Global Pulse

标签： Oceania

大洋洲

  • Evacuees allowed to return home after deadly wildfire in Spain stabilises

    Evacuees allowed to return home after deadly wildfire in Spain stabilises

    One of the deadliest wildfires in recent Spanish history, which claimed at least 12 lives as residents and visitors fled its rapid advance in southern Spain’s Andalusia region, has been fully contained, officials announced Sunday. The containment order clears the way for roughly 1,500 displaced people to return to their properties over a phased timeline.

    Juan Manuel Moreno, president of the regional Andalusian government, confirmed to reporters that the blaze has been locked within its burned perimeter with no remaining risk of spread. “This marks, in a sense, the beginning of the end of a terrifying wildfire that set records for the speed of its advance,” Moreno said.

    The first wave of returning residents, made up of around 600 people evacuated from Almeria province’s high-risk fire zone, were allowed to go back to their homes Saturday evening. The remaining 1,000 evacuees will follow in staged groups to ensure safety, Moreno added.

    Scorched, abandoned vehicles still sit along rural roads where many victims became trapped as the fire raced through the landscape at speeds of up to 100 meters per minute. All 12 confirmed fatalities were people who became trapped in their vehicles or while attempting to escape on foot, according to official accounts.

    Jerome Navarro, a French tourist who arrived at his Spanish holiday home just as the fire advanced, described the chaotic speed of the blaze to French media Saturday. “I said to my wife ‘Get out quick, leave everything. Get out.’ And the time it took to say that I was engulfed in a ball of fire,” a tearful Navarro recalled. Navarro survived by throwing himself into a ditch and crawling to safety, but his wife remains missing.

    Officials have kept the official death toll at 12, noting that the full number of missing people cannot be confirmed until autopsies and DNA identification of recovered remains are complete. Many of the victims are believed to be foreign nationals, a detail that has slowed identification work as officials wait for DNA samples from relatives traveling from overseas.

    Spain’s Civil Guard is conducting a final, comprehensive search of the fire-ravaged area Sunday to account for all missing residents and visitors. Civil Protection Secretary-General Virginia Barcones told Spain’s public broadcaster that officers have already cleared more than 250 homes to confirm no one was trapped inside, and the final sweep will confirm no unaccounted victims remain. “I sincerely hope they don’t find anyone else, but we need to carry out one final thorough search to make sure that’s the case,” Barcones said.

    A shift to calmer winds and higher atmospheric humidity allowed firefighters to launch direct assaults on the blaze for the first time Saturday, bringing the fast-moving fire under control after days of difficult conditions. Around 500 firefighters, supported by water-dropping helicopters and aircraft, have worked around the clock to contain the blaze that broke out Thursday in the Gallardos area, a region popular with foreign retirees and holiday homeowners.

    Authorities suspect the fire started when a power line snapped amid an prolonged extreme heatwave that has pushed regional temperatures above 40°C for weeks. Unusually wet winter and spring conditions spurred dense vegetation growth across the region, which then fully dried out in successive heatwaves, creating ample fuel for a catastrophic blaze. So far, the fire has destroyed roughly 7,000 hectares of land.

    Manoli Ramos, a 72-year-old city councilor in the small village of Bedar where multiple victims were found, described the scene as apocalyptic. “We were absolutely terrified. We could see the flames. It was horrific, it was like hell,” Ramos told AFP.

    Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is scheduled to visit the fire-stricken area Monday to meet with first responders and displaced residents. Scientists have widely documented that human-caused climate change from fossil fuel emissions is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events that drive major wildfires across Southern Europe. Last year, wildfires burned nearly 400,000 hectares of land across Spain — the highest annual total recorded by the European Forest Fire Information System in the country’s history.

  • US-Iran strikes: latest developments

    US-Iran strikes: latest developments

    Fresh rounds of reciprocal strikes between the United States and Iran have sent shockwaves across the Middle East, pushing already fragile regional security to the breaking point and dealing a severe blow to international efforts to de-escalate long-running tensions. On Sunday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the indefinite closure of the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, a move that has already sent global energy markets into turmoil following days of mounting violence. The closure came in response to widespread US airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure, launched after Tehran targeted commercial shipping in the key waterway over the weekend.

