Germany news: Some shipping stops as Rhine hits new lows

The summer heat is not only causing water levels in Germany's key river arteries to drop to dangerously low levels, but also contributing to wildfires in several areas. Follow DW for more.

The next phase of the blistering summer is here, with warnings of more deaths, record high temperatures, drying rivers, drought and nuclear power problems.

The next phase of the blistering summer is here, with warnings of more deaths, record high temperatures, drying rivers, drought and nuclear power problems.

Forecasts are for temperatures in the mid-30s and up to 40 deg C across the continent.

Water levels across Europe have plunged to record lows due to the ongoing drought, exposing a host of long-hidden relics; here is a selection.

Low water levels risk halting cargo traffic on a key stretch of the Rhine this week, effectively splitting the critical waterway into two separate zones, the federal association of German inland shipping (BDB) said.

Near Opatovac, Croatia,receding water levels have also begun to reveal a shows the wreckage of the Hungarian cargo ship Fulton which sunk in the Danube in 1937 while transporting coal.