

Additional forest fires have broken out in Croatia, Spain and Serbia since Friday, following a summer of extreme heat that has left large parts of Europe either burning or scorched brown. In southwestern France, local officials in the Landes region said a separate wildfire forced the evacuation of 650 residents on Saturday. That fire first broke out Thursday and reignited Saturday, prompting authorities to deploy more than 500 firefighters to bring it under control.

The EU’s climate monitoring service, Copernicus, has confirmed that western Europe just experienced its hottest June to July period on record, a finding that aligns with the wave of wildfires now spreading across multiple countries on the continent.

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    IRI, NACTA team up to promote sectarian harmony

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    Islamabad: The Islamic Research Institute (IRI) of the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) and the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) have joined hands to combat violent extremism, promote inter-sectarian harmony and strengthen peacebuilding efforts across Pakistan. The two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday at a ceremony attended by senior officials. Professor Dr Ahmed Saad Alahmed, Acting Rector and President of IIUI, and Mr Jawad Ahmad Dogar, PSP, National Coordinator of NACTA, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations. The MoU follows several months of consultations and meetings between the two sides. The discussions identified areas for cooperation and established a long-term framework for joint initiatives. Both institutions also nominated focal persons to coordinate the partnership, while the draft agreement went through legal review before receiving final approval. Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Dr Ahmed Saad Alahmed highlighted the importance of cooperation between universities and national institutions in addressing major social challenges. He said universities have a key role in producing credible research, encouraging balanced religious discourse and providing practical policy recommendations that support national unity and social cohesion. Mr Jawad Ahmad Dogar described IRI as one of Pakistan’s leading centres for Islamic scholarship and policy research. He said the partnership would combine academic expertise with practical national experience to develop initiatives that promote tolerance and help prevent violent extremism. The collaboration has already produced its first major initiative. On July 9, 2026, IRI and NACTA jointly organised a pilot seminar titled **“Inter-Sectarian Harmony: Past Efforts and Future Roadmap.”** The event brought together scholars, policymakers, religious leaders and practitioners to discuss ways to improve sectarian understanding and develop lasting mechanisms for religious harmony. The two institutions are now preparing a major joint programme for August 2026, which will focus on academic dialogue, policy engagement and community outreach. The partnership also supports the government’s broader policy to establish Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Centres at higher education institutions across the country. Under the MoU, IRI and NACTA will work together on research, training workshops, educational resources and capacity-building programmes to help universities establish and effectively operate CVE Centres. The agreement also covers joint research projects, policy studies, conferences, seminars, faculty development, curriculum support, publications and other capacity-building activities. The two sides will continue to engage researchers, policymakers, religious scholars, educators and practitioners to address emerging threats of violent extremism through research-based strategies. IRI reaffirmed its commitment to providing a national platform for Islamic scholarship and policy research, while NACTA expressed its resolve to strengthen cooperation with academic institutions to help build a peaceful, inclusive and resilient Pakistan.

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    Karachi sees drop in robbery, murder cases

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    Muzaffargarh canal accident: Last missing victim?…

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    Poland’s main opposition party splits following loyalty pledge ultimatum

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    The West Indies face another difficult route to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 after failing to secure automatic qualification for the tournament. The two-time world champions are currently 10th in the ICC ODI rankings and cannot move into the required top-eight positions before the September 30, 2026 cut-off date. Their remaining two ODI matches against India will therefore not be enough to rescue their hopes of direct qualification. Under the qualification system, the top eight ranked teams, excluding hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, will earn automatic places in the 2027 World Cup. The tournament will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Afghanistan recently became the latest side to secure automatic qualification after defeating Ireland in a thrilling contest in Belfast. They join defending champions Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and Bangladesh among the teams already assured of their places. South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will also feature as hosts. For the West Indies, however, the road to the World Cup will now become considerably longer. They are set to compete in the World Cup Qualifier in February 2027, where they will need to perform strongly to secure a place in the main tournament. The situation is particularly painful because the Caribbean side experienced a similar setback during the qualification campaign for the 2023 World Cup. The West Indies entered the Qualifier in Zimbabwe but failed to reach the tournament after finishing fifth in the Super Six stage. It was a historic disappointment as the Caribbean team had previously appeared in every ODI World Cup since the competition began in 1975. The West Indies won the first two editions of the World Cup in 1975 and 1979, establishing themselves as one of cricket’s earliest dominant forces. Their failure to qualify for the 2023 tournament also resulted in their absence from the 2025 Champions Trophy, ending a long sequence of appearances dating back to 2013. Now, with another Qualifier ahead, the West Indies face a crucial opportunity to avoid repeating recent history. Their performance in February 2027 could determine whether one of cricket’s most celebrated teams returns to the global stage—or suffers another major setback.

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    Britain is edging dangerously close to matching one of its deadliest summers on record, and the peak heat month of August hasn’t even fully arrived yet. The UK Health Security Agency reported that an estimated 2,877 people have already died from heat-related causes this year. That number is nearly twice the total seen throughout all of 2025, and it’s steadily approaching the historic high recorded back in 2022. This latest update comes as the country deals with its fourth heatwave of the year. A string of unusually intense hot spells has already driven temperatures to record-breaking levels in parts of Britain during May and June. The extended dry spell has also worsened conditions on the ground, contributing to a rise in wildfires across several regions. Breaking the numbers down further, most deaths occurred across two distinct periods. Late May accounted for 753 fatalities, while a particularly severe June heatwave saw that number jump sharply to 2,124, prompting authorities to issue a rare red heat-health alert. Even though these figures only cover a two-month window, they already surpass the total number of heat-related deaths recorded across the entire previous year. Experts studying the data believe that roughly 42 percent of these deaths can be traced back to the effects of human-driven climate change. That estimate has reignited concern among scientists and public health officials, who warn that healthcare systems and at-risk populations are facing mounting pressure as extreme heat becomes more frequent. The crisis is not confined to the UK alone. Neighboring countries have also been hit hard, with wildfires sweeping through parts of France, Spain, and Greece. These fires have claimed the lives of several firefighters, forced thousands of residents to evacuate, and caused major disruptions to businesses and travel throughout the affected areas. France’s national health agency confirmed on Wednesday that the country recorded 5,764 excess deaths between June 17 and July 2 alone. Germany has faced a similarly troubling situation, with its national health body, the RKI, reporting on Thursday that around 9,800 people have died from heat-related causes so far this year. As temperatures remain stubbornly high across Europe, health officials continue urging caution, particularly for elderly individuals and those with existing health conditions who face the greatest risk during prolonged heat events.

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