    The cycle of violence began Saturday, when US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed it had launched retaliatory strikes against roughly 140 targets across Iranian territory. The airstrikes targeted a range of key military assets, including missile and drone production and launch sites, Iranian naval capabilities, ammunition storage depots, communications infrastructure, and coastal surveillance outposts, according to CENTCOM statements. The operation came after Iran attacked multiple commercial vessels operating near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage through which roughly 20% of the world’s global oil supplies transits daily.

    Iran moved quickly to retaliate, launching a wave of drone and missile strikes across US-aligned Gulf states and targeting additional commercial shipping in the strait. The Revolutionary Guard confirmed it had fired on a second vessel in the strait, after an initial incident where it said it fired warning shots to force a ship that ignored designated shipping routes to stop. CENTCOM reported the first vessel was left dead in the water after damage to its engine room from the Iranian strike. In the attack on a vessel off the coast of Oman, which the US has blamed on Iran, Indian officials confirmed 10 Indian crew members had been rescued, while one remains unaccounted for. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) had earlier reported the entire crew abandoned ship and evacuated to a lifeboat after the strike.

    The Iranian retaliatory strikes spread across six Gulf nations, targeting both military infrastructure and US facilities in the region. Jordan’s military confirmed three Iranian missiles landed across multiple locations inside the kingdom, though no casualties were reported. Kuwait’s military activated air defense systems to intercept an ongoing drone and missile attack on its territory, while both Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates activated air raid sirens and engaged incoming threats with air defense systems. Qatar also reported intercepting incoming missile attacks, confirming three civilians had been injured in the strikes. Iran also confirmed it had targeted a US military base inside Qatar, alongside striking US logistical support facilities at Oman’s Port of Duqm, which houses refueling infrastructure for US aircraft carriers and naval vessels. The strike on Oman came just hours after Omani officials hosted Iran’s foreign minister for talks focused on de-escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a formal condemnation from the Omani government Sunday.

    In the wake of the strikes, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reiterated Washington’s hardline stance, saying “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.” For Iran, the strikes come as new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei formally committed to avenging the killing of his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei, who was killed February 28 on the first day of the current open conflict between the US-Israeli alliance and Iran. “Vengeance is the will of our nation and must inevitably be carried out,” Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written statement released Saturday, his first public comment since his father’s funeral.

    Regional powers have already begun calling for urgent de-escalation. Pakistan’s top diplomat spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart Sunday, issuing a formal call for all sides to exercise maximum restraint to prevent the conflict from spreading beyond the current flashpoints. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has renewed immediate pressure on global energy markets, with prices already soaring amid fears of prolonged disruption to one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, raising the stakes for international actors scrambling to prevent a full-scale regional war.

  • China’s Pacific ‘backyard’ missile test not making friends: Education Minister Jason Clare

    China’s Pacific ‘backyard’ missile test not making friends: Education Minister Jason Clare

    Growing international and regional condemnation has followed China’s recent unprecedented ballistic missile test in the South Pacific, with senior Australian government ministers arguing the provocative move will not win Beijing any goodwill among regional neighbors.

    The test, which saw a ballistic missile fired to a location roughly 1,000 kilometers northeast of the Solomon Islands, took place just hours before Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was scheduled to arrive in Honiara for an official visit. Notably, the launch also occurred mere hours after Albanese signed Australia’s fourth bilateral security alliance with Fiji during a stop in Suva, a timing that has sparked widespread scrutiny across Australian political circles.

    Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Australian Education Minister Jason Clare emphasized the unneighborly nature of the launch, stating, “Good neighbours don’t shoot stuff over someone else’s house.” Clare doubled down on the criticism, noting China would not “make any friends” by conducting missile tests over what he framed as other nations’ backyard territory. He did, however, push back against suggestions that the test was intentionally scheduled to coincide with Albanese’s regional visit.

    For its part, China has defended the exercise, framing it as a routine military test carried out in line with international law. Notably, Australia was not given the standard 48-hour advance notification that typically accompanies such tests.

    Australian Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, who recently represented Australia at the NATO summit, warned that the Indo-Pacific is currently experiencing the most rapid military buildup and arms race the region has seen since 1945. “That is occurring without any transparency or strategic reassurance. That is the context that we face,” Conroy explained. He called a direct regional conflict the ultimate “nightmare scenario,” stressing that any major conflict in the Indo-Pacific would have catastrophic global consequences, not just impacts for the immediate region. “We must do all we can to prevent that,” he added.

