ICELAND

FM says nation may join EU by 2028

Iceland's Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir said on Wednesday she is optimistic her country could join the European Union as early as 2028, adding she expects fisheries and agriculture to be the toughest points of negotiation. The Icelandic government has proposed holding a referendum on Aug 29 on resuming EU membership negotiations, a process froze in 2013 when a more euroskeptic government took power. A rise in the cost of living, Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as US threats to annex Greenland have renewed Iceland's interest in joining the bloc, polls have shown.

CHAD

Sudan border closed after deadly attack

Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno ordered the "complete closure" of the border after an emergency security meeting on Wednesday evening following a deadly drone attack along the Chad-Sudan border, according to a statement issued by the Chadian presidency. Local media reported that 16 people were killed. The president also ordered the National Army to retaliate against any attack originating from Sudan, it added. Chad shares a long border with Sudan, which has been engulfed in conflict since 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

MALAWI

13 dead in days of heavy rain and floods

Malawi's government said on Thursday that at least 13 people had died in four days of heavy rain and flooding across the donor-dependent southern African country. So far, 9,598 households have been affected by the rains and flooding. The disaster management department has begun distributing aid to affected households. It is asking for financial support and technical assistance from local and international partners.

INDIA

Massive building fire kills at least 9 people

At least nine people were killed and three others injured on Wednesday in a devastating fire inside a multistory building in the Indian capital city Delhi, police said. The fire broke out in a clothes and cosmetics shop inside a four-story building at Ram Chowk Market near Palam area of the city. "The deceased were identified as two men, four women and three children," said a senior police official Abhimanyu Poswal. He said forensic and crime teams are investigating the cause.