Zhang Yuanyuan and Sun Luping claimed gold in the women’s double sculls.

On Tuesday, China won one gold and one bronze medal as the 2026 World Rowing Coastal Championships concluded in Qingdao, Shandong Province. Zhang Yuanyuan and Sun Luping claimed gold in the women’s double sculls, while compatriots Long Zhentao and Yang Yujiao took bronze in the mixed double sculls.

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Zhang and Sun made a strong start in the women’s double sculls final, establishing an early lead before maintaining their advantage to the finish. The pair avoided collisions involving rival crews around the turning buoys to secure the title.

“The waves were really big during the race, and at one point I wasn’t sure how things would turn out. But we performed well throughout, and I’m proud that we were able to win for our country,” Sun said.

Zhang said the race demanded quick decisions when navigating the turning buoys, adding that winning a world title in her home province of Shandong made the achievement particularly special.

The 2026 World #Rowing Coastal Championships opened at Golden Beach, Qingdao.
Competitions run Oct 11–13 with 7 #coastalrowing events.#Athletes from 18 countries gather for this top-tier global sea rowing event. #sports pic.twitter.com/pmBVU2bF4f

— GoShandong (@DazhongDaily) October 11, 2026

Americans Kory Rogers and Christopher Bak won the men’s double sculls, overcoming challenging wind conditions. “You can’t tell on camera, but the wind is really strong today; the surface of the water is pretty flat, but you really felt that heavy, heavy wind. We kept pushing. You never know what can happen on a buoy,” Bak said.

France’s Alexis Fortier produced a late comeback to win the men’s solo title, edging Bak by just 0.79 seconds after recovering from an early setback. “I was involved in a clash at the second buoy and I lost some ground, then I managed to catch up person by person and got past. I never gave up and carried on to the finish. It went well and I’m very happy,” Fortier said.

The United States also won the women’s solo and women’s coxed quadruple sculls titles, while Italy took gold in the men’s coxed quadruple sculls and Finland prevailed in the mixed double sculls. The U.S. topped the medal table with three golds and two silvers and received the national federation trophy.

Qingdao will next host the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals, beginning October 18. Beach sprint rowing, which combines a running start on the beach with a short rowing course, will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: Xinhua

European regions and cities are calling on the EU to give millions of displaced Ukrainians legal certainty and a genuine choice between building a future in Europe and returning home safely. Their appeal comes as Russian attacks on Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure intensify ahead of what is expected to be another harsh winter for the war-torn nation.

Temporary protection for displaced Ukrainians was set to end in March 2028. Eurostat data from July shows that almost 4,5 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine were benefiting from the mechanism, which was established shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

“Temporary protection was the right emergency response, but it cannot be the long-term answer,” said Antje Grotheer, Chair of the European Committee of the Regions’ (CoR) Working Group on Ukraine. “People forced to flee Ukraine because of Russia’s war need certainty about their future,” the President of the Bremen State Parliament added.

An opinion drafted by Grotheer and adopted by CoR members on Tuesday calls for timely, accessible information on legal options beyond temporary protection so that people can make informed decisions.

It notes that decisions on legal status are taken mainly at EU and national level, while their practical consequences are managed in cities and regions. Local authorities need predictable funding and administrative capacity to keep public services running and respond to housing pressures, the CoR said.

Grotheer demanded that cities and regions are given a voice in shaping the transition after the EU’s temporary protection runs out.

Preparing for winter

The opinion sets out three parallel priorities: supporting the inclusion of displaced Ukrainians in European communities, investing in their education and skills for the benefit of host societies and Ukraine’s recovery, and enabling voluntary, informed and safe return when conditions allow.

“It’s time now to realise that we should not only treat Ukrainians as vulnerable refugees; we should treat them as our partners,” said Ylva Johansson, EU Special Envoy for Ukrainians in the EU. “Their future is part of Ukraine’s future, and that future is in the European Union,” she added.

“The millions of Ukrainians currently living outside the borders of our country are a huge human potential that Ukraine cannot afford to lose,” said Tetiana Yehorova-Lutsenko, President of the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils (UAROR) and Chair of Kharkiv Regional Council.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that 49 percent of Ukrainian refugees – down from 61 percent in 2024 – have expressed hopes or intentions to return one day, with security, housing and essential services among the key conditions.

Protecting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been a central part of the EU’s support since 2022. In a letter to CoR members, President Kata Tüttő and Grotheer warn that the attacks risk depriving communities of basic living conditions. The letter recalls that the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had described the attacks as “a strategy of terror”.

“Cities and regions must act before the arrival of the cold further aggravates the already difficult humanitarian situation,” the letter warned. It said regions and cities can deliver support in the form of energy equipment, used municipal vehicles, medical supplies or IT equipment.

This story was produced by the European Newsroom (enr) in cooperation with the European Committee of the Regions (CoR). The editorial responsibility lies with the enr. 