    Conroy used the controversy to promote the Australian government’s expanded defense investment plans, including acquisitions of advanced SM-6 missile systems and Aegis combat systems. When asked whether Australia would have the capability to intercept a Chinese ballistic missile similar to the recent test in the event of a conflict, Conroy declined to give a direct confirmation, instead noting that the Australian Defence Force already holds a range of active capabilities. He emphasized that stagnation in defense modernization is not an option, justifying the government’s largest peacetime increase in defense funding in Australian history: “This is a race where we need to make sure that the Australian Defence Force has the best possible equipment, and that’s why we’re providing the biggest peacetime increase in defence funding ever.”

    When pressed on the risk of conflict over Taiwan, Conroy stated that Australia maintains preparedness for any regional conflict while all global parties work to avoid escalation. He also told NATO leaders that modern security conflicts are no longer contained to local regions, but have ripple effects across the entire globe.

    The missile test has also drawn sharp condemnation from Pacific regional leaders, including Solomon Islands opposition Prime Minister Matthew Wale, who has been pushing for a region-wide Pacific security pact. The recently signed Australia-Fiji Ocean of Peace agreement includes provisions that allow additional Pacific nations to join the pact in the future, though Albanese ruled out immediate moves to expand the alliance during remarks in Suva on Monday. Clare rejected claims that the missile test would discourage other Pacific nations from entering security partnerships with Australia.

    When asked about Australia’s stance on Wale’s call for a full regional security pact, Conroy confirmed that Australia supports the initiative, but emphasized that any agreement must be led by the Pacific region itself, as Wale currently holds the chairmanship of the Pacific Islands Forum. Conroy declined to share details of confidential discussions with Wale, noting that negotiating and finalizing such a wide-ranging agreement would likely take several years. “Ultimately, it’s a decision of all the Pacific leaders. We act on a consensus approach,” he said. When pressed directly whether Australia would sign on to a region-led pact, Conroy responded clearly: “absolutely.” He added that the initiative aligns with Australia’s existing approach to bilateral partnerships with Pacific nations, saying, “We’re proud to be the security partner of choice for the Pacific, just as we are the development partner of choice. This is all about peace and stability in our region.”

  • Zoos closing exhibits in bid to protect their animals

    Zoos closing exhibits in bid to protect their animals

    After the deadly H5 strain of avian influenza was confirmed on Australian territory, zoos and wildlife parks across the country have rolled out sweeping emergency biosecurity measures and temporary operational changes to safeguard their captive animal populations, as the outbreak expands into three states.

    The first confirmed case of H5 bird flu in Australia was recorded on June 20, when an infected migratory seabird was discovered on Western Australia’s south coast. In the weeks since, the virus has spread: five cases have now been confirmed in WA, two in South Australia, and one in New South Wales where an infected giant petrel was found at Hawks Nest. Just this week, South Australian health authorities confirmed the virus reached a native Australian bird species, marking a worrying escalation of the outbreak.

    Unlike many other regions that faced sudden, unplanned outbreaks, Australia benefited from months of advance warning as the virus spread globally over recent years, allowing the nation’s major zoos to prepare contingency plans well before the first local case was detected.

    At Adelaide Zoo, one of the country’s most high-profile wildlife attractions and the only Australian zoo that hosts giant pandas, management has taken the difficult step of temporarily closing multiple key attractions. The zoo’s popular walk-through aviaries are currently shut to visitors, the daily interactive little penguin experience has been suspended, and all free-flight bird shows featuring owls, macaws and other avian species have been called off indefinitely.

    Phil Ainsley, chief executive of Zoos SA, which operates both Adelaide Zoo and the Monarto Safari Park, said that planning for the arrival of H5 bird flu has been underway for years. “Our core priority will always be the health and welfare of the animals under our care,” Ainsley explained. “We have comprehensive, tested response plans in place, and we stand ready to roll out additional biosecurity controls if the situation worsens. We are in constant close coordination with national and state government agencies, and all our actions follow the latest guidance from wildlife disease experts.”

    Over at Perth Zoo, management has implemented a suite of layered precautionary measures designed to cut the risk of transmission between wild birds and captive species, particularly for some of the nation’s most at-risk endemic animals. Extra physical barriers, public hand sanitisation stations, and informational signs have been installed across the site — measures that echo the widespread public health protocols adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enclosure modifications now include covering the habitats of critically endangered species such as western ground parrots, numbats and black cockatoos with protective roofing barriers to prevent contact with wild birds.

