TAIWAN: A delegation of US politicians arrived on the self-governing island yesterday, just 12 days after a visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that prompted China to launch days of military drills.

The five-member delegation, led by Democratic senator Ed Markey, will meet President Tsai Ing-wen and other officials, as well as members of the private sector, to discuss tensions in the Taiwan Strait and investments in semiconductors.

SPAIN: A large wildfire in north-east Spain grew rapidly overnight and was burning out of control yesterday, forcing the evacuation of eight villages and 1,500 people in Zaragoza province, firefighters said.

The head of the local Aragon government, Javier Lamban, said Sunday that the situation was critical in the town of Anon de Moncayo and the priority for the 300 firefighters fighting the blaze was to protect human lives and villages.

Those who fled took shelter in three different sports centres in nearby towns.

KENYA: The presidential election saw a brief disruption when riot police responded to scuffles at the national tallying centre amid tensions over the close results.

An agent for longtime opposition leader and candidate Raila Odinga announced from the lectern that the tallying centre was the “scene of a crime” before calm was restored late Saturday. It was the latest example of unverified claims of corruption from both top campaigns.

The electoral commission has seven days from Tuesday’s election to announce results.

UKRAINE: A UN-chartered ship loaded with 23,000 metric tons of grain destined for Ethiopia set sail Sunday from a Black Sea port, the first shipment of its kind in a programme to assist countries facing famine.

The Liberia-flagged Brave Commander departed Yuzhne, east of Odessa, according to regional governor Maksym Marchenko. It plans to sail to Djibouti, where the grain will be unloaded and transferred to Ethiopia, which is one of five countries that the UN considers at risk of starvation.