Press contact:

Theresa Sostmann
Tel. +32475999415

Theresa.Sostmann@cor.europa.eu

Formula 1 will return to Africa with the addition of the Rwanda Grand Prix to its calendar in the early 2030s, event organizers announced in a statement this Monday. A ten-year agreement will end the sport’s more than three-decade absence from the continent. The last race took place on March 14, 1993, at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa, where Frenchman Alain Prost won.

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The race will be held on a new circuit to be built in Bugesera, approximately 40 kilometers south of Kigali, the Rwandan capital. According to Formula 1, the facilities are expected to be ready by the beginning of the next decade, the scheduled time for the Grand Prix’s debut on the global calendar.

The track will be designed to meet the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Grade 1 standards, a requirement for hosting top-tier motorsport competitions. The project is part of a broader initiative for sports, tourism, infrastructure, and commercial development led by the Rwanda Development Board.

The venue will not be used solely for the race. Formula 1 stated that the complex will host international motorsport competitions, major events, conferences, and shows throughout the year, aiming to foster economic growth and long-term investment in the region.

In recent years, Rwanda has positioned itself as an African sports hub by hosting events such as the Cycling World Championships, the 2023 FIFA Congress, and the Basketball Africa League.

Africa, we’re back. 🌍

From the early 2030s, the African Grand Prix will join the calendar and take place in Bugesera, Rwanda 🇷🇼#F1 pic.twitter.com/c5gSRl7FNt

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 13, 2026

Rwandan President Paul Kagame highlighted that the agreement represents a long-term investment for the country. “This ten-year partnership is also an investment in Rwanda’s future. The Bugesera circuit, alongside the new international airport, will generate jobs, training, tourism, and new business opportunities for our country and our region for decades to come,” he stated.

For Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali, the return to Africa marks a historic moment, as it will allow the competition to have a presence on every continent. “Africa has always been part of Formula 1’s future, and from the start, we were determined to return in the right way—with the right partner, a long-term commitment, and a clear vision to create a meaningful impact,” he declared.

The championship organizers maintain that Africa represents “one of the most promising growth opportunities for the sport,” with over 100 million fans. Furthermore, nearly 60 percent of followers in key sub-Saharan African markets are under the age of 35.

#Sports | George Russell (Mercedes) set the fastest time in the only free practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix, the seventeenth round of the Formula One World Championship and the season’s final sprint race.https://t.co/gRM4MmvLfV

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 12, 2026

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Russian forces appear to use AI to plan air attacks and recognize targets amid raids on Ukrainian cities. This may include recent air attacks on Odesa that have come in waves with short gaps, Deputy Air Force Commander for Air Defense Colonel Yurii Cherevashenko says, Ukrinform reports.

Russia has already equipped its jet-powered Geran-4 drones with machine vision, allowing them to recognize and track targets on their own in the final seconds of flight. Recently, a single jet drone hit a locomotive in Odesa Oblast in late September and killed two railway workers.

The scale of Russia's AI use is hard to measure, Cherevashenko continues, but Ukrainian specialists already see its elements in how attacks are organized. The long, wave-by-wave strikes on Odesa would be far harder to plan and coordinate without it, he believes.

"Russian forces use AI to lay out attack routes and to recognize targets," Cherevashenko says, framing it as his own assessment rather than a confirmed fact.

The sea is harder to defend than land

Odesa Oblast is home to the biggest port in Ukraine, "Southern". Protecting it is a challenging task as guarding the airspace over water is tougher than over land, Cherevashenko says. Some air defense assets do not perform as well at sea, and in some cases, crews can intercept a target only as it approaches.

Weather adds to the problem, with storms and fog, while the open sea gives Russia more freedom to choose drone routes and launch points. To protect ports and the coast, Ukraine uses drone motherships, platforms that carry other drones aloft to extend their flight time and keep watch over set areas.

Ukraine answers AI with AI

Ukraine is also building its own AI for air defense. Automated turrets using machine vision now help counter Russian drones. According to Army Media, the Air Force says such turrets have scored their first shoot-downs, including of Geran-5 jet drones, with one soldier saying 50 rounds were enough to bring down a Geran.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry is going further. In late September, it unveiled an AI system called SPECTR, built by its A1 Artificial Intelligence Center and already in testing with several combat units, to analyze battlefield data, predict Russian moves, and suggest options to commanders.

A powerful reflection on the pull of nostalgia, on learning to accept that a past life is gone even as you tentatively reach back for it. Tiffany Huang captures the ache of lost opportunities and regretted paths, of staying a course out of duty and responsibility even as your sense of home erodes. It’s a gorgeous, bittersweet read about what it means to move on long before you’ve fully let go.

You unmasked for the first time, revealing smooth cheeks, a sharp chin, and a long nose. You talked about your book, in progress for several years now, about a Hong Kong man drifting aimlessly around the world. I asked you how you felt about the protests and noted the resignation in your tone. You wanted to write a book about what it meant to be a man from Hong Kong; if Hong Kong disappeared, what would happen to the man? You told me about your family, and it was clear we were not meeting to talk about writing anymore. When you spoke, you chose your words carefully. You didn’t ask me about my boyfriend, only how I felt about returning to America. When I hesitated, you did not ask why, and when I spoke, you listened instead of interrupting me. I didn’t want to leave.

