1 hour ago ‘Framed by jagged peaks, it felt like stepping into a dream’: readers’ favourite mountain trips in Europe

From the Alpujarras to the Dolomites, our tipsters hike, camp and devour hearty mountain food in some of Europe’s most spectacular scenery• Send us a tip on European wilderness – the best wins a £200 holiday voucherAfter a gruelling journey from the UK, arriving at Alpe di Siusi during golden hour felt like stepping into a dream. Farmers turned hay in some of Europe’s highest alpine meadows, framed by jagged Dolomite peaks glowing in soft evening light. We can recommend staying at the Hotel Schmung, a family-run gem with delicious northern Italian food and direct access to scenic hikes. Rifugios provide great lunch stops along the trails. The peaceful setting, breathtaking views and freedom to explore on foot without needing a car make this a perfect base for the Dolomites.Louise Continue reading...

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3 h. ago Dublin is the only large European capital without a metro: what would Leopold Bloom make of that? | Dermot Hodson

In James Joyce’s Ulysses, the city’s most famous fictional resident was as frustrated by its transport links in 1904 as many of us are todayIreland’s planning body, An Bord Pleanála, will determine later this year the fate of an ambitious proposal to build the country’s first underground railway. Residents of the Irish capital won’t be holding their breath, however. Since it was first proposed 25 years ago, MetroLink has been cancelled, revived and rebranded. The latest version of the plan, which involves just 18.8km of track, has been subject to delays, costs that have spiralled to five times the original estimate, and fierce opposition from homeowners, heritage bodies and businesses.A wide-awake city of tech firms, theatres and tourist attractions, Dublin is one of the EU’s richest metropolitan areas; it is also the only large western European capital without a metro. No Dubliner would have been more frustrated with the situation’s absurdities, and MetroLink’s slow progress, than ...

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14 h. ago Carabao Cup format change revealed due to NINE English sides qualifying for Europe

The Carabao Cup was thrown into chaos next season with nearly half of the Premier League having booked spots in Europe for 2025/26 and bosses have now confirmed a major change to the competition

Politics

15 h. ago Revealed: More than 24,000 factory farms have opened across Europe

Intensive livestock farms such as those found across the US are spreading across the continent, according to new dataAmerican-style intensive livestock farms are spreading across Europe, with new data revealing more than 24,000 megafarms across the continent.In the UK alone, there are now 1,824 industrial-scale pig and poultry farms, according to the data obtained by AGtivist that relates to 2023. Continue reading...

Politics

17 h. ago Nato secretary general says Europe needs to ‘ramp up defence spending’ as foreign ministers meet in Rome – Europe live

Mark Rutte says ‘we have to spend more’ as ministers discuss Weimar+ model ahead of Nato summit later this monthEuropean foreign ministers are now arriving in Rome for their Weimar+ meeting on security and Ukraine.Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said his country needs “at least 10 years” to raise defence spending and comply with new targets to be agreed by Nato, adding that a deal on them could soon be reached, Reuters reported. Continue reading...

Politics

17 h. ago Attack dogs: how Europe supplies Israel with brutal canine weapons

Military dogs involved in attacks on Palestinian civilians – including children – are likely to have been exported from European countries, investigation findsWarning: readers may find some of the details in this piece distressingIt was only seconds after soldiers entered the Hashash family’s home in the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank that the dog attack began. As military raids rolled out across her neighbourhood one morning in February 2023, Amani Hashash says she took her four children into a bedroom. When she heard Israeli military coming into their home she called out that they were inside and posed no threat.Moments later the bedroom door was opened and a large, unmuzzled dog launched itself into the room, plunging its teeth into her three-year-old son, Ibrahim, who was asleep in her lap. Continue reading...

Events

19 h. ago European journalists targeted with Paragon Solutions spyware, say researchers

Citizen Lab says it found ‘digital fingerprints’ of military-grade spyware that Italy has admitted using against activistsThe hacking mystery roiling the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s rightwing government is deepening after researchers said they had found new evidence that two more journalists were targeted using the same military-grade spyware that Italy has admitted to using against activists.A parliamentary committee overseeing intelligence confirmed earlier this month that Italy had used mercenary spyware made by Israel-based Paragon Solutions against two Italian activists. Continue reading...

Events

20 h. ago Putin mocking Trump with attacks on Ukraine, Poland says, as European foreign ministers meet for defence talks – Europe live

Ministers to discuss Weimar+ model joined by Nato secretary general and EU foreign policy chief ahead of Nato summit later this monthEuropean foreign ministers are now arriving in Rome for their Weimar+ meeting on security and Ukraine.Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said his country needs “at least 10 years” to raise defence spending and comply with new targets to be agreed by Nato, adding that a deal on them could soon be reached, Reuters reported. Continue reading...

Politics

22 h. ago European foreign ministers meet in Rome to discuss defence as Zelenskyy calls for more sanctions on Russia – Europe live

Ministers to discuss Weimar+ model joined by Nato secretary general and EU foreign policy chief ahead of Nato summit later this monthTurning briefly to Austria, later today we should get an update from the police on their investigation into the school shooting in Graz, with a press conference scheduled for late morning.I will bring you any important updates here. Continue reading...

Politics

23 h. ago European foreign ministers meet in Rome to discuss defence and security plans – Europe live

Ministers to discuss Weimar+ model joined by Nato secretary general and EU foreign policy chief ahead of Nato summit later this monthZelenskyy also criticised Russia’s Putin for “willing to pay for their sick geopolitical fantasies” with the lives of over one million Russians killed in the war so far.“A million losses, and, still, they are doing everything to avoid ending this war. They even ignore the US and president Trump,” he said. Continue reading...

