Highs of between 46 and 48C forecast in Sicily and Sardinia, as parts of Europe, Asia and North America face surging temperatures. Plus, why first loves can shape our lives for ever

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Swaths of virgin pine forests have been destroyed in Greece as devastating wildfires continue to tear through terrain turned tinder-dry by the extreme heat, writes Helena Smith, the Guardian’s correspondent in Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.

What’s happening in the US? Long the hottest place on Earth, Death Valley on Sunday approached some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded, meteorologists said. Temperatures in Death Valley, which runs along part of central California’s border with Nevada, reached 128F (53.3C) at the aptly named Furnace Creek, the National Weather Service said.

What do the experts say about what’s happening? The World Meteorological Organization secretary general, Petteri Taalas, said: “The extreme weather … is having a major impact on human health, ecosystems, economies, agriculture, energy and water supplies. This underlines the increasing urgency of cutting greenhouse gas emissions as quickly and as deeply as possible.”

What’s happening with the Kerch Bridge? Partial road traffic opened on one lane of the bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula to Russia late yesterday, the Russian deputy prime minister Marat Khusnullin said on his Telegram channel, almost 24 hours after it was struck by two explosions. “Motor transport on the Crimean bridge has been restored in reverse mode on the most outer right lane,” Khusnullin wrote, according to Reuters.