This month has seen France and Spain grappling with devastating wildfires that some describe as apocalyptic. The blazes have ravaged both buildings and forests, fueled by a historic heat wave across Europe which has shattered temperature records in several regions and tragically resulted in thousands of fatalities. Yet, the searing heatwave tells only part of the story behind these fiery disasters.

One of the most affected areas last week was the iconic Fontainebleau Forest, located near Paris. The blaze incinerated 2,000 hectares (approximately 4,942 acres) of valuable woodland. In the midst of the crisis, around 1,000 residents were compelled to evacuate, while 850 firefighters were engaged in battling the inferno. Authorities estimate that extinguishing the flames completely could take weeks.

Recent data from France’s Ministry of Agriculture reveals a startling statistic: human activity is responsible for nine out of every ten wildfires. Common causes include campfires left unattended, discarded cigarettes, and other forms of human negligence. The sweltering heat this year in France and Spain has transformed dry grasslands into powder kegs. Both countries have laws protecting certain lands from being cleared, a factor that complicates matters. As Daniel Lacalle, chief economist at Tressis investment in Madrid, explained to News Media, “Policies aimed at nature conservation and development have, in some cases, made it difficult to remove accumulated brush.”

In the United States, the situation is strikingly similar. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and the U.S. Forest Service report that 85% of wildfires result from human activities. Yet, lightning-induced fires, although accounting for a smaller percentage, often consume more land due to their frequent ignitions in isolated, difficult-to-access regions.

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said experts found 10 points around a little more than half of a mile radius that were used for ignition, according to a report by France Insider. It also found that pattern “suggests a voluntary origin,” the minister reportedly said.

France 24 reported that dozens of people have been arrested across the nation for either accidentally or deliberately starting fires. On a visit to the Fontainebleau forest last week, French President Emmanuel Macron said the country “has never faced so many outbreaks of fire across the country since the end of World War II.” He added, according to the France 24 report, “Here, as everywhere else in France, there will be zero tolerance” for arsonists, “because it is, of course, our national territory that is under attack every time a fire breaks out.”

Meanwhile, Spain has been dealing with three separate wildfires, one of which has been stopped. A fire in Zaragoza destroyed 12,000 hectares (29,653 acres) and resulted in the evacuation of six separate villages. Fires in Madrid and Guadalajara impacted at least 2,000 people. “The speed of these fires is something that even the most experienced firefighters are saying they have never seen anything like this,” Lacalle told News Media.

A fire in the Spanish Andalusia region killed at least 13 people, including a 93-year-old woman who was injured in the fire at Los Gallardos.

Spain has vast areas of unused land with most of the population living in cities. “Some unused areas have not been cleaned up,” Lacalle told News Media. “Because they have uncleared scrub land, there is a higher likelihood of a disastrous fire.” That uncleared scrub that gets dried out by an extreme heat wave effectively creates a tinderbox that ignites quickly, even with a partially smoked cigarette.

The number of people exposed to wildfires has grown by an average of 382,700 per year during the period from 2002 to 2021, an increase of 40%, according to a study by the University of East Anglia in England. The study says, “This surge in human exposure was driven mainly by population growth and migration into fire-prone landscapes.” Over the same period, the amount of land burned decreased by 26%, according to the UEA study. 

Separately, the extreme heat across France over the last month has caused a high death rate. The Guardian reported that some 2,000 people died at the end of June. The heat wave is forecast to continue through August.

France is the epicenter of the excessive heat, which has resulted in many outdoor events being canceled, especially in the south of the country. “Europe is being hit by a unique situation,” Shawn Hackett, president of Hackett Financial Advisors, told FOX News Digital. “The extreme heat and dryness are mainly being driven by the warm surface in the Mediterranean Sea and the cold-water Atlantic.” And that situation of warm dry weather will continue into August.

SEATTLE — Hopes for a fresh start in the second half of the season quickly faded for the Giants.

A promising conclusion to the first half left the Giants with positive momentum heading into the All-Star break. Their initial victory upon returning had even inspired some optimism for the games ahead.

However, reality set in over the weekend, culminating in consecutive losses and a series defeat to the Mariners, a team they had previously dominated just days earlier.

In Sunday’s 6-3 loss, Robbie Ray was pulled out by the fifth inning, Casey Schmitt’s defensive slips contributed to the team’s woes, and Tony Vitello’s controversial management decision led to Luke Raley hitting a decisive pinch-hit home run.

The Mariners, typically struggling against left-handed pitchers, managed a comeback despite Schmitt’s errors, disrupting an otherwise effective strategy with southpaws Ray and Sam Hentges on the mound.

Everyone enjoying an immaculate summer afternoon at T-Mobile Park could have predicted that Seattle would sub in Raley or Dominic Canzone, two righty mashers with huge platoon splits, once the Giants went in the other direction with their pitching assignments.

