Europe weather: Highest temperatures yet to come as tourists left stranded outside Greek landmark

Published

2 years ago

July 15, 2023

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Europe is set to reach even higher temperatures over the weekend, as the Cerberus heatwave continues to grip the south of the continent.

Temperatures are expected to continue to swelter in Italy, with a second heatwave expected to rocket 12C (53.6F) above average in some areas on Sunday.

Five cities in Sicily, Sardinia and Puglia have issued fresh warnings for individuals to avoid being out in the midday heat after the Italian health ministry issued the same warning in another 10 cities from Bologna to Rome on Friday.

A similar “red alert” was issued in Cyprus, appealing for the public to take extra care and avoid using any machinery that could spark fires.

In the capital Nicosia, more than two dozen elderly people sought refuge at a dedicated heat shelter the municipality reserves for summer heatwaves.

Temperatures are expected to hit a midday high of 43C (110F) on Saturday, and are not expected to go below 27C (77F) even through the night, while humidity will hit 65% along the coast.

It follows temperatures of above 40C (104F) in Greece, which left tourists disgruntled after the temporary closure of the Acropolis in Athens.

Staff from charity the Red Cross handed out bottled water to dehydrated tourists waiting in long lines hoping to beat the Acropolis’ 12-5pm local time closure, but some were left disappointed at the last-minute announcement by authorities.

“I even bought a €50 ticket to skip the line to enter and I couldn’t enter the place,” Hector from Mexico said on Friday.

In Spain, people packed the beaches on Friday as the country enjoyed a short-lived respite from its second heatwave of the summer.

Temperatures were still expected to reach 40C in at least 12 of Spain’s 17 regions, after a high of 45C scorched the southeastern town of Albox on Wednesday.

Spain’s Aemet state weather agency said another heatwave is expected to start on Sunday with highest temperatures yet to come.

Spanish coastal areas like Las Palmas, Tenerife and Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands were at high risk of forest fires on Friday.

A map created by Sky News, adapted from Copernicus Emergency Management Service data, showed most coastal regions at “moderate” or “high” risk of forest fires.

Meanwhile, inland areas painted a different picture – with much of the centre of the map under “very high”, “extreme” or “highly extreme” risk of blazes.

People in Croatia found creative ways of staying cool, using mud to protect themselves from the glaring heat as the country reached 30-37C (86F).

“It [mud] is definitely better than sun screen, I think protection factor is much better,” said Josef, a Slovakian tourist visiting the coastal town of Nin.

People in Rome and Greece looking for ways to cool down used numerous fountains.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg weighed in on the high temperatures in a post on Twitter, saying global heat records should serve as an urgent wake-up call.

“Last week we experienced the hottest days ever recorded, many days in a row. We are also experiencing record high sea level temperatures and record low ice levels. This is an emergency,” she said.

Away from Europe, dangerous heatwaves are also being seen in the US, with more than a third of Americans put under extreme heat advisories, watches and warnings on Thursday.

Phoenix hit 43C (109F) for the 14th consecutive day, putting it on track for a possible new record next week.

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Thousands defy ban to join Pride march in Budapest

Published

1 hour ago

June 28, 2025

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Thousands defy ban to join Pride march in Budapest

If Hungary’s authorities thought banning this year’s Pride march would keep people off the streets, they were wrong.

Thousands turned out in Budapest, defying a law which said LGBTQ+ events like this should be cancelled to protect children.

The crowd was determined to fight for their rights.

“This is a special march, not just because it was the 30th, but also because it was banned,” said Orsi, who proudly wore a rainbow headband and waved a rainbow flag.

“I mean that’s all the more reason to go out on the street and show that Budapest and Hungary is a place where everybody is welcome, where love is equal,” she added.

Attendees had been warned that just being there could mean a 500 euro fine or prison time for the organisers.

They were told police would use facial recognition cameras to identify them, but they didn’t care.

Orsi said it was worth a fine.

Leonas had travelled from Poland to show his support and was also happy to take the risk.

“LGBT rights are attacked across the whole world, and we need to defend each other and work with each other,” he said.

Viktor Orban’s government has repeatedly pitched family values against LGBTQ+ rights.

“The mother is a woman, the father is a man and leave our kids alone,” he told conservative audiences in the past.

He says he is protecting Hungary’s Christian values, but critics say this is just part of a wider attack on democracy which has happened during his 15 years in control.

The Pride ban is just the latest targeting of LGBTQ+ communities.

In 2020, the country abolished its legal recognition of transgender people, and in 2021, politicians passed a law banning the depiction of homosexuality to under-18s.

While many were outraged by the attempt to cancel the Pride march, a small number of far-right activists organised demonstrations to show their support:

“Hungary and the Hungarian nation don’t want the aggressive LGBTQ+ propaganda. They are dangerous for our families, they are dangerous for our kids,” said Gabor Kelemen, a member of the 64 Counties Youth Movement.

However, the packed streets showed many disagree.

At one point, as far as the eye could see, the march snaked through streets and across the city’s bridges. The sound of drums and whistles mixing with gay anthems blaring out of speakers.

The organisers said they believed this will be the largest Pride march ever in Budapest.

The crowd was eclectic, with Hungarians from different communities joining a demonstration which many believe is now part of a fight for Hungary’s future.

“This is not only about the complexity of Pride, not only about love or equality… for Hungarians, it’s about sticking together, supporting each other, showing the government that we believe in a different kind of Hungary. We believe in freedom, we believe in democracy,” said activist Adam Kanicsar.

Despite the ban, today Pride attendees were celebrating a victory. But make no mistake, many in Hungary do not support the parade or what they see as an attack on traditional values.

Next year, the country will hold a general election, a vote which will expose how divided Hungary really is.

World

Chants of ‘death to America’ at funeral for Iranian military commanders and scientists

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1 hour ago

June 28, 2025

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Chants of 'death to America' at funeral for Iranian military commanders and scientists

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Tehran to mourn top military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Iran’s 12-day war with Israel.

State-run Press TV said the event – dubbed the “funeral procession of the Martyrs of Power” – was held for 60 people, including four women and four children.

It said at least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among the dead, including head of the Revolutionary Guard General Hossein Salami and the head of the guard’s ballistic missile programme, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Their coffins were driven to Azadi Square on trucks adorned with their pictures as well as rose petals and flowers, as crowds waved Iranian flags.

Chants of “death to America” and “death to Israel” could be heard.

Attending the funeral were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures, including Ali Shamkhani who was seriously wounded during the fighting and is an adviser to Iran‘s supreme leader.

There was no immediate sign of the supreme leader in the state broadcast of the funeral.

Iran’s president later thanked people for turning out.

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank you dear people,” Mr Pezeshkian wrote on social media.

“With love, you bid farewell to the martyrs of our homeland, and our voice of unity reached the ears of the world.”

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called the deaths “hard and painful”.

Seemingly referencing the recent airstrikes, he added: “Institutions and structures, however important and valuable, return with new glory and greater strength over time, even if it takes years.”

Israel, the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said its attacks on Iran aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.

The US joined in by launching strikes on three nuclear enrichment sites in Iran, which Donald Trump said left them “obliterated”, however the exact extent of the damage remains unclear.

Iran denies having a nuclear weapons programme and the UN nuclear watchdog, which carries out inspections in Iran, has said it has “no credible indication” of an active, coordinated weapons project.

Over almost two weeks of fighting, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, before a ceasefire began on Tuesday.