Even as talks broke down on Thursday between finance ministers of the European Union and Greece, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande said a debt deal for Greece would have to be finalised on Saturday. "We have to keep working because time is pressing and the eurogroup on Saturday will have a decisive importance," said Merkel, at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels. Talks between the EU and Greece have gone on for months but have not found a solution to creating a bailout agreement for the ailing Greek economy. The country is currently facing a default on loans from the International Monetary Fund as well as various other creditors and could see an economic collapse if it fails to secure a bailout.
Iran N-deal deadline could be extended: US
A US official has indicated on Thursday that talks to secure a historic nuclear deal with Iran could slip past a 30 June deadline, ahead of negotiations in Vienna. The official has indicated that the target date to finalise the deal could shift by a few days. Under a previously agreed framework finalised earlier this year in Lausanne, Iran will curtail its nuclear activities in return for sanctions imposed by the UN and Western nations to be progressively lifted.
EU to relocated 40,000 migrants from Italy, Greece
Leaders from the European Union on Thursday agreed to relocate 40,000 migrants had arrived in Italy and Greece after holding late-night talks in Brussels. Announcing the decision, summit chairman Donald Tusk said the migrants would be relocated to other EU states over the next two years but there will be no mandatory quotas for each country. New figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees show that 63,000 migrants have arrived in Greece by sea this year and 62,000 in Italy. "Interior ministers will finalise the scheme by the end of July," said Tusk. The EU has also agreed to resettle another 20,000 refugees from outside.
More than 1,000 dead in Karachi heatwave
The death toll from a deadly heatwave that has unleashed itself across Karachi for a week reached 1,000 on Thursday. Even as temperatures as high 45 degrees Celsius, dropped to under 38 degrees Celsius hospitals continued to see a high number of patients desperate for treatment. Reports added that morgues had run short of space, while hospitals were filled to capacity. More than 14,000 people have gone to government and private hospitals in the city, increasing the strain on the city's health system greatly.
Nine dead in Alaska plane crash
Nine people died in southeast Alaska on Thursday as an excursion plane crashed due to unknown reasons, officials said. Recovery of the bodies of all nine people who were on the plane was being hampered by stormy weather, they added. Heavy rains and wind forced the recovery efforts to be abandoned on Thursday night but officials said they would mount a recovery attempt again on Friday.