Hawaii’s governor has warned that dozens more could be dead on the island of Maui following devastating wildfires – which have already claimed the lives of 96 people.
“We are prepared for many tragic stories,” Governor Josh Green told US media on Monday.
“They will find 10 to 20 people per day, probably, until they finish. And it’s probably going to take 10 days. It’s impossible to guess, really.”
Cadaver dogs and dozens of searchers have been sweeping through homes and buildings reduced to ash by the wildfires.
“Right now, they’re going street by street, block by block between cars, and soon they’ll start to enter buildings,” Jeff Hickman, director of public affairs for the Hawaii Department of Defence told NBC’s Today.
Image: Pic: AP
Image: Donated clothes are gathered in a car park in Lahaina, Hawaii. Pic: AP
Fires continue to burn on the island, including one wildfire in the centrally located Upcountry area, which is still only 60% contained.
Hot spots in ditches and other hard to reach places have made controlling the fire difficult, according to officials in their latest update.
Firefighters say the Lahaina blaze is now 85% contained, while wildfires in the Pulehu and Kaanapali areas have now been 100% contained.
The town of Lahaina has been the worst hit area, with nearly every building in the town of 13,000 people destroyed.
Advertisement
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:38
Hawaii fires: Teens film escape into sea
Hotels are being made available for locals who have been displaced by the fire – while aid workers will also be put up in rooms as the recovery efforts continue.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has started to provide $700 (£550) to displaced residents to cover the cost of food, water, first aid and medical supplies, agency administrator Deanne Criswell said Monday.
“We’re not taking anything off the table, and we’re going to be very creative in how we use our authorities to help build communities and help people find a place to stay for the longer term,” Criswell said.
British rock star Mick Fleetwood, who has lived in Hawaii for decades, described the situation in Lahaina as “catastrophic”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
5:24
‘Catastrophic’ Hawaii wildfires
The Fleetwood Mac drummer told Sky News that the disaster had been “an incredible shock for everyone” – and described the scene as “complete devastation”.
Fleetwood revealed he was in LA visiting family when the fires broke out but flew back immediately, bringing supplies with him.
His house was untouched but the town of Lahaina, where he owns a popular restaurant, has been decimated.
His restaurant, Fleetwood’s on Front St, was about to celebrate its 11th anniversary this week – but it has been destroyed by the blaze, and many of his staff have lost everything.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:19
Hawaii wildfire: Oprah visits victims
Gusts of up to 85mph and dry conditions helped fuel the flames and prevented helicopters aiding the efforts of firefighters to contain the blaze, according to officials.
Experts say a lot of the landscape of Maui is now covered in “highly flammable grass species” as people have moved away from farming, while others have warned climate change is increasing the likelihood of more extreme weather.
The five deadliest wildfires in US history
1871: Peshtigo, Wisconsin – 1,152
1918: Cloquet, Minnesota – 453
1894: Hinckley, Minnesota – 418
1881: Thumb, Michigan – 282
2023: Maui, Hawaii – 96 (final toll yet to be confirmed)
Source: National Fire Protection Association
The fire is the deadliest wildfire that the US has seen in more than 100 years – surpassing the 85 who died in California’s Camp Fire in 2018 – while Governor Green said it was the largest natural disaster the US state had ever faced.
The deadliest fire in US history was in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, in 1871, which killed more than 1,150 people.
Image: Nicolas Sarkozy leaves his house with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Pic: Reuters
Hundreds of supporters chanted “Nicolas, Nicolas” and sang the French national anthem as he left his home this morning and stepped into the car that would take him to jail.
It caps a stunning downfall of the man who led France between 2007 and 2012.
Sarkozy’s sons and daughter, Jean, Pierre, Louis and Giulia, and his grandchildren showed up at the gathering.
As he prepared to begin his prison term, he posted a message on social media repeating his claims that he is an “innocent man” and said he feels a “deep sorrow for France”.
He will be the first former French leader to be jailed since Nazi collaborator Marshal Philippe Petain after the Second World War.
In his statement, Sarkozy said: “As I prepare to cross the walls of La Sante prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions,” he said.
“I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that it is not a former President of the Republic who is being locked up this morning, it is an innocent person.”
He added: “I feel deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by the expression of a vengeance that has taken hatred to an unprecedented level. I have no doubt. The truth will triumph. But the price to pay will have been crushing.”
Image: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy kisses his wife Carla Brun-Sarkozy. Pic: Reuters
Parisian resident Michelle Perie, 67, said she came out to support “because there is anger, injustice”.
