\n<\/p>\n
Angelique Chrisafis<\/span><\/p>\n The French prime minister Fran\u00e7ois Bayrou<\/strong>, who attended a government crisis meeting over the heatwave, was asked about the great difficulty of French schools to handle the heatwave.<\/p>\n <\/span>France\u2019s prime minister Fran\u00e7ois Bayrou (R) listens to a weather forecaster of the Meteo France weather agency during a visit at the Centre Operationnel de Gestion Interministerielle des Crises (COGIC – Interdepartmental Crisis Management Operational Center) of the French Interior Ministry in Paris.<\/span> Photograph: Thibaud Moritz\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n More than 1,350 schools across France were fully or partially closed<\/strong> on Tuesday as classrooms proved dangerously hot for children and teachers, amid anger from teaching unions.<\/p>\n In Paris, which was on maximum heatwave alert, parents were advised to keep their children home on Tuesday and Wednesday.<\/strong> Some other towns closed all their schools, such as Troyes and Melun.<\/p>\n Bayrou said the education ministry would open talks with mayors on how to adapt school buildings, most of which are extremely poorly insulated.<\/p>\n Amid soaring temperatures on Tuesday, some Paris teachers had nothing more than a water spray on their desk to repeatedly spritz children in classrooms in the hope of keeping cool.<\/p>\n Share<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/span>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The heatwave is set to peak in the South East with temperatures projected to reach up to 35C making it the hottest day of the year so far, <\/strong>PA news agency reported.<\/p>\n <\/span>Spectators in the stands of court 16 use fans to cool down amid the heatwave during the first round match between Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec and Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk at the Wimbledon tennis tournament.<\/span> Photograph: Isabel Infantes\/Reuters<\/p>\n Much of England has been issued with warnings of extreme heat this week as Monday brought the hottest start to Wimbledon on record.<\/p>\n The Met Office said temperatures could reach 34-35C in London on Tuesday, <\/strong>before cooler conditions sweep in from the North later in the day.<\/p>\n It is the second heatwave for parts of the UK within the last month.<\/p>\n Separately, BBC reported 33.6 Celsius in Frittenden, Kent<\/strong>, making it the hottest day of the year.<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Portugal<\/strong> recorded its highest-ever June temperature of 46.6C on Sunday, the national weather service said, reported by AFP.<\/p>\n The scorching high was registered at Mora<\/strong> about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Lisbon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/span>A woman uses her phone at Rua Augusta Arch, as temperatures rise in Lisbon, Portugal.<\/span> Photograph: Pedro Nunes\/Reuters<\/p>\n The previous June high of 44.9C was recorded in 2017 in the southwestern town of Alcacer do Sal.<\/p>\n The weather service added that 37% of its monitoring stations recorded temperatures higher than 40C on Sunday.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.44 EDT<\/p>\n Spanish authorities are investigating whether a street sweeper\u2019s death over the weekend in Barcelona<\/strong> was caused by an intense heatwave<\/strong> gripping the country and region, the city council said, reported by Reuters.<\/p>\n The woman, who had been cleaning the old town in Barcelona<\/strong> on Saturday afternoon, died later that day at home, her sister told the Antena 3 TV station.<\/p>\n Reuters reported that her sister said the 51-year-old woman, identified just as Montserrat, had told a colleague she thought she \u201cwas dying\u201d.<\/p>\n Temperatures reached 30.4C (86.7F) in Barcelona<\/strong> on Saturday, weather agency AEMET said.<\/p>\n Reuters noted that extreme heat can kill by causing heatstroke<\/strong>, or aggravating cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, with older people being among the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n The city council said on Monday it would investigate the woman\u2019s death.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Helena Smith<\/span><\/p>\n in Athens<\/em><\/p>\n But while western and central Europe sizzle, Greece is not seeing the mercury hit record highs <\/strong>\u2013 even if it\u2019s still very<\/em> hot.<\/p>\n After high temperatures nudging 40 Celsius over the weekend, north westerly winds have brought much-needed respite to Athens.<\/p>\n Though, at 38C, temperatures have risen slightly again today and tavernas and eateries in the ancient Plaka district had fans on full blast, tourists were relieved that at least they were not experiencing the sort of heat recorded in Portugal.