Author: staff
A French village has once again turned pig squeals into a competition, hosting its annual pig-squealing championship in the southwestern town of Trie-sur-Baïse. The unusual contest was part of the 43rd edition of the Pourcailhade festival, which attracted around 4,000 visitors — roughly four times the village’s population. Competitors took turns imitating pig sounds, hoping to impress the judges and claim the title. Among those taking part was a Mexican engineering student living in Toulouse, while nine-time winner Noel Jamet returned to defend his reputation as the competition’s record holder.
Published on 10/08/2026 – 22:29 GMT+2 Germany will beef up its anti-drone police unit, the government said on Monday, days after an explosives-laden unmanned aerial vehicle was flown into a strategically important airport. Berlin was shocked by the incident last week when the UAV was defused after it was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle airport, a key military equipment transport hub. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who labelled the incident a “hybrid attack scenario” potentially involving a “foreign power,” now plans to double personnel in the federal police anti-drone unit to 300. The number of operational bases for…
Europe continues to grapple with major wildfires as the threat of further heatwaves continues to hang over the continent. In Greece, a new fire broke out on Monday in the village of Kouvaras, 60 kilometers southeast of Athens, prompting the mobilisaiton of almost 200 firefighters. Greek fire services announced that the blaze has since been brought under control. Large parts of central and southern Greece, including the greater Athens area and most of the Aegean Islands, face a high risk of wildfires on Tuesday, according to civil protection forecasts. Five people, four firefighters and the pilot of a water-dropping helicopter,…
The leader of Ceuta demanded on Monday the detention and expulsion of the thousands of migrants wandering the Spanish north African territory’s streets after last month’s mass influx from Morocco. Some 72,000 migrants breached the border in an unprecedented and deadly rush between 30-31 July, with 70,000 having since returned to Morocco, according to Spanish government figures. But the thousands who remain, including hundreds of unaccompanied children who cannot be summarily deported, struggle to access food, water, shelter and sanitation while the tiny enclave’s resources are overwhelmed. Their future has sparked a political battle between Spain’s leftist central government and…
Published on 10/08/2026 – 21:29 GMT+2 Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, was sworn in as US attorney general on Monday, taking the reins of a Justice Department the president has repeatedly pressured to exact revenge on his political foes. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted video on X of Blanche’s swearing-in ceremony, which was held in the Oval Office with Trump in attendance. “Congratulations to a great lawyer and an even better man!” Leavitt said. The 52-year-old Blanche was confirmed as the chief US law enforcement officer by the Senate last week after Republican lawmakers shrugged off…
That will serve as a point of contact for platforms, fact-checkers and the Commission to quickly flag content so that it can be reviewed and taken down if necessary. The effort comes amid concerns that disinformation is promoting further crossings into the territory on Aug. 15, according to Maldita.es. Maldita.es and the European Fact-Checking Standards Network attended Monday’s meeting. The Commission operates a rapid response system under its code of conduct on disinformation, often triggered around elections. The new mechanism on Ceuta would bring a closer group of stakeholders together, two of the people said. Another meeting has been set…
Nearly 70% of France is subject to water-use restrictions as drought conditions worsen amid successive heatwaves, the government said on Monday. A series of heatwaves over the past three months, compounded by drought, have broken temperature records, caused thousands of excess deaths, and fuelled massive wildfires. “As France is experiencing a particularly severe drought, the effects of climate change continue to increase pressure on water resources,” the ministry for ecological transition said, adding that “nearly 70% of French territory is subject to restrictions on water use.” As of 9 August, the vast majority of mainland France, including Paris, was under…
Published on 10/08/2026 – 20:42 GMT+2 US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would seek conflict compensation from Iran as part of any peace negotiations, citing attacks and killings stretching back decades allegedly backed or perpetrated by Tehran. Negotiations on ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz have stalled and his new demands risk putting a quick agreement further out of reach. Trump’s announcement was a direct response to Iran’s insistence that US payment of war reparations are a pre-condition to any resolution of the ongoing hostilities. “I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran,” he said, noting…
Published on 10/08/2026 – 15:18 GMT+2 A record 230 migrants in one small boat crossed the English Channel to Britain, France’s lifeboat service and UK media said on Monday, in the latest example of larger numbers of people packing into a single vessel. The 230, including more than 20 children, were counted aboard the rubber dinghy as it departed the northeastern French coast amid chaotic scenes late Sunday, the SNSM lifeboat service said in a statement posted online. The number breaks the previous record for a single boat, set last month when 165 people successfully crossed the busy shipping waterway.…
Hundreds of paddleboarders in elaborate costumes floated down Moscow’s Yauza river on Sunday for a stand-up paddleboard carnival. Participants dressed as mermaids, kebab vendors and characters from Russian folklore, including the witch Baba Yaga, while some brought their dogs along for the ride. Live bands and cheerleaders performed on the bridges above as boards drifted past. One couple said their mermaid costume began with the tail and grew from there. Participants described the event as a way to bring people together, with one saying such gatherings strengthen families and friendships.