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Europe Sizzles and Eiffel Tower's Summit Closes

A city sanitation worker uses a high-pressure hose to cool people off by the Eiffel Tower during a heatwave in Paris, France, 01 July 2025. EPA/YOAN VALAT
A city sanitation worker uses a high-pressure hose to cool people off by the Eiffel Tower during a heatwave in Paris, France, 01 July 2025. EPA/YOAN VALAT
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Europe Sizzles and Eiffel Tower's Summit Closes

A city sanitation worker uses a high-pressure hose to cool people off by the Eiffel Tower during a heatwave in Paris, France, 01 July 2025. EPA/YOAN VALAT
A city sanitation worker uses a high-pressure hose to cool people off by the Eiffel Tower during a heatwave in Paris, France, 01 July 2025. EPA/YOAN VALAT

Europe sizzled in its first major heat wave of the summer on Tuesday, as Barcelona recorded its hottest June in over a century and the summit of Paris’ iconic Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors.

Health warnings remained in effect in several countries. The abnormally hot weather “is exposing millions of Europeans to high heat stress” with temperatures more typical of July and August, said Samantha Burgess of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

Spain: Record temperatures Barcelona's Fabra Observatory reported an average temperature for last month of 26 C (78 F), breaking records since the data began in 1914. It said a single-day high of 37.9 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) for June was recorded Monday. Barcelona is usually spared the worst heat in Spain, thanks to its location between hills and the Mediterranean.

Ramón Pascual, a delegate for Spain’s weather service in Barcelona, told The Associated Press the "very intense heat wave” is clearly linked to global warming.

Pascual said inhabitants of the Mediterranean region are not being helped by the rising sea temperatures, which greatly reduce any cooling effects of a nearby body of water.

Spain’s weather service said recent surface temperatures for the Mediterranean near the Balearic Islands are 5 to 6 degrees Celsius higher than average.

Spain's national average for June of 23.6 degrees Celsius (74 degrees Fahrenheit) was 0.8 C hotter than the previous hottest June in 2017.

Madrid was forecast to reach 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit).
“We’re just surviving,” said Miguel Sopera, 63. “At night it’s impossible due to the terrible heat.”

France: Closed schools Temperatures were forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Paris. National weather agency Météo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert. More than 1,300 schools were partially or fully closed.

Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visits as the summit was closed until Thursday for "everyone's comfort and safety.”

Climate experts warn that future summers are likely to be hotter than any recorded to date, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius expected every year by 2100.

Italy: A blackout Italy's health ministry said 17 of the country's 27 major cities were experiencing a heat wave.

In Florence, where temperatures reached 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, parts of the city center experienced a blackout following a surge in electricity demand. Backup systems restored power, energy company Enel said.

Near Bologna, the 46-year-old owner of a construction company collapsed and died while repaving a school parking lot, state-run RAI reported. An autopsy was being conducted but heat was suspected.

The Netherlands: Water gun fight In the Dutch town of Soest, first responders said they were bringing a fire hose to an evening water gun fight.

“Bring your water pistol and swimming clothes with you, because you’re guaranteed to get soaked!” the firefighters said on social media.

Portugal: A record high The weather service in a statement Monday night confirmed the highest single temperature ever recorded in mainland Portugal for the month of June at 46.6 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) on June 29 in the town of Mora, west of Lisbon.

Türkiye: Wildfires Firefighters across Türkiye tried to contain wildfires that have forced the evacuation of some 50,000 residents for the third consecutive day.

Czech Republic: Polar bears Temperatures were expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by Wednesday in parts of the Czech Republic.

The Prague zoo distributed up to 10 metric tons of ice, with special attention given to polar bears. Zoo director Miroslav Bobek said twin brother bears Aleut and Gregor discovered frozen pieces of squid.