Presumably that includes Vitello, who called on Adrian Houser to begin the sixth inning nonetheless. All 14 of Raley’s home runs entering the game had come against right-handed pitchers, and it took only two pitches for that number to increase to 15.

Houser, one of the majors’ most homer-prone pitchers, took over a tied ballgame and served up a pair of home runs in a matter of two innings that put it out of reach for the Giants.

He recorded one hard out, then left a changeup over the middle of the plate that Raley smashed over the 380-foot sign in right-center field. Cole Young, who hit the go-ahead homer the previous evening, blew the game open with a two-run shot to right the following inning.

Bryce Eldridge opened the scoring in the first inning with his second home run of the series — his 10th of the season — to straightaway center, and Heliot Ramos drove in Schmitt to give Ray a 2-0 lead when he toed the rubber for the first time.

Seattle tied the score at 2 in the fourth with a pair of unearned runs, but the Giants immediately responded to retake a 3-2 advantage in the top half of the fifth when Luis Arraez doubled home Willy Adames, who drew a leadoff walk and was sacrificed into scoring position.

But just as it did less than 24 hours earlier, the lead evaporated, and so did any positive momentum the Giants had built before boarding their charter flight to Kansas City.

What it means

Ray’s shortest outing since May came at a poor time, with only two more turns through the rotation to go until the Aug. 3 trade deadline, when he should be one of the top arms available.

He was at only 86 pitches when Vitello lifted him for Hentges, but he had surrendered his sixth and seven hits of the game to begin the fifth, prompting the change.

Who’s hot

Eldridge spent his All-Star break at Disneyland, but he might think Seattle is the happiest place on earth after hitting at the typically unfriendly T-Mobile Park for the first time.

The rookie slugger gave the Giants their first runs of the second half with a homer in Friday’s 7-0 win, reached base three times with a pair of hits in Saturday’s 4-3 loss and bested the marine layer again in his first at-bat Sunday afternoon against Logan Gilbert.

Eldridge is riding a modest five-game hitting streak and has hit safely in six of his past seven games, with three homers and a 1.172 OPS over that stretch.

Who’s not

Two things you haven’t seen much of from Arraez: errors and strikeouts.

That is to say, it’s been an uncharacteristic start to the second half for the Giants second baseman. Arraez kept on hitting, with one apiece in all three games of the series, but flubbed a grounder for only his fifth error Saturday and, a day later, did something even more uncommon.

Gilbert got him to go down swinging in both of his first two trips to the plate. The contact artist had only struck out 16 times this season; it had been more than two years since he last struck out multiple times in one game — July 3, 2024.

Of course, Arraez wasn’t going to be held quiet for long, and he got his revenge in his third at-bat, lining a double down the left field line that gave the Giants a 3-2 lead.

It was a good reminder that one or two at-bats won’t have any impact on how teams view him going into the trade deadline, when he is widely expected to be on the move.

Up next

The Giants jet to Kansas City, where they begin a series against what should be an angry Royals team Monday night. The home team ought to be out for vengeance after they were handed a 19-2 loss by the Padres while the Giants were closing out their series in Seattle.

The World Cup final erupted into chaos as clashes erupted between the players of both teams.

The tension heightened as some Argentinian players lost control, reacting to the jubilant celebration by Spain’s substitutes and staff who rushed onto the field after securing a 1-0 victory over the South Americans.

Ferran Torres clinched victory with a decisive goal in the 106th minute, following the earlier dismissal of Enzo Fernandez in the 93rd minute for an underperforming Argentine side.

In the heated aftermath, Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes was shown a red card for assaulting Eric Garcia and knocking Gavi to the ground.

Further disorder saw Argentina’s Nahuel Molina land a punch on Rodri’s torso as he ran past, with Thiago Almada also getting involved in the commotion.

Micah Richards said of their behaviour on the BBC: ‘It’s embarrassing. They were on the cusp every single time. 

‘Seeing that sort of stuff after the game was played, it’s not good, it’s embarrassing to be honest. Paredes is better than that. We all know what it’s like to lose a game but this is not good enough.’

Joe Hart added: ‘Disgusting behaviour. There was one man on that pitch with class and that was Lionel Messi.’

Wayne Rooney said: ‘Rooney: ‘It doesn’t surprise me. We’ve seen this from Argentina before. It’s just sad, very poor from them. 

‘If you lose a game of football, be graceful. It’s a reaction to them being outplayed. Enzo Fernandez has got what he deserves it’s well.’ 

Argentina were thuggish throughout the World Cup final, as they had been against England in the semis. 

Fernandez complained against his dimissal for a second yellow but his late foul on Pau Cubarsi, which sent the defender flying, was atrocious.

