Journal De Bruxelles - News from Brussels, Belgium, Europe and the world

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli swept to a perfect 'double top' for Mercedes in Friday's practice at the Austrian Grand Prix to boost his hopes of extending his lead in the title standings on Sunday.

Four-time champion Max Verstappen wants to continue racing in Formula One for Red Bull, his team boss Laurent Mekies said on Friday before adding that he needs a fast car to stay.

Coach Tony Popovic said Australia want to do "something special" after reaching the World Cup knockout rounds for only the third time in their history.

Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk said on Friday that he was vacating his three boxing world title belts but is not retiring.

Ships continued to leave the Gulf, some of them braving a route not authorised by Tehran, despite an attack on a freighter that forced the suspension of a UN evacuation, tracking platforms showed Friday.

The UK broke the record for a June temperature for the third day in a row on Friday, the Met Office weather agency said, as a sweltering heatwave strained schools and hospitals and drove down business.

Germany saw its highest temperature ever recorded on Friday at 41.3C, according to preliminary weather service data, as the country braces for the possibility of even higher temperatures over the weekend.

The slew of online abuse created by artificial intelligence is deterring good candidates from standing for election, the incoming head of the Inter-Parliamentary Union told AFP on Friday.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli fought off the heat to top the times for Mercedes in both practice sessions on Friday ahead of the 'heat hazard' Austrian Grand Prix.

More than 50,000 people were missing Friday after twin earthquakes in Venezuela, the United Nations' aid chief told AFP as international rescue teams and sniffer dogs arrived to join a desperate search for survivors.

Japan will give "everything we've got" and declared they have what it takes to beat Brazil in the last 32 of the World Cup in Houston on Monday.

Montpellier head coach Joan Caudullo said on Friday his side have to be "watertight" to stop Toulouse superstar Antoine Dupont having an impact on this weekend's French Top 14 final.

Wall Street's main stock indices overcame an early bout of tech jitters Friday thanks to buy-the-dip traders, while oil prices fell sharply.

The death toll from twin earthquakes in Venezuela soared to 589 on Friday, with thousands more unaccounted for as international rescue teams and sniffer dogs arrived to help find survivors.

A punishing heatwave overwhelming hospitals in Europe is just the latest reminder of the deadly threat such scorching temperatures can pose to human health.

England captain Ben Stokes stepped up his impressive return to the side by reaching 250 Test wickets before Ben Duckett made New Zealand pay for dropping him with a quickfire fifty on Friday.

Europe's heatwave has smashed several temperature records, the UN's weather and climate agency said Friday, adding that it would determine the full impact once the phenomenon has ended.

The UK broke the record for its hottest-ever June day for the third day in a row on Friday, the Met Office weather agency said, as a sweltering heatwave strained schools and hospitals and drove down business.

From sun-scorched fields of crops to the corrugated iron shacks of a sprawling shanty town, there is no escaping the heat for migrant labourers in southern Italy's Puglia region.

Stock markets retreated Friday, capping a rollercoaster week for technology shares as doubts spread about the huge AI-fuelled gains for technology stocks that have propelled indexes to record territory.

Former Australian Open champion Madison Keys will face German veteran Tatjana Maria in the Eastbourne final after the pair benefited from their opponents' retirements on Friday.

England captain Ben Stokes stepped up his impressive return from international exile with a treble strike that took him to 250 Test wickets before New Zealand's first innings in Nottingham finally came to an end on Friday.

The death toll from twin earthquakes in Venezuela more than doubled Friday to 589, interim president Delcy Rodriguez said, as rescuers boosted by international teams raced to find survivors beneath collapsed buildings.

Montpellier head coach Joan Caudullo said on Friday his side have to be "watertight" to stop Toulouse superstar Antoine Dupont having an impact on this weekend's French Top 14 final.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli topped the times ahead of his Mercedes team-mate George Russell in Friday’s opening free practice for the Austrian Grand Prix.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka is into the first grass court final of her career after blasting past China's Wang Xinyu at Bad Homburg on Friday.

Stan Wawrinka announced Friday he will throw a farewell party for fans on December 19 in Geneva with former tennis stars Roger Federer and Andy Murray on the card of the "One last backhand" event.

The United Nations on Friday demanded independent investigations into dozens of deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since last year -- and swift action to prevent more people from dying.

Belarus will be a threat to Ukraine for as long as President Alexander Lukashenko is in power and relies on the Kremlin, the country's exiled opposition leader told AFP.

England captain Ben Stokes stepped up his impressive return from international exile with a treble strike that took him to 250 Test wickets but New Zealand kept the hosts sweating in Nottingham on Friday.

The heatwave battering Europe may have an unlikely partner-in-crime: a patch of cold ocean water south of Iceland and Greenland that can influence weather patterns over the continent.

With neither the Olympic Games nor the world championships on the summer schedule —- a first since 2020 —- US sprint star Noah Lyles is seizing the opportunity to "run as fast as possible" without worrying about peaking for a specific event and enjoying life off the track.