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  • Pogacar closes in on record-equaling fifth Tour de France title as Carapaz wins penultimate stage

    Pogacar closes in on record-equaling fifth Tour de France title as Carapaz wins penultimate stage

    ALPE D’HUEZ, France — Slovenian cycling superstar Tadej Pogacar is one step away from etching his name into Tour de France history, finishing safely through the grueling penultimate 20th stage on Saturday to hold a commanding lead heading into Sunday’s iconic final finish in Paris.

    Pogacar, who entered the alpine stage with a steady advantage over the field, carries a 6-and-a-half-minute lead over Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel into the final showcase day of racing. Barring an unforeseen disaster, he will become only the fifth rider in the 110-plus year history of the race to claim five overall Tour titles, joining cycling legends Eddy Merckx of Belgium, Spain’s Miguel Indurain, and French greats Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault.

    The 20th stage proved one of the race’s most punishing tests: a 171-kilometer alpine journey featuring three of cycling’s hardest-rated hors catégorie climbs plus an additional category 1 ascent, with a total of 66 kilometers of climbing before the finish in Alpe d’Huez. Riders, already worn down from three weeks of continuous racing, conquered the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Télégraphe, Col du Galibier, and Col de Sarenne before the hilly run-in to the line.

    It was Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz who claimed the stage victory, his second stage win of this year’s Tour and third of his career. Carapaz outpaced American rider Sepp Kuss in the final kilometers, after Kuss nearly crashed out on a downhill turn with just five kilometers remaining. Evenepoel also surged past Kuss in the final sprint to take second place on the stage.

    Carapaz, who fought from the breakaway to lock up the polka-dot jersey for the race’s best climber, called the win a surreal achievement. “There was a moment when I couldn’t believe what was happening,” he said after the finish. “This Tour de France has been incredible, with all the spectators and all the support I’ve received from Ecuador, where they’ll be jumping for joy.” He added that Kuss proved an extremely tough competitor: “It was really, really tough. Sepp, in particular, was a very tough nut to crack.”

    Kuss’ near-disaster came when he mistimed a downhill turn, lost control of his bike, and nearly careened over a roadside concrete barrier, only saved by protective netting that cushioned his fall. Carapaz capitalized on the mistake to push ahead for the win, saying he felt the result was earned after a grueling three weeks of racing. “It was absolutely brilliant to win here and in a distinctive jersey,” Carapaz said. “I think I deserve it, because I’ve fought so hard in this Tour de France.”

    For Pogacar, the day was focused on protecting his overall lead rather than chasing another stage victory, unlike his aggressive attack on Friday’s 19th stage. His top priority was securing third place in the overall rankings for his UAE Team Emirates teammate Isaac Del Toro, a young Mexican rider who now holds a lead of more than two minutes over France’s Paul Seixas, who sits in fourth. Pogacar, who gifted Del Toro a stage victory on Stage 2 of this year’s race, said prioritizing his teammate was a privilege. “It’s been an honor to ride for Isaac today,” he said. “Crossing the finish line together with him has been memorable.”

    Pogacar has already claimed five stage wins in this year’s Tour, bringing his all-time Tour stage victory total to 26. To beat British sprint legend Mark Cavendish’s record of 35 career stage wins, Pogacar would need to compete in at least two more editions of the race, with Eddy Merckx holding 34 and Bernard Hinault 28. When asked if he would chase another stage win on Sunday, Pogacar said he would avoid unnecessary risks but would seize an opportunity if it arises. “Let’s see how I feel tomorrow. I won’t take any risks,” he said. “But if I have good legs and I don’t have to take too many big risks, I’ll try to claim victory tomorrow.”

    Reflecting on his run so far, Pogacar said he has turned in a strong performance, with top rival Jonas Vingegaard forced to exit the race early after a crash. “I have done a really good Tour. Some of our competitors had bad luck,” he said. “We made it through with the team and now there is just one last show left.”

