Death toll from Slovenia flooding climbs to six: Soaring temperatures and autumn-like storms are igniting wildfires and flooding the streets of Europe this summer. The death toll from days of heavy rains and flooding in Slovenia has climbed to six, police said on Monday, as clean-up operations continued with help from neighbouring countries. Prime Minister Robert Golob has described the torrential rains and severe flooding that hit the Alpine country of two million as its worst natural disaster since independence three decades ago. Slovenia has asked for help from the EU. euronews.com

Storm Hans causes havoc in Norway: A powerful storm has brought destruction to Norway, causing landslides and leaving an entire town stranded, as meteorologists warned of the strongest rainfall in a quarter of a century. The storm – named Storm Hans – has killed two people, ripped off roofs and caused widespread disruption across northern Europe in a summer that started with wildfires across much of the region. The storm hit Sweden late on Sunday and reached Norway on Monday, with parts of Denmark and Finland also affected. theguardian.com, reuters.com

• Wildfires in Portugal spread south, prompting evacuations. washingtonpost.com
• Heat wave causes above-average number of deaths in southern Italy. euractiv.de

Taiwan’s TSMC to build semiconductor factory in Germany: Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC has approved a plan worth 3.47 billion euros to build a factory in the eastern German city of Dresden. German Chancellor Old Scholz called Intel’s investment in the facilities the biggest direct foreign investment in German history. And Habeck, who also serves as Germany’s vice chancellor, said the deal was an important contribution to growing European sovereignty. dw.com

Polish health minister resigns amid outcry over data breach: Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski quit after he disclosed the sensitive medical data of a doctor, sparking a public outcry and calls for his resignation two months before a tightly contested parliamentary election. Last week, Niedzielski published a post in social media detailing the type of drugs a doctor prescribed to himself after the physician had spoken about problems with issuing digital prescriptions for patients. bloomberg.com

Italy slaps 40% one-off windfall tax on its banks: Italy’s cabinet has approved a 40% windfall tax on lenders’ excess profits in 2023. Sharply higher official interest rates have yielded record profits for banks, as the cost of loans soared while lenders held off paying more on deposits. Italian Deputy Prime Matteo Salvini told a press conference that the 40% levy on banks’ extra profits derived from higher interest rates, amounting to several billion euros, will be used to cut taxes and offer financial support to mortgage holders. cnbc.com, cnn.com

Dozens injured after protesters storm Eritrean festival in Stockholm: More than 50 people were injured and dozens detained in Stockholm last week after opponents of the Eritrean government stormed an event in the Swedish capital organised by regime supporters. About 1,000 anti-government demonstrators who had been authorised to hold a protest nearby broke through a police barrier, tearing down festival tents and setting booths and vehicles on fire. theguardian.com

French police officers remain in custody over man’s death: Five police officers from the elite Raid unit were taken into custody on Tuesday morning in Marseille for questioning in the probe over the death of Mohamed Bendriss, prosecutors said. Two of the five were released in the early evening, the public prosecutor’s office announced. Bendriss‘ autopsy showed traces on his chest of what could be the impact of a shot from a blast ball and commonly used by the country’s police. France was convulsed in late June and early July by violent rioting over the killing outside Paris on June 27 of a teenager by a policeman during a traffic check. france24.com

Germany’s far-right AfD derides EU as a failed project: A text adopted by hundreds of party delegates at the event said the bloc failed on issues such as climate and immigration. The party also said it does not support the Euro as a currency. However, the text did not urge Germany to leave the EU. The AfD also did not call for the bloc to be dissolved entirely, as suggested by an earlier party draft in June. dw.com

• French government warns of AfD as a threat to European stability. euractiv.de

This EU country is now the only one without a single female minister: Hungary this week became the only country in the European Union without a female minister as Judit Varga officially stepped down on Monday evening. Varga, who announced her resignation in late June to lead the ruling Fidesz party’s campaign for the June 2024 EU parliamentary election, has been serving as justice minister since 2019. euronews.com

UK launches vaccine centre to help tackle new pandemic: A state-of-the-art vaccine research facility, where scientists will work to ensure future pandemics are stopped in their tracks and do not cause the same disruption to everyday life as Covid-19, has been unveiled by the British government. It is also hoped the facility will help the UK tackle “disease X” by enhancing preparedness for yet-to-be-identified pathogens with pandemic potential. independent.co.uk

UK government cuts ties with group after protest at PM’s home: Government departments should cut ties with Greenpeace in the wake of last week’s protest at Rishi Sunak’s house, No 10 has said. Activists from the group scaled the prime minister’s home in his North Yorkshire constituency last Thursday during an anti-oil demonstration. Five people were arrested by police and released on bail pending further inquiries. Sunak’s office confirmed neither the prime minister nor his family, who are currently on holiday in the US, were present at the time. bbc.com