Across the globe, wildfires are on the move. Acrid smoke from huge Ontario fires choked major cities across Canada and the US last week, while in western Europe, France, Portugal and Spain have each been torched by a record-breaking number of blazes for this time of year.
In the UK, parched conditions after a hot dry summer have helped fuel blazes from national parks to cities. Last weekend, firefighters were tackling a blaze on Arthur’s Seat, the volcanic outcrop in the middle of Edinburgh. The week before, dozens of crews were confronted by a wildfire in north-east London.
Because of the climate crisis, fires are burning simultaneously in more places around the world – and they are often hotter, less predictable, and greater in number. For our big story, Ajit Niranjan surveys what seems to be a new normal and considers the impossible decisions specialist fire crews are making when multiple fires are burning in different parts of the world.
In Australia, bushfires have always been part of the country’s landscape. Graham Readfearn talks to some of those who have learned to live with the ever-present danger and asks what they can teach others in this rapidly changing world.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | Trump is risking midterm disaster. Why?
Less than a month after hailing a ceasefire, Trump resumed strikes on Iran – a move experts warn could prolong the war and hurt Republicans in upcoming elections. Robert Tait asks what is going on
Science | Is the world facing a male reproductive crisis?
Reports of falling sperm counts and testosterone levels have fuelled fears over chemicals, pollution and modern lifestyles. Hannah Devlin investigates
Feature | The business of rewilding
Intensive farming has all but destroyed England’s ancient woodlands and freshwater wetlands. On a farm in Lincolnshire, a radical aristocrat hopes to show there’s money in protecting nature. Patrick Barkham went to find out
Opinion | What’s left after this World Cup? A kind of messy hope
Kazakhs cheering Uzbeks, Bengalis wild for Argentina … This tournament was once a playground for nationalism. Now it shows how flimsy that allegiance is, argues Jonathan Liew
Culture | All shook up: the return of Alabama Shakes
With Brittany Howard at the helm, the American three-piece band are back with a new album railing against the state of the US in 2026. Dave Simpson caught up with them
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What else we’ve been reading
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is my ultimate comfort movie; it’s seen me through sickness, sadness and stressful times. In a fantastic scoop, Simon Bland interviewed Ferris himself, Matthew Broderick, and Alan Ruck, who played best friend Cameron, for the How we made series. “Life moves pretty fast,” as Ferris says, but not so fast that there’s not enough time for another watch … Clare Horton, deputy editor
• This piece about the war over Italy’s beaches really stood out for me. The coast is controlled by a mix of mafia-backed syndicates, the Italian military and at least one rogue operator who confronted council workers with a chainsaw. It’s a great read on the murky politics behind seemingly idyllic places – better still, it’s also in this week’s Guardian Weekly. Charles Minty, director of commercial strategy, publishing
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Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Audio | Can Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey revive cinema?
• Video | World Cup 2026 in 90 seconds: a photo animation with audio
• Gallery | Emergencies on planet Earth: images from the climate crisis
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