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Varieties

Northern Japan Hit by Deadly Snowfall, as Warnings Issued on More Heavy Snow

People clear snow near a building in Aomori, northern Japan, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)
People clear snow near a building in Aomori, northern Japan, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)
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Northern Japan Hit by Deadly Snowfall, as Warnings Issued on More Heavy Snow

People clear snow near a building in Aomori, northern Japan, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)
People clear snow near a building in Aomori, northern Japan, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)

Heavy snow battering northern Japan in the last two weeks has been blamed in 35 deaths nationwide so far, including people suffering sudden heart attacks or slipping while shoveling snow, government officials said Wednesday.

As of Wednesday, 15 prefectures have been affected, with the amount of snow piled up in the worst hit areas estimated to have reached 2 meters (6.5 feet).

The biggest number of snow-related fatalities, at 12 people, was reported in Niigata Prefecture, a rice-growing region in northern Japan, including a man in his 50s who was found collapsed on the roof of his home in Uonuma city on Jan. 21.

In Nagaoka city, a man in his 70s was spotted collapsed in front of his home and rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. He is believed to have fallen from the roof while raking snow, according to the Niigata government.

Japan’s chief government spokesperson warned that, although the weather was getting warmer, more danger could lie ahead because snow would start melting, resulting in landslides and slippery surfaces.

“Please do pay close attention to your safety, wearing a helmet or using a lifeline rope, especially when working on clearing snow,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters.

Various task forces were set up to respond to the heavy snow in Niigata and nearby regions, which began Jan. 20. Seven snow-related deaths have been reported in Akita Prefecture and five in Yamagata Prefecture.

Injuries nationwide numbered 393, including 126 serious injuries, 42 of them in Niigata. Fourteen homes were damaged, three in Niigata and eight in Aomori Prefecture.

The reason behind the heavy snowfall is unclear. But deaths and accidents related to heavy snow are not uncommon in Japan, with 68 deaths reported over the six winter months the previous year, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

More heavy snow is forecast for the coming weekend.

Varieties

Penny the Doberman Pinscher Wins the 150th Westminster Dog Show

A Doberman named Penny sits next to the awards after winning the "Best in Show" competition at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York City, US, February 3, 2026. (Reuters)
A Doberman named Penny sits next to the awards after winning the "Best in Show" competition at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York City, US, February 3, 2026. (Reuters)
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Penny the Doberman Pinscher Wins the 150th Westminster Dog Show

A Doberman named Penny sits next to the awards after winning the "Best in Show" competition at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York City, US, February 3, 2026. (Reuters)
A Doberman named Penny sits next to the awards after winning the "Best in Show" competition at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York City, US, February 3, 2026. (Reuters)

The dog was Penny. The win was priceless.

A Doberman pinscher named Penny won best in show Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, netting US show dogs’ most coveted prize — and giving veteran handler Andy Linton another win after nearly four decades. Linton got best in show in 1989 with another Doberman, named Indy.

Penny “is as great a Doberman as I have ever seen,” Linton told a supportive crowd. Despite health problems, he guided the 4-year-old dog through an impeccably crisp performance.

“I had some goals, and this was one of them,” Linton said, adding later in a conversation with reporters that as he's winding down his career, winning at the milestone 150th annual Westminster show is “extra-special.”

Runner-up — and cheers just as loud — went to a Chesapeake Bay retriever named Cota. While Dobermans have won five times including Tuesday, no retriever has ever won, and their fans applaud every encouraging sign.

Cota also seemed to enjoy the moment, particularly when his handler, Devon Kipp Levy, let him play with the ribbon.

Other finalists included an Afghan hound named Zaida, a Lhasa apso called JJ, a Maltese named Cookie, an old English sheepdog dubbed Graham and a smooth fox terrier called Wager. The judge, two-time Westminster-winning handler David Fitzpatrick, called the lineup one “that will go down in history.”

Each dog is assessed according to how closely it matches the ideal for its breed. The winner gets a trophy, ribbons and bragging rights.

A crowd favorite at the 2025 Westminster show, Penny has rocked show rings since. A throng of handlers and other dog folk cheered for the seemingly undistractable dog and for Linton in early-round action Tuesday afternoon.