    Sunday’s final stage has been modified to support emergency response efforts for ongoing wildfires in southwestern France. Originally a 133-kilometer route starting in Thoiry west of Paris, the final day has been shortened to 89 kilometers and relocated to start within Paris itself, to reduce strain on emergency and security services that have been redeployed to support wildfire response. Security forces originally assigned to the Tour’s final stage have been moved to the affected wildfire regions. “The prefect of police and the director of the Tour de France commend the dedication of all those involved in fighting the wildfires and express their full solidarity with the affected communities,” the Tour organization said in an official statement. This is not the first modified stage of this year’s race: Stage 9 was also shortened amid an extreme heatwave.

    Following the men’s race conclusion, the 9-stage Tour de France Femmes will kick off on August 1 in Lausanne, Switzerland, concluding in Nice on August 9. Last year, French rider Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt claimed victory on her debut in the race.

  • Norris snatches pole from Hamilton at Hungarian Grand Prix

    Norris snatches pole from Hamilton at Hungarian Grand Prix

    Mogyoród, Hungary – In a nail-biting final qualifying session for the 2026 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, defending champion Lando Norris pulled off a last-gasp upset, edging Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by a razor-thin 0.012 seconds to claim his first pole position of the 2026 season. Hamilton, the eight-time Hungarian Grand Prix winner, was on track to secure the 105th pole position of his career — a record that would extend his existing all-time mark — and his first pole in a full grand prix event since the 2023 Hungarian round, before Norris’ blistering final lap stole the top spot on the starting grid.

    “It’s been a while,” Norris told reporters after the session. “I felt confident all weekend.” The McLaren driver noted he still had untapped speed left after his pole-winning lap, pointing to small errors he could have corrected with an extra run. “I had the confidence to push more,” he explained. “I got it to unexplored territory from what happens to the balance when I push it that next level, and I lost a bit of time in a couple of places.”

    Recent upgrades to McLaren’s car have left Norris optimistic heading into Sunday’s 70-lap main race, even as he cautioned against underestimating the challenge ahead. “It’s a long race ahead tomorrow and it’s going to be a difficult one,” he said.

    This pole marks the 17th full qualifying pole of Norris’ Formula 1 career, tying him with British motorsport legend and three-time world champion Jackie Stewart. The Briton’s last pole at the full Las Vegas Grand Prix in November ended in bitter disappointment: he lost the race lead to championship contender Max Verstappen, before he and teammate Oscar Piastri were both disqualified over a technical team setup infringement. Norris’ last full grand prix victory came one round earlier in Sao Paulo, though he has notched one win this 2026 season at the Miami sprint race.

    Charles Leclerc of Ferrari secured third place on the grid, 0.238 seconds off Norris’ leading pace. Hamilton currently faces a pending grid penalty investigation over allegations he impeded Piastri during qualifying, which would move Leclerc up to second on the starting grid if the penalty is issued.

    Piastri, who qualified fifth after taking evasive action to avoid Hamilton’s slow-moving car at the first corner, was openly critical of the seven-time world champion. When asked about his biggest issue during the session, the Australian driver bluntly stated: “Lewis not looking in his mirrors.”

    Hamilton pushed back on the criticism, saying he had no advance warning Piastri was approaching. “I was told literally when he was at the apex behind me, so I had no idea … I thought everyone had finished their lap,” Hamilton said. “Crazy because (the session) had been clean and obviously it wasn’t intentional.”

    For Hamilton, the near-miss for pole comes as a bitter disappointment, coming off one of his strongest qualifying performances since he moved to Ferrari last year. “We clearly had the car to be on pole today and I just didn’t deliver so that’s tough to swallow,” he said.

    It was a rough day for Mercedes across the board. Current championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified fourth, after he appeared to be held up when Red Bull’s Max Verstappen spun out ahead of his flying lap. Antonelli’s teammate George Russell qualified seventh, and the team faces urgent repair work after Russell’s car broke down on track while he was returning to the pits. Piastri of McLaren rounded out the top five qualifying spots.

