The water level of Germany's Rhine river has fallen to a critical 38-centimeter mark, at the checkpoint Kaub amid the continuing heatwave across Europe.

More than 1,700 have died in the present heatwave in Spain and Portugal, according to the World Health Organization.

Thousands of firefighters battled more than 20 blazes that raged on Wednesday across Portugal and western Spain, menacing villages and disrupting tourists' holidays amid a heat wave that pushed temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in some parts of Europe.

About 700 firefighters backed by aircraft have been pressed into service in France's southern Gard region to battle a blaze that has so far burnt more than 600 hectares (1,500 acres) of forest area.

Extreme heat waves that previously only struck once every 50 years are now expected to happen once per decade , a UN climate science report says.

Beijing has lashed out at the United States for blacklisting several more Chinese entities over alleged human rights abuses.

An unprecedented and deadly heat wave in the West has alarmed people across the world to take action.