Thousands of people including tourists were evacuated late on Wednesday as fires threatened a tourist resort on the Greek island of Crete and continued to rage on Thursday, fanned by violent winds.

‘We evacuated (some) 8,000 people’ from the resort village of Agia Galini, Maria Lioni, deputy governor of the Rethymno area, told state TV ERT.

The evacuations were decided as the fire, which broke out Wednesday and had earlier killed two firefighters, got to within a kilometre of the village before changing direction in the evening.

The fire is believed to have burned down homes, agricultural facilities and farm animals, but the toll is unclear as the fire is ongoing, Lioni said, calling it a ‘dark day.’

Two firefighters were trapped on a mountain road near the village of Krya Vrysi and died as the winds kept changing direction.

A third firefighter collapsed and died during efforts to put out a separate fire near Gytheio in the Peloponnese peninsula.

It comes as Europe is battling some of the worst wildfires in living memory across multiple popular holiday destinations including France, Spain and Turkey:

• A wildfire broke out on Thursday morning in Germany’s Chiemgau Alps mountain range. 200 firefighters and emergency personnel are on the scene. 
•  In Spain, 207,000 hectares (511,000 acres) of land have burned nationwide, as firefighters continue to tackle a week-long wildfire outside Madrid. A new wildfire broke out on Wednesday near Spain’s border with Portugal, forcing the evacuation of more than 600 people.
• In France, some 92,000 hectares have burned after a devastating fire swept through Bordeaux. New fires have now erupted between the cities of Marseille and Nice and in the Burgundy region.
• Turkish firefighters on Wednesday battled wildfires near the country’s southern tourist beaches that have forced the evacuation of hundreds of people.

A volunteer works to extinguish a fire in low-lying vegetation in Krya Vrysi, Rethymno, Crete

A volunteer uses a shovel as they battle a wildfire at Seydikemer district in Mugla, Turkey

This picture shows burnt-out cars and properties ravaged by a wildfire in the Encinar del Alberche residential area in Villa del Prado, south-west of Madrid

The Crete fire department had dedicated a force of over 200 firefighters and 53 fire engines in the Rethymno area in southwestern Crete, but winds of up to 102 kilometres (63 miles) an hour was preventing most aircraft from taking on seawater. 

The fire front in Rethymno is over 15 kilometres long according to local civil protection official Giorgos Tsapakos.

But inhabited areas are ‘not under immediate threat’ as the fire is mainly burning forest and agricultural land, Tsapakos told Skai TV.

A coastguard spokesman said there were four patrol boats at Agia Galini ready to help with additional evacuations, including one from EU border agency Frontex.

‘But conditions are extremely difficult, there are (violent) wind shears,’ he said.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis paid tribute to the fallen firefighters on Wednesday.

‘Our thoughts are with them, as well as with all the firefighters, volunteers and members of the security forces who are battling the fire fronts, in the midst of a new harsh reality that they are called upon to face every year,’ the prime minister said.

Nearly 100 firefighters were separately tackling a fire near the village of Plomari on the island of Lesbos.

The civil protection ministry placed several areas on near-maximum fire alert for Thursday, including Crete, the greater Athens area, the eastern Peloponnese and most of the Aegean islands.

The National Observatory’s weather website meteo.gr said wind shears in the Rethymno area had been recorded at up to 125 kilometres per hour, and wind intensity was expected to remain high on Thursday.

Greece faces destructive wildfires almost every summer as prolonged drought, high temperatures and strong winds create ideal conditions for blazes to spread rapidly.

A wildfire broke out on Thursday morning in Germany’s Chiemgau Alps mountain range, near the village of Unterwossen.

200 members of the fire departments, mountain rescue, emergency medical services, and the police are on the scene tackling the blaze.

‘People are being asked to keep their windows and doors closed, turn off their ventilation and air conditioning systems, and avoid the area around the incident site,’ said a spokesperson for the district fire department association. 

Meanwhile in Spain,  207,000 hectares (511,000 acres) of land have burned nationwide, among the largest areas in any January to July period on record according to the European Forest Fire Information System. 

