Schools across France will on Monday hold a minute of silence for the teacher stabbed to death in what President Emmanuel Macron called...

Britons travelling to Greece have been told to sign up for emergency alerts as the country is gripped by “extreme heat” and wildfires. The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for the popular tourist destination, with Britons warned of travel disruption as temperatures soar. It comes after thousands were evacuated from at least six seaside communities near Athens after their homes were threatened by wildfires. Much of Greece has been baking in near 40C conditions as a heatwave grips the continent, with temperatures in the southeast European country forecast to climb further later this week and into the weekend. “Extreme temperatures are currently affecting many areas of Greece,” the guidance says. “You can register on the Greek government’s Emergency Communication Service to receive emergency alerts.” Travellers are also advised to monitor local and international weather updates from the Greek Meteorological Service or European Meteorological Services, check conditions with their travel provider and follow the advice of local authorities at all times. There is also a chance that the extreme weather conditions could disrupt travel, the Foreign Office added. Officials in Greece issued the six evacuation orders on Monday morning as strong gusts of up to 70kph (45mph) whipped the wildfire closer to resort towns. The army, police special forces and volunteer rescuers freed retirees from their homes, rescued horses from a stable, and helped monks flee a monastery threatened by the flames. Last night water-dropping planes and helicopters tackled the flames near Lagonisi, some 40 km (25 miles) southeast of the capital. The second large wildfire broke out in a wooded area near the resort town of Loutraki, some 90km (55 miles) west of Athens, where a children’s summer camp and rehabilitation center for seniors were evacuated, local officials said. Fire Service spokesman Yiannis Artopios said the strong and changeable winds and mountainous terrain in which both fires broke out were slowing the firefighting effort. "The conditions are changing constantly and this has to be matched by our response. We have ordered multiple evacuations," he said. The evacuees gathered along the coastline or were put up in schools and hotels, while coast guard vessels were dispatched to smoke-heavy beachfronts to assist if needed. On a visit to Brusssels, Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the risk posed by wildfires this month as "extremely difficult" to deal with. "We have always had wildfires and we always will have them. But with the effects of the climate crisis, we are experiencing fires with increasing intensity," Mr Mitsotakis said, speaking on the margins of talks between leaders from the European Union and Latin American and Carribean countries. Greater Athens and much of southern Greece were on the second highest level of alert for wildfires Monday and Tuesday following a four-day heat wave that eased over the weekend. More heatwave temperatures are expected later in the week. Residents and visitors in areas affected by the two fires received cell phone alerts from the Civil Protection Ministry. Loutraki Mayor Giorgos Gionis said municipal workers were also assisting seniors in the evacuations, adding that the operation had been impeded by cell phone reception outages. Local officials confirmed that homes had been destroyed and badly damaged in both fires. Southern and parts of eastern Europe are currently in the grip of a sweltering heatwave that meteorologists forecast will continue well into this week. Other popular holiday destinations including Italy, Spain and Turkey are also experiencing intense heat. Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in the La Palma area of the Spanish Canary Islands over the weekend as a wildfire tore through 4,500 hectares of land as firefighters struggled to tackle the blaze. Forecasters in Italy say that Sardinia looks set to become the “epicentre” of the heatwave this week and could see temperatures of 48C (118.4F), just shy of the record 48.8C (119.8F) recorded in Sicily in August 2021. This week’s heatwave has been named Charon after the ferryman who delivered souls into the underworld in Greek mythology. Last week’s was named Cerberus - the name of a mythical creature in ancient Greek folklore. Cerberus, a three-headed dog, was believed to guard the gates to the underworld. Scientists say climate change is making extreme weather events like the current heatwaves in Europe more common. Read More Which holiday destinations will be hottest this week and how can you stay safe as temperatures soar? Europe heatwave: Is it safe to travel to Italy, Spain, Greece and Croatia? Extreme 40C heatwaves will frequently occur in UK without emissions cut, Met Office says Independent Traveller guide to best hotels and short breaks Best hotels in New York: Where to stay in Manhattan, Brooklyn and more Cheap hotels in Paris 2022: Where to stay for value for money

Former Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel is running for the Wisconsin Supreme Court against incumbent Justice Ann Walsh Bradley in a 2025

The EU's executive praises Kyiv's "excellent progress" and EU states will make a decision next month.

The president's supporters celebrate long into the night after he secures five more years in power.

