Reuters

TORONTO (Reuters) - An evacuation alert has been issued for Fort McMurray, Alberta, as an out-of-control fire rages southwest of the Canadian oil town, making it among the first actions ahead of the wildfire season.

In a notice late on Friday night, the Alberta government said the wildfire danger is "extreme" in the Fort McMurray Forest Area.

It said strong winds are expected on Saturday, as a cold front continues to pass over the... (continue reading...)

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Five people were killed and nine wounded in three separate Ukrainian drone and artillery strikes on the Russian border provinces of Belgorod and Kursk, and the city of Donetsk, which Russia claims to have annexed, local officials said on Saturday.

Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed head of east Ukraine's Donetsk region, said in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app that three civilians had been killed and eight more injured... (continue reading...)

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Eight more Chinese cities have joined a scheme allowing their residents to travel to Hong Kong on their own, rather than as part of a tour group, as part of efforts to boost Hong Kong's economy.

Hong Kong is battling to revive its economy following a national security crackdown and COVID-related controls, which led to many local and expats leaving the city and caused tourist numbers to dwindle to a fraction of pre-pandemic levels.... (continue reading...)

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The death toll from heavy rains in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state has climbed to 136, local civil defense said on Saturday, up from 126 in the previous day, while another 125 people remain unaccounted for.

Storms and floods battering the South American country's southernmost state, home to some 10.9 million people, have also left almost 340,000 displaced, according to the local civil defense.

... (continue reading...)

(Please not strong language in paragraph 7)

By Gabriella Borter, Joseph Ax and Andrew Hay

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Weeks after attending a pro-Palestinian demonstration, Egyptian-American student Layla Sayed received a text message from a friend drawing her attention to a website dedicated to exposing people it says promote hatred of Jews and Israel.

"I think they found you from the protest," the friend wrote.