
-
Chelsea sign Brazil striker Joao Pedro from Brighton
-
Farrell says slow-starting Lions still have work to do
-
French court convicts ex-Ubisoft bosses for workplace harassment
-
Freeman at the double as slick Lions romp past Reds 52-12
-
India's Jaiswal on the attack against England in second Test
-
Liverpool defender Quansah signs for Bayer Leverkusen
-
Alcaraz aims to avoid giant-killing after Wimbledon seeds tumble
-
Freeman at the double as Lions sweep past Queensland Reds 52-12
-
Iran ends cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog after Israel, US strikes
-
Matildas' defender Carpenter leaves Lyon for Chelsea
-
Public or private? Funding debate splits reeling aid sector
-
Stocks diverge as tariffs deadline looms
-
EU unveils long-delayed 2040 climate target -- with wiggle room
-
Central Europe swelters as heatwave moves east
-
Hong Kong to regain IPO crown this year, say PwC and Deloitte
-
Iran suspends cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog
-
Israel's top diplomat urges seizing chance after Trump ceasefire push
-
Australia cancels Kanye West visa over 'Heil Hitler' song
-
Israel FM calls to seize opportunity as Trump pushes for Gaza ceasefire
-
Fire that closed Heathrow traced to unrepaired transformer
-
Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 14 as Trump teases ceasefire push
-
Asian markets mixed as trade deal cut-off looms
-
Dalai Lama says he will have successor after his death
-
Demining Ukraine: from drones to risking it with a rake
-
Eggs en Provence: France's unique dinosaur egg trove
-
'I lost my battle': warming sea killing Albania fishing
-
Combs Trial: Day three of jury debate after partial verdict reached
-
Giant Trump tax bill faces make-or-break vote in Congress
-
Oasis: five favourite hits
-
'Finally': Oasis fans, young and old, gear up for reunion
-
North Korea opens massive beach resort: state media
-
'No roof' to Savea ability for ex-All Black Kaino before France Tests
-
Alcaraz faces amateur hour against young Brit at Wimbledon
-
'Writing is thinking': do students who use ChatGPT learn less?
-
Australian airline Qantas says hit by 'significant' cyberattack
-
India exporters cautiously optimistic as US tariff deadline looms
-
Real Madrid oust Juventus as Dortmund reach Club World Cup quarters
-
Relief coming for Europe after brutal heatwave
-
Fate of major trade deal with EU hangs over Mercosur summit
-
Thai veteran politician set for single day as acting PM
-
Guirassy double as Dortmund down Monterrey to reach Club World Cup quarters
-
BTS agency confirms superstars' 2026 album, tour
-
US halting some shipments of military aid to Ukraine
-
ALMA lets astronomers see building blocks of early galaxies
-
Philippines biodiversity hotspot pushes back on mining
-
Deal or no deal: What happens with Trump's July tariff deadline?
-
Canada turns to drones for reforestation after wildfires
-
US, Japan, India, Australia pledge mineral cooperation on China jitters
-
Son of kingpin 'El Chapo' to plead guilty to drug trafficking in US
-
MDCE to Cancel 680 Million CEO Shares and Slash 980 Million Authorized Shares as Stock Trades Near 52-Week Low; Q2 Rebound Underway

Mont Blanc: The Holy Grail of ultra-trail running
More than 2,000 runners will on Friday set off for the 20th edition of the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail, a hellish 170-kilometre trail run in weather that is already turning wintry.
As in every edition since 2003, the strains of "Conquest of Paradise" by Greek composer Vangelis, will ring out at 6:00 pm in the "Triangle de l'Amitie" (Friendship Triangle) in Chamonix to accompany the athletes' first strides.
Tens of thousands of spectators are expected in the ski resort for the occasion to cheer on the runners who have come from all over the world for the gruelling challenge.
The course, which dips from France into Italy and Switzerland, and passes through Courmayeur, the Grand Col Ferret and Champex has a total climb of around 10,000 metres (32,800 feet).
It was originally designed to be completed by hikers in seven days but to be considered a "finisher" of the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail (UTMB, to give it its French abbreviation) you have to cross the finish line in 46 hours and 30 minutes.
Astonishingly, the fastest competitors should take around 20 hours to complete this tour of Mont Blanc, meaning they will cross the line on Saturday.
"It’s our Tour de France, the final of the Champions League, the most important event of the year," said British trail runner Damian Hall, who finished fifth in the Mont Blanc race in 2018 but will not take part this year.
In the absence of Spanish star Kilian Jornet, the four-time winner of the event who is injured this year, there is no clear favourite.
Frenchman Mathieu Blanchard, the only man apart from Jornet to have gone below the symbolic 20-hour mark in 2022 with a time of 19 hours, 54 minutes and 50 seconds, will have to achieve another extraordinary performance to win.
He finished seventh in the Western States 100-mile trail race in California in June, falling below his expectations.
"After that, I took a big hit to my morale, but I arrived in the Chamonix region at the beginning of August and I have done a few enormous weeks of training. I'm not tired, not sore," Blanchard told AFP.
Could he win the UTMB? "The signs are there," he said enthusiastically.
American Jim Walmsley, who moved to the Mont Blanc region in 2022 with the sole aim of winning the race, and Britain's Tom Evans will also fancy their chances.
M.A.Colin--AMWN