Europe's scorching heatwave has killed nine people in a week in Spain, health authorities said Tuesday, as stifling temperatures kindled wildfires in the country and neighboring Portugal where a ferocious blaze encircled a resort town.

Europe baked in near-record temperatures on Monday but some respite was on the horizon after weeks of nonstop sunshine as people come to terms with what may prove to be the region's new normal in an era of climate change.

Here is a roundup of recent developments:

Two blazes mercilessly charring northern California have grown so rapidly that they became the US state's largest in recorded history Monday, authorities said.

Europe baked in near-record temperatures on Monday but hopes were for some respite after weeks of non-stop sunshine as people come to terms with what may prove to be the new normal in climate change Europe.

U.S. regulators have ended a two-year investigation into how Exxon Mobil accounted for oil and gas prices and the risks climate change posed to its business, the company said Friday.

Officials in Japan have urged men to buck local gender stereotypes and carry parasols to protect themselves from the sun in the midst of a deadly national heatwave.

Firefighters aided by calmer winds were gaining control  on Thursday of a wildfire near Spain's famous Estrecho natural park in the southwest of the country, an official said.

Monsoon rains have pummelled the Mekong region in recent days with Myanmar bearing the brunt of flooding that has forced 150,000 to flee and threatens to destroy levees shielding thousands of homes.

Iraqi farmer Sayyed Sattar knows he'll soon have to let some of his buffalo go as he surveys the herd bathing in a dwindling pond close to the holy city of Najaf.

A powerful typhoon hurtled towards Japan on Saturday, prompting local authorities to issue early evacuation orders, with western areas recently devastated by floods and landslides in the storm's crosshairs.