One woman was killed and at least 29 people were injured after a white van was driven into a crowd at a Berlin Pride event on Saturday night, police said.

Christopher Street Day, the annual Berlin Pride parade, attracted hundreds of thousands of participants to Tiergarten park near the Brandenburg Gate.

Police responded around 22:00 local time after receiving reports of a vehicle striking pedestrians. The vehicle later crashed into a tree.

German officials said the attack appeared to be motivated by Islamist ideology. The suspect, identified as 21‑year‑old Abdul Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, was shot by police after confronting officers with a knife. Police said the suspect was known to authorities and had been radicalised.

Authorities said the suspect had prior convictions for assault, robbery and for preparing a serious act of violence, and had been under parole supervision.

A statement from the Berlin public prosecutor revealed that the suspect had travelled to Lebanon in 2025 with the intention of joining the Islamic State, was arrested there and later returned to Germany where he was detained.

European leaders expressed condolences. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Pride event represents freedom, dignity and equality. Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered solidarity. UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting described the incident as a serious disaster and said his thoughts were with the German people.

Police increased the search area to the whole city and deployed thousands of officers from several German states. An apartment in the Tiergarten district was guarded, and the suspect was killed at an allotment complex in Spandau.

The cause of the attack remains under investigation, and authorities have not indicated whether the incident was directly linked to a terrorist organization.

Sudanese army announced on Sunday that it had regained full control of the Al Sadarat highway, which connects Khartoum with the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan. The capture followed two days of fighting in which the army recaptured the towns of Um Qurfa and Jarigakh, according to a statement from the army. The army said its forces inflicted heavy losses on Rapid Support Forces fighters, causing them to withdraw.

The highway, a 350‑kilometre route that had been under RSF control since April 2023, serves as a key military supply line and an export route for Omdurman Al‑Abyd. Regaining control allows the army to move fuel, troops and equipment more quickly to El Obeid, reducing reliance on a longer route through White Nile State and easing pressure on the besieged city.

Al Jazeera correspondent AlMigdad Alruhaid said the restored connection improves humanitarian access for civilians affected by the war. The United Nations has warned that about half a million people remain trapped in El Obeid, where drone attacks and reports of sexual violence have created a humanitarian crisis.

The RSF’s loss of the highway hampers its effort to seize El Obeid, a development that would give the paramilitary force control over western Sudan. The World Health Organization estimates that the conflict has killed approximately 40,000 people and displaced more than 14 million individuals.

UN Women reported that women in El Obeid face two risks: collecting water during daylight under drone attack risk, or waiting at night and risking rape.

Northern Mali has entered a new phase after the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) launched a coordinated offensive on April 25, 2026. The joint operation spanned Kidal, Anefis, Tilemsi, Gao and Sevare, marking the most serious challenge to the Malian army in years and to Russia's Africa Corps, which replaced the Wagner Group in Mali.

Fighting in northern Mali has long pitted the Malian state against multiple armed groups. The 2015 Algiers Peace Agreement aimed to end the conflict through decentralisation, but its implementation stalled. After military coups in 2020, the Economic Community of West African States suspended Mali and imposed sanctions, while Russia deepened its presence with the Wagner Group in late 2021. The Wagner Group was later integrated into the state‑controlled Africa Corps.

Since the April 25 offensive, fighting has included simultaneous assaults, ambushes, drone strikes and attacks on military convoys. Both sides have reported battlefield gains, though casualty figures differ. Malian officials say they are working to restore state authority and dismantle a “terrorist alliance” between the FLA and JNIM. The FLA says it seeks independence for Azawad, while JNIM frames the war as a campaign to “liberate” Mali and overthrow a government it accuses of relying on Russian forces. Colonel Mohamed Issa, a senior FLA commander, said the partnership is a battlefield arrangement against a common enemy and rejected suggestions of an ideological alliance. He added that JNIM fighters operating alongside the FLA are primarily Azawadis defending their communities from Malian forces and Russian mercenaries. Suleiman, a senior JNIM commander, said the groups coordinated after internal consultations because their fighters share common origins and have aligned goals. He also said the FLA accepted Islamic legal arbitration by local scholars, a point the FLA itself did not raise.

Bamako disputes the casualty reports and maintains that its forces retain the initiative. The conflict has become more sophisticated, with attacks occurring over large distances and lasting several days. Drones have taken on a larger role, serving both as reconnaissance platforms and as strike weapons against vehicles and positions. Malian forces, backed by the Africa Corps, continue to rely on air power, but neither side has secured a decisive advantage.

Funding and weapons sustain both groups. JNIM sources describe financing from regional commercial networks, zakat collections and proceeds from earlier kidnapping operations. The FLA says it relies on donations from tribal leaders, traders and community associations. Both groups acknowledge participation in cross‑Sahara trafficking, though the extent to which these activities finance the war is unclear. Weapons have flowed across the Sahel since Libya’s collapse in 2011, and captured Malian equipment now forms a growing part of both arsenals.