    Perth Zoo is also currently evaluating a policy that would require staff and visitors to wear personal protective equipment, including disposable foot coverings, when entering certain high-risk animal enclosures. While walk-through aviaries at the zoo remain open for now, management says full closure remains an active option if the outbreak spreads further. David van Ooran, Perth Zoo’s executive director, noted that the facility drew on years of insight from international zoo colleagues to build its response plan. “The biggest benefit we had was advance awareness of this threat, which let us learn from facilities overseas that have already navigated outbreaks and tailor our own response accordingly,” van Ooran said. “We believe our preparations put us in a strong position to manage this, and we are monitoring the changing situation closely every day.”

    Van Ooran emphasized that the main transmission risk comes from wild birds that are drawn to the zoo’s lush botanical landscapes and water features, noting that the threat is shared across the entire community. “Like most zoos, we have beautiful green spaces and water features that naturally attract wild birds, that’s unavoidable,” he explained. “That said, we have a very detailed biosecurity plan in place, and we are looking at adding specialized sanitation mats at the entrances to our walk-through aviaries. While we have not had to close these exhibits yet, we are prepared to take that step if needed.”

    Despite the new restrictions, van Ooran stressed that the zoo remains fully open to visitors, especially during the current busy school holiday period, and encouraged the public to visit as normal. “Our message to the community is clear: we are very much open for business, and the overall visitor experience will not change in any meaningful way,” he said. “We still encourage people to plan a trip and enjoy the zoo as they normally would.”

    Taronga Zoo, which operates two major wildlife veterinary hospitals in Sydney, has implemented strict new protocols for people seeking care for sick wild birds: the facility now requires the public to call ahead before bringing any birds to the hospital, to reduce the risk of introducing the virus onto zoo grounds. Nationwide, zoos are urging members of the public not to attempt to transport sick or dead wild birds to zoos for veterinary care, to avoid accidental virus transmission.

    Australia’s national health authorities have issued clear public guidance: any person who encounters a sick or dead wild bird is advised not to touch the animal, and to immediately report the sighting to the national Emergency Animal Disease Hotline at 1800 675 888.

  • Labor MP likens Pauline Hanson, One Nation to ‘vanilla’ ice cream over monoculturalism stoush

    Labor MP likens Pauline Hanson, One Nation to ‘vanilla’ ice cream over monoculturalism stoush

    A fiery debate over national identity and multiculturalism has erupted across Australia’s political right, sparked by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s explosive call for an Australian “monoculture” during her debut address to the National Press Club. The controversial remark has left right-of-center parties scrambling to clarify their positions, with senior Labor minister Jason Clare drawing a playful but cutting comparison between competing right-wing groups and Neapolitan ice cream to call out their ideological ambiguity.

    In a weekend interview with Sky News, Education Minister Jason Clare — whose own spouse is Vietnamese-Australian and has long been a vocal supporter of Australia’s migration-driven diversity — slammed Hanson’s monoculture proposal as absurd. He argued that the three major right-wing political forces: the Liberal Party, the National Party, and One Nation, are all scrambling to appeal to the same conservative voter base, much like different flavors of Neapolitan ice cream ultimately all trying to pass as plain vanilla.

    “The Liberal Party has a proud record of supporting multiculturalism that it ought to stand by, but it can’t even bring itself to say the word ‘multiculturalism’ anymore,” Clare said. “That reeks of pure desperation.” When pressed by reporters whether his vanilla analogy was a coded reference to a preference for a white-only Australia, Clare walked back the interpretation, clarifying that his comparison instead referenced the overlapping policy agendas of the three right-wing parties, specifically their shared support for loosening employment protections and suppressing wage growth. Clare went on to frame Australia’s cultural diversity as a national strength, using his own fruit salad analogy to explain the value of multiculturalism to primary school students: “We all love individual fruits, but they are far better together than apart.”

    Hanson’s monoculture remark has forced every corner of the conservative movement to take a public stance, creating awkward rifts across the right. Most Liberal MPs, who represent many electorates with large migrant populations, have pushed back against Hanson’s proposal while echoing calls for stricter character-based migration checks, a policy push that has gained renewed traction in the wake of the recent Bondi Beach terror attack. Liberal leader Angus Taylor, who had previously signaled he was open to electoral cooperation with One Nation, doubled down on his criticism earlier this week, warning that a One Nation election win would bring “an eternity of pain” to Australian politics.