“He’s not like any other defendants, he’s someone who holds state secrets, he’s someone who has always done his job with his head held high. We don’t understand,” she said.
Sarkozy’s lawyers said he will be held in solitary confinement, where he will be kept away from all other prisoners for security reasons.
The former president told French newspaper Le Figaro he would take three books with him, including Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, in which the hero escapes from an island prison before seeking revenge.
A man who shot and badly wounded Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has been given a 21-year jail sentence after being found guilty of terrorism charges.
Juraj Cintula, 72, opened fire on Mr Fico in May 2024, hitting him five times from little more than a one-metre distance as the prime minister greeted supporters in the central Slovak town of Handlová.
Cintula, who was acting alone, said he had not intended to kill Mr Fico and claimed his motive was that he disagreed with government policies.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:58
Robert Fico
The Slovakian leader, 64, was seriously injured in the attack. He was struck in the abdomen and also sustained wounds to his hip, hand and foot. He was rushed to hospital and immediately underwent five-hour long surgery.
Mr Fico has since recovered and made his first public appearance a few months after the attack.
The shooting and subsequent trial have shaken this small, European Union and NATO-member country, where populist Mr Fico has long been a divisive figure. He’s often been criticised for straying from Slovakia’s pro-Western path and aligning it closer to Russia.
Image: Protesters at a march called “Slovakia is Europe” in Bratislava, May 9, 2025. Pic: Martin Baumann/TASR via AP
Cintula was arrested immediately after the attack. When questioned by investigators, he rejected the accusation of being a “terrorist”.
In testimony read out at his trial, Cintula stated: “I decided to harm the health of the prime minister but I had no intention to kill anyone.”
He added that he was relieved when he learned the prime minister survived.
Image: Protesters against new consolidation of Slovak government in Bratislava, Sept. 11, 2025. Pic: Martin Baumann/TASR via AP
“The defendant did not attack a citizen, but specifically the prime minister,” Igor Králik, the head of the three-judge panel, said in delivering the verdict.
“He was against the government, he was inciting people to overthrow the government.”
Cintula can still appeal the verdict, but it was not immediately clear if he would do so.
In the aftermath of the attack, Mr Fico said he “had no reason to believe” the attack was the work of just one person and repeatedly blamed the liberal opposition and media for the assassination attempt. There is no evidence for that.
The Slovak leader had previously said he “had no reason to believe” it was an attack by a lone deranged person.
He repeatedly blamed the liberal opposition and media for the assassination attempt, although no evidence was provided for these claims.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:46
Slovak PM shooting suspect’s home raided
Populist Mr Fico returned to power for the fourth time after his leftist Smer, or Direction, party won the 2023 parliamentary election after campaigning on a pro-Russia and anti-American message.
Thousands have repeatedly rallied in Bratislava and across Slovakia to protest Fico’s pro-Russian stance and other policies.
Japan’s parliament has voted in the country’s first ever female prime minister.
Sanae Takaichi won 237 votes in the 465-seat lower chamber of parliament, and is also set to secure a majority in the less powerful upper house before being sworn in later today.
Tuesday’s votes came after her Liberal Democratic Party agreed to a coalition with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party yesterday.
The last-minute deal came after the Liberal Democrats lost its longterm partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito, which has a more centrist stance.
Incumbent prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, of Ms Takaichi’s party, announced his resignation last month.
Image: The new prime minister stands and bows after the vote. Pic: AP
While Ms Takaichi’s election marks the shattering of a glass ceiling for Japan, it also marks a sharp tack to the right.
She is a staunchly conservative figure who cites Margaret Thatcher as an inspiration, and comes to power at a time when the country is increasingly worried about the cost of living and immigration.
Japan is currently grappling with rising prices that have sparked public anger, fuelling support for oppositions groups including the far-right Sanseito party.
Image: Japanese lawmakers electing the new PM at the Lower House of Parliament in Tokyo. Pic: Reuters
Ms Takaichi’s untested alliance is still short of a majority in both houses of parliament and she will need to win over other opposition groups to pass any legislation – which could make her government unstable.
She said at Monday’s signing ceremony: “Political stability is essential right now. Without stability, we cannot push measures for a strong economy or diplomacy.”
While she is Japan’s first female PM, Ms Takaichi has previously shown she is in no rush to promote gender equality or diversity.
She is among the Japanese politicians who have stonewalled measures for women’s advancements and she supports the imperial family’s male-only succession, while opposing same-sex marriage and allowing separate surnames for married couples.