Malibu home engulfed in flames

Spain is on alert for wildfires as a heatwave that has enveloped southeastern Europe in recent days shifts west. Temperatures are forecast to reach highs of around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in much of the Iberian peninsula in the coming days. As firefighters try to extinguish a fire in Tarragona, forestry agents try to prevent a new fire from breaking out near Barcelona amid the worst heat wave in nearly 20 years.

Violent forest fires have been raging in the Var region of southern France where thousands of people have been evacuated including tourists from campsites. The fires are spreading at a speed of 4km per hour and hundreds of firefighters are battling the blaze in windy conditions.

Fires sweep through a forest in Chiquitania, a transition zone between the Amazon and the Gran Chaco lowlands in eastern Bolivia, where large blazes have already ravaged at least 200,000 hectares, according to reports from local authorities.

Little is left of abandoned residences at Creekside Mobile Home Park after the Cache fire ripped through the Californian city of Clearlake. Authorities had gone door-to-door urging people to flee the quickly developing blaze, one of several fires ravaging the western state. The last decade has seen a huge rise in the number of wildfires in the west of the United States. Climate change linked to the burning of fossil fuels has made the region dryer and hotter for longer, creating ideal conditions for the blazes to rage.

Russia's central regions are battling "extreme" wildfires fuelled by an unusual heatwave that comes after forest fires linked to climate change ravaged Siberia for most of the summer.

Olympic athlete and transgender reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner meets with California voters two weeks before the election against incumbent Democrat Gavin Newsom. "I love a good fight", says the Republican candidate who promises to "lower taxes, less regulations, build a pro-business environment".

Once a star of Silicon Valley, biotech company founder Elizabeth Holmes is facing several counts of fraud. Prosecutors have accused her of "lying and cheating" in opening arguments.

California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has successfully fended off an attempt to topple him in a recall election. Republicans had tried to unseat him over his policies on immigration, COVID-19 and crime.

This week, the governor of California decisively defeated a Republican campaign to remove him from office. Gavin Newsom easily survived the recall election, leaving dozens of challengers far behind. The victory sends a strong message that California voters are still behind Newsom and the traditional polices of the deeply Democratic state. We take a closer look at the recall mechanism.

Hundreds of firefighters are battling the Windy Fire to protect several groves of giant sequoias in the United States. The fire has already charred 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares), and a number of separate fires are converging on the California woodland that is home to the huge trees.

The town of Greenville, California was completely burned to the ground almost two months ago when the Dixie Fire tore through the area. Buildings lay in ruins, cars sit scorched and trees stand charred after what the governer called a "climate-induced" wildfire. Climate change amplifies droughts, creating ideal conditions for wildfires to spread out of control and inflict unprecedented material and environmental damage.

An oil spill in Southern California closed beaches and led authorities to cancel the last day of the Pacific Air Show. At least 126,000 gallons (98,420 liters) of oil spilled off the coast of Orange County.