World News: Firefighters battle to contain wildfires in western Türkiye for second day

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Western Türkiye is battling massive wildfires driven by extreme heat and strong winds, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate from five regions across the country.

Wildfires in Izmir province are entering their third day, fueled by scorching temperatures and winds reaching 40 to 50 kilometers per hour.

The province's airport was briefly closed, and over 50-thousand residents from 41 settlements have been evacuated.

More than 1,000 personnel are involved in firefighting efforts; however, dense smoke and strong winds are hampering aerial extinguishing efforts.

Türkiye's Forestry Minister warned that the situation may worsen without a drop in temperature and wind speeds.

Emergency services remain on alert, with resources being shifted to vulnerable coastal areas.

The blazes form a part of a wider Western Europe heatwave, with temperatures across the region running 5 to 10 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms.

Denmark's parliament has approved extending its compulsory conscription to women starting July 1, placing them on equal footing with men in the national draft lottery.

Until now, only male citizens were subject to mandatory service, whereas women could join voluntarily.

The reform brings forward plans originally set for 2027, due to security concerns amid Russian aggression and NATO defense commitments.

Under the new policy, all women turning 18 after June 30 will enter the draft pool of the lottery system alongside men.

Denmark plans to increase its annual number of conscripts from 4,700 to 6,500 by 2033.

Service duration is also being extended from four to eleven months.

In the U.S., the annual T-Rex World Championship races were held at Emerald Downs racecourse in Washington State on Sunday, where more than 300 people competed dressed as Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaurs.

The championship includes the men's, women's and children's races.

Some participants also parachuted onto the tracks while dressed as dinos.

The races will be shown in full on ESPN2 later this summer.

The event began in 2017 as a team-building activity for a pest control company.

Choi Chi-hee, Arirang News.