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The Italian island of Sicily may have registered the hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe - 48.8C (119.8F). Regional authorities reported the reading, which needs to be verified by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), near Syracuse on Wednesday. According to the WMO, the current official record in Europe is 48C, registered in Athens, Greece, in 1977. The latest heatwave in Italy is being caused by an anticyclone - nicknamed Lucifer - moving up from Africa.

Source: bbc.com

Members of Poland’s lower house of parliament have voted in favour of an amendment to the country’s Broadcasting Act to tighten rules on foreign ownership of media, drawing concerns about press freedom. The media law which was passed on Wednesday, would prevent companies from outside the European Economic Area from holding a controlling stake in Polish media companies.

Source: aljazeera.com

The Taliban captured a provincial capital near Kabul on Thursday, the 10th the insurgents have taken over a weeklong blitz across Afghanistan as the U.S. and NATO prepare to withdraw entirely from the country after decades of war. The militants raised their white flags imprinted with a famous Islamic proclamation of faith over the city of Ghazni, just 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Kabul. Sporadic fighting continued at an intelligence base and an army installation outside the city.

Source: apnews.com

An ardent royalist has bought the topping from a slice of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding cake at auction, more than 40 years after the couple married. The large piece of cake icing and marzipan base features a detailed, sugared design of the royal coat of arms in gold, red, blue and silver. It was given to Moya Smith, a member of the Queen Mother’s staff, who preserved it with cling film and dated it 29 July 1981. After a flurry of bidding from across the world the cake piece was sold on Wednesday to Gerry Layton for several times over its estimated price of £300-500.

Source: theguardian.com

Chelsea beat Villarreal 6-5 in a penalty shootout to lift the Uefa Super Cup for a second time after a draining 120 minutes in Belfast. It was the first time the Super Cup was played in Northern Ireland and 13,000 spectators generated a fantastic atmosphere in the south Belfast stadium, the highest attendance at any sports event in the country since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source: bbc.com

The gunning down in the street of a municipal official in the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala sparked anger Wednesday over the government's failure to halt a wave of assassinations. Abir Salim, the director of municipal services in the city which houses the mausoleums of two of Shiite Islam's most revered figures, was shot dead as he was carrying out his duties on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi's office said. He was on foot supervising a survey of unauthorised construction in Karbala when his killer pulled out a gun and shot him at close range. The suspected killer was arrested shortly afterwards.

Source: france24.com

At least two people have died and dozens more are trapped under debris in a huge landslide in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Falling boulders have buried a truck, a passenger bus and other vehicles, according to local reports. Police and local officials have begun rescue efforts, said Jairam Thakur, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh.

Source: bbc.com

China will establish a blacklist of karaoke songs to ban those containing “illegal content” from karaoke venues across the country starting from 1 October, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The ministry said banned content would include that which endangers national unity, sovereignty or territorial integrity, violates state religious policies by propagating cults or superstitions, or which encourages illegal activities such as gambling and drugs.

Source: theguardian.com

A British man has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of spying for Russia. German federal prosecutors said the man - named only as David S - worked at the British embassy in Berlin. He allegedly passed documents to Russian intelligence "at least once" in exchange for an "unknown amount" of money. He was arrested in Potsdam outside Berlin on Tuesday and his home and workplace have been searched. The arrest was the result of a joint UK-German investigation, the statement read.

Source: bbc.com

A Chinese court convicted Canadian businessman Michael Spavor of espionage on Wednesday and sentenced him to 11 years in prison, in a case seen in Ottawa and Washington as part of a wider diplomatic spat with Beijing. His sentencing comes as lawyers in Canada representing the chief financial officer of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei make a final push to convince a court there not to extradite her to the United States. The Dandong Intermediate Court also said 50,000 yuan of Spavor’s personal assets will be confiscated and he will be deported, although it was not clear when.

Source: france24.com

Algeria’s government said on Tuesday arsonists were responsible for dozens of forest fires that have killed 42 people, including 25 soldiers deployed to help put out the flames, and destroyed homes east of the capital. Plumes of smoke rose from pockets of fire in the forest in Tizi Ouzou region on Tuesday, while residents used tree branches and hurled water from plastic containers in an attempt to put out the flames however they could.

Source: reuters.com

Taliban insurgents tightened their grip on captured Afghan territory on Tuesday as civilians hid in their homes, and a European Union official said the militants now control 65% of the country after a string of gains as foreign forces pull out. Pul-e-Khumri, capital of the northern province of Baghlan, fell to the Taliban on Tuesday evening, according to residents who reported Afghan security forces retreating towards the Kelagi desert, home to a large Afghan army base.

Source: reuters.com

Emmy Award-winner Christina Applegate has announced that she has multiple sclerosis, describing her diagnosis as a “tough road.” The 49-year-old actor known for her roles in “Married... with Children” and “Dead to Me,” said in a tweet late Monday that she was diagnosed “a few months ago.” “It’s been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition,” wrote Applegate. “It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going.” She added in a later post: “Now I ask for privacy. As I go through this thing.”

Source: apnews.com

Lithuania's parliament has voted to build a fence on the Belarus border to stop Iraqis, Afghans and other non-EU migrants entering. More than 4,000 migrants have entered EU member Lithuania illegally from Belarus this year - a record number. Lithuanian officials accuse Belarus of flying in migrants who then head to the border - a claim Belarus denies.

Source: bbc.com

Chinese and Russian troops have engaged in joint exercises in northwestern China in a sign of growing military ties between Moscow and Beijing amid shared concerns over the instability in Afghanistan. The military exercises involving ground troops and combat aircraft are to continue through Friday in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The region is located in northwestern China east of Xinjiang, where China has detained more than 1 million Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities in what it calls a campaign against terrorism and extremism.

Source: apnews.com

A popular Malaysian singer has died from Covid-19, just days after giving birth to a baby boy - her fourth child. Eight-month pregnant Siti Sarah Raisuddin, who had experienced low oxygen levels, was put into an induced coma so her baby could be delivered via surgery. The baby was saved, though she never got to hold him. Her husband said he made one last video call to her before her death, where she had tears running down her cheeks.

Source: bbc.com

More than 150,000 people have been evacuated from the path of a herd of migrating elephants, Chinese officials have said. Authorities in south-western Yunnan province feared conflict between residents and the 14 Asian elephants which have been on the move for months. More than 25,000 police officers using vehicles and drones have monitored the herd, state media report. The protected animals left a nature reserve in Yunnan about 17 months ago.

Source: bbc.com

Lionel Messi has reached an agreement to sign for French club Paris Saint-Germain, bringing his long-term association with Barcelona to an end, French media reported on Tuesday. French outlet L'Equipe says on its website that the football superstar will sign an initial two-year deal with the French giants. L'Equipe and Le Parisien add the Argentine is expected to arrive in Paris on Tuesday afternoon.

Source: cnn.com