France is preparing for the arrival of an exceptional heat wave
France will experience temperatures well above 30degC this week, a particularly early heat wave, the umpteenth foretaste of a warming planet, in a context of exceptional soil drought that raises fears of crop losses and fires in France. A localized depression between the Azores and Madeira is gradually bringing very hot air from the Maghreb back to Western Europe. The Iberian Peninsula is already affected, with temperatures of more than 40degC expected, especially in Spain. This hot air will arrive in France on Tuesday from the South-West before spreading first over the entire southern half on Wednesday and then to the north.
Already on Monday, records were recorded, especially at the French level with a peak for 2022 at 37.6degC recorded in Cuers in the Var. For the southern half, the peak will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with 35 to 39degC, or even 40degC locally, probably in the South-West, Frederic Nathan, forecaster at Meteo-France, told AFP.
Ukraine: Zelensky calls for modern weapons, Severodonetsk cut off from the rest of the country
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging Westerners to send him “modern” weapons to stop the “terrifying” human cost inflicted by Russian troops, at a time when the key city of Severodonetsk was isolated from the rest of Ukraine on Tuesday after the destruction of the last bridge connecting it. “The battle of Donbass will certainly go down in military history as one of the most violent battles in Europe,” the Ukrainian president said in his daily address on Monday evening. “The human cost of this battle (Severodonetsk) for us is very high. It's just terrifying,” he added, stressing the desperate need to receive these armaments, while Kiev reports that 100 to 300 of its men are killed every day.
The call comes at a time when the allies are already providing ammunition, spare parts and light weapons to Kiev and the Contact Group for Ukraine, created by US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin, is due to meet in Brussels on Wednesday. Ukrainian forces have also admitted to having abandoned the center of Severodonetsk, following a new Russian offensive on this key city in eastern Ukraine, over which the two belligerents have been fighting for weeks.

Nations League: The Blues lose their title and their confidence
Defeated by Croatia on Monday in Saint-Denis (1-0) despite Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema, the French team put on a fourth poor performance in a row, giving up its Nations League title. Doubts will accompany Les Bleus on vacation, five months before the 2022 World Cup. The months of June have never been very promising for Les Bleus under Didier Deschamps, out of competition, but this last rally of the 2021—22 season, which ended under the whistles of the Stade de France, will still remain one of the most worrying.
With two draws (1-1 in Croatia and Austria) and two losses at home (2-1 against Denmark), in a group initially considered affordable, the record is rather alarming, a year after a dismal failure at the Euro and five months before going to defend a world star in Qatar. Exhausted by their season, disturbed by injuries and destabilized by tactical trials, the Blues have never found the second wind they needed to gain confidence before the summer break.
IN A NUTSHELL
Unless cancelled at the last minute, the British government is preparing to deport the first migrants who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom to Rwanda on Tuesday, a project strongly criticized by the UN and human rights groups.
Rock star Mick Jagger, 78, tested positive for Covid-19, which led to the cancellation of the Rolling Stones' concert scheduled for Monday night in Amsterdam, announced the organizers and the band, who promised that a new date would be announced.