Brace

Somosierra will be prime spot to view celestial alignment on 12 August, an event that poses logistical challengesLittle stirs in the mountains above Somosierra beyond the wind that lashes the flat peaks, the cows that graze on parched grass and the sun that beats down on the abandoned aerodrome where generations of glider pilots learned to ride air currents alongside squadrons of vultures and red kites.But all this stillness will disappear, albeit temporarily, on the evening of 12 August, when swathes of northern and eastern Spain and the Balearic islands experience a total solar eclipse, the likes of which has not been seen here for more than 120 years. Continue reading...

High 30s celsius forecast for France, Spain and Italy next week, before affecting Germany, Poland and CzechiaAnother pulse of heat is expected to affect central and western Europe next week. The latest forecast models show daily maximum temperatures well into the high 30s celsius widely across France, Spain and Italy during the first half of the week, while Germany, Poland and Czechia will experience the highest temperatures towards the end of the week. The shift in the focus of the heat as the week progresses can be attributed to the movement of high pressure. At the start of the week, low pressure centred in the Atlantic and high pressure centred over the low countries will draw warm air in from southern Europe northwards into parts of France. During the working week, the high pressure will slip a little farther south and east, enabling the warm air once situated over western Europe to make inroads into parts of Germany and central Europe.The heat in central and western Europe this summer has been unrelenting. Last week’s weather tracker highlighted extreme recording breaking temperatures for the month of July in Austria. However, only a few days later, on 4 August, the all-time record was shattered with 41.0C achieved in Stammersdorf, north-east of the capital, Vienna. This comfortably broke the previous all-time record set in the August of 2003 by 0.7C. Unbelievably, that record was broken again the following day when 41.2C was recorded in Deutsch-Altenburg. Slovakia also set a new all-time record on the same day of 41.4C. The continuing European heatwave is associated with a vertically extensive anticyclone, and had the effect of raising the freezing level above 4,000 metres across much of the Alpine region. This represents a level in the atmosphere well above many Alpine glaciers, accelerating the seasonal melting process. On the opposite side of the Atlantic, 51.8C was recorded in Badwater, California, the highest temperature in the US for 2026 so far. Continue reading...

Democrats ‘united by a common purpose: putting a check on Trump’, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand sayAbdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate primaryWhat we learned from midterm primary electionsLeading Democrats quickly papered over whatever qualms they had about progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed after his win in the Michigan Senate primary was confirmed on Wednesday, instead welcoming the former public health official as their champion against Republican nominee Mike Rogers.The state is now key to Democrats’s hopes of retaking control of the chamber in November’s midterm elections. Winning in Michigan would put them on the path to snarling Donald Trump’s legislative agenda and blocking his judicial nominees for the final two years of his presidency, while defeat could undermine their prospects of gaining a majority in the chamber for years to come. Rogers lost a Senate race in Michigan two years ago by a slim margin to Democrat Elissa Slotkin. Continue reading...

• US equity investors are preparing for a volatile week focused on corporate earnings reports and critical labor market data. • Market sentiment is being further pressured by escalating geopolitical tensions involving Iran, adding uncertainty to global stability. • These factors are significant as they will likely dictate short-term market direction and influence Federal Reserve decisions regarding interest rates.

Soaring temperatures continue to sweep parts of Europe, while Okinawa faces powerful winds and storm surgesEurope live – latest updatesUnbearable, record-breaking heat has dominated the summer of 2026 across much of Europe. New records were set in central Europe last week, with Wieselburg in Austria registering a new July peak of 40.3C (104.5F). This is particularly significant as it is just 0.2C behind the all-time high, set in the August of 2003.However, not all of the northern hemisphere has experienced extreme heat and aridity. Vancouver recorded its wettest July since 2016 and the third wettest since 2008, with 33.6mm of rain. While that total may not appear exceptional, it is only a touch above the 1991-2020 climate average, highlighting how unusually dry July has been in the Canadian city over the past decade. Continue reading...

• Wall Street investors are awaiting the release of the U.S. nonfarm payrolls report on August 7 and upcoming corporate earnings to determine the market's next direction. • Markets are currently navigating significant volatility driven by geopolitical tensions and uncertainty regarding the Federal Reserve's future interest rate policies. • The situation is critical because the Federal Reserve's most recent communication failed to provide a clear roadmap for monetary policy, leaving stocks without a definitive outlook.

Temperatures forecast to reach 37C in Budapest and Vienna as Hungary switches off vital nuclear plant with falling water levels in Danube affecting cooling capabilitiesThe latest heatwave seen in western Europe last week are now moving eastwards, with large parts of central and southern Europe set to experience extreme temperatures near 40C, and putting countries at risk of an energy crunch.Hungary was forced to shut down most of its sole nuclear power plant, which generates a large part of the country’s energy supply, for the first time in 44 years as the drying out of the Danube made it impossible to cool safely. The nuclear plant ‌is expected to ​be completely powered down later ⁠this week ​as water ​levels ​on ​the ‌Danube ​river are projected ​to fall further. Continue reading...