Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
Thirteen Italian regions have banned outdoor working during the hottest parts of the day; June temperature records have been smashed in Spain and Portugal; and schools in parts of France have been closed, as an extreme heatwave continues to grip large swathes of Europe.
England also reported the hottest day of the year (15:06), and the warmest June since records began in 1884 (16:01).
Local authorities have come up with a number of creative ways to support people in dealing with extreme temperatures, with free guided tours, museum access and “climate oases” (17:00).
But the United Nations’ weather and climate agency said the world will have to learn to live with heatwaves, which may become more intense and occur more often in the future (16:13).
Elsewhere:
Poland will introduce temporary border controls with Germany and Lithuania from Monday amid growing tensions over irregular migration, the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, has said (12:23, 13:08).
European trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič will travel to Washington tomorrow hoping to strike a tariff agreement in principle with Donald Trump’s team (15:51).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today. Stay cool, and see you again tomorrow.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected].
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Europe gets creative to beat the heat
Agence France-Presse looked at creative ways in which some European countries are trying to beat the heatwave, helping most vulnerable groups deal with the temperatures.
And so, it noted that Italy’s Venice is offering free guided tours of air-conditioned museums and public buildings to people over 75, while in Rome, city swimming pools are free of charge for those over 70.
In the Netherlands, schools in Rotterdam and across West Brabant province adopted “tropical schedules” on Tuesday, with shorter school hours – 8:00 am to noon – and additional water breaks.
Meanwhile Austria is offering 23 “climate oases” with air conditioning, snacks and drinks for those in need, sponsored by Catholic charity Caritas, which is also providing dedicated medical buses with volunteer doctors.
In France, some cities, such as Orleans, are also offering free access to museums.
Marseille made its public pools free of charge for the duration of the heatwave, AFP noted.
