News Wire

Deadly Wildfires Across Mediterranean Destroy Homes, Threaten Nature Reserves

By Petros Giannakouris and Derek Gatopoulos | Associated Press

Major fires raging in parts of Greece and in other Mediterranean countries advanced Wednesday, causing additional deaths, destroying homes and threatening nature reserves during a third successive wave of extreme temperatures.

More: Fire-Ravaged Greece Braces for More Heat as Rest of Europe Cools (Bloomberg) | Hundreds of Firefighters Scramble to Put Out Portugal Wildfire (Reuters) | Three Dead as Sicily Counts Losses From ‘Devastating’ Fires (Reuters) | Wildfires in Algeria Kill at Least 34 and Injure Hundreds (AP)

China’s Foreign Minister Is Removed After a Month of Silence

By Chris Buckley and David Pierson | The New York Times

In a sign of the capriciousness of China’s elite politics, Qin Gang was abruptly removed as foreign minister on Tuesday after having disappeared from public view for 30 days. The move ended the career of a diplomat who had leaped to the top as one of President Xi Jinping’s most trusted rising stars.