AP, Berlin
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont said Wednesday he will return to Belgium this weekend to resume efforts to drum up European support for Catalan self-determination after Spain’s bid to extradite him collapsed.
Puigdemont has been in Germany since March, when he was arrested on a Spanish warrant as he tried to return from Finland to his home in Belgium.
Greek wildfires toll rises to 79
AFP, Athens
At least 79 people died in huge wildfires around Athens, Greek authorities said Wednesday, as rescuers scoured scorched homes and burned-out cars for survivors of one of the deadliest fire outbreaks in Europe’s modern history.
Scores of locals and holidaymakers fled to the sea to try to escape the flames as they tore through towns near Athens stoked by 100-kilometre-per-hour wind gusts, devouring woodland and hundreds of buildings.
Modi arrives in S Africa to attend BRICS summit
PTI, Uganda
After his Uganda visit ends today, PM Modi will head to South Africa to participate in the BRICS Summit, whose theme this year is ‘BRICS in Africa’.
Leaders of the BRICS emerging economies-Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa-will gather in Johannesburg on Wednesday for a three-day meeting focused on the threat of a US-led global trade war.
Indonesia seeks ban on IS linked group
AP, Jakarta
Indonesia’s government has asked a court to ban Jemaah Anshorut Daulah, a militant network linked to the Islamic State group, hoping to strangle its funding and support.
Also known as JAD, the network of almost two dozen extremist organizations has been implicated in numerous attacks in Indonesia and was designated a terror organization by the U.S. last year.
27 feared dead in Myanmar jade mine landslide
AFP, Yangon
At least 27 people are feared dead following a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar, police said Wednesday, as heavy rains hampered the search for survivors.
The poorly-regulated and notoriously corrupt multibillion-dollar industry in remote Kachin state is frequently hit by fatal disasters, and the victims often come from poor ethnic communities.