The wife of a British-Russian national held in a Krelimn prison says she fears time is running out, and has called for the UK to take more urgent action to free him. Vladimir Kara-Murza survived two near-fatal poisonings, in 2015 and 2017, which resulted in organ failure and polyneuropathy, a condition that causes nerve damage. The Putin-critic was jailed for 25 years in April this year on charges of treason and spreading “false information” about Russia’s war in Ukraine. In September, despite Russian law preventing the detention of prisoners with polyneuropathy, Mr Kara-Murza was moved to IK-6, a maximum security penal colony in the Siberian city of Omsk. Although the British government has spoken out on his case, applying sanctions on at least five of the judges and prosecutors involved in his trial, his wife Evgenia Kara-Murza has claimed such measures have only been taken because she has “pushed and pushed and pushed” to make them happen. Speaking to The Independent, Mrs Kara-Murza claimed the government is showing “no initiative” in helping free her husband, noting that when she met her case officer this Tuesday at the headquarters of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), she found out that the consular advisor had been replaced with some who “had no idea who Vladimir is”. “It was the third case manager I have seen so far,” she said. “They have all been lovely ladies and they try to keep in contact with me. But this is the third I have seen. There is no continuity here, no continual dialogue. She will have to read up on Vladimir. She will ask me questions and I guess I will have to tell her the whole story yet again for a third time.” While Mrs Kara-Murza has said she is grateful for the British government’s efforts, she also expressed frustration that comments made by Rishi Sunak in August calling the detention “unjustifiable” were belated. “It took the prime minister over a year to make a statement about the illegal detainment of a British national,” she said. “I am grateful for the statement that appeared eventually but it could have been done earlier. The same goes for the sanctions.” Mrs Kara-Murza says she is “greatly concerned for Vladimir’s life” and that as a year in Siberian solitary confinement could be life-threatening, “there is no time”. Based on the recommendations of the main neurologist of the Moscow prison system, who saw Mr Kara-Murza before he was sentenced, any hope of calming symptoms of his polyneuropathy rest on his ability to exercise regularly and enjoy access to fresh air. But since her husband’s relocation to Siberia, he has been kept in a punishment cell that is just 10ft by 5ft. Due to his condition, he says he is unable to feel his feet. “His condition is only going to deteriorate because there is no way that he can get fresh air or take walks,” his wife said, adding that she “didn’t know whether to laugh or cry” when she first read the Moscow neurologist’s recommendations. “There is no way he is going to receive the proper medical care in a punishment cell in a maximum security prison in Siberia,” she said. “The authorities are also trying to isolate him to the maximum and this is why I have great concerns for his life.” Mrs Kara-Murza’s calls have, in the past, received cross-party support from MPs including Labour’s Sir Chris Bryant and Tories Bob Seely and Alicia Kearns, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. In June, Ms Kearns said whether the Foreign Office could keep British citizens safe and get them home when it needed to was a test of its “fundamental effectiveness”. “The UK’s response to the illegal detention of Vladimir has been appalling, for complex cases like this where the charges are politically motivated, we need someone who can cut through Whitehall bureaucracy and get our people home,” she said. She has called for the creation of a Director for Arbitrary and Complex Detentions within the Foreign Office to lead on hostage negotiations and streamline efforts to free illegally detained British nationals. Last month, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy promised that he would create a special envoy for hostages should Labour get into power next year. An FCDO spokesperson said: “The politically motivated conviction of Vladimir Kara-Murza is deplorable. We reiterate the Prime Minister’s call on Russia to release Mr Kara-Murza immediately and unconditionally. We regularly raise his case with the Russian authorities and will continue to do so at every available opportunity. “We have sanctioned 11 individuals in response to his sentencing and appeal as well as 2 individuals involved in his poisoning. Our staff are providing tailored support to Mr Kara-Murza’s family as they continue to highlight this gross injustice.” Read More NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week The harrowing Ukraine war doc '20 Days in Mariupol' is coming to TV. Here's how to watch Japan, China agree on a constructive relationship, but reach only vague promises in seafood dispute Russia-Ukraine war: Putin losses mount as Kyiv strikes along Dnipro River - live Hungary issues an anti-EU survey to citizens on migration, support for Ukraine and LGBTQ+ rights Thousands of Ukrainian children forcefully taken to Belarus via Russia, study finds

By Ross Kerber Vanguard supported just 2% of shareholder resolutions on environmental and social issues at U.S. companies

This year, I was tasked with voting for the National League Rookie of the Year. Here's my ballot and what went into each decision.

Shakira's sighting at Spanish GP comes after her Miami yacht ride with Lewis Hamilton

Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili said she will not use the services of the privately owned Georgian Airways following

UD Las Palmas return home on Friday night after four weeks away, welcoming Getafe in the curtain-raiser for the weekend's action in LaLiga EA Sports. Their play

Heart-wrenching images of revered elephants and cattle eating plastic in Sri Lanka have prompted politicians to toughen pollution laws, but sceptical conservationists warn...