A growing wildfire in California is threatening the largest grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park. The Washburn Fire has doubled in size over the past 24 hours, and it is now estimated to have burned 1,591 acres. Firefighters are working in difficult terrain to protect some of the largest and oldest redwood trees in the world. Residents and campers near the fire have been evacuated, and thick smoke has worsened the region’s air quality and obscured the park’s scenic views. The blaze, which started on 7 July, threatens at least 500 giant sequoias in the Mariposa Grove, including the famed Grizzly Giant which is thought to be around 3,000 years old. For now, none of them have been destroyed by the fire. The Yosemite fire and aviation management department said it was “proactively protecting” the grove by setting up a sprinkler system to increase humidity around the trees and by removing potential fuels from the site.(BBC)…[+]

At least 10 people have been killed in an operation by the Colombian security forces targeting a group of rebels who rejected the 2016 peace deal. The joint police and military operation was targeting a man known as Iván Mordisco, who leads a breakaway faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). Police said they had information that Mordisco was in the camp. It is not yet clear if he was among those killed in the attack. Colombian media reports that the Air Force first bombed the camp in the southern Caquetá region before almost 300 soldiers and police moved in. The operation, dubbed Jupiter, had reportedly been planned for two months. Those killed have not yet been identified but officials said they were six men and four women who belonged to the dissident Farc rebel group. The Farc are Marxist rebels who waged a bloody war against the Colombian government for more than five decades. They signed a peace deal with the government in 2016 and the majority of its fighters laid down their arms. However, some of its members did not agree with the terms of the peace process and continued fighting.(BBC)…[+]

Shares in Twitter fell on Monday after Elon Musk announced he was pulling out of a $44bn (£36bn) deal to buy the social media platform. Mr Musk backed away after claiming Twitter failed to provide enough information on the number of spam and fake accounts on the site. Twitter plans to take legal action to make the deal go ahead and has hired a top US law firm. Mr Musk tweeted saying Twitter would need to “disclose bot info” in court.

The multi-billionaire then tweeted a picture showing American actor and martial artist Chuck Norris at a chessboard, with a follow up post saying “Chuckmate”. Twitter’s share price stood at about $34.40 in early Monday trading – falling further below the $54.20-a-share takeover price agreed by Mr Musk and Twitter’s board in April. It is the first time investors have been able to react to Mr Musk announcement on Friday that he wanted to pull out of the deal. Mr Musk – who is also the boss of electric car firm Tesla – announced plans to buy Twitter in April, but the deal was put on hold a month later due a row over the number of fake accounts on the platform. The original merger agreement includes a $1bn (£830m) break-up fee, but instead of pushing for Mr Musk to pay the sum, Twitter wants the businessman to compete the deal. “The Twitter board is committed to closing the transaction on the price and terms agreed upon with Mr Musk,” its chairman Bret Taylor wrote in a tweet.(BBC)…[+]