Meridian Point

A major wildfire has scorched around 2,700 hectares in Belgium’s High Fens nature reserve, forcing about 600 people to evacuate. More than 250 emergency personnel and firefighting helicopters are battling the blaze as it spreads toward Germany.

Indonesia has declared a 14-day emergency response after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Flores Island, killing at least 47 people. Search and rescue operations continue as thousands remain displaced and hundreds of buildings have been damaged.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella asked US President Donald Trump to temporarily suspend high tariffs on Colombia during a phone call following the devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake. He also thanked Trump for US support with rescue and relief efforts as the death toll reached 294.

Syrian Airlines has resumed direct flights between Damascus and Moscow after more than 1.5 years, with the first flight landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on Sunday. Flights are expected to operate weekly on Sundays.

US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper has completed a 10-day Middle East tour that took him to Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, along with a visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.

Cooper met senior military and government officials and visited US service members deployed across the region. CENTCOM says more than 50,000 US personnel are operating across the Middle East.

Israel says it killed Abu Hassan Alaa, described by the Israeli army as a senior Hezbollah commander in the group's “Badder Unit,” during a strike in Ansar municipality in southern Lebanon.

The claim comes amid renewed Israeli military activity in Lebanon and growing tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. Hezbollah has not yet publicly responded to the Israeli military's claim.

A tourist bus carrying Polish passengers crashed and overturned on Hungary’s M3 motorway near Mezokeresztes, killing 12 people and leaving dozens injured. The bus was travelling from Serbia toward Poland with 57 passengers and two drivers when it veered off the highway and landed in a ditch.

Russia says around 600 drones targeted the Moscow region overnight, with 201 reportedly destroyed over the region. Authorities said attacks elsewhere in Russia left at least six people dead, while several others were wounded.

Iran’s parliament is set to review a proposed “Smart Management Plan” for the Strait of Hormuz alongside a bill targeting foreign influence, as Tehran and Oman continue talks on a new shipping route framework for the strategic waterway.