Paredes was also fortunate to not be sent off in regular time for a foul on the edge of the box which presented Lamine Yamal with a last-breath free-kick before extra-time. 

Argentina only had two shots in the entire match, and the first of those only came in the 117th minute. 

By contrast, they committed 24 fouls – though Spain didn’t have clean hands themselves, as they gave away 21. 

Alan Shearer said: ‘There’s a way to lose. Too many times we’ve seen that reaction from them. They were trying to win free-kicks and their reaction after full time was terrible. The best team won. It’s a result for football because of the way Spain have played.’ 

Even Lionel Messi didn’t rise above the dark arts. The legendary forward was lambasted by Wayne Rooney after he tried to get Marc Cucurella sent off during the latter stages of the game.

The game descended into chaos when Fernandez received his second yellow card.

This led to a melee between both sets of players and Cucurella was spotted saying something to Messi.

The left back then put a couple of fingers over his mouth and continued speaking, a move which the Argentine immediately reacted to and waved over the referee.

As per FIFA’s rules for this tournament, if a player holds their hand over their mouth in a confrontational situation, they will be sent off.

This was seen with Miguel Almiron for Paraguay in the group stage and Piero Hincapie in the knockout stages for Ecuador.

However, it didn’t appear that Cucurella was speaking in a confrontational manner and the referee, nor VAR, decided to intervene.

Nevertheless, the BBC pundits were quick to hit out at Messi’s behaviour as his team headed into extra time a man down.

Hart said: ‘Oh wow! Wow! Yeah, I didn’t enjoy that at all from Lionel Messi.

‘You realise how on top Spain are if even Lionel Messi is reverting to that.’

Richards added: ‘We don’t want to see people getting sent off in a World Cup final for that.’

Rooney was similarly furious with Messi’s behaviour as he said: ‘It is desperation.

‘Argentina play like that, we know that’s what they do.

‘But the one thing you want is good sportsmanship and that was sad to see Lionel Messi doing that.’

by: Filip Timotija, The Hill

Posted: Jul 19, 2026 / 03:58 PM CDT

Updated: Jul 19, 2026 / 04:07 PM CDT

Tragedy struck in northern Iraq as a U.S. service member lost their life on Saturday amid a delicate operation involving the “controlled detonation” of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) confirmed Sunday.

Meanwhile, a fellow service member sustained what has been described by Centcom as a “minor” injury and is currently receiving medical attention. The incident underscores the persistent hazards that military personnel face in volatile regions.

The announcement marks the 17th death of a U.S. service member since the war with Iran began on Feb. 28. It comes a day after Centcom said that two U.S. service members were killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan on Friday. 

The Friday attack in Jordan left one U.S. service member missing. 

Centcom said on Sunday that after a “thorough” search, U.S. military personnel found “unidentified remains at the location” earlier today, adding that an “examination process to verify the remains is ongoing.” 

In retaliation for the service members killed in Jordan, the U.S. military launched another wave of airstrikes, targeting Iran’s military coastal surveillance, air defense facilities, maritime capabilities and missile and drone storage sites. 

The U.S. military has widened its attacks on Iran in recent days, striking energy infrastructure, port facilities, bridges and other targets, as both sides inch closer to an all-out war.

Iran has retaliated with strikes against Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, all countries where the U.S. has substantial military presence. Iran has struck oil facility and power and water treatment plants in Kuwait. 

Kuwaiti military said Sunday its air defense systems are working on intercepting Iranian missiles and one-way attack drones. 

Tragically, a U.S. service member lost their life on Saturday during a mission dealing with explosive devices left by a downed Iranian drone in northern Iraq, according to an announcement made by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday.

Officials have confirmed that a second service member sustained injuries in this incident, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing challenges in the region.

In another development, CENTCOM revealed that search efforts in Jordan, following a separate Iranian strike on Friday, led to the discovery of unidentified remains on Sunday. This was part of the search for a missing U.S. service member.

According to officials, the incident in Iraq happened after U.S. forces recovered a downed Iranian drone and began handling the explosive material left behind. 

“A U.S. service member in northern Iraq was killed in action July 18 during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone,” CENTCOM wrote in a post on X. 

The military did not immediately release further details about the incident, but said the other service member injured in the operation is receiving medical treatment. 

In Jordan, officials said the unidentified remains recovered Sunday will also undergo an examination to determine their identity. 

“After a thorough search, U.S. military personnel found unidentified remains at the location earlier today,” CENTCOM said. “An examination process to verify the remains is ongoing.”

Friday’s Iranian attack on a U.S. base in Jordan killed two U.S. service members, CENTCOM previously said. 

Four American service members were also medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals, officials said. They have since been discharged. 

“CENTCOM is withholding additional information, including the identities of the missing and fallen warriors, out of respect for the families during the notification process,” the agency said. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.