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great that it\u2019s windy,\u201d said Noelia<\/strong> sitting with her partner Pablo<\/strong> under the shade of mulberry trees and a giant palm.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re from Asturias in northern Spain and we\u2019re not used to such heat. We\u2019ve heard that by the time we go back on Wednesday its going to be raining there and we\u2019re happy!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/span>Spanish couple Noelia and Pablo sit under the shade of mulberry trees opposite a fan in a Greek taverna in the heart of ancient Athens.<\/span> Photograph: Helena Smith\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Greek authorities were forced to open air-conditioned facilities for elderly and vulnerable<\/strong> as the mercury climbed over the weekend. People were also banned from working outdoors.<\/p>\n Civil protection officials say their greatest fear is wildfires with fire fighting services placed on alert.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.26 EDT<\/p>\n Sam Jones<\/span><\/p>\n still waiting for his delayed train in Seville<\/em><\/p>\n The Spanish<\/strong> state meteorological agency, Aemet<\/strong>, said in a social media update that \u201cJune 2025 smashed records\u201d when it comes to high temperature<\/strong>, with an average temperature of 23.6 Celsius, 0.8 Celsius above the previous hottest June in 2017.<\/p>\n <\/span>A woman uses a hand fan during Spain\u2019s prime minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez speech, at the event on the sidelines of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, in Seville, Spain.<\/span> Photograph: Jon Nazca\/Reuters<\/p>\n The monthly average was also 3.5 Celsius higher than the average over the period from 1991 to 2020<\/strong>, it said.<\/p>\n The agency\u2019s comments come just days after Spain\u2019s highest ever June temperature of 46 Celsius was recorded in the Huelva province of Andaluc\u00eda.<\/p>\n ShareJakub Krupa<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s now check for the latest on extreme weather warnings across the continent<\/strong> and how countries are dealing with the heat.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Jakub Krupa<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s more from Poland\u2019s prime minister Donald Tusk<\/strong> on the decision to introduce temporary border controls with Germany<\/strong> and Lithuania, <\/strong>effective from 7 July.<\/p>\n The decision was made after a government meeting this morning with the Polish Border Guard, which requested the measure in response to significant protests at Poland\u2019s borders over the weekend.<\/p>\n <\/span>A self-organized civilian patrol on the Polish-German border in Lubieszyn, Poland, 27 June 2025. About 300 residents gathered in the \u201cDefense of Polish Borders\u201d to prevent the illegal border crossings from Germany into Poland.<\/span> Photograph: Marcin Bielecki\/EPA<\/p>\n In his remarks at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting, Tusk blamed Germany for the move.<\/p>\n He said \u201cthe way operations are conducted at the Polish-German border has clearly changed over the past month<\/strong>,\u201d as Germany \u201chas effectively begun refusing entry to migrants who are heading to Germany<\/strong> to apply for asylum<\/strong> or other forms of protection.\u201d<\/p>\n He argued that the recent policy shift \u2013 combined with unilateral border controls with all neighbouring countried introduced by Germany \u2013 has placed undue pressure on Poland to accept individuals denied entry at the German border.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThis new approach is problematic: with no border checks on the Polish side, it becomes increasingly difficult to determine whether those being returned or redirected to Poland are in fact subject to such procedures,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Tusk added that he had spoken \u201cseveral times\u201d with Germany\u2019s Merz<\/strong>, warning him that Poland\u2019s \u201cpatient stance \u2026 was wearing thin.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe have been defenders of the Schengen Area and remain advocates of a Europe with open borders and unrestricted movement. However, such a system requires equal and symmetrical commitment from all neighboring countries.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Therefore, the temporary reinstatement of border controls on the Polish-German border is necessary to reduce, to the minimum, the uncontrolled flow of migrants crossing \u2026 the border.