Emergency services have been working since last Thursday to put out a blaze in the Madrid region, and another in the nearby province of Avila, which officials said is the worst in Spain’s recent history.

The blazes forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, many of whom have now been allowed to return home.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Wednesday that efforts to extinguish a major wildfire near Madrid were progressing ‘favourably’ and the coming hours would be ‘decisive’.

Tourists prepare to be transferred on a bus from the town of Moires as a wildfire burns on the island of Crete

An aerial view shows firefighting teams continue aerial and ground operations to contain a forest fire that spread due to strong winds in the Alanya district of Antalya

A helicopter drops water to extinguish a fire in the mountain forest in the Chiemgau Alps, near the village of Unterwossen, Germany

A house and belongings destroyed by a wildfire are photographed as the fire continues to spread in Pelayos de la Presa, Madrid province

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Smoke rises in a wooden area during a wildfire, south of Rethymno in the Greek island of Crete

Firefighters take a break after working to extinguish a fire in the forest near Blagon, during wildfires in southwestern France

 ‘Today I believe we are closer to that final objective’ of ‘defeating the fire’, Sanchez told reporters in televised comments at a command centre in the town of Navalcarnero near the fire zone.

‘Things are progressing favourably, with the greatest of caution,’ he added.

‘I believe the next 12 hours will be very important – they will be decisive for consolidating the work that has been done’ by firefighters.

A new wildfire broke out on Wednesday near Spain’s border with Portugal, forcing the evacuation of more than 600 people, emergency services said.

A total of 11 areas were evacuated, and residents of two others were ordered to shelter in place, the services said.

Authorities did not say the area burned in the fire in Fermosselle region, but several roads have been closed.

Spain’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) was deployed to the Level 2 fire – a classification that triggers extra support from the central government.

Two other Level 2 fires – at Val de la Loba and San Cipriano del Condado – are active in the same Zamora province, in the Castile and Leon region which has already been hit by the largest fire in Spanish history since record-keeping began.

In France, some 92,000 hectares have burned between January and July – the largest area ever documented in records that date back two decades. 

The Gironde region reported a second calm night and said the massive fire west of France’s wine-making capital of Bordeaux remained stable despite a spike in temperatures on Wednesday as the fourth heatwave of the summer roasted the area.

‘If the night goes well, we can reasonably be more optimistic for tomorrow and the days to come,’ Sophie Brocas, a senior regional official, said.

In the southeastern region of Var, however, more than 600 people were forced to flee after a fresh fire erupted in the region nestled along France’s Mediterranean coast between the cities of Marseille and Nice.

The new fire erupted less than a day after another blaze in the Var was brought under control.

Another forest fire erupted in the eastern region of Burgundy near the city of Dijon, sweeping across 125 hectares but without causing any casualties or damage to homes, local officials said.

And Turkish firefighters on Wednesday battled wildfires near the country’s southern tourist beaches that have forced the evacuation of hundreds of people, authorities said.

Hundreds of firefighters went up against the biggest fire in Mugla province, with more than 20 planes and helicopters bombing water on the flames, the agriculture ministry said.

Media reports said the main highway from the tourist city of Antalya to the beach resort of Fethiye had been closed because of the smoke.

NTV television said that access to the ancient ruins at Olympos in Antalya province had been closed.

In Mugla province, the wildfire started on agricultural land and spread to a forest, the provincial governor’s office said. It added that 202 residents and some patients from a hospital had been evacuated.

Another major fire burned in the Balikesir region on the Aegean coast along the road connecting Izmir, the country’s third-largest city, to the Dardanelles region.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said late Wednesday that some 90 fires had broken out on Wednesday in the country, with 81 brought under control.

People walk on a beach as smoke rises from a wildfire burning next to the village of Plomari

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A fire rages in the forest near Blagon, during wildfires in southwestern France 

Tourists take shelter at the sports hall of the town of Moires as a wildfire burns on the island of Crete

Several wildfires are affecting the southern part of Brignoles and threatening the village of Camps-la-Source

A firefighter uses a waterhose as they operate to battle a wildfire at Seydikemer district in Mugla

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Fire burns on the Greek island of Crete

 More than 3,000 firefighters are working to contain the remaining fires, he said.

