In brief | 28 June '26

BBC: Europe's heatwave linked to 1,300 deaths, WHO says, as Germany hits record 41.7°C

Europe's unprecedented early summer heatwave may be responsible for hundreds of excess deaths, according to the head of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Guardian: Germany, Czechia, Poland and Hungary swelter through hottest days on record

Germany recorded a new all-time high of 41.7°C, in Coschen, near the Polish border in eastern Brandenburg.

The Guardian: ‘A sad inevitability’: after decades of climate warnings, why is Europe so unprepared for rising heat?

The scorching summer of 2003 triggered first efforts to deal with the problem, but heatwaves still have devastating impact.

Bloomberg: As Europe bakes, heatwaves are already biting into paychecks

Extreme heat and drought have cut average household incomes across the continent, putting millions at risk of poverty, according to a new study.

Politico: Ireland prepares to play dealmaker on EU's biggest climate fight of the year

Some countries desperately want to gut the Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), others are determined to protect it. Holding the EU Council presidency from 1 July, Ireland has its work cut out.

EU Council: European grids package – Council backs modernised energy network for decarbonisation

Member states agreed the Council’s position on the European grids package, which it will now negotiate with the European Parliament. 

Reuters: Germany joins opponents of EU methane law, warns it could up-end jet fuel supply

Europe's biggest gas market, Germany, joined mounting pushback against the EU's planned methane emissions rules for oil and gas imports. 

Bloomberg: Germany’s embattled carmakers face next round of cutbacks

Volkswagen may cut jobs, with the number potentially doubling to 100,000, as part of a plan to revive profits and shore up its German operations.

FT: Spanish import hub chief urges EU to delay ban on Russian gas

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments to the bloc have risen in the wake of the Middle East war.

FT: Europe risks starting winter with gas stocks at 15-year low

Storage facilities in the EU are not being refilled fast enough ahead of colder months. 

The Africana Voice: What comes after coal: Germany’s long goodbye

The skies turned blue again, the rivers turned clean again, but the ground occasionally sinks without warning. Inside Germany’s long complicated goodbye to coal.