Approaches

Retailer says sharp rise in fan sales over the latest heatwave weekend left stores scrambling to source stockBusiness live – latest updatesThe boss of Currys has said supplies of air conditioning and fans are “tight” ahead of another UK heatwave, expected next week, after a boom in sales sent retailers scrambling to source new stock.Alex Baldock, chief executive of the electrical goods retailer, said cooling kit had been “flying off the shelves” during June’s record heatin England. Sales of fans were up nearly 3,000% over the most recent heatwave weekend compared with a week earlier, while air conditioning sales increased 330%. Continue reading...

• A severe heat wave has gripped Europe, prompting urgent high-level heat warnings across more than a dozen countries, including Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. • France recorded its highest average temperature ever on Tuesday, while the United Kingdom is currently approaching its record high for the month of June. • The extreme weather event is widespread, affecting 17 nations including Andorra, Austria, Belgium, and Poland, posing significant public health and safety risks.

• EU Council President António Costa’s office has initiated contact with a senior official close to Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss potential peace talks regarding Ukraine. • These diplomatic outreach efforts mark a strategic move by Brussels to explore avenues for negotiation as the conflict continues to destabilize the region. • The initiative is significant as it signals a potential shift or expansion in the EU's diplomatic approach to ending the war and securing a sustainable ceasefire.

• Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is brightening in the night sky and could become visible to the naked eye after April 13, with observations in early April showing it at magnitude 6, approaching naked-eye visibility thresholds. • Light-curve data from the Comet Observation database indicates the comet could brighten to approximately magnitude 4 in coming weeks as it approaches perihelion on April 20, when it will pass within 47.4 million miles from the sun. • The comet will make its closest approach to Earth on April 27 at approximately 44 million miles distant, with close approaches to the sun typically increasing comet activity and brightness as ice sublimates into glowing gas.

Marist poll shows that 48% of city residents approve of Mamdani’s performance while 55% view him favorablySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAs New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, approaches his first 100 days in office, a new survey shows that roughly half of city residents approve of his performance so far.The poll, conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion and released on Wednesday morning, found that 48% of residents say they approve of the job Mamdani, 34, is doing, while 30% disapprove and 23% remain unsure. Continue reading...

• The Department of Homeland Security shutdown risks becoming the longest-ever funding lapse for any federal agency as Congress remains deadlocked, with Democrats pushing to fund all DHS agencies except Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the secretary's office. • Republicans argue the entire department must be funded together and note that ICE and CBP already received approximately $140 billion from tax and spending legislation enacted last summer. • Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for immediate TSA funding while negotiations continue on outstanding immigration enforcement issues, but Republicans continue blocking Democratic proposals, holding federal workers hostage according to Democratic critics.