international
Deadly heatwave grips Italy and Balkans as wildfire fears grow
Key takeaways
- Older people remain most at risk as the heatwave drives up excess deaths across Europe.
- In Italy, authorities placed 22 cities under red heat warnings on Monday, from Bolzano in the north to Palermo on the southern island of Sicily.
- At the Vatican, pilgrims used fans and umbrellas to shield themselves from the heat as Pope Leo delivered his Angelus message from a balcony on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, a holiday in Rome.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Older people remain most at risk as the heatwave drives up excess deaths across Europe.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Cooling off in the Barcaccia fountain in Rome [File; Antonio Masiello/Getty Images]By AFP and Reuters Published On 29 Jun 202629 Jun 2026A record-breaking heatwave has tightened its grip on Italy and the Balkans, killing hundreds of people, fuelling wildfire fears and disrupting daily life across Europe.
In Italy, authorities placed 22 cities under red heat warnings on Monday, from Bolzano in the north to Palermo on the southern island of Sicily.
Article preview — originally published by Al Jazeera. Full story at the source.
Read full story on Al Jazeera →
More top stories
Also covered by
Aggregated and edited by the Scoop newsroom. We surface news from Al Jazeera alongside other reporting so you can compare coverage in one place.
Editorial policy · Corrections · About Scoop