    The confusion came to a head when Clare referenced Barnaby Joyce, the high-profile National Party MP for New England, in his press conference. Clare initially stated that journalists should ask Joyce himself to clarify the meaning of the analogy, and later noted that he considered Joyce “a good man who believes in multiculturalism.” But Joyce quickly pushed back on that characterization in subsequent remarks, saying bluntly: “I don’t believe in multiculturalism.”

    Joyce argued instead for a unifying national Australian culture that all residents must adhere to, with clear “guardrails” to protect the shared freedoms of all Australians, regardless of their ethnic heritage. “The issue isn’t where your family comes from — it’s whether you abide by the shared rules that protect all of our liberties when you live here,” he explained. He also went on to criticize literalist and fundamentalist interpretations of both the Koran and the Bible, and argued that existing migration character checks have failed, pointing to the two men linked to the Bondi Beach attack: one who arrived in Australia during the Howard government era, and another who was born in the country.

    Shortly after Joyce’s remarks, Liberal MP Dan Tehan stepped in to clarify his party’s position, saying the Coalition supports “multiculturalism, but with Australian values at its core.” Tehan, who represents an electorate with a large East Timorese community, noted that migrant Australians can embrace Australian values while retaining their own cultural traditions, a balance the Coalition wants to preserve. He blamed the Labor government for failing to prioritize embedding Australian values within Australia’s multicultural framework.

    One Nation representatives have still struggled to offer a clear, consistent definition of the “monoculture” that Hanson called for, leaving the controversy unresolved and continuing to pressure conservative parties to lock in their positions on national identity and migration ahead of future electoral contests.

  • Noskova’s glimpse of Wimbledon trophy inspired title glory

    Noskova’s glimpse of Wimbledon trophy inspired title glory

    On a dramatic Centre Court Saturday at Wimbledon, 21-year-old Czech rising star Linda Noskova pulled off one of the most memorable comebacks in recent women’s singles history, clinching her first ever Grand Slam title with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory over compatriot and close friend Karolina Muchova. What made the win even more extraordinary was the unlikely moment of motivation that reignited her fighting spirit: a passing glimpse of the iconic Venus Rosewater Dish during a mid-match bathroom break.

    Noskova’s path to the trophy looked all but guaranteed in the second set, when she held a commanding 5-2 lead and held five match points to close out the win without a decider. But a chaotic collapse saw her squander every chance, allowing Muchova to claw back and level the match at one set apiece. Crushed by frustration, the ninth seed buried her face in a towel to wipe away tears before trundling off court to the locker room, desperate to reset her mind and body for the final set.

    It was on that walk through the Centre Court corridors that Noskova’s perspective shifted. Glancing into a display cabinet, she saw the gleaming championship trophy sitting beside the smaller runners-up shield. The stark visual of what she stood to lose jolted her out of her slump. After splashing cold water on her face in the bathroom, she resolved to leave everything on the court rather than settle for second place.

    “I was just telling myself that the match is starting over,” Noskova told reporters after the match. “But what really helped me, the first step I took off court, the trophies were there. I was like, ‘I’m not going to take the small one, I’m taking the big one. I have been so close. This will probably be the heartbreak of my life. If I’m going to leave my soul on court in the third set, whatever that be.’”

    That renewed focus paid off immediately. Staring down three break points in the opening game of the decider, Noskova held serve before landing a critical break of Muchova’s serve to seize control of the set. When her next match point arrived, she did not falter, closing out the win and collapsing to the grass in a mix of joy and disbelief.

    Noskova’s win makes her the youngest women’s singles Wimbledon champion since another Czech great, Petra Kvitova, lifted the trophy in 2011. Fittingly, two-time champion Kvitova – who Noskova idolized as a young player – was watching on from the royal box, and personally congratulated the new champion in the Centre Court lounge after the match. Her victory also extends Czech Republic’s stunning recent streak at Wimbledon, following Marketa Vondrousova’s 2023 win and Barbora Krejcikova’s 2024 title.

    Off the court, the moment carried deep personal meaning for Noskova, who lost her mother Ivana to cancer two years ago. Unable to hold back tears during her post-match speech, she paid tribute to her late mother, blowing a kiss to the sky after lifting the silverware. “Having shown her heart and desire in spades, Noskova had done her mother proud,” the original report noted.