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Tusk added that \u201cthe task of the Border Guard is to \u2026 block any unjustified or unauthorized returns of migrants by the German side if they happened,<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cin order to gain control over this process, border checks must be reinstated.\u201d \u201cThere is no other way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Tusk also pointedly warned Merz that if German government extends one-sided border controls in September<\/strong>, \u201ccontrary to the spirit of the Schengen Code and EU law,\u201d Poland would retaliate<\/strong> with a similar move.<\/p>\n The time when Poland would not respond appropriately to such actions has definitively come to an end.<\/em><\/p>\n The Polish PM added that the move to introduce temporary border controls with Lithuania was directly linked to the German policy change.<\/strong><\/p>\n He argued that with the Polish-Belarusian heavily militarised border fully closed to irregular migration, other neighbouring countries, Latvia<\/strong> and Lithuania,<\/strong> are now being used to explore alternative routes for irregular migration, entering the Schengen area through the Baltics.<\/p>\n As a result, he said, \u201cthe stream of illegal migration, orchestrated by Russia and Belarus, continues to flow through Belarus, Latvia, and Lithuania \u2013 and Poland, after all, has an open border with Lithuania.\u201d<\/p>\n Tusk also said he would work more closely with the Baltics to push the EU to act more decisively \u201cto obstruct or prevent the operations orchestrated by Putin and Lukashenko<\/strong>, involving the organization of illegal migration and large-scale trafficking\u201d into the EU in a bid to destabilise the bloc.<\/p>\n Merz<\/strong> was earlier asked about Poland\u2019s growing criticism during a joint press conference with his Luxembourgish counterpart.<\/p>\n Speaking just minutes before Tusk announced Poland\u2019s decision, Merz said he was aware of Polish concerns and repeatedly spoke with the Polish prime minister in recent days, with interior ministers also holding \u201ca long telephone conversation\u201d last night.<\/p>\n But he insisted that there were \u201cno returns from Germany to Poland of asylum seekers who had already arrived in Germany.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead he appeared to suggest that Germany simply exercises its right to reject people at the border.<\/strong><\/p>\n Merz also said the two countries \u201chave a common problem that we want to solve together.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The German chancellor also told the press conference that:<\/p>\n \u201cWe naturally want to preserve the Schengen area, but freedom of movement in the Schengen area will only work in the long term if it is not abused by those who promote irregular migration<\/strong>, in particular by smuggling migrants.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span>German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Luxembourg\u2019s prime minister Luc Frieden hold a joint press conference in Berlin, Germany.<\/span> Photograph: Nadja Wohlleben\/ReutersShare<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.39 EDT<\/p>\n Jakub Krupa<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re just getting fairly big news from Warsaw.<\/p>\n Polish prime minister Donald Tusk<\/strong> has just announced that Poland<\/strong> will introduce temporary border controls with Germany<\/strong> and Lithuania<\/strong> from Monday amid growing tensions over irregular migration.<\/p>\n More soon\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.23 EDT<\/p>\n Angelique Chrisafis<\/span><\/p>\n The French prime minister Fran\u00e7ois Bayrou<\/strong>, who attended a government crisis meeting over the heatwave, was asked about the great difficulty of French schools to handle the heatwave.<\/p>\n <\/span>France\u2019s prime minister Fran\u00e7ois Bayrou (R) listens to a weather forecaster of the Meteo France weather agency during a visit at the Centre Operationnel de Gestion Interministerielle des Crises (COGIC – Interdepartmental Crisis Management Operational Center) of the French Interior Ministry in Paris.<\/span> Photograph: Thibaud Moritz\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n More than 1,350 schools across France were fully or partially closed<\/strong> on Tuesday as classrooms proved dangerously hot for children and teachers, amid anger from teaching unions.<\/p>\n In Paris, which was on maximum heatwave alert, parents were advised to keep their children home on Tuesday and Wednesday.<\/strong> Some other towns closed all their schools, such as Troyes and Melun.