Turkey has sent two firefighting planes to Spain to help with its wildfires and two others to France, which has also been battling forest fires.

On Wednesday, nine villages were evacuated on the Greek holiday island of Paros.

Footage shared on social media shows bright orange flames rising above the mountains as dark clouds of smoke engulf the island.

 Local media has reported that residents are fleeing to the beaches on the instructions of emergency services.

According to Greek news outlet ProtoThema, emergency crews have been battling the blaze non-stop since Tuesday afternoon. 

The response team in Paros includes 66 firefighters, specialised forest firefighting units from Athens, five helicopters, and two water-bombing planes. 

One resident who fled to the neighbouring island of Antiparos told Swiss outlet Blick: ‘This is turning into a real catastrophe! The fire spread further south with the wind in just three hours.’

Early on Wednesday, residents in Trypiti, Glyfa, Pyrgaki and Aspro Chorio were ordered to evacuate towards Dryos, after an earlier alert told people in Agkairia to flee to Aliki beach. 

The orders followed Tuesday’s evacuations from Agios Charalambos, Kambi, Bougados, Aneratza and Kamari as the blaze continued to spread.

Deputy Mayor Haris Giourtzidis said authorities did not yet have ‘a clear picture of the extent of the damage’, adding: ‘So far, we know that two barns have burned down.’

He said strong, persistent winds were hampering firefighting efforts and revealed emergency crews had been forced to remove some residents from their homes after they refused to leave their animals behind.

Danny Welbeck is set for a medical at Chelsea, who have clinched another shock signing in the form of Jordan Henderson as they also get ready to announce the arrival of Maxence Lacroix. Liverpool are launching their first bid for Bradley Barcola, who wants to move to Anfield, while Manchester United remain in pursuit of a third midfielder as they target the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Manu Kone and Carlos Baleba.

The road remains closed on Thursday morning

A person has been taken to hosptial after an early morning crash in Co Armagh.

Police are appealing for information following a single-vehicle collision in the Moy Road area just before 1am on July 30.

The road remains closed to traffic on Thursday morning.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “At approximately 12.40am, a report was received of a single-vehicle collision in the Moy Road area.

“Officers along with colleagues from other emergency services attended and one person was taken to hospital for treatment for their injuries.

“Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or with CCTV or other footage that could assist with enquiries, is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference 47 30/07/26.

“The Moy Road between Drumcairn Road and Cabragh Road remains closed at this time.”

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NATO scrambled warplanes during a huge Russian attack on Ukraine, as a missile landed in Poland creating a 33ft crater.

Polish police found the crater and scattered debris in a field near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in the Lublin province, following reports of an explosion. 

The missile disappeared from army radars tracking it in domestic airspace during Russian strikes on Ukraine, authorities said on Thursday.

Poland scrambled fighter jets to secure its airspace after Russian air strikes killed at least 13 in neighbouring Ukraine, including one in Kyiv, the capital, in attacks that spread as far as the western city of Lviv.

‘An unidentified object moving westward was detected in Polish airspace,’ the operational command of the armed forces said on X, adding that it disappeared from radars soon after the sighting at 3.40am.

A Mi-24 helicopter that went to the object’s last location to verify and confirm the radar data pinpointed the likely crash site, it added.

Later, Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed the object was a missile, saying: ‘From the early morning hours, we have all been very strongly mobilised. 

‘During Russia’s massive missile attack on Ukraine, a serious incident also occurred in Poland. A missile fell in the village of Tarnowa-Kolonia. Fortunately, there are no reports of casualties or damage.’

Local residents react outside a residential building partially destroyed as a result of Russian missile strikes in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on July 30

First responders escort a wounded local resident (C) outside a residential building partially destroyed as a result of Russian missile strikes in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on July 30 

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Ukraine’s foreign ministry said a Russian cruise missile had ‘crossed into Poland’ as part an attack on Ukraine, ‘violating NATO airspace’.

