Western Europe hit by record-breaking heatwave
6/23/202631 min
As a record-breaking heatwave continues in western Europe, the United Nations has warned that fossil fuels are driving a climate crisis. France has endured its hottest night in more than eighty years and temperatures are expected to climb above 41C. Spain, Italy, Germany and the UK are also sweltering. Also: the European Union issues single-day visas to a Taliban delegation to attend a migration meeting in Brussels, despite not recognising the government in Afghanistan; the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to the Gulf for high-stakes talks with Arab allies; a major ransomware attack in Romania forces a hundred hospitals offline; Sri Lanka battles its worst dengue outbreak in years; a new study suggests people may be biologically ageing faster than previous generations, raising questions about a rise in early-onset cancers; and we look at the economic impact of Cape Verde’s remarkable run at the mens football World Cup, as the tiny Atlantic island nation enjoys global attention.
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Photo: People cool off in the Trocadero Fountain next to the Eiffel Tower as temperatures rise during a heatwave affecting a large part of the country, in Paris, France, June 22, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
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First 90 secondsNick Miles· Host0:00
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. [upbeat music] I'm Nick Mars, and at 15 hours GMT on Tuesday the 23rd of June, these are our main stories. As a record-breaking heat wave continues in Western Europe, the head of the United Nations has warned that fossil fuels are driving a climate crisis. Afghan Taliban officials have held talks about migration with the European Union in Belgium, the first time the bloc has hosted such a delegation since the group seized power in Afghanistan five years ago. [upbeat music] Also in this podcast, how Romanian health officials went back in time to deal with a devastating hospital cyber attack and- Diet, exercise, smoking, sleep, stress, being overweight, chronic inflammation, and these can then affect the way our genes express themselves later on in life. We look at the factors that are making current generations age faster and faster. [upbeat music] Temperature records are continuing to break across Europe. France has just sweated through its hottest night in more than 80 years. It's expected to peak on Wednesday afternoon at more than 41 degrees. It's a similar story across Spain, Italy, Germany, and even up as far north as the UK. A funnel of air has been drawn in from the Sahara because of a persistent area of high pressure that's loitering stubbornly over Western Europe.