分类： world

An unseasonably intense early heatwave has gripped Western Europe this week, bringing historic temperature highs, disrupting public services, and prompting urgent emergency preparedness assessments across multiple nations. On Wednesday, Portugal logged a new all-time May temperature record when the central town of Mora hit 40.3 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous national May benchmark of 40C set back in 2001.

The extraordinary heat has not been confined to Portugal. Forecasters confirm the high-pressure system driving the heat — known as a “heat dome,” which traps warm air in a stagnant block — is projected to maintain sweltering conditions across the region through the weekend. Germany, Spain, and Switzerland have already recorded temperatures far above average for this time of year, while heat alerts have been issued across populated areas of France and Italy.

In France, 17 departments including Paris and parts of the northwest are currently under orange heat alerts, urging residents to exercise heightened vigilance against heat-related health risks. Temperatures in the capital are forecast to hit 33C on Thursday, and climb to 34C for both Saturday and Sunday. To reduce urban heat buildup and traffic congestion, Paris police have implemented temporary traffic measures: only low-emission vehicles are permitted on city roads through Saturday, speed limits have been lowered, and discounted flat-fare tickets are being offered across the entire public transport network to encourage people to leave private cars at home.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu chaired an emergency ministerial meeting Thursday afternoon to coordinate government preparations for the extreme heat, with priorities including wildfire suppression and safeguarding drinking water supplies through the summer months. The heatwave has already forced school closures across parts of the country: a local official confirmed a primary school in Souston, in the Landes region, will remain closed Thursday and Friday after indoor temperatures hit 53C earlier this week.

A particularly contentious issue has been the decision to proceed with the national Baccalaureate exams, France’s high-stakes secondary school leaving qualification equivalent to British A-levels. Education officials have defended the move, noting that students have spent months preparing for the exams and the rigid result timeline cannot easily be adjusted. Exam centers have been instructed to use the shadiest available rooms for testing, but education unions and teaching staff have roundly criticized the decision. A survey conducted by France’s secondary school union found that nearly 78% of schools recorded indoor temperatures above 30C this week, with reports of teachers bringing in personal fans from home and even using screwdrivers to pry open stuck windows to improve ventilation.

The extreme heat has also impacted high-profile sports events taking place in France. At the French Open in Paris, world men’s number one tennis player Jannik Sinner was forced to withdraw from the tournament mid-match after suffering severe dizziness and lethargy brought on by the high temperatures. Though Sinner downplayed the impact of the heat after his exit, saying “It was just me today, but it happens,” the incident has drawn renewed attention to the risks of extreme heat for outdoor athletic competition.

To the south, Italy has issued its first red heatwave alerts of the year for major cities including Rome, Florence, Bologna, Brescia and Turin. The highest alert level warns that the heat could pose negative health effects even for healthy, active people. Temperatures in Rome are projected to peak at 32C on Thursday, while Madrid will see highs climb to 35C over the weekend. Spanish meteorological officials note that while the current hot spell does not meet the official definition of a heatwave for the country, the temperatures are consistent with the peak summer conditions normally seen in July and August.

Portugal’s meteorological service forecasts that temperatures in most parts of the country will stay above 35C through Thursday and Friday before the heat dome begins to weaken and temperatures gradually recede. While no single weather event can be definitively linked directly to human-caused climate change, climate scientists emphasize that global warming is steadily increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events across the globe.

Data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service shows that Europe has warmed at a rate of 0.56C per decade over the past 30 years, a pace that has already made extreme heat events far more severe than they were a generation ago. On Thursday, the United Nations reinforced this warning, announcing that global average temperatures are likely to remain at or near record levels this year and over the next four years. All 11 of the hottest years ever recorded globally have occurred since 2015, and the UN’s World Meteorological Organization projects this trend will continue, with a new all-time hottest global year likely to be recorded before 2031.

During a gathering of European Union foreign ministers held in Limassol, Cyprus on Thursday, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas outlined a key priority for the bloc’s maritime security strategy: securing unimpeded freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz once the ongoing Iran war concludes. To meet this goal, Kallas said, the existing EU Red Sea naval mission will need a significant boost in resources, most notably a larger fleet of European vessels, alongside expanded operational scope.

Currently, the EU maritime operation known as Aspides — a name drawn from the Greek word for “shield” — is tasked with defending commercial shipping against repeated attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebel group. Operating with just three dedicated vessels at present, the mission is centered on Red Sea security, but the Strait of Hormuz, which sits at the southern outlet of the Red Sea, has emerged as a new critical priority for the bloc. Before the outbreak of the Iran war, the strait carried roughly 20 percent of the world’s total oil and gas supplies, making it one of the most vital global chokepoints for energy trade.

