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Four people died in Spain, two in France and two in Italy as an early summer heatwave continued to grip much of Europe on Wednesday, triggering health alerts and forest fires and forcing the closure of a nuclear reactor at a Swiss power plant, Reuters reported.

Spanish officials said a wildfire in Catalonia had killed two people a day earlier, and authorities reported heatwave-linked deaths also in Extremadura and Cordoba. France's energy minister reported two deaths linked to the heat, with 300 others taken to hospital.

Italy issued red alerts for 18 cities, while in Germany temperatures were forecast to peak at 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas, making it the hottest day of the year.

Two men over the age of 60 died in separate incidents on the beach in Sardinia from the heat, ANSA news agency reported.

The Supreme Court (SC) has issued an order to scrap the writ petitions filed against the appointments of 52 officials in the constitutional bodies. 

With the SC verdict in the last midnight, the office-bearers of the constitutional bodies would now serve their full six-year tenure.

Hearing of the writ petitions were conducted in the constitutional bench of Chief Justice Prakashman Singh Raut, Senior Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla and Justices Manoj Kumar Sharma, Dr Kumar Chudal and Dr Nahakul Subedi. 

The decision on the appointments of the constitutional bodies was taken on majority basis as Senior Justice Malla, and Justices Sharma and Dr Chudal shared their position to quash the writs. 

CJ Raut and Justice Dr Subedi viewed to scrap the writ petitions from certiorari order since the constitutional council's recommendation made on December 15, 2020 and the appointments thereafter were against the constitution. And the writ petitions against the appointments made on May 9, 2021 deemed scrap.

The SC announced its verdict on the appointments of 52 officials in the constitutional bodies after a long discussion. 

In the midnight from the bench, Chief Justice Raut shared about the dissenting opinions of the justices on the verdict. 

After the verdict, SC Spokesperson Achyut Kuinkel shared that the majority of the justices in the constitutional bench decided to scrap the writ petitions.

A total of 15 writ petitions were lodged at the SC challenging the government decision to appoint office-bearers in the constitutional bodies through ordinances.

The hearing of the case at the SC was completed on May 15. The SC was supposed to give its verdict on June 11 but again the date was fixed for July 2 (Wednesday).

At least two people have died and 43 others are missing after a ferry sank off the coast of Indonesia’s Bali island late Wednesday. The ferry, KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya carrying 65 people, went down about 30 minutes after departing from Ketapang port in East Java en route to Bali’s Gilimanuk port, Xinhua reported.

According to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, the vessel was transporting 53 passengers, 12 crew members, and 22 vehicles. So far, 20 people have been rescued, with many found unconscious after hours adrift in rough seas.

Rescue efforts involving nine boats continue amid waves up to two meters high, according to Xinhua.

At least 10 people were killed and 34 others reported missing after multiple cloudbursts and flash floods hit Himachal Pradesh within 24 hours, officials said Wednesday.

According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), the state witnessed 16 cloudbursts and three flash floods in 24 hours as a result of incessant rains that wreaked havoc and caused widespread devastation. The worst-affected area was Mandi district, about 133 km north of Shimla, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh, The Hindu reported.

Severe rains in Himachal Pradesh caused landslides, damaged infrastructure, blocked roads, and rescued 370 people. Authorities are concerned that the death toll will grow and have initiated large-scale rescue attempts.

Since June 20, monsoon-related incidents have left 51 dead and caused an estimated $33m in damage. An orange alert remains in effect, with heavy rain expected to continue until July 7, according to The Hindu.