A cyberattack on French grocery stores, a drought in England and a China

On Monday, a cyberattack heated fridges in nearly 500 supermarkets across France to as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit, causing fires and spoiling food. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has instructed France’s national cybersecurity agency to investigate the attacks. The hackers remain unidentified, and their motives are unclear.

At least three large grocery chains reported the hacks, all of which use affected fridges that can be remotely controlled by their manufacturers. The nationwide loss of perishable goods could end up costing millions of dollars. Some supermarkets in Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany and Belgium were also affected.

Cyril Scheubel, a manager of a large Intermarché supermarket outside of Dijon, woke to a call around 4 a.m. Monday from a surveillance company that told him temperatures were rising in his store’s refrigerators.

“I got in my car right away and went to the store,” Schuebel told NPR. “When I opened the freezers, there was no more cold — just hot air coming out.”

The Coopérative U supermarket chain had 80 locations impacted. The company is working with refrigerator technicians to restore functionality as soon as possible, according to an X post by CEO Dominique Schelcher.

“They’re attacking the French people’s food supply,” Schelcher told RTL Radio. “In my entire professional career, I’ve never seen anything like this.”

In England, multiple counties declare drought

On Thursday, six counties in southern England declared a severe drought following the hottest summer on the country’s record. The area has experienced its driest April-to-September period in over a century.

Of England’s 48 counties, more than half are in a state of drought — distinct from severe drought — while two are in a less serious state of prolonged dry weather. All of them lack an ordinary water supply and are experiencing unusual weather conditions.

England’s Environmental Agency expected reservoir levels to be around 75% at this time of year, but levels at two critical reservoirs — Ardingly and Wimbleball — are below 20%. The government has placed restrictions on and business water usage.

The agency’s chief executive Philip Duffy said in a Thursday press release that recovery depends on rainfall and how much water citizens use.

“We are also asking everyone to use less water,” Duffy said. “That will leave more in our rivers and the environment, helping farmers and protecting wildlife and nature.”

The government plans on investing £104 billion, the equivalent of $138 billion, to upgrade water infrastructure, in addition to building nine new reservoirs by 2050. But farmers are still struggling, National Farmers’ Union deputy president Paul Tompkins said in a social media video .

“A guaranteed, consistent supply of water underpins everything we do,” Tompkins said. “The government must do more to help us secure water for growing food.”

In China, a new bridge to North Korea is completed

After 12 years of delays, a new bridge linking China and North Korea opened on Thursday. The bridge is a sign of growing trade relations between the countries, even as many nations continue to sanction North Korea due to its nuclear weapons program.

The bridge — which was slated to open in 2014 — is an updated alternative to the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, which was completed in 1943. It spans the Yalu River, connecting the Chinese city of Dandong to Sinuiju, a North Korean city. Construction on the bridge was completed 12 years ago for $329 million, which China paid for, but the opening was delayed as North Korea constructed customs stations and connecting roads.

According to Kim Gyu-beom, an analyst at the Seoul-based Institute for National Security Strategy, the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge could allow Chinese goods to enter North Korea more quickly and in larger volumes. But, he explains, there is no guarantee that North Korea will increase its own exports.

“There is little incentive for North Korea to welcome a scenario in which its trade deficit and dependence on China continue to deepen,” Gyu-beom told the New York Times.

The bridge unveiling comes one month after North Korea opened its first road bridge to Russia, another nearby ally, last month.

Iris Miller at [email protected] .