  • Healthy again, Gabby Thomas explains why she’s skipping US nationals — and loving it

    Healthy again, Gabby Thomas explains why she’s skipping US nationals — and loving it

    Olympic 200-meter gold medalist Gabby Thomas has turned a frustrating 2025, marked by a nagging Achilles tendon injury that gradually sidelined her, into a standout 2026 season thanks to a deliberate, empowering mindset shift. Instead of framing herself as injured, the 29-year-old star chose to see her journey as one of healing, a mental reframe that has powered her consistent success on the track this year.

    “When you shift how you think about being hurt, you set yourself up to come back even stronger,” Thomas explained in an interview arranged by her sponsor Toyota in New York, where she has traveled to support her teammates competing at this weekend’s U.S. National Track Championships. Thomas, who took gold in the 200m at the 2024 Paris Olympics and is already training to defend her title at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, is not competing in this year’s national championships – but she emphasized that the absence has nothing to do with lingering injury issues.

    As the middle year of the current Olympic cycle, 2026 brings a uniquely flexible schedule for elite track athletes, and national championships simply did not align with Thomas’ packed Diamond League and international racing calendar. Her performance this season speaks to her solid form: she has notched five sub-22 second 200-meter runs in 2026 alone, pushing her career total of sub-22 second finishes to 20 – a record that no other female sprinter in history has matched.

    Up next on Thomas’ racing schedule are high-stakes events including the World Athletics Ultimate Championships, where first-place winners take home a $150,000 prize, and multiple meets with Athlos, the all-women track league founded by Alexis Ohanian. Now entering its third season, the league has expanded its roster of top talent, including 2026 U.S. national 100-meter champion Sha’Carri Richardson. Athlos’ second meet of 2026 will be held in October at Icahn Stadium on New York’s Randall’s Island – the same venue hosting this weekend’s national championships.

    Off the track, Thomas is balancing elite training with major life milestones: she got engaged to former Yale quarterback Spencer McManes last spring, and the pair is set to marry this October at an undisclosed location. Contrary to expectations, Thomas says juggling wedding planning with a professional racing season has not felt like a burden. “You make time for what you care about and what you want to do,” she noted. “If you love it, you’ll make it work.”

    That same intentional perspective shapes Thomas’ long-term plans beyond running. A former Harvard undergraduate who studied neurobiology and public health, and who later earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Thomas intends to build a post-racing career focused on advancing women’s health. “As a female athlete, I’ve seen firsthand the gaps in women’s healthcare – it’s underfunded, underserved, and there’s so much room for improvement,” she said. “I see myself naturally stepping in to help narrow that gap, and I’m open to going back to school to deepen that work.”

    Thomas has also been a prominent voice pushing back against a growing trend of online harassment targeting female athletes from sports bettors. Earlier this week, she doubled down on her advocacy on social media, noting that all of her harassment comes from a single demographic – and it is never from other women.

    In her personal time, Thomas has been diving into works by author and feminist philosopher Bell Hooks, whose writing on race and gender has reinforced her commitment to cultivating an identity outside of sprinting. For Thomas, that has made her current break from high-stakes national competition far from stressful – instead, she is able to enjoy every moment of this season.

    “It’s so easy to get completely wrapped up in track and make it your entire identity, especially when you compete at this level,” she said. “Reading these books has been a nice reminder to think about who I am off the track, what I love, and who I want to be long term.”

  • Fleeing a wall of flames: Tourists describe France wildfires escape

    Fleeing a wall of flames: Tourists describe France wildfires escape

    What was supposed to be a peaceful summer getaway for hundreds of tourists and local residents across southwestern France and central Spain turned into a frantic race for survival last week, as out-of-control wildfires tore through dry forest landscapes, forcing mass evacuations that have now displaced more than 220,000 people across both countries. As high winds and record-breaking heat continue to stoke the fast-moving blazes, France has deployed military personnel to assist overstretched firefighting teams, while Spain has declared a national state of emergency to coordinate response efforts.

