Rebecca Robinson

The Met Office forecasts temperatures reaching 31C in London on Monday, with highs of 29C in Manchester and 28C in Cardiff. The UK Health Security Agency has issued amber heat health alerts for London, the East Midlands, East of England and South East England from 9am on August 3 until 9am on August 5. Officials warn that the heat could increase pressure on health and social care services, particularly affect people aged 65 and over and those with existing health conditions, and raise risks from overheating, cold-water shock and drowning.

A major wildfire in France’s Gironde region has prompted the evacuation of around 20,000 people from the Cap Ferret peninsula, with more than 400 transported by boat and others directed toward Bordeaux. The fire has burned about 8,700 hectares near Arcachon Bay, while two firefighters were killed earlier in the incident. President Emmanuel Macron has requested European assistance, with aircraft from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia expected to support French crews as high temperatures and shifting winds threaten to worsen the blaze.

A Boeing 737 freighter operated by K2 Airways disappeared off the coast of Karachi after reporting a navigation system fault and entering a rapid, abnormal descent. Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority launched search-and-rescue operations as radar and radio contact were lost about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi. Tracking data showed steep altitude changes before a final drop to 1,100 feet at a high descent rate. The aircraft, originally delivered to Aeroflot in 1999 and converted to a freighter in 2012, was K2 Airways’ only plane. No cause has been determined, and investigators will analyse data and any recovered wreckage. If fatalities are confirmed, it would be Pakistan’s first deadly air crash since 2020.