Ringside afterward, Penny politely but pointedly nudged her nose into a visitor’s leg, looking for something — pets, as it turned out. She's generally “very chill,” Linton said later, “but she can get pretty pumped up for a bad guy. Or a squirrel.”

Co-owner Greg Chan of Toronto said Penny is “very demanding and very smart,” but she’s also “a pleaser — she’ll do anything for food.” (Her favorite snack? “Everything.”)

Penny came out on top after 2,500 dogs, spanning more than 200 breeds, strutted their stuff at the show.

Even if they didn't make the finals, there were plenty that scored meme-able moments or lightened up the crowd.

Over two nights of semifinals, spectators cheered extra-loud for a Xoloitzcuintli named Calaco, a hairless dog who went around the ring like he had nothing to prove. A vizsla named Beamer charmed the audience by hopping into a box set out for his handler's tools, and Storm the Newfoundland got laughs when he jumped up on his handler, standing as tall as she.

Spectators cheered so loud for a golden retriever named Oliver that they drowned out the arena's announcer, and chants of “Lumpy! Lumpy!” resounded as Lumpy the Pekingese strolled before a judge.

One dog that made history in the semifinals was Millie, a Danish-Swedish farmdog. The small, spry breed just became eligible for the Westminster show this year, and Millie bested about 10 other farmdogs Tuesday afternoon to get to the evening round.

Varieties

Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, Astrophotographers Launch Initiative to Strengthen Global Astrotourism Profile

Implemented under the “AlUla Manara” umbrella, the initiative supports RCU's objectives to protect the night sky. SPA
Implemented under the “AlUla Manara” umbrella, the initiative supports RCU's objectives to protect the night sky. SPA
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Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, Astrophotographers Launch Initiative to Strengthen Global Astrotourism Profile

Implemented under the “AlUla Manara” umbrella, the initiative supports RCU's objectives to protect the night sky. SPA
Implemented under the “AlUla Manara” umbrella, the initiative supports RCU's objectives to protect the night sky. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s AlUla Governorate launched a new initiative in collaboration with leading astrophotographers to highlight its position as a global destination for sustainable astrotourism, as part of the Royal Commission for AlUla's (RCU) efforts to showcase the governorate’s natural and environmental assets.

Implemented under the “AlUla Manara” umbrella, the initiative supports RCU's objectives to protect the night sky, document its exceptional clarity and low light pollution levels, and develop distinctive astrotourism experiences for astronomy and stargazing enthusiasts from within the Kingdom and abroad.

The initiative brought together national and Arab specialists in astrophotography, contributing to enhanced documentation quality, the exchange of technical and scientific expertise, and the development of professional practices in the field.

It focuses on producing scientific and documentary content that highlights AlUla's astronomical features, strengthening its presence on the global map of dark-sky destinations while building a local knowledge base and raising awareness of the importance of preserving the night sky as a natural and cultural resource.

Among the participants was Saudi astrophotographer Abobaker Abdullah Basudan, who documented a range of celestial scenes, taking advantage of AlUla’s clear skies and minimal light pollution.

Using advanced astronomical cameras, telescopes, and star trackers, he captured scenes including the Orion constellation and its famous nebulae, as well as meteors and faint celestial objects.

His work earned him first place nationwide in the “Abaad” competition launched by the Saudi Space Agency, reflecting the growth of national talent in space sciences and astrophotography.

The RCU's efforts have led to several sites in the governorate receiving Dark Sky designations, including AlUla Manara and AlGharameel Reserve, the first accredited Dark Sky sites in the Kingdom and the Gulf region.

Sharaan Nature and Wadi Nakhlah Nature reserves also received the designation under international standards aimed at reducing light pollution and protecting the night sky.

These achievements position AlUla as one of the world’s leading astrotourism destinations, in line with Saudi Vision 2030 objectives to diversify income sources and enhance the Kingdom’s cultural and scientific standing globally.