    Multiple tourists who escaped the fire zones shared harrowing firsthand accounts of their ordeals with the BBC, describing chaotic overnight evacuation orders, last-minute escapes that brought them just hundreds of meters from towering 6-story flames, and thousands of displaced people crowding local beaches with all their belongings in tow. Even areas far from the active fire lines report acrid, bonfire-like smoke hanging in the air, a constant reminder of the crisis unfolding nearby.

    Zac Morrison, a 21-year-old London resident who arrived at the popular pine-covered Cap Ferret peninsula in southwestern France with 10 family members on Thursday, woke just hours after checking in to two emergency text alerts ordering immediate evacuation ‘by all means necessary’ at 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. He told reporters that French gendarmerie went door-to-door to clear the peninsula, an experience he described as ‘something like out of a movie.’ After evacuating the first fire zone, Morrison’s family was once again placed in the crosshairs of a second spreading blaze, receiving four separate evacuation updates in the days that followed, the most recent arriving Friday afternoon. The family sheltered on a public beach in nearby Arcachon before securing emergency accommodation with a relative, and 11-year-old Nate Morrison, Zac’s brother, has still not processed the trauma of seeing the wild flames firsthand. Morrison noted that many other displaced residents and tourists have been forced to sleep in temporary shelters like schools and warehouses, while hundreds wait on beaches for further instructions, luggage in hand. His family remains in limbo, waiting for official word on whether they can return to their holiday accommodation planned through mid-August. ‘It rained last night but we are hearing that electricity may be cut out over the peninsula, especially as the ash clouds go towards Bordeaux… I’ve heard about houses burning in just an hour, it’s scary but sadly people here are getting used to it,’ Morrison said.

    British visitor David Morton, who was wrapping up a week-long holiday to Cap Ferret with his wife and two teenage sons, said his trip was upended on day five when the dry pine forest and extreme heat created ideal conditions for the fire to spread. He told the BBC that his entire family was woken Friday morning by blaring emergency alerts on their phones, ordering immediate evacuation along the only exit road off the peninsula. ‘We literally threw everything into our suitcases and within 15 minutes were in the hire car,’ Morton explained. The family drove within 500 meters of the main blaze, where Morton said flames reached heights taller than full-grown pine trees, equivalent to five or six stories, and the fire was clearly out of control. The family stayed with local friends until their scheduled flight home from Bordeaux departed Saturday.

    Not everyone managed to evacuate in time, however. Rebecca Papin, a French-American visiting her holiday home in Biscarrosse, a commune near Cap Ferret, spotted a large plume of smoke in the distance Thursday afternoon. By the time she returned home three hours later, the sky was filled with water-bombing planes and firefighter helicopters, and the horizon was lined with a solid wall of flames. She told BBC Radio 4’s *Today* programme that authorities appeared overwhelmed by the speed of the blaze and never issued a formal evacuation order to her area. Papin, who slept with earplugs to block out the noise of emergency aircraft overnight, missed overnight evacuation alerts and woke Friday morning to find nearly the entire city evacuated, with her still trapped inside. ‘The main roads are closed because they’re on fire – the police advised me on Friday morning at 7.30am to stay in my home, to not leave my home under any circumstance; there was ash falling from the sky like snow,’ she said.

    The wildfire crisis has not been limited to France. In central Spain, multiple blazes are burning in regions outside of Madrid, and authorities are working around the clock to prevent separate fire fronts from merging into one massive, uncontrollable blaze. The flames have already forced the closure of a NASA facility 37 kilometers west of Madrid. Madrid’s regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso has called the blaze the ‘worst fire in the history of the region,’ noting the area is facing a ‘perfect storm’ of record high temperatures, constant gusty winds, and merging fire fronts that makes containment extremely difficult.

