Category: france24.com

Ukraine’s energy network, already under strain from repeated Russian attacks, was shut down on Monday due to sweltering temperatures. Meanwhile, Slovakia registered its new record-high temperature of 41C as Europe’s most intense heatwave moved eastward across the continent. 

Debris from downed Ukrainian drones sparked a blaze at a major oil refinery in Russia on Sunday, according to local authorities. This comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country was “going through a difficult period”. In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up its long-range attacks on Russian military facilities, choking Moscow’s fuel […]

The record-breaking heatwave in France is set to come to an end on Sunday, with the country’s extreme weather alert expected to be lifted by the evening, bringing relief after temperatures climbed as high as 40°C this week. But the heatwave is far from over, as it shifts eastward, with Germany and the Czech Republic […]

More than 1,300 excess deaths have been recorded in connection with Europe’s record-breaking heatwave since June 21, according to the World Health Organization on Sunday. Earlier that day, health officials in France reported that there had been around 1,000 more deaths than expected in the country since Wednesday. 

Protests in Albania entered their fifth week on Saturday, with demonstrations that began in May over a planned luxury resort project linked to the Trump family. Since then, the movement has expanded into a broader criticism of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government, with protesters raising wider concerns about governance and political accountability. Vladimir […]

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić has announced that he will resign within weeks, paving the way for early elections. There is speculation that the populist leader could attempt to move into the more powerful role of Prime Minister. The announcement comes after more than a year of heightened tensions in the Balkan nation, where university students […]

The Public Health France agency said Sunday that around 1,000 more deaths than expected occurred during a record-breaking heatwave that baked much of western Europe for days, adding that 85 percent of the casualties were people aged 65 and over. The agency stressed that the figures were preliminary and were likely to be an underestimate.

Tens of millions of people are enduring extreme temperatures across Europe as a deadly heatwave pushes eastward. Scientists say a heatwave of this intensity so early in the summer would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change. Switzerland has broken its record for the hottest June day for the third consecutive day, while two […]

An intense heatwave that scorched western Europe this week spread into central and eastern parts of the continent on Saturday, bringing record temperatures from Denmark to Switzerland and Germany. The extreme heat disrupted transport, strained hospitals and renewed concerns over the growing impact of climate change on Europe’s increasingly frequent summer heatwaves.

As Europe’s most severe heatwave on record continues, hospitals are admitting growing numbers of patients and emergency departments remain under intense pressure. Jim Cédric Hansen, Vice-President of the International Commission on Disaster Medicine in Rouen, explains why the human body struggles to cope with such extreme temperatures and why older people are particularly vulnerable, with […]