Symbolic imageEngland under amber heat alerts as drought spreads across Europe
Amber heat alerts cover most of England from Tuesday as Britain enters its fifth heatwave of the year, with 36C or higher forecast.
The UK Health Security Agency put eight English regions under amber alerts until 9pm on Friday, 14 August. The National Drought Group said on Monday, 10 August that 71.3 per cent of England is in a flash drought, with 45 million people in drought areas and more than 27 million under water-use restrictions. England and Wales had their driest July on record, the Met Office said.
Fires from Huelva to Hesse
A fire in Spain's Huelva province, burning since Thursday, has covered more than 20,000 hectares and forced 479 evacuations, the regional government said; Andalusia's interior minister, Antonio Sanz, called it "outside extinguishing capacity". Crews also fought forest fires in Hesse, Germany, on Monday.
EDF loses record nuclear output
EDF lost a record 15.6 per cent of its nuclear capacity to heat and low river flows on Sunday, AFP calculated from company data since 2015, with four reactors halted. EDF calls the impact very small and notes France still exports power.
Grid gains blackout powers
From this week Neso, Great Britain's grid operator, can order rotating three-hour blackouts at eight hours' notice, without emergency government powers.
Other opinions
Qatar's Al Jazeera casts it as a continent-wide crisis, citing water curbs on 70 per cent of France; India's The Hindu carries only a brief.