Admins
Deadly ‘Omega’ heat wave breaks more temperature records in Europe
People cool off in the Trocadéro Fountain near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Wednesday. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters) Western Europe was in the grip of a heat wave on Wednesday that claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, shut schools and cultural landmarks, as forecasters warned the extreme temperatures could persist until the end of the week. Smashing previous records, Britain logged its highest temperature for June, reaching 36.1 C in southern England as a heat dome hovered over much of western Europe. France recorded its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago, when temperatures peakedRead more
Trump asks Congress for $87bn, mostly for ‘urgent’ Iran war costs
The White House has asked lawmakers to approve $87.6bn (£66.5bn), mostly for “urgent needs” connected with the US war on Iran, a day after Congress passed a resolution rebuking the military action. The bulk of the funding – $67bn – is for the Defence Department, including $21bn for munitions, $17.3bn for operational costs and $12.1bn for classified programmes, said the White House. The other money is for unrelated measures including $11bn for US farmers and $1.4bn to tackle the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. But the proposal faces an uphillRead more
U.S. says retaliatory strikes on Iran in response to crash of American helicopter have ended
A U.S. army AH-64 Apache helicopter is shown during a joint live-fire exercise with the South Korean army in 2025. Apache helicopters have been a key asset for the U.S. military as it enforces a blockade on Iranian crude oil shipments and tankers. (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg/Getty Images) The U.S. military said Tuesday it carried out strikes against Iran following the crash of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman that President Donald Trump blamed on the Islamic republic. In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Central CommandRead more
Pope Leo gives Spain’s ‘phoenix’ prime minister another turn in the global spotlight
Pope Leo XIV meets with members of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid on June 8. (Alessandra Tarantino/Pool via REUTERS) Earlier this spring, Spain’s defiance of U.S. President Donald Trump’s war plans in Iran briefly made the country the centre of global geopolitical friction. Now, Pope Leo XIV is visiting, thrusting the country back into the spotlight — only this time, welcoming an American who wields moral authority, rather than military might. Leo, who was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, has been met with near-rapturous crowds in Madrid ever sinceRead more
What’s next for Trump and Netanyahu in war with Iran
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, is greeted by U.S. President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. The priorities of the two around Iran diverge, in part, because of the leaders’ differing domestic political concerns. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press) U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to find a way out of the war with Iran have suddenly become a lot more complicated. The Israel versus Iran part of the conflict dramatically ramped up in intensity over a matter of hours on Sunday, exactlyRead more
Ex-member of top climate body says Alberta pipeline deal is not compatible with net-zero
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith acknowledge the crowd before signing an energy agreement in Calgary on May 15. (Todd Korol/Reuters) A former member of Canada’s top climate body said the pipeline deal Canada signed with Alberta is incompatible with Carney government’s net-zero target. “You can’t be saying these deals are still compatible with net-zero by 2050. They’re not. The deal is not compatible with it,” said Simon Donner, the former co-chair of the Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB), while testifying before the House of Commons environment committee.Read more
Canada’s forestry crisis should be blamed on homegrown problems, not Trump, federal report says
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Canada, Tim Hodgson, makes an announcement regarding liquefied natural gas with B.C. Premier David Eby, in Vancouver on Thursday, May 14, 2026. (The Canadian Press/Jennifer Gauthier) Canada’s forestry sector is the trade “canary in the coal mine” as it faces structural challenges that go beyond Trump-era tariffs, says the federal minister responsible for natural resources. Tim Hodgson made that comment Wednesday as he unveiled close to $130 million in funding for 56 forestry-related projects across the country. Hodgson, who is in Langford, B.C.,Read more
U.S. House votes to curb Trump’s war powers in strongest rebuke yet
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, centre, walks to a vote in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. For the first time since the U.S.-led war on Iran began, the House backed a Democratic-led resolution to stop the war until hostilities are authorized by Congress. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) The U.S. House of Representatives for the first time on Wednesday backed a Democratic-led resolution aiming to stop the Iran war until hostilities are authorized by Congress, reflecting growing congressional concern, even among President Donald Trump’s Republicans, over the war. The House voted 215 toRead more
Cuba’s battered tourism sector takes another hit as Spain’s Meliá hotel chain shutters some locations
A view of the exterior of the Gran Hotel Bistol, as seen on Wednesday in Havana. The Spanish hotel group Meliá will cease operations at 15 of the 34 hotels it manages on the island, according to state website Cubadebate, dealing a blow to Cuba’s vital tourism sector. (Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images) Spanish hotel chain Meliá has joined a growing list of companies with long-standing operations in Cuba that are withdrawing from or limiting their business on the island after the U.S. announced new sanctions while maintaining an oil embargo. MeliáRead more