Belgium recorded the highest excess mortality rate in Europe during the heatwave that swept across the continent in late June, according to EuroMOMO data cited by the Belgian public health institute Sciensano.
Sciensano said more than 2,000 additional deaths were registered during the June heatwave and the first few days of July, resulting in excess mortality of 48%.
The rate was well above the figures reported in neighbouring France and the Netherlands, where excess mortality stood at 23% and 13% respectively, despite broadly similar temperatures.
Belgian media cited biostatistician Geert Molenberghs of KU Leuven and Hasselt University as saying the death toll reflected clear socio-economic and regional factors, with poorer and more densely urbanised areas more exposed to dangerous heat.
Even Flanders, considered separately, recorded excess mortality of 31%, while Wallonia was particularly hard hit, according to earlier Sciensano figures covering the period from 18 June to 1 July.
The findings add to concerns that European cities and healthcare systems need stronger heat adaptation plans as climate-driven extreme temperatures become more frequent and severe.
Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces killed nine civilians, including women and children, and injured 11 others,...
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Iraqis celebrated the departure of U.S forces after more than two decades of war on Wednesday, but the withdrawal is also raising concerns about th...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to foment internal divisions in Iran after failing to defeat the country militarily, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel may participate in the investigation into a serious incident aboard a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, while investigators examine the motive of the co-pilot involved.
Passengers restrained a flydubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the pilot and tried to crash a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
North Korea has dismissed as a “farce” Seoul’s claim that Pyongyang was responsible for a landmine explosion south of the Military Demarcation Line that injured three South Korean soldiers.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 30 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in Europe.
Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces killed nine civilians, including women and children, and injured 11 others, Afghanistan’s government said, as tensions between the neighbours deepen.
Britain says there are “strong indications” Iran played a role in a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford, a military base in western England used by U.S. forces for operations against Iran.
Iraqis celebrated the departure of U.S forces after more than two decades of war on Wednesday, but the withdrawal is also raising concerns about the country’s ability to maintain security without a Western military presence.
Explosions were heard overnight in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, as an opposition source claimed drone strikes targeted military sites, raising fears that renewed fighting in the north could spread beyond the front lines.
The Trump administration has urged France and Germany to release emergency diesel reserves to ease global fuel prices, warning they could otherwise face restrictions on U.S. diesel exports, according to three people familiar with the discussions who spoke to Reuters.
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