    Reflecting on the rollercoaster nature of her win, Noskova acknowledged that the pressure of her first Grand Slam final had gotten to her in the second set, leaving her hands frozen and her feet slower than usual. “A final is a final. No matter what you do, there’s always the pressure. You always want to keep your cool, be okay, be like nothing is happening. But deep inside of you you know it’s very important,” she said. “Just winning it this way, really having to fight for it, having all these ups and downs, it matters a lot, but I do have to learn a lot from this match, definitely.”

    For the self-described down-to-earth 21-year-old, the dramatic Wimbledon triumph opens a new chapter in her young career, leaving her with the tennis world at her feet. The match also echoes one of Wimbledon’s most iconic moments of Czech tennis history: Jana Novotna’s 1993 final collapse against Steffi Graf, which saw the Czech cry on the Duchess of Kent’s shoulder before eventually claiming her own title five years later in 1998.

  • How a viral seal called Neil caused mayhem in Australia

    How a viral seal called Neil caused mayhem in Australia

    A five-year-old male elephant seal, now known globally by the name Neil, has become an unexpected viral internet sensation after bringing widespread disruption to a small community on the coast of southern Tasmania, Australia. What began as a routine resting stop for the young marine mammal, who came ashore to molt and recover from months at sea, quickly turned into a major local incident as crowds of curious onlookers flocked to see the 1,000-kilogram animal.

    Local authorities were forced to close popular coastal roads and cordon off multiple residential and recreational areas to prevent risky interactions between humans and the seal, a protected species in Australia. The closure disrupted daily commutes, local business operations, and planned community events for several days as Neil remained on land. Despite the disruption, Neil quickly won over social media users around the world, with viral photos and videos racking up millions of views and turning the seal into a global household name.

    Wildlife experts explained that young elephant seals regularly come ashore to rest, a natural behavior that is critical for their health and survival. They urged the public to maintain a safe distance of at least 50 meters to avoid stressing the animal, which can become aggressive if it feels threatened. After nearly two weeks of resting on Tasmania’s southern coast, Neil eventually returned to the open ocean, leaving behind a trail of viral content and a community that had adapted to its unexpected famous visitor.

  • Noskova survives tearful meltdown to win first Wimbledon title

    Noskova survives tearful meltdown to win first Wimbledon title

    On a historic Saturday at the All England Club, 21-year-old Czech star Linda Noskova wrote her name into Wimbledon folklore in one of the most breathtaking women’s singles finals the tournament has ever seen. After squandering five consecutive match points and suffering a tearful mid-match meltdown that seemed set to end her run, the ninth seed summoned extraordinary mental fortitude to defeat 10th-seeded compatriot Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, claiming the first Grand Slam title of her burgeoning career. The 2-hour-28-minute clash delivered enough twists and turns to rival a Hollywood blockbuster, capping a fairy-tale run for a player who had never advanced past the quarterfinals of any major before this year’s tournament.

    Noskova dominated the opening set with ease, putting Muchova under constant pressure and closing it out 6-2 to put herself one set away from the crown. When she earned the chance to serve for the match in the second set, she quickly built a 40-0 lead, holding four match points that appeared to seal the win. But a sudden collapse of nerve saw her waste every opportunity, allowing Muchova to break back and level the set. When Muchova held serve to make it 5-5, Noskova dropped a fifth match point, overwhelmed by emotion. She buried her head in a towel to wipe away tears before Muchova closed out the second set 7-5, leaving the Centre Court crowd stunned. A visibly shaken Noskova stormed off court for the decisive break ahead of the third set, a timeout that would prove to be the turning point of the match.

    Pulling herself from the depths of despair, Noskova refocused during the break, breaking Muchova early in the third set and holding firm to close out the match. When the final point landed, she collapsed to the grass in disbelief, finally processing that she had claimed the sport’s most prestigious singles title. This victory makes Noskova the youngest women’s singles champion at Wimbledon in 15 years, echoing the 2011 success of her childhood idol and compatriot Petra Kvitova, who won the first of her two Wimbledon crowns at the same age. Fittingly, Kvitova watched her protégé’s breakthrough from the royal box during the trophy ceremony, completing a full-circle moment for Noskova, who first picked up a tennis racket inspired by Kvitova’s 2011 win.

    The result also extends a remarkable run of Czech dominance at the All England Club: Noskova’s win marks the third time in four years that a Czech woman has lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish, following Barbora Krejcikova in 2024 and Marketa Vondrousova in 2023. Off the court, the 21-year-old has already endeared herself to fans with her quirky personality: she is an avid baker, relies on a series of lucky pre-match rituals, including drinking matcha prepared by a friend every morning during the tournament, and has opened up about the painful grief that shaped her 2024 Wimbledon run, when she competed just weeks after her mother’s death from cancer. That bittersweet memory has now been replaced by a far happier one, easing a small measure of that pain.

