Europe heatwave: Drowning deaths soar in France

Europe heatwave: Drowning deaths soar in France

A searing heatwave in western Europe is continuing to break records, with France registering its hottest-ever average daily temperature. Forty people have drowned in heatwave-related deaths there since Thursday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has said. Also on the programme: Afghanistan’s Taliban government says a delegation has met European Union officials in Brussels, to discuss migration; and the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC is set to be drained as US President Donald Trump again blamed vandals for bright green algae and peeling paint that has appeared just weeks after a multi-million-dollar renovation. (Photo: France's sports minister Marina Ferrari warned that too many people were heading for reservoirs and rivers without taking the risks into account. Credit: Getty)

Record high temperatures across Western Europe

Schools have closed in France. A nuclear power plant near Toulouse has been forced to switch off a reactor. Nuclear power plants cannot operate correctly without enough water of the right temperature to cool down reactors. When these temperatures climb too high, the reactors need to be shut down to avoid environmental damage caused by hot water being discharged into local water courses. Also on the programme: the newly discovered manuscript containing composition lessons by Mozart; and the continuing woes of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington DC. (Photo: Young people cool off in the Fontaine de l'Observatoire fountain as temperatures rise in Paris Credit: Reuters/Abdul Saboor)

Favourite to replace Starmer as British PM sworn in to Parliament

As British Prime Ministerial hopeful Andy Burnham is sworn in as a Member of Parliament, we ask one of his supporters in the government when she decided Keir Starmer should go. Also in the programme: Former Chairman of the US Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan dies aged 100; and we hear about the "ballista spider" that sets an elasticated trap is discovered in the Australian rainforest. Photo: Andy Burnham is sworn in as a Member of Parliament in London, UK. Credit: HOUSE OF COMMONS HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigns

He has said he will stay on as UK prime minister until his successor is in place. Also on the programme: Colombia's new president promises to take a tough stance on drug traffickers and armed gangs; and Cape Verde’s World Cup fairytale continues. (Photo: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Lady Victoria Starmer on the steps of 10 Downing Street, London, after his speech where he said he will resign as leader of the Labour Party Credit: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire )

Colombians vote in a stark choice between left and right

Colombians are voting in a presidential run-off election. The vote pits a leftist reformer against a right-wing political newcomer who wants to use force to combat drug cartels and rebel groups. Abelardo de la Espriella, who's backed by President Trump, has vowed to wage a full-scale military campaign in contrast to Senator Ivan Cepeda who's promising to continue the less confrontational policies of the outgoing president, Gustavo Petro. Also in the programme: US Vice-President JD Vance describes 'great progress' in talks with Iran in Switzerland; and research that suggests men with children have better performing brains. (Photo: A man fills out a ballot as people vote in a presidential runoff election in Colombia, June 21, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Jair Coll)