    Despite the severity of the crisis, major travel links have remained largely unaffected: commercial flights to Bordeaux and Madrid, the two largest cities closest to the fire zones, are still operating normally. French officials have urged foreign tourists not to cancel planned trips to the country, noting that the vast majority of French regions remain unaffected by the blazes. Éléonore Caroit, France’s minister for international partnerships, told reporters Saturday: ‘You have entire areas that are fine, you’re seeing similar phenomena in Spain and other countries. I’m in Paris and nothing is happening, and most other regions are OK, so do please come to France and do not cancel your travel plans. But wherever you are, please do be advised as to what might be happening.’ The UK Foreign Office has also not issued any advisory against travel to France or Spain, despite the ongoing emergency. The UK has had multiple of its own citizens caught up in evacuations, and many have relocated to other regions of France to continue their holidays after fleeing the fire zones.

  • ‘Upheaval’ – French wildfire evacuations in the middle of the night

    ‘Upheaval’ – French wildfire evacuations in the middle of the night

    In the dead of night, roaring wildfires sweeping through southwestern France have forced urgent evacuations, leaving a community of elderly and vulnerable care home residents dislocated and reeling from sudden upheaval. Staff at the facility, who spoke on condition of anonymity to regional media, described chaotic, high-stakes hours scrambling to move residents with limited time and resources amid spreading flames and worsening air quality.

    Unusually dry conditions and record summer temperatures across Western Europe have created a tinderbox in the region, priming vegetation for rapid fire spread that has outpaced initial containment efforts. Many of the care home’s residents have limited mobility or chronic health conditions, requiring extra support to evacuate safely in the middle of the night, when most were already asleep.

    Care workers recounted carrying residents out one by one, coordinating with emergency services to secure temporary shelter at alternate facilities kilometers away from the fire zone. For many of these vulnerable people, the sudden displacement has added significant emotional and physical stress, with some separated from personal belongings and familiar routines that are critical to their well-being.

    Local emergency management officials have confirmed that multiple communities across southwest France have been evacuated in recent days as wildfires expand, with more than a thousand hectares of forest and scrubland already burned. The care home evacuation stands out as a stark example of how extreme wildfire events, amplified by climate change, disproportionately impact the most vulnerable members of society, testing emergency response systems that are already stretched thin by a growing number of climate-driven disasters.

  • Woman dies and child injured in collision between car and truck

    Woman dies and child injured in collision between car and truck

    A devastating road traffic collision has claimed one life and left a child in critical condition in the Republic of Ireland, according to official updates from local law enforcement. The accident, which involved a passenger car and a heavy goods truck, unfolded shortly after 5 p.m. local time on Friday along the R162 roadway in the Corclare area of Shercock, County Cavan.

    The fatality identified was a woman in her 50s, who was behind the wheel of the car involved in the crash. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, Gardaí, the national police service of Ireland, confirmed in a statement. A young girl traveling as a passenger in the same car suffered severe life-threatening injuries and has been transported to a local hospital for emergency treatment, where she remains in critical condition as of the latest update.

    While several other people were travelling in the two vehicles involved, all other occupants only sustained minor injuries that did not require hospital admission, with first responders able to provide on-site medical treatment for those affected. No additional fatalities or serious injuries have been recorded in connection with the incident.

    In the wake of the crash, investigators have closed the R162 route at the collision site to conduct full forensic collision examinations, which are standard practice to determine the cause and circumstances of the incident. Local transport authorities have put in place signed diversion routes for motorists to navigate around the closed section of road while the investigation proceeds.

    Gardaí have now issued a public appeal for any road users or members of the public who were in the area at the time of the crash, and who may have witnessed the collision or captured relevant dashcam footage, to come forward to assist with the ongoing investigation.

