Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori has been declared the winner of Peru’s presidential race by the country’s electoral court, the National Jury of Elections (JNE).

Friday’s announcement comes weeks after the June 7 run-offtion against her left-wing rival, Congress member Roberto Sanchez.

Fujimori had a slight lead after the vote count ended earlier this week, and the official tally released on Friday shows a razor-thin victory. She took 9,223,000 votes to Sanchez’s 9,173,000.

“A new stage begins,” Fujimori wrote on the social media platform X on Friday.

“We assume it with responsibility, humility, and a deep sense of duty. Each day of this transition process is an opportunity to listen, engage in dialogue, and arrive prepared at the start of the new government.”

Fujimori is the daughter of the late former President Alberto Fujimori,    who had been jailed for human rights abuses.

After running on a platform of cracking down on crime, she has promised to “unite the country”, which has dealt with years of political turmoil and a stagnating economy.

Fujimori and Sanchez reached the run-off vote after defeating 33 other candidates, a record-large field, in April’s general election.

But delays in April’s ballot distributions — and lengthy vote counts after both rounds of voting — have dogged the election, prompting different political interests to cry foul.

Sanchez, who had strong support among rural and Indigenous voters, alleged irregularities and fraud in the vote count, but he has not provided any evidence.

Instead, he has pointed to a change in election procedures as a sign of malfeasance. A new policy came into effect during the election that loosened the mandates around digitising overseas vote tallies.

Election monitors, however, caution that no proof of vote irregularities has emerged so far.

Reporting from the Peruvian capital Lima, Al Jazeera correspondent Mariana Sanchez pointed out that Fujimori’s victory was aided by a boost of overseas support.

“He [Roberto Sanchez] won the most amount of votes in Peru, but the votes from abroad took the balance in favour of Fujimori,” Al Jazeera’s Sanchez said.

She added that Sanchez may seek to rally his base in the coming weeks to have Fujimori swiftly impeached once she is sworn in.

Such impeachments have been common in Peru, where the constitution permits removing a president on broad grounds like “moral incapacity”.

Fujimori is set to become Peru’s ninth president in 10 years when she takes office in late July, on Peru’s independence day.

(Aljazeera)

A fast-moving wildfire burning southwest of Denver has forced thousands of people to flee, as strong winds continue to drive flames across southern Colorado.

The blaze is one of about 40 large fires currently burning across the western United States.

Dubbed the Aspen Acres Fire, the conflagration exploded in size, growing by 44 square kilometres (17 square miles) overnight to reach a total of 272sq kilometres (105sq miles) by Friday.

More than 160 structures have been destroyed in the fire. Experts say that months of dry weather and record-low snowfall in parts of the region – exacerbated by climate change – have created dangerous wildfire conditions.

Authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 2,200 people in Colorado City, along with residents of the nearby communities of Beulah, Rye and San Isabel.

Smoke from the fire has also disrupted travel, with Colorado emergency officials warning that visibility in parts along Interstate 25 has dropped to as little as a half a mile – or 0.8 kilometres.

As the fire continues to spread, about 50 Colorado National Guard soldiers were deployed to staff road checkpoints in Pueblo and Custer counties and help keep boats away from the Pueblo Reservoir, where crews were scooping water to battle the blaze.

Investigators have said the Aspen Acres Fire was caused by humans, but they have not yet released any other details.

The Aspen Acres Fire is only one of the blazes currently ravaging Colorado and its neighbouring states.

Firefighters, for instance, have contained only about 65 percent of the Snyder Fire on the western side of the Rocky Mountains, along the border between Colorado and Utah.

As the fire continues to spread, about 50 Colorado National Guard soldiers were deployed to staff road checkpoints in Pueblo and Custer counties and help keep boats away from the Pueblo Reservoir, where crews were scooping water to battle the blaze.

Investigators have said the Aspen Acres Fire was caused by humans, but they have not yet released any other details.

The Aspen Acres Fire is only one of the blazes currently ravaging Colorado and its neighbouring states.

Firefighters, for instance, have contained only about 65 percent of the Snyder Fire on the western side of the Rocky Mountains, along the border between Colorado and Utah.

As the fire continues to spread, about 50 Colorado National Guard soldiers were deployed to staff road checkpoints in Pueblo and Custer counties and help keep boats away from the Pueblo Reservoir, where crews were scooping water to battle the blaze.

Investigators have said the Aspen Acres Fire was caused by humans, but they have not yet released any other details.

The Aspen Acres Fire is only one of the blazes currently ravaging Colorado and its neighbouring states.