The missile, which Ukraine identified as a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile, landed around 1.2 miles from the nearest buildings.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow had launched more than 70 missiles and over 280 drones at the country overnight. 

One person was killed and two more injured in the capital, emergency services said, with six more, including two children, killed in the regions ​of Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava.

In Zelensky’s hometown, the central city of Kryvyi Rih, two girls aged 5 and 12 were among ⁠six killed, with eight injured in what Oleksandr Vilkul, the city’s defence council head, said was a direct strike by a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile.

‘A dark ​night,’ Vilkul said on Telegram, adding that the missile, launched from Russia’s Voronezh region, struck the home of a large family, and warned the death toll could ​increase as emergency workers clear away rubble. 

Earlier, Zelensky had warned a massive Russian attack was likely, saying the safety of Ukrainians depended on the willingness of allies to provide anti-missile defences.

‘It is important that our partners ​fully understand what is happening and that the protection of people’s lives depends directly on their willingness,’ Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

Russia’s defence ministry said on Thursday ​its forces struck what it called military facilities across Ukraine, in areas from the capital Kyiv to Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk, as well as three cargo ships. 

The attacks come as Zelensky returns from the United States, where he said President Donald Trump agreed to give Ukraine licences for Patriot missiles. 

A man reacts near an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine July 30 

A woman reacts near an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine July 30

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Smoke rises as firefighters work to extinguish a fire at Wildberries logistics hub following a Ukrainian drone attack in the Ryazan region of Russia on July 29

A warehouse of Russian top online retailer Wildberries caught fire in the western city of Penza after Ukraine’s drone attack, regional governor Oleg ​Melnichenko said on Telegram. 

One person was injured and ​about 200 people evacuated from the ⁠site, he added, just a day after the company, which has become a frequent target of Ukraine’s attacks, evacuated another facility in central Russia. 

Another of its facilities, in Sarapul in Russia’s Udmurtia region, also caught fire after a drone attack, the company ​said separately on Thursday. 

Its losses pile on the pain for ordinary Russians, some of whom have made online sales their main ​source of income, as ⁠Ukraine continues hitting energy facilities and refineries, deepening the fuel crisis in the world’s largest country by area. 

Drone strikes have damaged nearly a dozen Wildberries warehouses recently, destroying about 10 per cent of storage capacity and inflicting losses on tens of thousands of small businesses using the platform, the company and local authorities say. 

Russia’s biggest bank, Sberbank, has warned it may ⁠have to ​boost loan-loss provisions as attacks on Wildberries hit the finances of online retailers and their suppliers. 

Russia ​downed a total of 258 drones overnight, its defence ministry said. 

That figure covers Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. 

Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war ​following Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022. 

The offer is running in every Morrisons store across the country with a cafe

According to research by Morrisons, almost half (48%) of parents have admitted they have been forced to skip meals entirely just to make ends meet and ensure their child does not go without during the summer holidays. Most often, breakfast is the number one thing cut from the menu.

In an effort to help families make their money go further this summer, Morrisons is offering a free deal to everyone until September, no questions asked. Families visiting their local Morrisons Café can enjoy a free Kellogg’s Breakfast.

The deal was recently highlighted by ITV’s This Morning regular and money specialist Jordon Cox. In an Instagram post to remind families of the deal, he said: “If you’re struggling over the school summer holidays – head down to a Morrisons Cafe.

“Anyone can claim this, although the deal is focused on helping people who may be struggling to afford keeping the kids fed/entertained over the summer. So maybe only use it if you need it!”

To redeem the offer, ask for at the cafe till for a ‘Kellogg’s Breakfast’, and staff will give you the items included in the deal for free. Alternatively, people can use touch-screen ordering kiosks in certain stores with those installed, as there will be a specific option for the free breakfast.