<\/p>\n Bayrou said the education ministry would open talks with mayors on how to adapt school buildings, most of which are extremely poorly insulated.<\/p>\n Amid soaring temperatures on Tuesday, some Paris teachers had nothing more than a water spray on their desk to repeatedly spritz children in classrooms in the hope of keeping cool.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Angela Giuffrida<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile in Italy<\/strong>, a 4.6 magnitude earthquake shook the area around the sprawling Campi Flegrei<\/strong> supervolcano in southern Italy on Monday.<\/p>\n The tremor, which was also felt in Naples, is the most powerful to affect the densely populated area in 40 years<\/strong> and was preceded in previous days by several smaller quakes. Trains were disrupted although damage from the quake, whose epicentre was close to the town of Bacoli, was minimal.<\/p>\n Seismic activity<\/strong> on Campi Flegrei, which is home to at least 360,000 people across seven of the most at-risk inhabited hubs, has intensified within the past three years<\/strong>, with the frequency and strength of the quakes increasing as the caldera, the basin at the top of the volcano, weakens and pressure beneath it builds. This causes the ground to rise and the volcano\u2019s crust to stretch.<\/p>\n A small tremor in early June caused the partial collapse of a wall and a portion of a vault at the Pompeii archaeological site.<\/p>\n The Italian government has devised a mass evacuation plan, with test-runs held last year, Nello Musumeci, the minister for civil protection and sea policies, said on Monday that the problem was something the residents of Campi Flegrei \u201cunfortunately have to live with\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Lisa O’Carroll<\/span><\/p>\n in Brussels<\/em><\/p>\n Temperatures in Brussels<\/strong> could hit 38 degrees celsius on Tuesday<\/strong>, the national weather forecasters have said as part of an orange weather warning.<\/p>\n <\/span>Girl cycles in front of the symbol of tourism for Brussels the Atomium in Brussels, Belgium in 2020.<\/span> Photograph: Aris Oikonomou\/EPA<\/p>\n The landmark Atomium<\/strong> monument, consisting of large metal spheres representing atoms, will be closed from 14.30<\/strong> \u201cdue to the heat and the structural limitations of the building\u201d, it said.<\/p>\n It is the first time it has been closed since 2019.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.26 EDT<\/p>\n Sam Jones<\/span><\/p>\n in Seville<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s already 34C in Seville<\/strong> this morning and the situation has been worsened for travellers by an overnight power failure that has severely affected service between Madrid and Andaluc\u00eda.<\/p>\n The cause of the malfunction was unknown, a spokesperson for state-owned railway infrastructure operator ADIF told Reuters. The agency noted that a copper cable theft paralysed the same line for more than 12 hours in early May.<\/p>\n This is how things look as people wait for delayed trains at Santa Justa<\/strong> station.<\/p>\n <\/span>Crowds at Santa Justa station in Seville, Spain after a high-speed train line cable failure overnight.<\/span> Photograph: Sam Jones\/The Guardian<\/p>\n A lot of blaring official convoys on the streets<\/strong>, too, as the great and the good make their way to the development financing summit here.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n <\/span>A young man stands on a wooden pier at Lake Starnberg as a cruise ship named Seeshaupt passes by in Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany.<\/span> Photograph: Michael Nguyen\/NurPhoto\/Shutterstock<\/span>A worker sprays water to cool off the road surface due to hot weather in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.<\/span> Photograph: Ramon van Flymen\/EPA<\/span>Spectators queue for ice cream, in the queue on day two of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England.<\/span> Photograph: Hannah Peters\/Getty ImagesShare<\/p>\n It\u2019s not only Europe: Japan<\/strong> experienced its hottest June on record, the weather agency said Tuesday, as climate change prompts sweltering heat waves across the globe, AFP reported.<\/p>\n <\/span>AA person walks under the intense sun near an electronic stock board displaying Japan’s Nikkei index in Tokyo.<\/span> Photograph: Eugene Hoshiko\/AP<\/p>\n \u201cJapan\u2019s monthly average temperature in June was the highest for the month since statistics began in 1898,<\/strong>\u201d said the Japan Meteorological Agency.<\/p>\n The coastal water temperature near Japan<\/strong> also measured 1.2 degrees Celsius higher than usual, tying with June 2024 for the highest since data collection began in 1982, the agency said.