France gets into the thick of the new heatwave episode

France is about to experience the third heatwave since June, with temperatures that could reach up to 40degC in the South-West and drought becoming more pronounced every day. “Wednesday will be the hottest day at the national level,” warns Meteo-France, but the peak of heat will still be present on Thursday “moving towards the East.” “Between Wednesday and Thursday, the highs will often be greater than or equal to 35degC, with peaks of 39 or 40degC in the South-West,” specifies Meteo-France, which has placed 27 departments on an orange heatwave alert.

Purchasing power in France: the Senate votes on the second set of measures

The Senate adopted at first reading, shortly before 04:00 on Wednesday, the second set of measures to support purchasing power after a new shift to the right and a boost to local authorities. The amended budget for 2022 provides 44 billion euros in credits, including 9.7 to finance the 100% renationalization of EDF. In particular, it provides for the continuation of the energy tariff shield and the fuel discount to 30 cents per liter in September-October and 10 in November-December, and the revaluation of the index point for civil servants. Senators voted for it by 225 votes to 101.

The US state of Kansas maintains constitutional guarantee on abortion rights (media)

Voters in Kansas, in the American Midwest, voted to maintain the constitutional guarantee on abortion on Tuesday in the first major vote on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal right to abortion. Voters in this conservative state rejected an amendment that would have removed the text guaranteeing the right to abortion in the state constitution and could have paved the way for stricter regulations or a ban.

OPEP+ discusses strategy, under American pressure

The OPEC+ countries are meeting in Vienna on Wednesday to discuss their oil production strategy, under the watchful eyes of Joe Biden, who recently courted Saudi Arabia to try to stop the price spike. So far, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Riyadh, and its allies led by Moscow, have resisted calls to open the floodgates further to curb inflation fuelled by energy prices. Month after month, the 23 members stuck to marginal openings of their valves. But the current agreement is coming to an end: on paper, they have returned to pre-pandemic production levels.

IN SHORT

China's planned military exercises in the vicinity of Taiwan threaten the island's key ports and urban areas, the Taipei Defense Ministry said Wednesday, promising “strengthened” defenses and a firm response.

A village in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence was evacuated preventively on Tuesday due to a fire that covered 210 hectares but never threatened homes, firefighters learned.

At least four people have died in the largest fire of the year in California, local authorities said Tuesday, warning that the number of victims could rise even further.