Matt Khan, senior trader for Morrisons Café, said: “We know that when schools close for the summer, family budgets get stretched to the absolute limit. Losing that daily routine makes it a challenging time for parents and grandparents.

“By teaming up with Kellogg’s, we want to take some of that pressure off by offering a welcoming space where families can sit down and enjoy a healthy, proper breakfast together, completely free of charge.” Andrew Ridge, social impact manager at Kellogg’s, added that the cereal company is ” incredibly proud to partner with Morrisons” to support families left feeling the pinch.

On top of the Kellogg’s Breakfast offer, Morrisons popular Kids Eat Free offer will also continue to run in all of its Cafés. This all-day offer allows families to enjoy a free meal and drink for one child aged 16 or under when they purchase an adult main meal costing over £5 from The Breakfasts and The Classics menu.

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What is included in the Kellogg’s offer?

Families can take advantage of the offer at Morrisons Cafés nationwide throughout the 2026 school holidays (running from June 29 to September 6). Limited to one per person per day, Morrisons has partnered with Kellogg’s to offer a simple yet balanced breakfast option that won’t eat into a family budget this summer.

When redeeming the offer, customers receive a complete breakfast, including a portion pack of Cornflakes (24g) or Rice Krispies (22g) with milk or a milk alternative (125ml). On top of this, the offer includes a portion of fruit (usually an apple or banana).

Mohamad Douba said a member of the mosque “noticed suspicious activity and heard what appeared to be a shooting” in the early hours of Thursday (July 30).

“They immediately contacted the police, who attended the scene promptly,” he said. “We would like to thank our brave member of the community for their quick thinking and for immediately alerting the police.”

Mr Douba said the mosque is “grateful that no one was injured, and there have been no reports of any members of our congregation, staff, volunteers or students being harmed”.

A police cordon remains in the area with the mosque closed “as a precaution” while officers work at the scene, he said.

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Mr Douba thanked police for “their swift response and for their continued support in ensuring the safety of our community”.

“We are cooperating fully with the authorities and will provide an update to the community once we have confirmation that it is safe to reopen,” he said. “We will inform everyone as soon as the mosque is ready to resume normal activities.

“The safety and wellbeing of our worshippers, students, staff, volunteers and the wider community remain our highest priority.

“We kindly ask everyone to avoid speculation and to allow the police to carry out their investigation.”

He urged anyone with information about the reported incident to contact police quoting reference number 12260145924.

Police said a 44-year-old York man, described as a white UK national, was arrested following the alleged incident and remains in custody.

Firefighters were called to a record number of incidents over the last weekend

The fire service has said crews are working in ‘punishing conditions’ after a record number of incidents last weekend. Between Friday (July 24) and Monday (July 27), firefighters were called to more than 120 incidents – significantly higher than its three-year average of 94 incidents.

Assistant chief fire officer Stuart Smith said the hot weather is putting more pressure on the service. He said: “Our crews have been worked extremely hard by the conditions over the last few days. It is common to see an increase in fires during spells of hot weather, and we do plan for this. However, the temperatures we’ve experienced, for the length of time we have, make the conditions very tough.”

Peat fires have caused a significant issue for crews. Fires like the one at the Holme Fen Nature Reserve tend to burn over several days.

Stuart added: “Peat fires present significant challenges for us, as they are often unseen, being predominantly underground. It makes not only finding and containing the fire extremely difficult, but the heat on the floor makes it very dangerous for firefighters to tackle the fire.

“Not only this, but water supplies are also often an issue, meaning we have to commit several fire engines to ensure we have enough. Our crews have been maintaining regular presence at two separate peat fires, in Whittlesey and Holme Fen. These have been especially gruelling due to the amount of incidents crews are attending and the severe heat.”

Residents are being urged to stay fire safe. Stuart said: “We know during the school summer holidays, especially when the weather is hot like this, people want to make the most of it. We just want to highlight that everyone can do this safely just by thinking beforehand and following a few of our fire safety tips.