Whether the alliance will endure remains uncertain. The partnership rests on shared battlefield interests rather than a common political vision, making its longevity unclear. Without a resolution of the competing ambitions—territorial unity, separatist independence and regime change—a negotiated settlement appears unlikely. The new military reality in northern Mali could affect security across the Sahel.

Three months into the offensive, northern Mali remains locked in a conflict with no clear end in sight.

Thousands of lightning strikes sparked new wildfires across western Canada and prompted evacuations in southern British Columbia, with 25 orders and 90 active fires reported as of Friday morning.

Nearly 34,000 lightning strikes in the past week ignited multiple fires, leading to 25 evacuation orders and 90 active wildfires in southern British Columbia, authorities said.

Hugh Murdoch, incident commander for fires near Kimberley, 320 miles from Vancouver, said the weather forecast was unfavorable and no significant relief from nature was expected.

Environment Canada issued a poor air quality alert for Banff, Alberta and surrounding areas on Friday, predicting improvement over the weekend.

The federal government announced plans to deploy more than 5,300 firefighters and about 300 water bombers, helicopters and evacuation aircraft, and said Mexico would contribute up to 200 firefighters in the coming weeks, the prime minister added.

Approximately 139 active wildfires were reported in north‑west Ontario, with 32 not under control, officials noted.

About 2.95 million hectares of land have burned this year, exceeding the 10‑year average of roughly 2.55 million hectares, authorities said.

Canada’s forested area accounts for 28 % of the world’s boreal forests, Environment Canada said.

Improved weather in eastern Canada helped Quebec contain some blazes, aided by firefighters from neighboring provinces, France and the United States, Stéphane Caron of the provincial forest fire prevention agency Sopfeu said.

Caron added that the situation in Quebec was under control and that hotspots needed to be eliminated to prevent re‑ignition.

The outlook for the weekend remains uncertain as weather conditions evolve, and authorities continue to monitor fire spread.

A wildfire in southwestern France has forced the evacuation of more than 250,000 residents, with flames moving within 15 kilometers of Bordeaux, a city of 268,000 people.

The fire, which ignited in the Gironde region earlier in the week, has burned approximately 42,000 hectares, four times the area of Paris, and has spread across forests and scrubland dried by heat waves. Additional blazes in the Landes region and the Var department have displaced tens of thousands more, while Spain reported evacuations around Madrid and a fatality near Valencia.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the situation remained unfavorable, noting that the fire had become extremely virulent and unpredictable, generating its own winds. Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said the blaze was at the gates of the metropolitan area but an evacuation of Bordeaux was not planned.

Authorities mobilized about 2,500 firefighters, supported by 18 aircraft from France and other European countries, and military personnel, including an A400M cargo plane that dropped retardant. The Gironde prefecture reported 75 firefighters treated for injuries and hundreds of homes destroyed.

The fire developed self‑feeding firestorms that produced lightning, complicating suppression efforts. Forecast high temperatures beginning Tuesday may hinder containment, according to Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas.

Evacuees have been housed in emergency shelters, including an exhibition center in Bordeaux that provided cots and food for thousands, including older adults from care homes. Residents described loss of property and uncertainty about returning.

In Spain, wildfires near Madrid forced the evacuation of 76,000 people and confined 30,000 others, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stating that conditions were improving.

The evacuation orders remain in place until the fires are fully contained, and officials warned that holidaymakers should avoid the region.

Islamabad, Pakistan — The election for the 45‑seat Legislative Assembly of Pakistan‑administered Kashmir will be held on August 10, after voting in Mirpur on July 27 and in Muzaffarabad and the 12 refugee‑reserved seats on August 2.

The region has been under an unofficial state of emergency since early June, during which nearly 40 people were reported killed in clashes between protesters and security forces, according to local sources and the Election Commission. Mobile and internet services have been suspended across most of the territory, and banks have remained closed for two weeks. Poonch division, which borders India, was sealed off for weeks, limiting the delivery of flour and other basic goods.

The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a coalition of civil society groups, was banned by the local government on June 5, days before a planned demonstration, and its leadership has been arrested or forced underground. The group’s original demands focused on subsidised flour and low‑cost electricity, but in May 2025 it expanded its platform to include the abolition of the 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian‑administered Kashmir. In written proposals submitted on May 30, JAAC suggested either retaining symbolic refugee representation until the dispute is resolved or replacing the 12 seats with four members on the AJK Council, the body that oversees electricity, banking and parts of taxation. Both proposals were rejected at an All‑Parties Conference in Muzaffarabad on June 3.

The AJK Supreme Court ruled on June 30 that the 12 seats are protected by the territory’s constitution and can be removed only through a formal constitutional amendment, rejecting arguments that executive action could alter the arrangement. Chaudhry Muhammad Ibrahim Zia, a former chief justice of the AJK Supreme Court, said the seats have historical and constitutional support and cannot be declared unconstitutional. The Election Commission reported that the electorate has grown from 3.2 million voters in 2021 to more than 3.8 million this year, with the 12 refugee constituencies comprising roughly 439,000 registered voters spread across cities such as Lahore, Rawalpindi and Sialkot.

