EUROPE - Europe has been rocked by the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta on the North African coast being stormed by an estimated 60,000 Moroccan immigrants. That sums up the problem. The EU is a powerful bloc, yet it finds itself at the mercy of Morocco because human rights laws undermine border controls. Without those controls, freedom of movement under Schengen becomes a liability rather than a benefit. Yet instead of leading, the EU merely convenes meetings. The EU’s complacency has seen its share of the global economy shrink and the continent miss out on the frontier of AI. If it fails to secure Europe’s borders, then the whole project may well collapse, as frustrated voters demand the security that European leaders refuse to deliver. Ceuta was a test of the EU’s ability to respond and it failed.

EUROPE - The European Union has told Pedro Sánchez that he must accept Spain being placed under special measures to end diplomatic hostilities within the bloc, triggered by the Ceuta migrant crisis. Sources told The Telegraph that the Spanish prime minister has been asked to share verified figures for the number of migrants returned to Morocco after the initial influx. The demand demonstrates doubt over Madrid’s claim that most of the estimated 60,000 people who rushed into the exclave last week had already crossed back over the border. At least 88 people died, with many drowning or being crushed to death, in what was described as the single largest illegal influx into the EU. On Monday, Miguel Ángel Pérez, the Spanish central government’s delegate in Ceuta, said 2,500 of them were estimated to still be in Ceuta. However, Juan Jesús Vivas, the territory’s top official, put the figure at between 3,000 and 5,000, telling Spanish broadcaster Telecinco that its two migrant reception centres – one for adults and another for minors – had “collapsed”.

SPAIN - The recent burst of illegal migration into Spain’s Moroccan exclave of Ceuta was, above all, a sensational media event produced for political effect. It will have lasting consequences, but not in terms of who ended up where: Of the about 50,000 migrants who suddenly, as if on command, stormed Ceuta by land and sea, almost all quickly went back to Morocco. According to the EU’s home affairs commissioner, not a single Ceuta-crasher made it to the European mainland. In that sense, the whole thing might as well not have happened. Apocalyptic fantasies of Ceuta turning into a wide open gate to the rest of fortress Europe were always, at best, silly: no, you can’t just travel on into Spain from there or to British Gibraltar, for that matter.

UK - July is set to be England’s driest on record, the Met Office has revealed. A total of 5.6mm of rain fell in England during this past month. The previous record was set in 1911, when 13.4mm of rain fell. That was followed by July 1868, with 18.1mm, and 1869, with 20.2mm. Dr Emily Carlisle, a Met Office scientist, said: “Provisional figures suggest this could be one of the driest Julys in nearly two centuries of records, which is particularly notable when coupled with the exceptional heat experienced so far this summer.” Both England and Wales are on course for their driest July since rainfall records began 190 years ago in 1836. The rainfall record comes after drought was declared across more than half of England following a prolonged spell of record-breaking heat.

UK - There is not much left to celebrate at Clive Redshaw’s Hampshire farm this summer. His spring barley — destined in a good year for whisky and beer — shrivelled in the heat and, instead of being sold for brewing, was downgraded to animal feed. Wheat yields are down by a quarter. The grass simply stopped growing, leaving his dairy herd short of grazing. During one searing spell at the end of June, milk production fell by almost a third, costing around £6,000 in a single week. By Redshaw’s reckoning, the weather has wiped something approaching £80,000 from this year’s income.

USA - According to the latest update, approximately 7,500 acres have burned, more than 600 structures have been destroyed, and all three fires are 0% contained. Several fires exploded in size across Spokane County on Saturday afternoon. A combination of three fires has burned about 7,500 acres, and all three are still 0% contained. California Interagency Incident Management Team 7 is assuming command of the Spokane Area Fires, which consist of the Autumn Lane Fire, Old Trails Fire and Fairview Fire. Fire authorities confirmed to KREM 2 that over 600 structures have been destroyed by the fires. There was a mad scramble to evacuate on Saturday evening, and as a result there were huge traffic jams throughout the city. In some cases, those stuck in the traffic jams could literally see giant flames approaching in their rear view mirrors. Can you imagine being in that position? There were many that left with only the clothes on their backs. That is how fast this happened. And when some of them finally return home, they will discover that they have lost everything.