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n More sweltering temperatures<\/strong> are also expected in southern and eastern parts of England<\/strong> on Tuesday, with many areas again passing above 30 Celsius<\/strong> with up to 36 Celsius expected locally, PA reported.<\/p>\n <\/span>A tourist using a cold water can to try keep cool in the queue for the London Eye on the south bank in London.<\/span> Photograph: Jill Mead\/The Guardian<\/p>\n It comes after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) extended amber heat health alerts for much of the country into Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n Monday saw the hottest start to Wimbledon<\/strong> on record, with 32.9C recorded at nearby Kew Gardens<\/strong>, while 33.1C was recorded at Heathrow<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.36 EDT<\/p>\n Train travel between France and Italy is suspended for \u201cat least several days\u201d after violent storms<\/strong> earlier in the week, French national operator SNCF<\/strong> said, AFP reported.<\/p>\n The storms on Monday in southeastern France have forced a clean-up operation<\/strong> during which SNCF will check there has been no damage to tracks on the Paris-Milan<\/strong> high speed line which would prolong the closure, it said.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n In Italy<\/strong>, some regions, including Lazio<\/strong> and Lombardy,<\/strong> adopted new rules seeking to protect workers from record temperatures, requesting a halt to outdoor activities on construction sites and quarries during the hottest hours, according to national media. Other regions, like Emilia Romagna<\/strong>, are about to adopt similar measures this week.<\/p>\n <\/span>People use umbrellas in hot weather to shelter from the sun while walking past the Colosseum, in Rome.<\/span> Photograph: Andrew Medichini\/AP<\/p>\n Elsewhere, in Genoa<\/strong>, free travel hours for senior citizens were extended to start earlier and encourage them to travel early before temperatures rise, Corriere della Sera reports.<\/p>\n Bologna authorities reported a 7% increase in the number of emergency calls.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.38 EDT<\/p>\n Jakub Krupa<\/span><\/p>\n Large parts of Europe are on extreme weather warnings again<\/strong> this morning as the first European heatwave continues, once again raising questions over public health, environmental hazards, and the impact of climate change.<\/p>\n <\/span>Eighty-four departments are on orange heatwave alert, with temperatures likely to exceed 40 Celsius in some areas, a heatwave expected to last at least until midweek in Paris, France.<\/span> Photograph: Sadak Souici\/ZUMA Press Wire\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Paris<\/strong> (38C) is on the highest, red alert with the top of the Eiffel Tower<\/strong> closed to tourists as a precautionary measure. The country\u2019s prime minister Fran\u00e7ois Bayrou <\/strong>\u2013 who is separately facing a vote of no confidence today, which he is expected to survive \u2013 has cancelled his meetings to monitor the situation in real time.<\/p>\n Other cities across the continent will also see higher than usual temperatures, including Zaragoza<\/strong> (39C), Rome<\/strong> (37C), Madrid<\/strong> (37C), Athens<\/strong> (37C), Brussels<\/strong> (36C), Frankfurt am Main<\/strong> (36C), Tirana<\/strong> (35C), London <\/strong>(33C).<\/p>\n For some, it will be the peak of the heatwave; for others \u2013 it\u2019s only the beginning.<\/p>\n I will bring you all the latest updates from across Europe here as the continent battles the heatwave.<\/p>\n It\u2019s Tuesday, 1 July 2025<\/strong>, it\u2019s Jakub Krupa<\/strong> here, and this is England sees hottest day of 2025 with 33.6 Celsius, could reach 35 Celsius<\/h2>\n
Portugal recorded highest ever June temperature of 46.6C<\/h2>\n
Greece not seeing mercury hit record highs this heatwave<\/h2>\n
June 2025 ‘smashed records’ on temperature, Spanish meteo agency says<\/h2>\n
Poland’s Tusk criticises Germany’s migration policy shift, reintroduces border controls<\/h2>\n
Poland introduces temporary border controls with Germany, Lithuania from Monday<\/h2>\n
French prime minister attends crisis meeting over heatwave<\/h2>\n
4.6 magnitued earthquake shakes area around Campi Flegrei supervolcano in Italy<\/h2>\n
Brussels landmark closes early due to heatwave<\/h2>\n
Travel disruption in Seville after overnight power failure<\/h2>\n
European heatwave – in pictures<\/h2>\n
Japan reports hottest June on record<\/h2>\n
Many areas of southern, eastern England to see temperatures in 30s<\/h2>\n
Paris-Milan high speed line suspended after violent storms<\/h2>\n
Italy adopts measures to deal with heat<\/h2>\n
Morning opening: It’s hot (again)<\/h2>\n