  • Russian attack kills 3 in Ukraine’s Sumy region as Romania downs second drone in 2 days

    Russian attack kills 3 in Ukraine’s Sumy region as Romania downs second drone in 2 days

    Escalating Russian aerial attacks across Ukraine have left multiple civilians dead and injured over the past 48 hours, while cross-border drone incursions into NATO member Romania have prompted successive air defense intercepts, stoking new security concerns along the Eastern European alliance’s eastern flank.

    Local Ukrainian officials announced Saturday that a Russian drone assault on a civilian infrastructure site in the northeastern Sumy region claimed three lives. Oleh Hryhorov, the governor of Sumy Oblast, confirmed the victims were all drivers working for Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s largest private postal and courier service. The impact also ignited a large uncontrolled fire at the targeted location.

    The fatal strike in Sumy followed a separate deadly attack near Kyiv on Friday, where a Russian assault on a venue hosting a defense industry gathering left at least 10 people dead and close to 100 more wounded. Overnight Friday, another Russian drone attack targeted southeastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, striking a public shopping center. The blast sparked a massive fire that spread across 500 square meters of the complex, leaving an unspecified number of people injured, regional governor Ivan Fedorov confirmed.

    The string of coordinated attacks comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an urgent warning in his Friday evening national address. Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian intelligence assessments show the Russian military is amassing and preparing long-range missiles for a massive new wave of strikes across Ukraine, with clear indicators suggesting the large-scale attack could launch within 48 hours of his address.

    Beyond Ukraine’s borders, the spillover of the conflict has triggered security alerts in Romania, a NATO member that shares a long border with Ukraine. On Saturday, Romanian defense officials confirmed their air defense forces successfully and safely shot down an unauthorized drone that breached Romanian airspace, targeting the unmanned vehicle over an unpopulated area close to the Ukrainian border. Romanian President Nicușor Dan announced via Facebook that the interception was carried out by an F-16 fighter pilot, marking the second such shootdown in as many days.

    Saturday’s interception follows a similar incident on Friday, when Romanian forces downed a drone near the town of Padina, located northeast of the capital city of Bucharest. Cross-border drone incidents have become a recurring threat for Romania and other neighboring NATO allies since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with incursions involving both Russian and Ukrainian unmanned vessels and aircraft.

    In June 2023, a Ukrainian maritime drone deployed in the Black Sea campaign exploded near the major Romanian port of Constanta, while three additional unmanned sea drones detonated in waters outside the harbor. No casualties were reported in that incident. A month prior, a Russian drone that had been launched as part of an attack on Ukraine veered off course and crashed into an apartment building in eastern Romania, leaving two people injured.

  • Wildfire leads to evacuations in some suburbs of the French city of Bordeaux

    Wildfire leads to evacuations in some suburbs of the French city of Bordeaux

    In the summer of an escalating climate crisis, two of Western Europe’s most popular destinations are grappling with out-of-control wildfires that have forced more than 200,000 people to flee their homes, with flames now pushing toward the iconic French wine hub of Bordeaux.

    The emergency unfolded rapidly across southwestern France and central Spain this week, with record-high temperatures and prolonged drought amplified by climate change turning vast forested areas into tinder that fueled fires of unprecedented ferocity. Officials in both nations have acknowledged they were caught off guard by the speed and intensity of the advancing flames, which have overwhelmed initial firefighting deployments.

    In France, the blaze that began Wednesday near the Atlantic coastal vacation spot of Cap Ferret — just 37 miles southwest of Bordeaux — has swelled in size driven by strong westerly winds. By Friday, Gironde region prefect Sophie Brocas confirmed the fire had reached an “unprecedented magnitude” and was steadily advancing on the Bordeaux metropolitan area. Overnight Saturday, authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for portions of three western suburbs of Bordeaux, including the city’s airport, plus additional communities further west beyond the immediate metro area.

