The deliberate act of setting fire to property
Wildfires across Wales and parts of Britain have prompted emergency alerts and military assistance. Fire crews are battling multiple blazes, evacuations continue, and authorities urge the public to avoid actions that could spark fires. Prime Minister Burnham has urged serious adherence to the alert.
Sunao Takami, 58, has been hanged after being convicted for the 2009 Osaka pachinko-parlour arson that killed five and injured ten. Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi says the punishment reflects “careful and thorough considerations” amid ongoing global scrutiny of capital punishment. Takami’s execution is the first under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government and comes as Japan faces renewed calls for transparency.
Two Cleveland police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, have been killed after a Volkswagen Passat driving the wrong way on the A66 near South Bank collided with their marked armed response vehicle at about 03:39 BST. Five occupants of the Passat also died. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an investigation and police have arrested people in related enquiries.
A major blaze at Caldyne Business Park near Crawley has damaged hundreds of vehicles, cut power to thousands of homes and businesses, and prompted an arson investigation. Authorities say eight fire engines and water carriers tackled the scene; a 67-year-old man is in custody on suspicion of arson and has been bailed.
Four men have pleaded guilty to destroying four Hatzola ambulances parked near a Golders Green synagogue on 23 March, a blaze that caused about a31 million of damage and injured no reported patients. The defendants have been remanded and will be sentenced in spring 2027 after a related trial concludes; a fifth man denies assisting an offender.
A large fire at the Grand Burstin Hotel on Folkestone’s Marine Parade has led to the evacuation of about 280 guests. Emergency services believe the blaze started in the basement. A welfare centre has been set up as investigations continue and residents are being relocated.
Amnesty International has urged Algeria to abandon plans to expand the death penalty after deadly wildfires and President Tebboune's push to amend the Penal Code to include arson and other crimes. While authorities report 12 deaths, rights groups say casualties are higher and accuse the government of politicising the crisis. The government is examining draft amendments; Amnesty calls for a moratorium toward abolition.
France has imposed curfews, local protest bans and increased police deployments after riots on October 17 that saw looting, arson and widespread clashes. President Emmanuel Macron has convened a defence council and blamed organised ultra-left groups for sedition. Authorities have arrested thousands and have promised a larger security operation for upcoming demonstrations.
Around 80 international volunteers and rabbis have been detained by Israeli forces while harvesting olives near Nahalin, west of Bethlehem. Brad Lander, a Democratic congressional nominee from New York, has been released with a warning; dozens of others — including US, British and Canadian citizens — have remained held while police and the military review whether the harvest lacked required coordination.
Protests across France have intensified over the cost of living, education funding, and public spending. Authorities are imposing curfews, gathering bans, and increased police deployments as demonstrations widen and violence erupts in several cities.
A blast in Athens’s Plaka district has killed six people, including four Americans. Investigators say suspects removed copper piping from a gas line to sell for scrap, triggering a major gas leak and the fatal explosion. Warrants have been issued for the three suspects on charges of arson, manslaughter and related offences.