Politics

32 h. ago Deacon Blue star James Prime seriously ill in hospital as fans asked 'share your love'

James Prime, keyboard player for Deacon Blue, is in hospital for an undisclosed illness and so will no longer be part of the band's upcoming UK tour, including gigs in Liverpool and Birmingham

Politics

39 h. ago Funds to tackle Europe’s forest fires poorly targeted, says EU watchdog

Report raises concerns that money allocated to combat fires not reaching areas where it could make biggest differenceEuropean funds to prevent forest fires have been poorly targeted and sometimes distributed in a hurry, according to a report from the EU’s spending watchdog.The number of forest fires in EU countries has increased dramatically over the last two decades as the climate crisis fuels ever bigger conflagrations. An area twice the size of Luxembourg has been consumed by flames in an average recent year, killing people, destroying homes and wildlife and sending megatonnes of planet-heating emissions into the air. Continue reading...

Events

41 h. ago Tusk wins vote of confidence in Polish parliament – Europe live

Tusk bounces back from presidential election defeat two weeks ago with 243 votes in favour and 210 againstThere are about 260 questions to Tusk, one minute each, so it may take a while.Hope he is making comprehensive notes. Continue reading...

Politics

48 h. ago Polish prime minister Donald Tusk faces vote of confidence in parliament – Europe live

Tusk seeks to bounce back from presidential election defeat two weeks ago after unexpected victory by right-wing populist Karol NawrockiTusk starts by saying he wants to “get straight to the point,” as “this is not a day for long, flowery speeches.”He says that the result of the presidential election makes it clear that the government will face “greater challenges than we expected.” Continue reading...

Politics

51 h. ago Europe was promised a new golden age of the night train. Why are we still waiting? | Jon Worth

Romance, excitement and sustainability – continent-crossing sleeper trains should be a hit. It’s time for the EU to catch onAs Europeans woke up to the joy of travel post-lockdown, it looked as though we were in store for a resurgence of continent-crossing night trains. Sleeper train fans hailed a “night train renaissance” and a “rail revolution”, combining some of the nostalgia for an old way of travelling with modern climate and sustainable transport concerns.The long-distance European train journey might be slower than a short-haul flight, but it is surely better in terms of the environment and the traveller experience. For those on a budget, the prospect of saving on a night in a hotel appeals too. Continue reading...

Politics

53 h. ago Drought fears in Europe amid reports May was world’s second hottest ever

Copernicus data shows month was 1.4C above estimated 1850-1900 average used to define pre-industrial levelIt has been an exceptionally dry spring in north-western Europe and the second warmest May ever globally, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).Countries across Europe, including the UK, have been hit by drought conditions in recent months, with water shortages feared unless significant rain comes this summer, and crop failures beginning to be reported by farmers. Continue reading...

Politics

64 h. ago Ange Postecoglou’s triumphant sacking holds the key to modern football | Jonathan Liew

The Australian’s fluctuating fortunes at Spurs expose how much the game has become an act of persuasionEnjoy your launch. And for Ange Postecoglou, who always bristled at the idea that his wealth of coaching experience had somehow been earned in inferior competitions, perhaps his departure from Tottenham really can be a kind of springboard: to one of these prestigious, equally demanding leagues he keeps talking about. Maybe the struggling Gamba Osaka. Perth Glory could well have a vacancy soon. Motherwell are still looking. A step down? That’s just your old-world, Eurocentric, Prem-brained snobbery showing right through there, mate.And so to Postecoglou’s many rhetorical elisions can be added another: the triumphant sacking. Perhaps it was only in this universe – the post-truth universe – that such a feat was even conceivable. Along with the Europa League trophy he so stunningly spirited to north London, this may turn out to be the defining legacy of the Postecoglou interregnum. The...

Politics

68 h. ago Ten people dead in attack at school in city of Graz in Austria, says mayor – Europe live

Elke Kahr, mayor of Graz, says seven students, one adult and attacker among dead after attack at schoolThe Austrian interior ministry has confirmed that several people have been killed in the attack on the school in Graz in the south of the country, without specifing the exact number, AP reported.Austria’s Kronen Zeitung noted that the incident took place close to the tenth anniversary of the 2015 Graz attack “which many Graz residents still remember today” in which three people died, and 36 were injured. Continue reading...

Events

69 h. ago Nine people dead in attack at school in city of Graz in Austria, says mayor – Europe live

Elke Kahr, mayor of Graz, says seven students and one adult among dead after attack at school, with ninth person dead understood to be the attackerThe Austrian interior ministry has confirmed that several people have been killed in the attack on the school in Graz in the south of the country, without specifing the exact number, AP reported.Austria’s Kronen Zeitung noted that the incident took place close to the tenth anniversary of the 2015 Graz attack “which many Graz residents still remember today” in which three people died, and 36 were injured. Continue reading...

Events

69 h. ago Nottingham Forest complain to Uefa over Crystal Palace’s European place

Palace said to be in breach of multi-club ownership rulesForest would directly replace Palace in Europa LeagueNottingham Forest have written to Uefa to raise concerns about Crystal Palace’s planned partaking in the Europa League next season, arguing their Premier League rivals could be in breach of multi-club ownership rules.Forest stand to gain if Palace are not permitted to play in Europe next season because they would take Palace’s place in the Europa League. There is scope for a legal battle given Forest believe they have grounds to play in the competition. The Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns Greek champions Olympiakos, placed his shares into a blind trust to comply with Uefa rules in the event Forest qualified for the Champions League. Continue reading...

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