There were two people killed and 11 wounded in Toronto in a wave of gun violence during Canada Day weekend, June 30-July 1.
On July 22, a gunman opened fire on a restaurant in the Greektown neighborhood of Toronto, killing two people and injuring 13. Later killed in a shootout with police, the gunman was identified on July 23, but no motive was known as of press time. Islamist militant group Daesh claimed the shooter was one of its "soldiers."
A group of foreigners traveling through Tajikistan by bicycle were rammed by a van on July 30, leaving four of them dead, including two Americans, and three others injured, one of whom was stabbed during the attack.
Tajikistan security forces identified the attackers and, in attempting to arrest them, killed four. One suspected attacker was detained. Daesh claimed the men were members of that group.
A man armed with a knife attacked passengers on a public bus in Lübeck, Germany, on July 20, injuring 14, two critically. The attacker was identified as a German-born man of Iranian descent. No motive was known as of press time, but police do not believe the attacker was an adherent of radical Islam.
A magnitude-6.4 earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Lombok on July 29, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 330.
The quake caused a number of landslides to occur on Mount Rinjani, a popular hiking spot, blocking routes down the mountain. Indonesian authorities air-dropped supplies to more than 800 hikers who had become stranded. All of those hikers were rescued within a few days.
Record-setting rains in western Japan caused flooding and landslides in early July, resulting in the deaths of more than 200 people, with dozens still unaccounted for as of press time.
More than two million people were evacuated as rivers flowed over their banks. By July 5, some areas had received more than three times the amount of rain than the average for the entire month, with the rainfall in one town, Motoyama, being measured at 23 inches through July 6 and 7.
A dam under construction in southern Laos collapsed on July 24, causing heavy flooding in neighboring regions. As of press time, 20 people were confirmed dead, with more than 100 still missing and presumed dead. More than 6,000 people were made homeless. The cause of the collapse was still under investigation at press time.
• Record high temperatures hit Japan in mid- to late-July, leading to the deaths of at least 65 people and causing tens of thousands to be hospitalized for heatstroke. In the town of Kumagaya, near Tokyo, temperatures reached more than 106°F, the highest temperature ever recorded in Japan.
Of the 200 locations Japanese meteorologists classified as "intensely hot" (95° or above), many were in the same areas that experienced deadly flooding the week before.
Wildfires burned through the resort town of Mati, 18 miles east of Athens, on July 23, killing at least 80 people. The fires were mostly contained by July 24. The cause of the fires was unknown as of press time, but Greek authorities suggested that it might have been arson.
A number of people ran into the Aegean Sea to escape the flames. The Hellenic Coast Guard rescued more than 700 people from the waters, but a number of the people killed during the fire died of asphyxiation while in the water.
As of press time, at least 53 wildfires were active across the nation of Sweden, from north of the Arctic Circle to the southern city of Malmö. The largest fire, in Jämtland, was, itself, more than 7,000 acres in size.
Fighting the fires was difficult due to high temperatures and drought conditions. Italy, France, Germany and Poland all sent firefighters and equipment to help.
Traveling from Phuket, Thailand, to a small neighboring island for an outing, a ferry carrying 101 passengers (89 of whom were tourists, mostly from China), capsized in rough seas on July 5, killing 46 people. No members of the crew were among the dead.
Two other vessels in the area sank during the same storm, including a passenger vessel carrying 39 people. All passengers and crew were rescued in these other two incidents.