Briefly

UNITED STATES

Maui County sues utility over wildfires

The county of Maui, Hawaii, on Thursday sued Hawaiian Electric accusing the company of acting negligently by failing to shut down its equipment despite warnings that hurricane winds could knock power lines down, sparking wildfires. Maui said downed power lines started the wildfires that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina earlier this month, killing at least 115 people. Early estimates of the damage have been pegged as high as $5 billion for one of the fires, which burned through Lahaina.

GREECE

Nation tries to tame blazes raging for days

Firefighters struggled on Thursday against strong winds and hot, dry conditions to tame multiple wildfires ravaging Greece for six days, including one in the country's northeast that officials say is the largest recorded in the European Union. The wildfires have left 20 people dead. Eighteen of those, including two boys aged between 10 and 15, are believed to be migrants who crossed the nearby border with Turkiye. Sixty firefighters have been injured.

NEW ZEALAND

Ex-leader ordered to pay $3.9m after firm collapse

Former prime minister Jenny Shipley has been ordered by the highest court to pay $3.9 million plus interest as compensation for her role in the collapse of a construction company, a judgment released on Friday said. Shipley was New Zealand's first female prime minister holding the role from 1997 to 1999. She was chair of the board of construction firm Mainzeal when the company was placed in liquidation in 2013 after a number of years of financial difficulty.

Agencies via Xinhua