Author: staff
It was 1504 and Christopher Columbus was on his fourth voyage to the New World when his ships ran aground off the coast of Jamaica, which, although it had been christened in 1494 as the island of Santiago, was always known by the name given to it by the native people ‘Xaymaca’ or ‘Yamaya’, meaning “land of wood and water”. The admiral and his crew were stranded, unable to put to sea, trapped on an island they could not leave. A dead end in Jamaica The chief scribe of the voyage, Diego Méndez, tried the only possible solution: to set…
Even under more plausible scenarios envisioned by the researchers, in which external growers get on board to varying degrees, consumer prices would rise and EU agricultural imports decline. Though that would in turn boost domestic production, with exact numbers depending on producers’ willingness to adapt. The findings lay out an unpalatable political choice for Brussels: Keep angry farmers’ tractors off the streets, or hit consumers’ wallets as they fulfill basic needs at the grocery store. The proposed residue ban, which is part of the food and feed safety simplification package, is popular with European farmers seeking a level playing field…
Published on 11/08/2026 – 19:11 GMT+2•Updated 19:14 The heat is now a factor even during property viewings. As heatwaves multiply this summer, French buyers are paying increasing attention to the thermal comfort of their future homes. In Paris, a man in his thirties viewing a 14-square-metre studio flat under the eaves wonders: “Between May and September-October, will I be able to use this flat and still live comfortably? Or will I also have to flee like everyone else because it’s too hot?”. Long seen as an asset, a property’s orientation is now assessed according to how cool it helps keep…
Russia’s Supreme Court on Monday annulled the opposition Yabloko party’s registration for the country’s parliamentary elections, scheduled for September. The ruling, which sidelines the only officially registered party that opposes Moscow’s war in Ukraine, came after the pro-Kremlin nationalist Rodina party filed a lawsuit last Friday, seeking to remove Yabloko from the elections. Reacting to the Supreme Court decision, Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov said that “there are no grounds at all for removing the party from the elections.” “All the documents had been checked by the Central Election Commission, and the decision to allow us to run was taken unanimously,”…
A Syrian court sentenced ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes during the country’s 14-year war that left about half a million people dead and millions displaced or seeking refuge abroad. The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus on Tuesday found al-Assad guilty of ordering the murder of civilians including children, as well as torture and unlawful detention. The judge said witnesses had confirmed al-Assad was the ultimate authority behind the crimes and that he had used the instruments of the Syrian state to carry them out. Also sentenced to death in the…
Published on 11/08/2026 – 21:37 GMT+2 A boat ferrying 90 passengers and five crew members across Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe capsized on Tuesday, according to police. The Zimbabwe Republic Police said rescue efforts were underway and urged people not to speculate on the number of casualties. “The ZRP assures Zimbabweans and relatives of the Kariba boat accident victims that official information on the rescued victims, those injured or dead, will be released in due course after the scene management process is complete,” the force added. Locals are said to use the vessel to get from rural parts of the region…
Around 60 competitors gathered in Chamrousse on Sunday 9 August for France’s 73rd competitive lumberjacking championship, racing to cut through logs by hand with axes in a test of speed, accuracy and endurance. Timekeepers stopped the clock as each section finally broke free, with the fastest run of the day recorded at 4.49 seconds. The championship has been held at the Alpine resort south-east of Grenoble since 1953, preserving a tradition closely tied to the region’s forestry history. Between rounds, competitors prepare identical logs and sharpen their axes, while some wear chainmail guards to protect their legs from accidental blows.…
Switzerland is opening the taps on Lake Lugano to help prop up Lake Maggiore. It is an emergency solution that, more than any set of figures, shows how sensitive the water situation in northern Italy has become: more water will be released from the Ceresio towards Ponte Tresa, with the aim of supporting the level of Lake Maggiore and, above all, guaranteeing supplies for the rice fields on the plain. The discharge will rise from the current 3 to 8 cubic metres per second. The two lakes are connected and a significant share of the extra water will flow into…
Published on 11/08/2026 – 19:33 GMT+2•Updated 19:36 Former United States Marine Robert Gilman is on his way back to the US after being freed from prison in Russia. US President Donald Trump said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had approved Gilman’s release on humanitarian grounds. Gilman is said to be in poor health and was reportedly being held in a psychiatric ward of a hospital. Trump added that Moscow did not ask for a prisoner swap and that Gilman was set to land at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C on Tuesday evening. “I just spoke to him, and…
Published on 11/08/2026 – 17:29 GMT+2•Updated 18:05 The United Kingdom is on course to record its “warmest summer on record,” according to the country’s national weather service. Provisional statistics released by the Met Office on Tuesday showed that the current recorded mean temperature across the UK from 1 June to 10 August was 16.48°C – 1.88°C above the average for 1991-2020. “To equal the current UK summer mean temperature record of 16.12°C set in 2025, the remainder of August would only need to average 0.21°C below the 1991-2020 long-term average for meteorological summer,” the Met Office said. “Any warmer than…