AMSTERDAM, July 5 (Reuters) - A rare summer storm with winds of up to 145 kilometres (90 miles) per hour hit the Netherlands on Wednesday, causing at least one death as people across much of the country were told to stay indoors and travel was severely disrupted.

A 51-year old woman died in Haarlem after a tree fell on the car she was in, local police said.

In Amsterdam, several people were injured as dozens of trees were toppled by the storm, damaging cars and houseboats along the city's canals.

July 4 - Monday, July 3, was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to data from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

The average global temperature reached 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 Fahrenheit), surpassing the August 2016 record of 16.92C (62.46F) as heatwaves sizzled around the world.

The southern U.S. has been suffering under an intense heat dome in recent weeks. In China, an enduring heatwave continued, with temperatures above 35C (95F). North Africa has seen temperatures near 50C (122F).

MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS/: The special military operation would end in several days if the US and its vassals stop sending weapons to Ukraine, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday, answering a question from TASS.

"In NATO, primarily the US and its vassals, stop shipping weapons and munitions to Ukraine, the special military operation would end in several months; and if they stop shipping their weapons now, then the special op will end in mere days," Medvedev said.

JENIN REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — Israel withdrew troops from a West Bank militant stronghold Wednesday but warned that its most intense military operation in the occupied territory in nearly two decades was not a one-off. Twelve Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in the two-day raid.

Residents of the Jenin refugee camp emerged from their homes to find alleys lined by piles of rubble and flattened or scorched cars. Shopkeepers and bulldozers started clearing the debris. Thousands who had fled the fighting began returning.

TOKYO, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) does not endorse the Japanese government's decision with its safety review report on Japan's plan to release nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, the report presented Tuesday here by the IAEA chief showed.

HARARE, July 5 (NNN-XINHUA) — Zimbabwe announced on Tuesday the end of power cuts the country has experienced since last December following the rehabilitation of Hwange Thermal Power Station, the country’s largest coal-fired power plant, implemented by a Chinese firm.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa told a press briefing that the country’s power supply situation has vastly improved after the completion of the upgrading of Hwange Unit 7 and 8 by Chinese firm Sinohydro.

KYIV, July 5 (Reuters) - In a basement in downtown Kyiv late last month, away from prying eyes, hundreds of engineers and innovators met senior military officials to brainstorm ways to better neutralise the cheap Russian suicide drones that still devastate Ukrainian cities.

It was a rare, close-up glimpse into Ukraine's technology arms race with Russia that draws on private sector innovation seeded with state venture capital, and which is pumping out thousands of combat drones in a booming wartime industry.

MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS/: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed a decree relieving Sergey Mikhaylov of his post as director general of Russia’s TASS news agency, the Russian government’s press service announced.

Andrey Kondrashov has been appointed as the agency’s new head. Previously, he served as first deputy director general of the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK).

Mikhaylov has led Russia’s oldest news agency since 2012. He told a TASS correspondent that he would disclose his future professional plans in the near future.

ISLAMABAD, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani rupee gains significant strength against the U.S. dollar following Pakistan's staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the greenback was being traded at 275.44 rupees in the interbank market on Tuesday, according to the State Bank of Pakistan.

The U.S. dollar closed at 285.99 rupees on June 27, and it went down on Tuesday after the local currency appreciated by 10.55 rupees or about 3.83 percent against the U.S. dollar, official figures showed.

NEW DELHI, Jul 5 (NNN-PTI) – The price of tomatoes continues to rise across India, even as the commodity was being sold at the rate of 155 Indian Rupees (1.89 U.S. dollars) per kg in the eastern state of West Bengal, the highest in the country, said media reports, today.

The commodity was available in the country at around 20 Indian Rupees (24 U.S. cents) per kg, till a couple of weeks ago.

05 July 2023; MEMO: The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold an emergency session later this week to discuss the burning of the Quran in Sweden, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Last Wednesday, a man – identified as Salwan Momika – burned a copy of the Quran under police protection in front of Stockholm Mosque, causing outrage.

BERLIN, July 4 (Reuters) - German industry on Tuesday warned that Europe must become more self-reliant in the hunt for raw materials needed for cleaner, more digital economies, after China caused alarm by announcing restrictions on some metals used for semiconductors.

China's commerce ministry said on Monday it would require export permits for eight gallium products and six germanium products from Aug. 1 to protect national security.

The metals are used in high-speed computer chips and for the defence and renewable energy sectors.