    “As the fire continues to spread, and despite the significant resources deployed by firefighters, the evacuation of residents from the affected areas is required to ensure their safety,” the prefecture’s official statement read. Targeted residents received emergency alert notifications directly to their mobile devices with clear evacuation instructions, and authorities have prioritized moving all at-risk people to safe shelter as quickly as possible.

    To date, the French Interior Ministry reports roughly 141,000 people across the Gironde and Landes departments have been forced to leave their homes, with many coastal tourist residents fleeing by boat to escape the fast-moving flames. Dozens of French firefighters have been injured while battling the blazes, though no fatalities have been recorded across either France or Spain. For locals, the scale of the disaster is unprecedented: “An evacuation on this scale has never happened before. All we really hope is that the firefighters can quickly get it under control,” said Laurent Moretti, a resident of the French town of Arès.

    Across the border in central Spain, roughly 60,000 people living west of Madrid have similarly been displaced by raging wildfires that burned out of control Friday. Spanish firefighters have acknowledged the blazes move too quickly and violently to be confronted directly, leaving crews focused on evacuation and containment rather than aggressive frontline attacks. On Saturday, regional officials reported a slight reprieve: cooler temperatures and calmer winds overnight reduced fire intensity, creating a small window to reinforce containment lines.

    The European Union has mobilized a cross-national response to the emergency, with water-dumping firefighting aircraft already deployed from the Netherlands and Portugal to assist Spanish crews. Four additional aircraft — two from Italy and two from Greece — were expected to arrive in Spain Saturday to boost response efforts.

    French officials are also ramping up their response, announcing substantial national reinforcements that include additional firefighters, military personnel, medical workers, and wildfire experts to expand the team tackling the blaze. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the France fire as “a large, self-sustaining fire that is extremely difficult to bring under control,” a assessment echoed by frontline crews and residents alike. As plumes of dark smoke have darkened skies across both regions and panicked residents flee by car, with authorities going door-to-door to clear at-risk neighborhoods, the disaster underscores the growing threat extreme heat and wildfires pose to populated European areas amid accelerating climate change.

  • Berlin’s first drag march brings protest, pride and flamboyant celebration to the streets

    Berlin’s first drag march brings protest, pride and flamboyant celebration to the streets

    BERLIN – On a sunny Friday afternoon in late July 2026, Berlin made history with its first ever official drag march, an energetic, glitter-filled opening event that kicked off one of Europe’s largest annual LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations. Organized in part by veteran LGBTQ+ activist and drag queen Sister Daphne OSPI, the march drew hundreds of participants ranging from drag queens and drag kings to allied supporters, building momentum ahead of the main Christopher Street Day parade, which was projected to bring hundreds of thousands of attendees to Berlin’s streets the following Saturday.

    As the march got underway, Sister Daphne – a member of the German chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI), an international LGBTQ+ advocacy organization – stepped forward to address the crowd. Pushing back her signature pink veil, fluttering her dramatic purple false lashes, and lifting her hands in a playful blessing, she declared, “Every step is a declaration, every kiss an act of revolution, every wig is a war cry.” Her words were met with roaring cheers from the crowd, which immediately fell into step behind the Transophonix brass band, dancing and marching through central Berlin to the beat of live music.

    The procession made its way past iconic Berlin landmarks, starting near the Reichstag parliament building before heading toward the Brandenburg Gate. Along the route, the band played *Das lila Lied* (The Lavender Song), a groundbreaking 1920s anthem that has remained a symbol of the global gay rights movement for a century. Participants turned heads with vibrant, over-the-top looks: towering high heels, sequined and glittering gowns, bold artistic makeup, and creative wigs that embodied the drag community’s ethos of unapologetic self-expression.

    In an interview ahead of the march, Sister Daphne explained the core philosophy driving the event: “We’re combining protest and resistance with joy and celebration. That’s what makes us so unique and that’s also what makes our demonstrations so popular.” Like all Pride events held around the world, Berlin’s annual celebration traces its roots to the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion in New York City, when LGBTQ+ patrons of the Stonewall Inn – a Greenwich Village gay bar located on Christopher Street – led an uprising against discriminatory police raids, a movement that redefined global queer advocacy.