    In her post-victory speech, Noskova paid tribute to her opponent and reflected on the grueling physical and mental toll of the tournament. “All these matches have been so tough physically and mentally tough, today especially. It’s never easy to get the last point. Karo, you really made me work for it. All the sad tears, happy tears, sweat, blood and it’s all worth it. I will never forget these two weeks,” she said after lifting the trophy. Muchova, who was competing in her second Grand Slam final, was also emotional after the defeat, but paid tribute to her long-time friend in a lighthearted, gracious speech. “Really tough to find any words, but I’ll start with Linda, my ‘ex-friend’. I’m kidding obviously, kinda! The way you handled it is really unbelievable. Beyond this you are a very kind person. You deserve it,” Muchova said.

    Noskova takes home the £3.6 million ($4.8 million) winner’s prize, cementing her status as one of the most exciting rising stars on the WTA Tour. Notably, she only competed in her first professional grass court match in Birmingham back in 2023, but has since won more grass court matches than any other player on the tour over the past two years. With her first Grand Slam title secured, the 21-year-old has firmly established herself as a force to be reckoned with in women’s tennis for years to come.

  • Typhoon makes landfall in China after forcing nearly two million to flee

    Typhoon makes landfall in China after forcing nearly two million to flee

    A powerful typhoon that carved a destructive path across the Pacific has made landfall in eastern China, forcing nearly 2 million people across multiple regions to abandon their homes for safer ground in one of the largest pre-storm evacuation efforts in recent years. Typhoon Bavi came ashore around 11:20 pm local time Saturday in Yuhuan, a city in China’s coastal Zhejiang province, carrying maximum sustained winds of 144 kilometers per hour, according to the provincial meteorological observatory in a report carried by China’s official Xinhua News Agency.

    Before reaching the Chinese mainland, the storm system already left a wake of disruption across northern Taiwan and Japan’s remote southwestern Ryukyu Islands, toppling urban trees, cutting electrical power to tens of thousands of households, and forcing widespread shutdowns of businesses and transport links. The landfall comes as China has already faced a week of devastating extreme weather across its central and southern regions, where earlier storms killed at least 39 people, swelled dozens of rivers past flood stages, and caused a reservoir dam to collapse.

    Meteorologists forecast Bavi will continue tracking northwest after landfall, gradually weakening as it moves inland. As of Saturday morning, Chinese authorities had already relocated 1.72 million residents in high-risk zones to emergency shelters. In anticipation of the storm’s arrival, Zhejiang suspended all in-person classes, non-essential work, public transport and outdoor events, canceling more than 400 flights and dozens of intercity train services to minimize risk.

    Wenzhou, a major Zhejiang metropolis home to nearly 10 million people, emphasized in an official statement that its full-scale, proactive mobilization left no resource spared, with all efforts focused on preparing for the worst possible outcome. Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed local residents reinforcing shop shutters with wooden planks and applying protective tape to windows, as forecasters warned Bavi would bring exceptionally heavy rainfall to eastern Zhejiang and neighboring northeastern Fujian province.

    Further north, torrential pre-emptive rainfall prompted Beijing authorities to evacuate more than 100,000 residents, as the capital increased water discharge flows from the strategic Miyun Reservoir to create extra storage capacity for incoming floodwaters. State media reports show an additional 130,000 residents have been evacuated across Fujian, while roughly 34,000 people left high-risk and coastal areas of Shanghai.

    In northern Taiwan, streets sat largely empty as businesses remained closed for a second consecutive day, battered by strong wind and heavy rain. The storm forced the evacuation of more than 14,000 residents across the island, canceled hundreds of flights, and left more than 170,000 households without power. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration warned of extremely torrential rain across northern sections of the island and dangerous coastal waves reaching up to 10 meters as Bavi passed just north of Taiwan’s coastline.

    The storm system’s origins stretch back to earlier this week, when it made landfall in Guam and the Northern Marianas as a powerful super typhoon before weakening to a standard typhoon as it moved west across the Pacific. The death toll from Bavi has already climbed to 18 in the Philippines, where the storm triggered deadly landslides and flooding, mostly on the southern island of Mindanao. Nearly 11,000 Filipinos have fled their homes, dozens of ports remain closed, and more than 300 vessels have been forced to seek shelter in safe harbors.

