ALBANIA: Police clashed with protesters yesterday as an anti-government demonstration, part of protests triggered by plans for a luxury coastal development linked to Jared Kushner, turned violent.

Police fired tear gas and pepper spray at protesters pelting them with rocks and eggs, with authorities reporting 12 officers injured and 18 protesters detained.

The “flamingo revolution” protests, now in their second month, have grown into broader political demonstrations against Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government.

SYRIA: At least four people were killed after an explosive device was detonated in a Damascus cafe yesterday, Syria’s Interior Ministry said, with 10 others injured in the blast near the main courthouse complex.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, as security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation.

Syria’s new rulers say they have been cracking down on Isis militants since taking power in December 2024 to prevent attacks in and around the capital.

FRANCE: Wildfires raged in the south of France yesterday after weeks of dry weather and record temperatures, devastating large swaths of land with the biggest fire spreading across the Aude and Herault regions.

Up to 800 firefighters and 150 vehicles were deployed to tackle the flames covering over 900 hectares, with additional water-bomber aircraft sent to the site.

No rain is forecast and high temperatures are expected to continue, with plants under severe water stress and strong winds blowing across the Mediterranean.

PAPUA: An insurgent group said yesterday it shot dead a US pilot who allegedly transported Indonesian troops into the restive province of Papua, with the West Papua Liberation Army claiming its fighters killed Nicholas F Goselin and set fire to his aircraft.

The Indonesian military denied the plane was carrying troops, saying the seven passengers were indigenous Papuan civilians who were unharmed.

The decades-old insurgency has spiked in the past year, with groups previously targeting foreign pilots in the former Dutch colony.