Scientists say hot spell is worst ever, with nearly half of region’s 850 largest cities facing unprecedented heat stress
The number of deaths in France linked to the heatwave has climbed to four toddlers and more than 55 drownings, as the brutally hot conditions sweeping Europe were forecast to shift east, choking 150 million people under 35C (95F) temperatures.
Scientists said the heatwave was the most severe and widespread ever, leaving nearly half of the region’s 850 largest cities grappling with unprecedented heat stress. They said the extreme temperatures had been made possible by the climate crisis driven by fossil fuel burning.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
06/26/2026 - 12:04
06/26/2026 - 11:40
Jurors in California deliberated for over 13 hours, before announcing that they were deadlocked
A federal judge declared a mistrial in the arson case against the 29-year-old man accused of sparking the deadly 2025 Palisades fire in Los Angeles, after the jury said it could not agree on a verdict.
Jurors deliberated for over 13 hours on Thursday on whether to convict Jonathan Rinderknecht on three federal charges, before announcing that they were deadlocked.
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06/26/2026 - 11:34
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06/26/2026 - 11:31
Delegates at an ‘anti-woke’ conference disparaged Ed Miliband’s net zero policies. But even they could not ignore the sweat on their foreheads
It was hardly a perfect film, but I keep thinking of Don’t Look Up. In its depiction of a world that stubbornly refuses to heed the warnings of an imminent planetary disaster, it was perhaps too on the nose. But these days, reality itself is too on the nose.
This week served up ample evidence, on both sides of the Atlantic. In Britain, like much of Europe, the all-consuming concern has been intense, intolerable heat, with temperature records shattered and swathes of the country under the highest state of alert. For the first time, red warnings were issued in the UK for three consecutive days. Schools have closed; nights have become sleepless, with the mercury rising to meet the technical definition of “tropical”. There are wildfires in Derbyshire. All this in a temperate country in June.
Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist
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06/26/2026 - 11:02
Neso asks generators to provide extra electricity on Friday evening to meet demand from fans and air conditioning
Business live – latest updates
Great Britain’s energy system operator raised the alarm over electricity supplies for the second time this week as the heatwave continued to test Europe’s energy markets.
The National Energy System Operator (Neso) issued a notice late on Thursday asking generators to provide any extra electricity possible on Friday evening to help meet rising demand as households turn on air conditioners and electric fans to cope with the heat.
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06/26/2026 - 10:00
As temperatures soar across Europe, cities are struggling to adapt, further exacerbating socioeconomic divisions
The heatwave afflicting western Europe is the worst ever, with the combination of heat and humidity fuelled by the climate crisis making scores of cities feel unliveable. While for some the adverse impacts amount to disturbed sleep and sticky days in the home office, low-income families are often worse affected by cities’ lack of adequate adaptation measures, with women at the sharp end.
“[It] throws a grenade into every vulnerability you already have,” says Asad Rehman, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, pointing out that vulnerable or marginalised groups often bear the brunt of climate crisis-based hardship globally.
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06/26/2026 - 08:57
Those partial to a pint may be relieved to know a modest of amount of weak beer may actually be beneficial
European heatwave live – latest updates
As Europe endures a record-breaking heatwave, countries are taking steps to keep people safe and prevent health services from becoming overstretched. Parisians face a temporary ban on drinking alcohol in public to reduce the pressure on the hospitals after a four-fold rise in cardiac arrests in a 24-hour period.
We look at why drinking alcohol can be dangerous in a heatwave.
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06/26/2026 - 08:39
Plans to protect people fall ‘far short of what is needed’, government told, as MP warns of heatwave deaths
UK politics live – latest updates
The UK government is facing increasingly urgent calls for action to protect people against the intensifying effects of the climate crisis, as the highest maximum temperature record for June was broken for the third day in a row.
With the country in the grip of the worst heatwave ever recorded in western Europe – a direct result of global heating – the chair of parliament’s environmental audit committee warned ministers of the urgent threat and said the UK was falling “far short of what is needed”.
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06/26/2026 - 07:13
Firefighters worked to halt a wildfire near Tamarite de Litera in Huesca province, where flames have scorched at least 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres). Firefighters from the military emergency unit worked through Thursday night to contain the blaze, clearing vegetation and using hoses to prevent the fire from spreading. The Aragon regional government declared a level 2 emergency on Thursday. Hundreds of people were evacuated from three municipalities as authorities sought to protect nearby communities
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06/26/2026 - 07:00
Stores over-stock their shelves, then toss out what they don’t sell. Meanwhile, workers struggle to make ends meet
To most grocery shoppers, rotisserie chickens look like a mouth-watering and easy option for dinner. But whenever I pass by the rotisserie case in a supermarket, I see chicken carcasses piled up in the trash, their once glistening juices congealing into a slimy jelly.
It all started when I was working as a cashier in a chain supermarket. One day, I was chatting with a colleague about the behind-the-scenes secrets that shoppers didn’t see. The deli employee said, “Last night we tossed out about sixteen birds.” He explained that managers wanted the rotisserie chicken case to be full at all times because a full case looked appetizing, while a half empty one looked sad. Keeping the case full was an all-day affair. Workers arrived before dawn to season and roast dozens of birds. (One employee burned his arm while maneuvering chickens into the oven. He quit soon after.)
The seasoning and roasting continued throughout the day. As birds disappeared from the display case, workers replaced them. Finally, the store closed, and the leftover chickens were thrown out.
Ann Larson is the author of Cleanup on Aisle Five: Essential Work, Poverty Wages, and the View from Behind the Supermarket Register. She is a fellow with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.
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