    In Japan, thousands of households and public facilities across Okinawa Prefecture lost power when Bavi pounded the southwestern islands, with the Miyako region suffering the worst damage. Japanese carriers canceled dozens of domestic flights, disrupting travel plans for more than 26,000 passengers.

    Climate scientists have linked the increasing intensity of tropical storms like Bavi to rising ocean temperatures. Last week, the European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service confirmed that oceans globally recorded their hottest June on record, with projections that new temperature records will be set in the coming months. Warmer ocean waters fuel more rapid intensification of tropical cyclones and add more moisture to storm systems, which translates to heavier rainfall when they make landfall. This year’s weather has been further amplified by the return of El Niño, a natural climate pattern that warms Pacific surface temperatures and occurs every two to seven years.

    Initially, forecasters predicted Bavi would become the strongest typhoon to hit Taiwan in more than 30 years, but CWA senior forecaster Jason Cheng noted the storm’s strong wind radius has since shrunk to 350 kilometers. The shifted forecast and scaled-back impact left some Taiwanese residents frustrated with the early government warnings that prompted widespread shutdowns. “Look at how it caused people to scramble for groceries and clear out supermarket shelves. Honestly, there hasn’t even been much wind or rain these past two days,” said Li, a breakfast shop owner in the northern coastal city of Keelung.

  • Merlier wins eighth stage of the Tour de France in bunch sprint

    Merlier wins eighth stage of the Tour de France in bunch sprint

    The 2024 Tour de France delivered yet another thrilling display of sprinting prowess on Saturday, as Belgian rider Tim Merlier pulled off a remarkable comeback victory to claim the eighth stage title in a chaotic bunch sprint finish in the Dordogne region. This win marks Merlier’s second consecutive sprint stage victory and his fifth overall Tour de France stage win across just three appearances in cycling’s most prestigious grand tour.

    Long before the finish line came into view, the stage was widely predicted to end in a mass sprint showdown. The 175.6-kilometer route through Dordogne, a region famous for its rolling hills, medieval castles, and prehistoric cave art, offered few natural obstacles to break up the peloton, setting the stage for the sport’s top fast finishers to compete for the win.

    Early in the stage, a three-man breakaway formed, featuring Belgian Liam Slock, Czech rider Jakub Otruba, and Frenchman Thibault Guernalec. The escape group built a lead of more than two minutes over the peloton at its maximum, but as the race approached the final climbs, their advantage began to melt away. On the 2.2-kilometer Cote du Buisson-de-Cadouin climb, Otruba launched an attack, only for Slock to power past him and strike out on his own solo bid for victory with 40 kilometers remaining.

    Slock, who went viral on social media last month after securing his first pro win despite crashing meters before the line at the Gippingen Grand Prix in Switzerland, held off the peloton valiantly for more than 30 kilometers. But the combined pressure of sprinters’ teams chasing a bunch finish dragged him back just 1.3 kilometers from the line, ending his fairy tale bid for an upset win.

    In the chaotic final kilometers, Merlier looked certain to miss out on the win after getting boxed in and caught out of position heading into the final turn. Former world champion Mathieu van der Poel worked to lead out his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate Jasper Philipsen for the sprint, and Merlier was caught on the wrong side of a split when van der Poel accelerated early. But the Soudal Quick-Step sprinter dug deep, launching a searing long-range charge from distance to overhaul every rival ahead of him.

    In the final dash to the line, Merlier crossed first ahead of Ethiopian star Biniam Girmay, who finished second, while Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij—winner of the Tour’s first sprint stage on Wednesday—took third. Speaking after the finish, Merlier downplayed claims that he has established himself as the dominant sprinter in this year’s race, highlighting the fight he put in to secure position.

    “I needed to fight for my position all the time until the last minute,” Merlier told reporters. “Just before the corner, I was a bit boxed in, and then they almost crashed. I thought it was over, so I gave it a try to come back off the guys who did the lead out. I was coming with so much speed.”

    With this back-to-back sprint wins, Merlier now sits just 15 points behind green jersey leader Mads Pedersen of Denmark in the battle for the sprinters’ classification. Reflecting on his performance so far in this year’s Tour, Merlier said: “If you win one, you can win a second, and I’m happy. Three sprint stages, I won two. This is definitely my Tour de France.”