French, Italian winegrowers face earliest ever harvest
Scorching summer temperatures have disrupted life for millions of Europeans but for winegrowers in Italy and France, who are harvesting their grapes unusually early, the hot weather offers pros as well as cons.
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Chelsea fined £10mn, handed suspended transfer ban for breaching agent rules
Chelsea were fined £10 million ($13.4 million) and given a suspended two-window transfer ban on Friday after an appeal hearing into sanctions imposed for multiple breaches of Football Association rules.
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Alarm over climate-linked low level of German waterways
Alarm is growing among German shipping and industry about low rainfall sapping major waterways, with one stretch of the Rhine briefly dipping to its previous record low on Friday.
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Residents defend Spain’s ancient 'El Abuelo' tree from flames
As a wildfire closed in, residents of the town of El Tiemblo grabbed shovels and rakes to defend an elder -- "El Abuelo," a centuries-old chestnut tree, one of Spain's most treasured.
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UK court rejects challenge against new Chinese embassy in London
An English court on Friday threw out a challenge against planning permission for a Chinese "mega" embassy in central London, but residents seeking to block the contentious project vowed to fight on.
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Forever chemicals and pesticides: what to know
Since returning to power, President Donald Trump's administration has approved five new pesticides that many scientists and environmental advocates say are PFAS "forever chemicals" -- a class of highly toxic substances being gradually phased out globally.
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New York sues online prediction markets giant Kalshi
New York's attorney general sued betting platform Kalshi on Friday, accusing it of running an illegal gambling operation in a case that could shed a spotlight on the lightly regulated and controversial world of prediction markets.
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Spaniard Santi Denia takes over as Czech Republic coach
Santi Denia, who guided his native Spain to 2024 Olympic gold, has been appointed head coach of the Czech Republic, the national federation (FACR) announced on Friday.
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Commerzbank agrees to talks with UniCredit after two-year standoff
Commerzbank CEO Bettina Orlopp has called for the opening of talks with UniCredit regarding the German bank's future, deeming a "constructive dialogue" necessary after the Italian group secured nearly half of the voting rights.
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EU races to contain new migrant crisis as thousands cross into Spain's N. Africa enclave
The European Union on Friday scrambled to contain one of the largest migrant crises faced by the block in recent years, after tens of thousands of people poured into Spain's enclave in north Africa in just days.
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