Kallas confirmed that the bloc is weighing amendments to Aspides’ operational plans to accommodate new requirements, including the need for specialized ships capable of clearing naval mines from the waterway. When asked about the most critical need for the expanded mission, Kallas emphasized, “But it mostly needs more ships.” She also confirmed that one additional vessel will soon join the Aspides operation, though she declined to share further details on the ship’s origin or capabilities.

This discussion comes months after the EU extended Aspides’ operating mandate until the end of February 2027, and approved an extra 15 million euros (equivalent to $17.5 million) in dedicated funding for the mission.

Parallel to EU planning, France and the United Kingdom are also exploring the creation of their own independent naval task force to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz after hostilities end. A senior EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on discussing private negotiations, confirmed that the bloc has held early discussions about potentially merging the expanded Aspides mission with the proposed Franco-British force. However, the official noted that core logistics, particularly the question of which authority would command a combined task force, remain unresolved and require further negotiation.

The disruption to Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz shipping triggered by the Iran war, which began on February 28, has already had significant economic impacts. Skyrocketing insurance premiums for transiting the waterway have pushed shipping costs sharply higher, to the point that it is currently cheaper for most commercial vessels to reroute around the southern tip of Africa rather than take the shorter Red Sea route. The EU official added that even after the Iran war ends, shipping costs are unlikely to return to pre-war levels for at least 12 more months. As a potential mitigation measure, EU officials are currently evaluating the option of offering state-backed insurance guarantees to shipping companies, which would help lower the elevated insurance premiums that have pushed costs so high.

This report includes contributed reporting from Associated Press correspondent Sam McNeil in Brussels.

In a major blow to the remnants of Sicily’s infamous Cosa Nostra syndicate, Italian anti-mafia investigators have seized cash, business holdings, and high-value assets totaling more than €200 million (£175 million) tied to the criminal network of the late mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro. All recovered assets are confirmed to be illicit proceeds from more than 40 years of transnational drug trafficking orchestrated by Denaro, who once served as the presumed top leader of Cosa Nostra.

The operation was announced by law enforcement officials during a press briefing in Sicily on Thursday, alongside the release of dramatic footage showing masked officers — some equipped with full riot gear — storming locked doors, climbing exterior walls, and executing raids across a string of sprawling luxury villas nestled behind palm-lined manicured lawns. The seizure caps a years-long global manhunt and investigation that followed the high-profile arrest and death of Denaro in 2023.

Denaro evaded law enforcement for 30 years while on the run, ultimately being captured last year as he exited a private medical clinic where he was receiving treatment for late-stage cancer. He died in prison custody just months after his arrest, bringing an end to the decades-long search for one of Italy’s most wanted fugitives.

Before his capture, Denaro had already been sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia for a litany of brutal crimes, including multiple high-profile murders. Most notoriously, he was convicted of orchestrating the 1992 assassinations of two leading anti-mafia prosecutors in separate bomb attacks carried out just weeks apart. He was also found guilty of the kidnapping and murder of a 12-year-old boy, the son of a mafia associate who turned state witness. After holding the child captive for two years, Denaro ordered the boy to be strangled to death, and his body was dissolved in acid to prevent it ever being recovered — a horrific detail that shocked the Italian public.

The most recent asset seizure operation was built on a years-long investigation into the Cosa Nostra’s shadowy money trail, which stretched across multiple jurisdictions beyond Italy: investigators tracked illicit funds through Spain, Switzerland, and the Caribbean tax haven of the Cayman Islands. To date, three individuals with direct ties to Denaro’s network have been taken into custody, and eight commercial enterprises — most prominently several real estate firms found to be laundering illicit proceeds — have been identified for seizure and winding down. High-value luxury items confiscated include high-end sports cars such as a Porsche, alongside undeclared cash stashes hidden across the properties.

Giovanni Melillo, head of Italy’s National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor’s Office, emphasized that the operation carries far more weight than just the value of the recovered assets, calling it “strategically significant” for Italian national security. Speaking to reporters, Melillo explained that the seizure is a critical step to stop the remaining members of Denaro’s network from rebuilding the powerful criminal organization that operated unimpeded for decades. “Seizing this wealth means continuing the disintegration process [of the criminal group] and blocking efforts to re-establish structures capable of projecting the full intimidating power and economic and social influence of the Cosa Nostra on a global scale,” he said.

