Author: staff
Tour de France riders face a “logistical nightmare” in trying to keep their body temperature down from “dangerous” levels amid scorching conditions, reigning champion Tadej Pogacar said. With temperatures of over 30C at the start of the Tour in Barcelona and potentially pushing up to 40C at the start of the fourth stage in Carcassonne, riders have been taking innovative measures to stay cool. That has included wearing frozen vests, eating ice lollies or immersing their arms in iced water. But the task of keeping cool has made riding the Tour much more challenging. “It’s really a logistic nightmare when…
Thousands of people gathered in Pamplona on 7 July for the first bull run of the 2026 San Fermin festival. The video shows runners preparing along the cobbled streets, crowds singing in front of the statue of Saint Fermin, fireworks marking the start of the event and six bulls charging through the streets towards the city’s bullring. Participants dressed in traditional white clothing with red scarves and sashes took part in the early morning ‘encierro’. The run saw moments of tension as runners raced ahead of the bulls along the narrow route. One bull briefly fell among the runners before…
Europe faces years of sluggish economic growth. High public debt, ageing populations, weak productivity, lingering energy costs and persistent geopolitical uncertainty are expected to keep growth well below historical norms for the rest of the decade. According to the International Monetary Fund’s most recent World Economic Outlook, the eurozone is projected to expand by just 1.2% a year on average between 2027 and 2031, with its strongest year, 2028, reaching only 1.4%. The wider European Union does slightly better at 1.4% a year, again peaking in 2028 at 1.6%. That is a modest picture by any measure. Global output is…
Trump posted a photo of Meloni late Sunday, joking that he would need a restraining order against the Italian leader. The public trolling followed an awkward meeting between the two leaders at the June G7 summit in Evian, France, after which Trump said Meloni had “begged” him for a photo — something the Italian leader insisted was not true. “I love her, she’s conservative, she is totally on the same line … and then you’re going to have a fight on what? On a picture!” said Francken. The Belgian defense minister underlined that the EU is not close to being ready to…
Morning. Angela Skujins holding the pen for you this Tuesday, where two major news stories are set to dominate the day. What is expected to be a turbulent North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit starts in the Turkish capital and a court in Paris will chart the course of France’s 2027 presidential election. First, NATO. My colleague Shona Murray is on the ground in Ankara and reports that US President Donald Trump’s criticisms of NATO threaten to overshadow the meeting, though they have been par for the course during his presidency. The fundamental disagreements are steeped in divisions over the…
Marine Le Pen’s political future – and potentially the course of France’s 2027 presidential election – will be decided at 13:30 on Tuesday, when the Paris Court of Appeal rules on whether to uphold her five-year ban from holding public office over allegations of embezzling EU funds. If the ruling is upheld, it would effectively end Le Pen’s presidential ambitions and leave Jordan Bardella as the National Rally’s (RN) likely candidate for the Élysée. Despite her conviction, the 57-year-old three-time presidential candidate remains the strongest individual contender, polling 32% in the first round. Bardella, however, is polling between 35% and…
Europe is on the edge of its seat as it awaits a crucial verdict in the case of France’s National Rally leader, Marine Le Pen, today. If the Paris appeals court upholds her five-year ban on holding public office, Le Pen’s dream of running in 2027 will be dashed, and the campaign of her 30-year-old protégé, Jordan Bardella, will officially kick off. Also on the show, NATO allies are meeting in Ankara with one goal: avoiding a Donald Trump blow-up. To placate the U.S. president, they’re keeping the meeting short and focusing on big spending numbers. Finally, the EU’s Entry/Exit System has been causing a bit…
The European Parliament is set to vote again this week on controversial legislation that would allow technology companies to scan online communications for child sexual abuse material. This time, it will be voted under different voting rules, which will make it easier to be approved, thanks to a political move by the European People’s Party. A legal framework that expired on 3 April has allowed platforms such as WhatsApp and Messenger to take voluntary measures derogating from e-privacy rules to identify users suspected of sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). While a new version of the law is being discussed,…
Published on 07/07/2026 – 7:28 GMT+2 Thunderstorms and strong winds have killed at least 15 people and injured 275 in central China, state media said on Tuesday, as heavy rains and flooding left two more dead in the south. Multiple areas in Hubei province experienced “severe convective weather” on Monday, state broadcaster CCTV reported. “Thunderstorms and strong winds swept” through cities including Huangshi and Huanggang, killing eight people, it added. Tornadoes were reported in some areas and nine people are missing. The “severe weather” had injured 275 people in Huanggang’s Huangzhou district as of Tuesday morning, state news agency Xinhua…
By Apostolos Staikos & Andros Routes Published on 07/07/2026 – 7:00 GMT+2 In 2010, a project was launched on Andros that radically changed the Greek island’s cultural and tourism identity. It was an initiative that had nothing to do with beaches, sun or sea. On the initiative of the non-profit organisation Andros Research Centre, Andros Routes was born. The island’s trails came to life and became a destination for thousands of people from all over the world. “A web that initiates us into the rich natural and cultural heritage of Andros and at the same time provides important infrastructure for aware visitors, for…