Dozens killed seeking aid in Gaza as Israel weighs further military action

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Local health officials say at least 38 Palestinians were killed overnight and during the day in the Gaza Strip while seeking aid from United Nations convoys and sites run by an Israeli-backed American contractor. The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had fired warning shots when crowds approached its forces. Another 25 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes. That’s according to local hospitals in Gaza. The latest deaths came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to announce further military action — and possibly plans for Israel to fully reoccupy Gaza. Experts say Israel’s ongoing military offensive and blockade are already pushing the territory of some 2 million Palestinians into famine.

France’s biggest wildfire of the summer has eclipsed the size of Paris and is still spreading

PARIS (AP) — Authorities say France’s biggest wildfire this summer is spreading quickly in a Mediterranean region near the Spanish border after leaving one person dead. French Prime Minister François Bayrou deplored a “disaster on an unprecedented scale” in the region. Authorities said the fire damaged a swath of land as big as Paris overnight. Thirteen people, including 11 firefighters, are injured. Over 2,100 firefighters are fighting the blaze that broke out Tuesday in a village in the Aude region. Scientists warn that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of fires. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent.

Trump envoy Witkoff meets Putin ahead of Russia-Ukraine peace deadline

(AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. A meeting between Putin and Witkoff lasted about three hours on Wednesday. Neither side gave an immediate readout of the talks. The meeting comes days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine. Russia potentially faces severe economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil. Trump’s deadline for Putin ends on Friday. Washington has threatened severe tariffs and other penalties if the conflict in Ukraine continues.

China fights mosquito-borne chikungunya virus with drones, fines and nets

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Chinese authorities are battling a chikungunya virus outbreak using nets, insecticide, and drones. The mosquito-borne virus has infected over 7,000 people, mainly in the southern Chinese manufacturing hub of Foshan. An expert says the outbreak appears to be the largest ever documented in China. Most of the population had no immunity, making it easier for the virus to spread quickly. Authorities are spraying insecticide and using drones to find standing water where mosquitoes breed. Heavy rains and high temperatures have worsened the crisis. The U.S. has issued a travel advisory for China’s Guangdong province, where Foshan is located.