Temperatures drop after historic heat wave

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday at the start of a tour of North and South America.

The meeting with Rubio is expected to focus on burden-sharing within the NATO alliance as Washington increasingly expresses dissatisfaction with the current system.

Their talks come ahead of a planned NATO summit in Ankara in July.

Before his departure, Wadefull stressed the need for unity in the Western military alliance, saying, “Our Euro-Atlantic security depends decisively on whether we will stand together in NATO in the future as strongly as we have done so far.”

Also on the agenda will be the possibility of renewed tensions between the United States and Iran, with both sides accusing the other of violating a ceasefire even after signing a framework agreement aimed at strengthening the force.

A State Department spokesman said Wadeful’s talks with Rubio would also include the issue of more support for Ukraine as it fights years of Russian aggression.

After meeting with Rubio on Tuesday, Wadeful plans to travel to Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion, on Monday afternoon for the Mercosur summit.

The European Union and the Mercosur states of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay formed a vast new free trade area in May.

Under the agreement, trade barriers and tariffs are to be gradually reduced to facilitate the exchange of goods and services.

There are also plans for talks in Argentina and Brazil.

At least 15 people have died in swimming accidents across Germany since Friday, according to police reports, as extreme heat forced many to seek relief in lakes, rivers and outdoor pools.

In one of the latest cases, a 17-year-old teenager was found dead in a mine lake in Pine, in the northern state of Lower Saxony, on Sunday.

There were several deaths in the capital, Berlin, and in several other Western states.

Many deaths occurred in unsafe bodies of water such as rivers and lakes left behind by mining activities, which are particularly dangerous for swimmers.

Summer temperatures will once again return to normal in Germany on Monday, with maximum temperatures expected to range between 25-29 degrees Celsius (77-84.2 F) across most of the country, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).

The drop comes after several days of extreme heat, when the eastern state of Brandenburg hit a record high of 41.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday, according to preliminary data.

It was the third temperature record in three days for Germany, after 41.3 degrees Celsius was measured in the western city of Saarbrucken on Friday and 41.4 degrees Celsius at the same location on Saturday, followed by 41.5 degrees Celsius in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, all according to preliminary readings.

A DWD spokesperson said June 2026 would now likely be one of the “top 3” Junes since measurements began.

The heat wave in Germany ended with major storms in many places.

Now it has moved towards Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Germany has already warmed 2.5 °C (4.5 °F) compared to the pre-industrial era – which is higher than the global average.

According to the World Health Organization, all of Europe is warming faster than any other continent.

DW Newsroom says good day And a big “Oh!” For all our users, as the temperatures finally go down at the beginning of the week.

The impact of the heat wave, which caused temperatures in Germany to reach record highs for three consecutive days, will be a major topic in today’s blog.

But the equally heated global political climate will also be in focus, with Germany’s foreign minister heading to Washington for talks on America’s more strained relations with Europe and NATO.

You can follow along here for more on what’s happening in Europe’s largest economy on Monday, June 29.