    Sister Daphne’s organization, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, was founded in San Francisco in 1979, with its German chapter OSPI established in 1991. Beyond large public events like Pride, the group’s core work centers on community outreach: members regularly distribute safer sex education materials in nightlife venues, raise funds for people living with HIV and AIDS, and support grassroots queer projects across Germany and Europe. “Usually, we sisters are out and about in the nightlife scene, handing out safer-sex materials and collecting donations for people affected by HIV and AIDS, as well as for queer projects,” Sister Daphne noted. “Or we’re out at Pride parades, all over the country — across Germany, and sometimes even throughout Europe.”

    By the time the march got underway, crowds continued to grow as onlookers joined the procession along the route, a trend Sister Daphne said she was delighted to see. Standing with her fellow SPI Sisters Pia and Clementia in front of the Reichstag ahead of the march, she beamed – her face painted the traditional white makeup that is a signature of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence – and raised a clenched left fist in a universal symbol of protest and queer pride. For her, the event was as much about personal joy as it was political action. “It brings me incredible joy to get ready, put on my makeup and get into the right mindset,” she said. “I really enjoy being out and about the way I am.”

    The inaugural drag march marked a new milestone for Berlin’s long-standing Pride celebrations, cementing the city’s reputation as a welcoming hub for queer community and advocacy ahead of what organizers expected would be one of the largest Christopher Street Day parades in the event’s history.

  • Ukraine is still fortifying its border with Belarus years after Russia invaded from there

    Ukraine is still fortifying its border with Belarus years after Russia invaded from there

    Four years have passed since Russian forces launched their full-scale assault on Kyiv from Belarusian territory, and Ukraine continues to ramp up defensive fortifications along its 1,084-kilometer shared border with Moscow’s closest military ally. What once served as a bustling, cross-border transit corridor connecting communities on both sides is now a quiet, restricted zone, off-limits to all civilian travel and laced with hidden landmines.

    An on-the-ground reporting trip by the Associated Press to northern sections of the border earlier this month revealed the scale of Ukraine’s defensive buildup. For miles along border-side roads, anti-drone netting has been stretched to shield infrastructure from aerial attacks. The entire border landscape is crisscrossed with lines of razor-wire fencing and reinforced concrete “dragon’s teeth” anti-tank barriers, designed to block any potential armored incursion.

    The AP visit followed a recent spike in bilateral tensions between Kyiv and Minsk. Ukraine issued a formal demand that Belarus shut down a series of Russian communications relay stations, which Moscow had installed on Belarusian soil to extend the operational range of drones targeting Ukrainian population centers. According to Ukrainian officials, Belarus complied with the request, and hostile rhetoric between the two governments has cooled significantly in the weeks since.

    Despite the de-escalation, Ukrainian security officials remain vigilant. They have confirmed that there are currently no visible signs of a new Russian troop buildup inside Belarus, but have stressed that reinforcing the border will remain a top national security priority for the foreseeable future. Ukrainian border guard units conduct 24/7 patrols across the frontier zone, using armored fighting vehicles, surveillance drones, and integrated monitoring systems to track any unusual activity.

    Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly stated that his country has no intention of deploying its own troops to join Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, unless Belarus itself comes under direct attack. Even so, for residents living on the Ukrainian side of the border, the persistent risk of deeper Belarusian involvement in the war remains a constant source of anxiety.

    For many local communities, the sprawling network of new fortifications carries a dual meaning: the heavy defensive works serve as a stark reminder of the chaotic, uncertain early days of the 2022 invasion, when Russian forces advanced to the outskirts of Kyiv from this very border, while also offering a measure of reassurance that Ukraine is prepared for every possible security scenario. Additional reporting for this story was contributed by AP journalist Volodymyr Yurchuk based in Kyiv.