“Having a barbecue is a great way to get together with family and friends, but they can easily lead to a fire if people don’t follow some basic safety tips. Things like keeping the area supervised and lighting the barbecue away from fencing, buildings and garden furniture, keeping a bucket of water close by, and only disposing of the charcoal ashes once completely cooled.”

Leading celebrity publicist Neil Reading, described as ‘quietly magnificent’ and a ‘one-off’, has died aged 56.

The entertainment PR to the stars, who founded Neil Reading PR,died after a short illness.

During his career, he represented a whole host of high-profile clients including comedians Dawn French, John Cleese, the late Victoria Wood, as well as John Bishop, Sir Lenny Henry, Paul McKenna and Jason Manford.

In a heartfelt tribute, the French and Saunders star said: ‘Neil Reading was a one-off, such a kind, decent, intelligent man, a proper gentleman in the old-fashioned way, quietly magnificent.’

Sharing how they built ‘a very real and trusting friendship’, she added: ‘He has been my ally and fierce protector through so much and for so long. I don’t quite know how I’ll manage without him. Sleep tight darlin’ heart.’

Meanwhile, Manford praised him as a ‘trusted friend of almost 20 years, a confidant and one of the most loyal, noble, brilliant men I have ever known.’

Reading has built a well-respected reputation for himself across the TV industry since launching his agency in 1992. Neil Reading PR also launched a string of West End shows including High Society, Only Fools and Horses, and Fawlty Towers – The Play.

Bishop said: ‘Neil was a true gentleman. He was too humble to realise how much he meant to people and I know he will be greatly missed’ while McKenna called him ‘one of the finest people I’ve ever known’.

Another of his clients, Monty Python’s Cleese, called him ‘a very kind, protective, sensible and caring man, who looked after his clients with great skill’ and concluded he shall ‘miss him very much’.

Piers Morgan shared that it was ‘incredibly sad news’. He continued; ‘Neil was a a brilliant PR man, one of the very best in the business who really cared about his clients.

‘He was also fantastic fun, I had so many great times with him over the years. My deepest condolences to all his family.’

‘Saddened to hear that Neil Reading has died, shockingly young, much love to his wife and daughter – he was so much more than a “PR guru” he cared so much about his clients and was decent and honest, a gentleman and a friend,’ BBC contributor David Yelland echoed.

‘Neil Reading was honest, hard working, loyal and a true professional. He was also great fun. Most of all he was devoted to his family,’ Keir Simmons shared.

Fellow PR man Neil Wallis called him ‘a brilliant, true, loyal, brave & wonderful friend’, sharing it was ‘so so sad. I’m bereft, as will be anyone who had the joy of knowing him & being his friend.’

He is survived by his wife Claire and daughter Rosa.

The number of people who have died after a powerful earthquake hit southwestern Japan has risen to 34, authorities in Kumamoto prefecture said on Thursday.

Rescuers are still working to find survivors after the magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu island on Tuesday, causing widespread damage to houses and power lines.

Several people died after part of a shopping centre collapsed and an explosion ripped through the mall about an hour later.

Thousands of displaced residents are now staying in evacuation centres – though the challenge is to keep them cool and hydrated as the region battles sweltering heat.

Temperatures could reach 39C in the prefecture in the coming days, according to forecasts, with officials urging survivors and rescuers to take precautions against heatstroke.

On Wednesday, Japan’s defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the delivery of 300 air conditioners to Kumamoto, with 150 of the units bound for evacuation centres.

Around 9,000 displaced residents have been put up in evacuation centres, and more than 30,000 households were out of power as of Wednesday.

Yukiya Sanoue, who works at one of the centres, told the BBC that heat stroke was the biggest concern at his facility, which hosts about 1,000 people. About 30% of the people at his evacuation centre are senior citizens.

He said their electricity and water supplies had stopped since the earthquake, and the centre had been without air conditioning until Wednesday afternoon when they received a generator.

Quite a few people are suffering from conditions similar to heatstroke, and several have been taken to hospital, he said.

More than 100 aftershocks have been recorded since the initial quake, and many have taken to sleeping in their cars for fear of further tremors.