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Greek long jump athlete Miltos Tentoglou won gold during the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Tuesday night. His jumps ranged between 8.19 and 8.44, clinching his victory with 8.44, his highest score during his fourth and last attempt. 28-year-old Tentoglou added his fourth gold medal at successive European championships, securing a position as the […]

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Brussels (enr) – Local and regional leaders raised concerns that the next multiannual EU budget risks undermining investment in affordable homes needed to alleviate Europe’s deepening housing crisis.

“Europe’s housing challenge is not simply about building more housing units,” said Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), an EU advisory body home to democratically elected regional and local representatives from all 27 Member States.  

At a gathering in Brussels on Thursday, they demanded the EU “move from political ambition to concrete investment and delivery,” arguing that failing to invest now will only put affordable housing further out of reach for millions of Europeans.

As negotiations over the EU’s next long-term financial framework gather pace, cities and regions fear that affordable housing could become a casualty of competing spending priorities as several EU member states seek to cut the European Commission’s proposed €2 trillion budget for ‌2028-2034.

Tüttő called on the European Investment Bank (EIB), the EU’s lending arm, to “mobilise the scale of investment” that cities and regions need to “make communities liveable” by providing essential infrastructure. She cited public transport, as well as energy and water infrastructure, as key examples.

Italian MEP Irene Tinagli, Chair of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on the Housing Crisis (HOUS), said addressing the housing crisis “requires investment, better coordination across all levels of government and a shared commitment from European institutions, Member States, regions and cities”.

The CoR and EIB on Thursday agreed on closer cooperation in key areas including social infrastructure, housing, and energy. The European Investment Bank’s president, Nadia Calviño, said “investing into resilient cities and regions, into cohesion and housing” was a strategic priority.

According to EIB figures, the world’s largest multilateral development bank provided a record €5 billion in financing for housing projects across Europe in 2025. The EIB is targeting an increase to €6 billion this year, Calviño confirmed.

The investments are a contribution to the European Commission’s Affordable Housing Plan, which was launched in December and aims to boost housing supply, mobilise public and private investment, and support Member States and regions in expanding social and affordable housing.

According to the Commission’s estimates, however, the EU needs to build 2 million homes each year to meet current demand, which amounts to an investment of approximately €153 billion per year.

This story was produced by the European Newsroom (enr) in cooperation with the European Committee of the Regions (CoR). The editorial responsibility lies with the enr.

Gdańsk/Brussels (European Newsroom) – Ukrainian cities and regions risk being left out in deciding how billions in reconstruction funds are being used unless they are given a robust role in the planning, governance and implementation of reconstruction support, a joint statement by the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine warned. 

Meeting on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) 2026 in Gdańsk, Poland, the alliance called for a “localisation marker” in donor planning tools and ring-fenced funding with direct local access. 

Antje Grotheer, President of the State Parliament in Bremen, Germany, and chair of the European Committee of the Regions’ (CoR) Working Group on Ukraine, argued that local and regional authorities should have a greater voice in donor discussions and reconstruction planning. She stressed that Ukraine’s decentralisation reforms have been key to maintaining resilience during the war.   

“We feel there is an increasing need for stronger coordination of support that targets municipalities and regions,” Grotheer said.  

Oleksii Riabykin, Deputy Minister for Rebuilding and Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, said his country is already moving from emergency reconstruction to building resilient communities. Experience gained by Ukrainian cities, towns and villages during the war can help strengthen resilience across in Europe, he said. 

EU law implementation

The joint statement released Wednesday stressed that over 70 percent of EU law is implemented at local level, but most reconstruction funding for Ukraine is still channeled through national governments, leaving municipalities to compete over the leftovers. At the URC 2026 in Gdańsk, the CoR and its alliance partners demanded a structural fix.  

The alliance also encouraged Ukrainian regions to exploit existing EU programmes and platforms. It underscored the contribution of neighbouring EU countries to both Ukraine’s military efforts and its reconstruction, arguing that they should receive targeted support.  

EU member states that share a border with Ukraine are Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. 

The alliance brings together EU and Ukrainian local and regional authorities and was co-founded by the CoR, an EU advisory body, in June 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  Its goal is to coordinate an effective reconstruction of Ukraine that involves local and regional authorities rather than centralising the implementation of funds to the state. 

The URC was also established after Russia’s full-scale invasion, building on the foundations of the annual Ukraine Reform Conference established in 2017 by supporters of Ukraine, including the European Union.  

The URC 2026 takes place on June 25 and 26 and focuses on the sectors most impacted by Russia’s attacks, such as energy, critical infrastructure, and logistics. The lead-up to the conference was overshadowed by escalating dispute between Warsaw and Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had named an army unit after Ukrainian underground fighters from World War II who are also blamed for massacres of tens of thousands of Poles and Jews in what is now western Ukraine.  In response, Poland’s right-wing conservative President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of a high Polish order of merit. 

This story was produced by the European Newsroom (enr) in cooperation with the European Committee of the Regions (CoR). The editorial responsibility lies with the enr.