HUNGARY - Hungary's only nuclear power plant will be forced to shut down entirely for the first time due to record low water levels of the River Danube, Prime Minister Péter Magyar has said. The Soviet-era Paks power plant uses the Danube for cooling but the water level is so low that the suction nozzles cannot reach it. Magyar warned Hungary's energy supply could become "critical" from Monday due to the Paks shutdown and the ongoing heatwave, which will see temperatures hover around 37C for a week. Like much of Europe, Hungary has seen very low rainfall and high temperatures for much of the summer. The waters of the Danube have fallen to the lowest levels for 30 years in several countries, including neighbouring Serbia and Romania.

EUROPE - Since mid-July wildfires have torn through France, Spain, and Portugal forcing more than 300,000 people to evacuate their homes. Officials in the Spanish capital Madrid have said the fires are the worst the region has ever experienced. French President Emmanuel Macron, visiting the fire-ravaged area in the Gironde region, called the "completely unprecedented" wildfire the "toughest since World War Two". The fires have broken out amid a sweltering summer of heatwaves across Europe. Both France and Spain are now seeing another sharp rise in temperatures, with peaks of 41-42C expected in France. Wildfires in the regions outside Madrid have burned about 606 sq miles (1570 sq km) since 1 July, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis). That is an area more than twice as large as the city itself.

USA - Donald Trump says he has pulled back from a major assault on Iran because a peace deal may be close. The US president announced on Truth Social late on Saturday night that he had paused the attack, which he had claimed would include the heaviest strikes of the war, at Tehran’s request, “subject to being able to rapidly make a deal”. Mr Trump said: “We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to. This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.” He added that he had agreed to Tehran’s proposal “for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran”. However, Mr Trump warned the Iranian regime that the US remained “locked and loaded and ready to go”.

SAUDI ARABIA - While Riyadh has adopted a new muscular approach, the UAE has moved towards dialogue and Oman is trying to position itself as neutral. Early on Wednesday in the skies above Iraq, the geopolitics of the Gulf were shifting. Fighter jets from the Saudi air force were flying alongside their US counterparts, in a joint operation against Iranian proxy militias. For the first time in the conflict, Saudi Arabia had explicitly moved from defensive to offensive.

MIDDLE EAST - Hamas disarming? Believe it when you see it. Those were the words on the lips of all sensible observers as the latest Donald Trump stunt was announced. Hamas disarming? It’s about as convincing as a crocodile going vegan. If you don’t believe me, believe Hamas, which has never publicly committed to demilitarisation. In an interview with Al Jazeera earlier this year, the senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk said that the concession “never happened”. He added: “Not for a single moment did we talk about the surrender of weapons, or any formula about destroying, surrendering, or disarmament.” If Hamas was not disarmed in two years of war, Abu Marzouk continued, “how can they obtain it through negotiations?” It could hardly be clearer, could it?

UK - Most shoppers are filling their trolleys with barbecue food during one of the hottest summers on record – but Morrisons has been ridiculed this week for selling Christmas treats in July. The supermarket was understood to be selling Cadbury Dairy Milk advent calendars in one of its stores on July 31. Retail experts believe it is the earliest time the festive chocolates have ever appeared on shelves.

USA - Americans have been told to be 'ready' to flee ten Middle Eastern countries as the Iran war spirals, with President Trump warning: 'We'll be hitting them very hard.' The US Embassy has urgently advised US citizens across the Middle East to 'consider departing or be ready to depart if there is an escalation,' just hours after Trump signaled fresh strikes on Iran could come as soon as this weekend. The warning now covers 10 countries: the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and, most recently, Egypt. It comes after sources told CBS News on Friday that the US and Israel are preparing what was described as 'one of the harshest bombing campaigns to date' against Iran's energy infrastructure.

SPAIN - About 60,000 Moroccans have in the last 24 hours illegally breached the borders of the Spanish city of Ceuta. For comparison, the population of Ceuta is 83,000, meaning that if the flow of crossings remains constant then the city will soon have a majority population of illegal immigrants. This small piece of Europe on the continent of Africa is technically part of Schengen, which has prompted calls from politicians such as Giorgia Meloni to suspend freedom of movement with Spain. A European Union with no internal borders can only survive if its members have strong external borders. The crisis in Ceuta therefore threatens the EU itself.

ITALY - The Italian government on Friday announced the suspension of free travel with Spain amid the storming of the country's African exclaves by migrants from Morocco. Tens of thousands of people have overrun the borders between Spain and Morocco and Melilla and Ceuta this week, with footage of violent riots going viral. Italy, which has sought to curb illegal immigration to Europe, previously warned that it could suspend freedom of movement if Madrid failed to deal with the situation. Spain and Italy are both part of the Schengen Area, a freedom-of-movement zone of primarily European Union members. Rome formally made the move on Friday, the Telegraph reported.