Italy’s finance police, the Guardia di Finanza, which led the on-the-ground raiding work, revealed that the investigation was first triggered by a suspicious activity report from Andorran financial authorities, who flagged an Italian woman holding extraordinary unexplained financial resources. Investigators later confirmed the woman was married to a major drug trafficker with close direct ties to both the Cosa Nostra and Denaro personally. That initial lead opened up a web of connections that spread to half a dozen other countries, requiring cross-border coordination between law enforcement agencies.

In total, more than 150 officers were deployed across the global operation, which utilized cutting-edge investigative tools: drones and thermal imaging scanners were used to locate hidden caches of cash stashed on properties, while specialized digital forensics experts traced illicit funds stored in digital wallets and cryptocurrency accounts.

While Italian media has dubbed the massive haul “Denaro’s drugs trove,” law enforcement officials have acknowledged that the €200 million recovered represents only a small fraction of the total illicit wealth accumulated by Denaro’s network over four decades. Much of the organization’s fortune has already been laundered and reinvested in legitimate businesses across the globe, meaning investigators will continue pursuing remaining assets for years to come.

A jury in Austria has begun closed-door deliberations to reach a verdict in the high-profile trial of two young men linked to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, one of whom has confessed to plotting a deadly mass attack on a 2024 Taylor Swift concert in Vienna.

In accordance with Austria’s strict privacy regulations for criminal defendants, the primary accused, a 21-year-old Austrian national, is publicly identified only as Beran A. He has publicly admitted to two core charges: plotting the jihadist attack on the sold-out Taylor Swift shows at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, and formal membership in a designated terrorist organization. However, he has refuted additional charges connected to an alleged secondary plot targeting the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Beran A stands trial alongside 21-year-old Slovakian national Arda K, who prosecutors allege was a fellow member of the same IS-aligned cell. Court records confirm Arda K was not involved in planning the Taylor Swift attack, but is accused of complicity in the broader Mecca plot.

The plot was foiled just hours before the first of three scheduled Swift concerts, after counterterrorism authorities received a critical tip from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that led to Beran A’s arrest. With the threat confirmed, event organizers canceled all three performances, disappointing nearly 200,000 ticketed fans and leaving Swift herself devastated. In a subsequent documentary about her record-breaking Eras Tour, Swift shared that she learned of the planned attack mid-flight en route to Vienna, describing the moment as a near-miss that avoided an outright “massacre situation.”

Prosecutors laid out their case outlining how Beran A became radicalized online and swore a formal oath of allegiance to IS. Court documents show he attempted to illegally obtain weapons including a fully automatic machine gun and a hand grenade, though those efforts ultimately failed. He also allegedly attempted to build an explosive device using step-by-step instructions pulled from an IS propaganda video posted to public online platforms.

A court-appointed psychiatric expert, Peter Hoffmann, testified during the trial that Beran A shows no clinical signs of mental illness, and told the court there is “no psychiatric explanation” for his radicalization into violent extremism.

In closing arguments, lead prosecution counsel pushed the jury to return guilty verdicts on all charges against both defendants, noting Beran A’s own admissions of guilt for the core Taylor Swift plot charges. Prosecutors also emphasized that the two men acted as accomplices in planning multiple additional attacks across Mecca and other unnamed cities months before the Vienna plot.

That broader plot links the two defendants to Hasan E, a former high school classmate who is currently in Saudi Arabian custody facing charges for a stabbing attack that wounded five people, including a security guard, in Mecca. Both Beran A and Arda K admit they traveled to Istanbul and Dubai respectively as part of the early plot planning, but both deny providing material support to Hasan E for his subsequent attack.

The prosecutor told the jury the trial presented a critical opportunity to send a clear message to would-be terrorists: “anyone who prepared a terrorist attack should face consequences.”

Beran A’s defense attorney, Anna Mair, acknowledged her client has admitted guilt to the crimes he committed, but argued he should only face penalties for the acts he actually took part in. She told the court Beran A was not the ringleader of the cell, and had been manipulated by more radicalized actors. “My client is not innocent; he has committed serious crimes. But you can only convict him for what he has done,” Mair stated.

Both young men offered apologies to the court during the trial. Beran A expressed remorse for his actions, while Arda K also said he regretted the plot ever progressed so far, asking the jury for a chance to eventually “integrate into society” if convicted.

If both defendants are found guilty on all charges filed against them, they face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.