Firefighters, for instance, have contained only about 65 percent of the Snyder Fire on the western side of the Rocky Mountains, along the border between Colorado and Utah.

In Utah itself, another blaze — the Cottonwood Fire — had grown to more than 380sq kilometres (147sq miles) by Friday, while the Babylon Fire had reached 344sq kilometres (133sq miles).

The latest fires come less than a week after three firefighters were killed, and two others were injured after they were overtaken by flames while battling two fires, part of the Snyder complex.

Wildfire smoke advisories are in effect  for parts of Colorado, and concerns about wildfires are also beginning to reshape local Fourth of July celebrations.

Colorado’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control said several professional firework displays have already been cancelled because of the extreme fire risk, with many counties now under fire restrictions.

The National Weather Service kept Red Flag Warnings  in place across much of the state on Friday, saying that hot, dry conditions, low humidity and gusty winds would continue to create critical fire conditions.

While forecasters said moister weather over the weekend should help lessen the risks, they also warned that heavier rain could increase the possibility of flash flooding in recently burned areas.

(Aljazeera)

Hossam Abdelmaguid scored the winning penalty as Egypt made history by beating a dogged Australia 4-2 on penalties to reach the World Cup last 16.

A tense affair on Friday in which Egypt and their off-colour captain Mohamed Salah wasted the better chances had ended 1-1 after 120 minutes in Texas.

Lionel Messi’s Argentina loom next for Egypt, as long as the reigning champions avoid a massive upset against tournament debutants Cape Verde in their last-32 encounter.

The Pharaohs will celebrate anyway, having reached this stage of a World Cup for the first time ever.

Australia coach Tony Popovic threw on experienced goalkeeper Mathew Ryan for the penalty shootout in a last-gasp gamble.

Shooting towards the Egypt fans and whistles raining down, defender Harry Souttar blazed the first penalty over to put the Socceroos on the immediate back foot.

The next five players all scored, including Salah with the coolest of penalties, before 18-year-old Australia defender Lucas Herrington hit the bar.

Abdelmaguid kept his nerve to send Egypt through to leave Salah in tears of joy and break Australia hearts

Emam Ashour had given seven-time African champions Egypt the lead from a header after 13 minutes at the air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys.

The early goal put the onus on a shot-shy Australia, who scored only twice in the group phase, to attack in front of a crowd of 70,000.

With Salah mostly ineffective following injury in Egypt’s last game, the Socceroos equalised 10 minutes after half-time when Mohamed Hany headed into his own net.

Both sides sensed history, neither having won a knockout game before at a men’s World Cup, and they went to extra time after some late Egypt pressure.

With nothing to divide them, they went to penalties.

Popovic’s side had nearly taken the lead with less than five minutes gone as Cristian Volpato – who switched to Australia from Italy on the eve of the World Cup – rattled the top of the crossbar.

Egypt, who won a World Cup match for the first time in the group phase when they beat New Zealand 3-1, looked nervy at the back.

Slightly against the run of play, Hossam Hassan’s men took the lead.

Australia forward Nestory Irankunda failed to pick up Ashour, who headed home at the back post from a cross by Karim Hafez for his second goal of the tournament.

The Socceroos had their first shot on target 10 minutes before the break when full-back Aziz Behich fired tamely at goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.

His father, Ahmed, played in goal for Egypt at the 1990 World Cup.

The 34-year-old talisman Salah, who came into the match after a hamstring strain, made little impact in an attritional first 45 minutes.

The half ended with Jordan Bos, one of the fastest players at the tournament, in a heap after a robust flying challenge from Rabia.

The wing-back had to be helped from the pitch and was replaced at half-time by Kai Trewin in a blow to Australian hopes.

Seconds after the restart it should have been 2-0 when Egypt’s Manchester City attacker Omar Marmoush slid the ball off-target from close range.

Egypt’s coach had said he was wary of Australia’s physical approach, and so it proved as Hany headed under pressure into his own net from an in-swinging Socceroos free-kick.

It was Hany’s second own goal of the tournament.

Former Liverpool superstar Salah remained a peripheral figure but was involved in the buildup as Australian stopper Patrick Beach saved athletically deep in added time to keep out Ramy and force another 30 minutes.

Egypt finished normal time the stronger and Salah fired well over early in extra time on his weaker right foot, with penalties looking increasingly inevitable.

Salah, though, was to prove more reliable in the shootout as Egypt triumphed.

Egypt will face the winner of the last-32 match between Argentina and Cape Verde in Atlanta in the next round on Tuesday.

(Aljazeera)