Briefly

EU

Western Europe sees hottest June on record

Western Europe this year experienced its hottest June on record as a searing heat wave swept across a continent facing increasingly frequent and intense heat extremes, the EU's climate monitor said on Thursday. The report comes as a new heat wave is battering Europe this week, following a record-breaking one in June and an unusually early spring hot spell in May. The average temperature in western Europe reached 20.74 C in June, more than 3 C above the 1991-2020 norm, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. It broke the region's previous record set in June 2025. It was the second-hottest June on record for the world and for Europe as a whole, Copernicus said, as human-induced climate change continues to push temperatures higher.

AFRICA

Ebola deaths reach 600 in DR Congo

The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reached 600, with 1,759 confirmed cases reported, according to the country's health authorities. A total of 750 patients are currently in isolation or hospitalization, with an overall bed occupancy rate of 94 percent, health authorities said in an update released late on Wednesday. Caused by the Bundibugyo virus, the outbreak, declared on May 15, is the country's 17th Ebola outbreak. It has affected 37 health zones in three provinces. Response to the outbreak continues to face multiple constraints, including community resistance to postmortem sampling, insufficient treatment capacity, gaps in contact tracing and limited supplies.

AGENCIES-XINHUA