Iraq starts excavation of large mass grave left by rampaging Islamic State – National

IRBIL, Iraq — Iraqi officials have begun the excavation of what is believed to be a mass grave left behind by the Islamic State extremist group during its rampage across the country a decade ago. Local authorities are working with the judiciary, forensic investigations, Iraq’s Martyrs’ Foundation, and the directorate of mass graves to carry out the … Read more

Pakistan authorities defend flood response after 274 people killed

BUNER, Pakistan (AP) — Rescuers recovered dozens more bodies from the rubble of collapsed homes in a northwestern district of Pakistan, bringing the death toll to at least 274, as authorities defended their response to the flooding and said they did not need any foreign help at this point. Heavy rains and flooding also killed dozens of people … Read more

Spain deploys 500 more troops to wildfire fight, joining 1,400 already sent – National

Spain is deploying a further 500 soldiers to battle wildfires that have torn through parched woodland during a prolonged spell of scorching weather, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Sunday. The decision to add to the more than 1,400 troops already on wildfire duty came as authorities struggled to contain forest blazes, especially in the northwestern Galicia region, … Read more

European leaders to join Ukraine’s Zelenskyy for meeting with Trump – National

European and NATO leaders announced Sunday they will join President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington for talks with President Donald Trump on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, with the possibility of U.S. security guarantees now on the negotiating table. Leaders from France, Britain and Germany are rallying around the Ukrainian leader after his exclusion from Trump’s summit on Friday with Russian President … Read more

US envoy says Putin agreed to security protections for Ukraine as part of Trump summit – National

Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with President Donald Trump to allow the U.S. and European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the 3 1/2-year war. “We were able to win … Read more

Lawyer ‘very confident’ a foreign adversary attacked Canadian diplomats in Cuba – National

A lawyer for Canadian diplomats and their families says he believes the mysterious ailments they suffered in Cuba were caused by a foreign adversary, despite a federal government report that dismisses the theory. Eight years after foreign service officials and their dependants began reporting such symptoms as headaches, memory loss, mood changes, vision problems, nausea … Read more

Prime Minister Carney praises Trump as ministers jet to Sweden to talk defence deals – National

Prime Minister Mark Carney issued an unusual statement Saturday to praise U.S. President Donald Trump for trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Carney’s public endorsement of Trump’s leadership on the world stage came as the president and his Alaskan summit were widely derided by foreign policy and security experts. The get-together … Read more

Israel prepares to move Palestinians to southern Gaza as Israelis urge mass protest over war – National

Israel announced Saturday that it is preparing to move Palestinians from combat zones to southern Gaza as plans move ahead for a military offensive in some of the territory’s most populated areas. The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, said the supply of tents to the territory would resume on Sunday. The military said … Read more

Trump greets Putin with a red carpet, Ukrainians feel betrayed – National

In Kyiv, Ukrainians living under near daily Russian bombardment watched with astonishment as their country’s most important ally rolled out a red carpet in Alaska for the man they blame for over three years of war, bloodshed and loss. Natalya Lypei, 66, a Kyiv resident, did a double-take. But the images flashing on her phone … Read more

Hurricane Erin explodes in strength to a Category 5 storm in Caribbean

Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. While the compact hurricane’s center wasn’t expected to hit land, it threatened to dump flooding rains as it continued to grow larger. Mike Brennen, … Read more