PARIS: Two people died in France as a result of “heat-related illness,” said the minister for ecological transition on Wednesday, as the country registered its second-hottest June since records began in 1900.
A heatwave across Europe this week broke high temperature records, leading to the closure of nearly 2,000 schools in France at midday on Tuesday.
“More than 300 people have been treated by firefighters and two have died following heat-related illnesses,” ecology minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said on Wednesday.
“June 2025 has become the second hottest June since records began in 1900, behind June 2003,” she added.
Temperatures in June 2025 were 3.3 degrees Celsius higher than the seasonal average compared to 3.6 degrees Celsius in June 2003, her office said.
Meteo-France said June 30 was the hottest day in June since measurements began in 1947, beating the previous record set in 2019.
Relief will start to arrive from the Atlantic on Wednesday, bringing thunderstorms and cooler temperatures to parts of western Europe.
Two die in France of ‘heat-related illness’: minister
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Two die in France of ‘heat-related illness’: minister
US set to relinquish several senior NATO command posts
- US will transfer leadership of its Norfolk command in Virginia, focusing on the alliance’s north, to Britain
- The changes will likely take months to be implemented, according to two NATO diplomats
BRUSSELS: The United States will hand over two top regional commands in NATO to European countries, diplomats said Monday, as President Donald Trump presses allies to take greater responsibility for their defense.
Washington will transfer leadership of NATO’s Naples command, which focuses on the alliance’s south, to Italy and leadership of its Norfolk command in Virginia, focusing on the alliance’s north, to Britain.
The United States will meanwhile take over the command of NATO’s maritime forces, based in the United Kingdom.
The changes, first reported by French outlet La Lettre, will likely take months to be implemented, two NATO diplomats told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“It’s a good sign of burden shifting in practice,” a diplomat said.
The shuffling of NATO command positions comes as Washington has said it could reduce its defense presence in Europe to focus on other threats like China.
But military superpower Washington will still remain central as it will have control of NATO’s core air, land and sea commands and retain the top position of Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
European countries have already ramped up military budgets in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and last year agreed to hike NATO’s defense spending target.
Trump has rattled faith in the reliability of the United States and last month plunged the alliance into crisis by making claims on Greenland.
But US NATO ambassador Matthew Whitaker separately on Monday insisted that the US leader was looking to strengthen, rather than “dismantle,” NATO by making Europe step up.
“We’re trying to make NATO stronger, not to withdraw or reject NATO, but make it work like it was intended as an alliance of 32 strong and capable allies,” Whitaker said.
