Southern France faced its own crisis as wildfires swept through the Pyrénées-Orientales region, forcing the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents. A separate fire in the Gard department was reported to have been contained, but the situation in the Pyrénées-Orientales remained critical.
Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine ground on. Kyiv was targeted by Russian ballistic missiles, while a Ukrainian strike on Sevastopol in Crimea knocked out the city’s electricity supply — a reminder that even as the world watches the World Cup, Europe’s deadliest conflict in decades continues unabated.
