US strikes Qeshm and widens Iran blockade as Qatar mediatesGunman kills six in Krakow market square shootingRussia strikes Kyiv bridge and power grid ahead of Abu Dhabi talksDozens killed in Yemen after Houthis blame Saudi strikes near SanaaHerzog picks Eisenkot to form Israeli government after inconclusive electionRussia upgrades Abu Dhabi delegation as Zelensky warns of 'second Yalta'Storm floods 70,000 tents of displaced people in GazaParaguay's ousted president Peña charged over Ueno bank collapse, detention reportedParis opens inquiry into foreign links to bomb hoaxes as Italian minister reports pro-Russian hackChip stocks rebound after Nasdaq's AI-driven routDeath toll rises after militant attack near Ebola clinic in CongoGuatemalan lawmaker and three police officers killed in Zacapa attackFewer protesters on fourth Saturday of French cost-of-living protestsUS and China trade chiefs voice concerns in video call before Trump-Xi summitStephen Miller named Trump's chief of staff as criticism growsTrump orders Justice Department probe of Democrats as they prepare investigationsData centre backlash spreads from US ballots to European protestsBinance CFO steps down as reports detail North Korean laundering of $6.3bn hackNew Zealand election too close to call as National and Labour draw levelCommerce cleared Nvidia H200 handlers with sanction ties, NYT findsBangladesh garment workers halt production, demanding wages more than doubleRussia places more Japan Tobacco assets under temporary administrationLagarde sees inflation staying high, leaves December rate rise openPope Leo holds first South American Mass in UruguayCOP31 set to open in Antalya as Paris temperature goal is missedPolice use water cannon on masked protesters in TiranaMalaysia's king warns against challenging Najib house arrest orderUS sanctions Canadian firms over Iran tiesUS strikes Qeshm and widens Iran blockade as Qatar mediatesGunman kills six in Krakow market square shootingRussia strikes Kyiv bridge and power grid ahead of Abu Dhabi talksDozens killed in Yemen after Houthis blame Saudi strikes near SanaaHerzog picks Eisenkot to form Israeli government after inconclusive electionRussia upgrades Abu Dhabi delegation as Zelensky warns of 'second Yalta'Storm floods 70,000 tents of displaced people in GazaParaguay's ousted president Peña charged over Ueno bank collapse, detention reportedParis opens inquiry into foreign links to bomb hoaxes as Italian minister reports pro-Russian hackChip stocks rebound after Nasdaq's AI-driven routDeath toll rises after militant attack near Ebola clinic in CongoGuatemalan lawmaker and three police officers killed in Zacapa attackFewer protesters on fourth Saturday of French cost-of-living protestsUS and China trade chiefs voice concerns in video call before Trump-Xi summitStephen Miller named Trump's chief of staff as criticism growsTrump orders Justice Department probe of Democrats as they prepare investigationsData centre backlash spreads from US ballots to European protestsBinance CFO steps down as reports detail North Korean laundering of $6.3bn hackNew Zealand election too close to call as National and Labour draw levelCommerce cleared Nvidia H200 handlers with sanction ties, NYT findsBangladesh garment workers halt production, demanding wages more than doubleRussia places more Japan Tobacco assets under temporary administrationLagarde sees inflation staying high, leaves December rate rise openPope Leo holds first South American Mass in UruguayCOP31 set to open in Antalya as Paris temperature goal is missedPolice use water cannon on masked protesters in TiranaMalaysia's king warns against challenging Najib house arrest orderUS sanctions Canadian firms over Iran ties
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Symbolic image: Rhine nears split in two as heat and drought grip EuropeSymbolic image

Rhine nears split in two as heat and drought grip Europe

9 sources

Germany's inland shipping association expects the Rhine gauge at Kaub to fall to a single digit this week for the first time, splitting Europe's busiest waterway in two.

Commercial freight, day trips and river cruises would all halt there, BDB managing director Jens Schwanen told the Rheinische Post. Traffic would continue between the ARA ports (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp) and North Rhine-Westphalia, and on the Neckar, Moselle and Main. Schwanen welcomed talks at the transport ministry on Monday on shifting loads to road and rail; parts of Germany have suspended truck driving bans, Handelsblatt reports.

Fires in Spain and France

A fire in Huelva province has spread across about 8,000 hectares since Thursday, 6 August, with over 500 firefighters and soldiers deployed; a blaze in Lozère on Sunday forced two hamlets to evacuate.

Danube and Po at record lows

Low water has stranded cruise ships on the Danube; Bloomberg reports Romania gained nine extra days of reactor output after blasts in the river, and that Italy's record-low Po is pushing farmers to weigh crop switches.

Record summer heat

Handelsblatt reports the warmest June and July on record in western Europe; a Budapest station measured 40.3 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, 4 August, a record there for early August.

Other opinions

The Wall Street Journal's opinion page argues that green policies are not to blame for Europe's fires, a debate absent from German and French reporting.

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