A heatwave spreading across Europe is fuelling wildfires in Portugal, France and Spain.  Around 3,500 firefighters in Portugal are battling dozens of blazes, as temperatures break records in various parts of the country. The worst has been reported in Leiria, where 600 people were forced out of their homes. It has triggered memories of deadly wildfires in 2017, which claimed the lives of more than 100 people. Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and longer-lasting because of climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began. Adelino Rodrigues, a 77-year-old farmer in Leiria, said that “everything burned”. “It looked like the end of the world,” he said.(BBC)…[+]

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a bronze cast of India’s national emblem on top of the new parliament building with much fanfare. The 6.5m (21ft 3in)-tall cast shows four Asiatic lions mounted back-to-back on a circular disc. But the new statue, adapted from an ancient Indian sculpture dating back to 250BC, has raised many eyebrows. Critics say the lions have been given a makeover and the new “ferocious” look strays from their original depiction. Mr Modi shared a video of the unveiling on Monday morning that showed the cast – weighing 9,500kg (20,943 pounds) – on top of the central foyer of the new parliament building.The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.A senior government official said the installation of India’s national emblem – adapted from the Lion Capital of Ashoka, a sculpture that was atop one of the several pillars erected by Emperor Ashoka during his reign in 250BC – was an “important milestone in the decolonisation” of the capital city.(BBC)…[+]

The UN Security Council has reauthorised cross-border deliveries of aid to rebel-held Syria for six months. Western powers bowed to a demand from Russia, a staunch ally of the Syrian government, which vetoed their proposal for a one-year extension last week. The mandate for deliveries via Turkey expired on Sunday, prompting the UN aid chief to warn that “people will die”. Some 800 lorries cross into the north-western province of Idlib every month with aid for 2.4 million civilians. Almost double that number of people, mostly women and children, are trapped in the last stronghold of the jihadist and Turkish-backed rebel groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad after 11 years of brutal conflict. An estimated 70% of the civilians already do not have enough to eat at a time when food prices are continuing to rise sharply and one in three children are undernourished, according to the UN.(BBC)…[+]

Soaring temperatures have gripped parts of Europe, which has barely recovered from its last heatwave. Droughts and forest fires have hit Spain and Portugal and the scorching heat has spread to France and the UK. Temperatures are set to peak on Thursday in France and Spain and authorities have cancelled traditional fireworks displays on France’s national day to reduce the risk of fires. Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and longer-lasting because of climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began. This is the picture as seen by our BBC colleagues sweltering on the continent.(BBC)…[+]

A growing wildfire in California is threatening the largest grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park. The Washburn Fire has doubled in size over the past 24 hours, and it is now estimated to have burned 1,591 acres. Firefighters are working in difficult terrain to protect some of the largest and oldest redwood trees in the world. Residents and campers near the fire have been evacuated, and thick smoke has worsened the region’s air quality and obscured the park’s scenic views. The blaze, which started on 7 July, threatens at least 500 giant sequoias in the Mariposa Grove, including the famed Grizzly Giant which is thought to be around 3,000 years old. For now, none of them have been destroyed by the fire. The Yosemite fire and aviation management department said it was “proactively protecting” the grove by setting up a sprinkler system to increase humidity around the trees and by removing potential fuels from the site.(BBC)…[+]

At least 10 people have been killed in an operation by the Colombian security forces targeting a group of rebels who rejected the 2016 peace deal. The joint police and military operation was targeting a man known as Iván Mordisco, who leads a breakaway faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). Police said they had information that Mordisco was in the camp. It is not yet clear if he was among those killed in the attack. Colombian media reports that the Air Force first bombed the camp in the southern Caquetá region before almost 300 soldiers and police moved in. The operation, dubbed Jupiter, had reportedly been planned for two months. Those killed have not yet been identified but officials said they were six men and four women who belonged to the dissident Farc rebel group. The Farc are Marxist rebels who waged a bloody war against the Colombian government for more than five decades. They signed a peace deal with the government in 2016 and the majority of its fighters laid down their arms. However, some of its members did not agree with the terms of the peace process and continued fighting.(BBC)…[+]

Shares in Twitter fell on Monday after Elon Musk announced he was pulling out of a $44bn (£36bn) deal to buy the social media platform. Mr Musk backed away after claiming Twitter failed to provide enough information on the number of spam and fake accounts on the site. Twitter plans to take legal action to make the deal go ahead and has hired a top US law firm. Mr Musk tweeted saying Twitter would need to “disclose bot info” in court.

The multi-billionaire then tweeted a picture showing American actor and martial artist Chuck Norris at a chessboard, with a follow up post saying “Chuckmate”. Twitter’s share price stood at about $34.40 in early Monday trading – falling further below the $54.20-a-share takeover price agreed by Mr Musk and Twitter’s board in April. It is the first time investors have been able to react to Mr Musk announcement on Friday that he wanted to pull out of the deal. Mr Musk – who is also the boss of electric car firm Tesla – announced plans to buy Twitter in April, but the deal was put on hold a month later due a row over the number of fake accounts on the platform. The original merger agreement includes a $1bn (£830m) break-up fee, but instead of pushing for Mr Musk to pay the sum, Twitter wants the businessman to compete the deal. “The Twitter board is committed to closing the transaction on the price and terms agreed upon with Mr Musk,” its chairman Bret Taylor wrote in a tweet.(BBC)…[+]

Thousands gathered in the US capital on Saturday, marching through pouring rain and risking arrest to protest over the reversal of abortion rights last month. The demonstration came two weeks after the Supreme Court repealed Roe v Wade – the ruling that had guaranteed abortion access nationwide for nearly 50 years. Chanting “we won’t go back”, protesters converged on the White House, with some tying themselves to the gates outside. An estimated 10,000 people gathered from across the US, organisers said. Lauren Pierce, 33, an attorney from Dallas, was among them, travelling some 1,300 miles (2,100km) to attend the demonstration. “There’s nothing, to me, more worth fighting for than this cause – our fundamental right to have bodily autonomy,” she said. “If that means taking up space and getting arrested then I think it’s worth it.”(BBC)…[+]

Elon Musk is seeking to end his $44bn (£36bn) bid to buy Twitter, alleging multiple breaches of the agreement. The announcement is the latest twist in a long-running saga after the world’s richest person decided to buy Twitter in April. Mr Musk said he had backed out because Twitter failed to provide enough information on the number of spam and fake accounts. Twitter says it plans to pursue legal action to enforce the agreement. “The Twitter Board is committed to closing the transaction on the price and terms agreed upon with Mr. Musk,” Twitter chairman Bret Taylor wrote in a tweet, setting up a potentially long and protracted legal battle between the two sides. The original merger agreement includes a $1bn (£830m) break-up fee.(BBC)…[+]

The Faroe Islands is to provisionally limit its controversial dolphin hunt to 500 animals, after receiving widespread criticism over last year’s cull, where more than 1,400 were killed. A review was ordered in February, in response to the outcry. Animal rights activists have long decried the hunt, deeming the slaughter cruel and unnecessary. Faroe Islanders give the practice their broad support, arguing the dolphins have fed them for centuries. Known as the grind (or Grindadrap in Faroese), the hunting of sea mammals – primarily whales – is a tradition that has been practised for hundreds of years on the remote islands, a Danish autonomous territory in the North Atlantic. But the scale of the killing last year shocked many locals and even drew criticism from groups involved in the practice. Records showed that it was the largest number of dolphins ever killed on one day in the Faroe Islands.(BBC)…[+]