JAAC leader Umar Nazir Kashmiri said the group has appealed to army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, asserting that its grievances are not reaching civilian officials. Analysts noted that the military establishment in Rawalpindi is widely seen as the primary authority influencing AJK governance, a dynamic that has left elected leaders with limited negotiating power. Government officials, including former finance minister Abdul Majid Khan and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, have argued that the refugee seats are a historical arrangement and that their future should be decided by voters rather than street pressure.

Because the 12 seats remain unresolved, the election may test the capacity of the civilian administration to manage competing claims while the military’s role continues to shape political outcomes in the region.

Protesters in Tripoli shut several roads and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building as a civil disobedience campaign over prolonged power cuts spread to additional districts. Demonstrators blocked the coastal road in Janzour and gathered outside the West Tripoli power station, where they burned tires and unloaded a truck loaded with dirt in front of the ministry in the Sater Turba area. The mostly young protesters also closed the offices of state telecom operator Libyana in Souq Al‑Jumaa, carrying banners that criticized Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. The Souq Al‑Jumaa Movement, which has opposed the Government of National Unity since May 2025, said its aim was to completely paralyse the government rather than disrupt ordinary life. It called for accountability over alleged corruption and for the dissolution of Libya’s existing political institutions, including the government, the House of Representatives, the State Council and the Presidential Council. The unrest also reached the town of Tajoura, east of Tripoli, where protesters posted a sign declaring the municipal office closed. The Tajoura Families and Youth Movement announced a full boycott of state institutions on Monday, citing deteriorating electricity, water, education, health, fuel and liquidity services and medicine shortages. Blackouts in Tripoli and surrounding areas have reached up to 10 hours per day, prompting the state‑run General Electricity Company to reinstate load‑shedding measures after two years of relative network stability. No immediate comment was issued by the Government of National Unity. Massad Boulos, a White House adviser for African affairs, said he held a productive call with Dbeibah on Sunday to discuss steps toward Libyan unification and security cooperation between eastern and western factions. He added that the United States remains committed to supporting Libya’s unification to achieve durable peace, stability and prosperity.

Iran said it will halt its attacks provided the United States maintains a pause in bombing, according to a senior Iranian official speaking to Reuters on July 26, 2026.

The United States suspended its air campaign on Friday, marking the first 48‑hour period without U.S. strikes since the campaign began on July 14. Iran had responded each night with attacks on facilities in Gulf Arab states that host U.S. bases.

An Iranian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tehran's policy remains "attack for attack": if the United States stops striking, Iran will cease its operations, a message it has already conveyed to Washington. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told Fox News Sunday that President Donald Trump ordered the pause to create space for diplomatic talks. U.S. military officials said recent strikes aimed at deterring Iranian threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have largely exhausted the pre‑selected target sets, raising concerns about the sustainability of further bombing. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned privately to Trump that continuing operations could deplete munitions stocks, including air‑defense interceptors, though his office declined to comment publicly. White House officials indicated the pause followed discussions among senior military and political advisers, with reports that Vice President JD Vance and Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper advised halting the campaign due to limited effectiveness. Residents of Iran expressed uncertainty about the durability of the pause. Nader, a 49‑year‑old import‑export business owner in Tehran, said, "Everyone in the country is stuck in limbo. Trump is playing games with Iran. He neither ends the war and leaves the region nor strikes decisively. It's exhausting."

The pause's longevity remains unclear, and it is uncertain whether the temporary de‑escalation will lead to renewed negotiations.

Police said a 21‑year‑old man identified as Abdul B was shot dead on July 26 after he drove a minivan into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride celebrations in the Tiergarten park, killing one person and injuring 29 others, some with a bladed weapon.

The attack occurred about 10 p.m. local time on Saturday near the Brandenburg Gate, during Christopher Street Day, Berlin’s annual LGBTQ festival. It was the latest of several vehicle attacks in Germany in recent years that have raised security concerns.

Police located the suspect at an allotment garden complex in Spandau after he fled the scene. He approached officers while armed with a knife, prompting police to open fire. He died at the scene despite resuscitation attempts by the fire department.

Authorities said the suspect had a history of criminal offences and was known to domestic intelligence as a potential threat. He was a German citizen of Lebanese descent, born in 2005. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the individual had attracted attention through radicalisation and membership of the Islamist scene.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany would defend freedom, openness and the liberal spirit of its society. Green politician Omid Nouripour urged Germany to confront extremist Islamism. CDU regional leader Daniel Peters said supporters of the Islamic State must not walk free in Germany. The AfD party condemned the attack, stating it would not allow religious extremists to divide the country with violence.

The suspect had been released from juvenile detention two months earlier and was on a list of people monitored for potential danger. Security sources said he was previously convicted of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state.

In May, a man with mental health issues drove into a pedestrian zone in Leipzig, killing two people. In 2016, Anis Amri, a Tunisian with links to Islamist militants, hijacked a truck and drove it into a Christmas market, killing 11 people before being shot dead in Italy.

A memorial service was held at St Mary’s Church, and thousands gathered at the Brandenburg Gate with rainbow flags and candles to honour the victim. The incident continues to fuel debate over security and immigration policy ahead of upcoming state elections.