- London toy 'shop' window where nothing is for sale
- Volkswagen boss hails cost-cutting deal but shares fall
- Accused killer of US insurance CEO pleads not guilty to 'terrorist' murder
- Global stock markets mostly higher
- Not for sale. Greenland shrugs off Trump's new push
- Sweden says China blocked prosecutors' probe of ship linked to cut cables
- Acid complicates search after deadly Brazil bridge collapse
- Norwegian Haugan dazzles in men's World Cup slalom win
- Arsenal's Saka out for 'many weeks' with hamstring injury
- Mali singer Traore child custody case postponed
- France mourns Mayotte victims amid uncertainy over government
- UK economy stagnant in third quarter in fresh setback
- Sweden says China denied request for prosecutors to probe ship linked to cut undersea cables
- African players in Europe: Salah leads Golden Boot race after brace
- Global stock markets edge higher as US inflation eases rate fears
- German far-right AfD to march in city hit by Christmas market attack
- Ireland centre Henshaw signs IRFU contract extension
- Bangladesh launches $5bn graft probe into Hasina's family
- US probes China chip industry on 'anticompetitive' concerns
- Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal death row inmates
- Clock ticks down on France government nomination
- 'Devastated' Australian tennis star Purcell provisionally suspended for doping
- Mozambique on edge as judges rule on disputed election
- Mobile cinema brings Tunisians big screen experience
- Philippines says to acquire US Typhon missile system
- Honda and Nissan to launch merger talks
- Police arrest suspect who set woman on fire in New York subway
- China vows 'cooperation' over ship linked to severed Baltic Sea cables
- Australian tennis star Purcell provisionally suspended for doping
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate fears
- Luxury Western goods line Russian stores, three years into sanctions
- Wallace and Gromit return with comic warning about AI dystopia
- Philippine military says will acquire US Typhon missile system
- Afghan bread, the humble centrepiece of every meal
- Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
- 'Draconian' Vietnam internet law heightens free speech fears
- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
- Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
- Trump vows to 'stop transgender lunacy' as a top priority
- Daniels throws five TDs as Commanders down Eagles, Lions and Vikings win
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
- NuRAN Provides Corporate Update
- Grey Bull Rescue and Hostage Aid Worldwide Join Forces to Bring Austin Tice and Other Missing Westerners held in Syria to Safety
- Amaze Unveils Record-Breaking 2024 Results and Strategic Creator Campaign for 2025
- Cosmos Health CEO Greg Siokas and CFO George Terzis Collectively Increase Stake by 343,000 Shares Valued at $200,000
- MGO Global Announces Pricing of Upsized $6.0 Million Public Offering
- Upexi Regains Compliance with NASDAQ
- Shore Fire Media Client Bonnie Raitt and 42West Client Francis Ford Coppola are Recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors
Britain, France brace for temperature records as Europe fires rage
Britain and France went on high alert on Monday, bracing for record temperatures from a punishing heatwave as deadly wildfires raging in parts of southwest Europe showed no sign of abating.
Forecasters have put 15 French departments on the highest state of alert for extreme temperatures while in Britain the government was accused of failing to take seriously the impending heat emergency as forecasters warned that lives were at risk.
The heatwave, spreading north, began as the second to engulf parts of southwest Europe in weeks, and blazes burning in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain have destroyed thousands of hectares of land and forced thousands of residents and holidaymakers to flee.
Scientists blame climate change and predict more frequent and intense episodes of extreme weather such as heatwaves and drought.
In France's Landes forest, in the southwest Aquitaine region, temperatures "will be above 42 degrees Celsius" (107 Fahrenheit) on Monday forecaster Olivier Proust said.
And Brittany, which until recently has escaped the worst of the heat, could register temperatures as high as 40C, say experts, which would be a record for the region.
In the southwestern Gironde region, firefighters over the weekend continued to battle to control forest blazes that have devoured nearly 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) since Tuesday.
In Spain, authorities announced that a member of the fire service died on Sunday while working to extinguish forest fires at Losacio in the northwestern Zamora region. The fires have already killed several civilians and emergency personnel since last week.
- 'A heat apocalypse' -
Spanish authorities have reported around 20 wildfires still raging out of control in different parts of the country from the south to Galicia in the far northwest, where blazes have destroyed around 4,500 hectares of land.
The wildfires in France forced more than 16,000 people -- residents and tourists combined -- to decamp. Seven emergency shelters have been set up for evacuees.
France's interior ministry announced it would send an extra three firefighting planes, 200 firefighters and more trucks.
"In some southwestern areas, it will be a heat apocalypse," meteorologist Francois Gourand told AFP.
The chapel of a historic hospital in the southeastern city of Lyon, Grand Hotel Dieu, offered refuge to tourists on Sunday including Jean-Marc, 51, who was visiting from Alsace.
"We came back to admire the place, but we can't leave, it's too hot outside. We say a prayer before the fire!" he quipped.
French cyclist Mikael Cherel, taking part in the Tour de France's 15th stage between Rodez and Carcassonne in southern France on Sunday, described "very, very difficult conditions".
"I've never known such a hot day on a bike. It really was no picnic."
In Portugal, almost the entire country remained on high alert for wildfires despite a slight drop in temperatures, after hitting 47C -- a record for the month of July -- on Thursday.
- 'Risk to life' in UK -
Only one major fire was burning on Sunday in the north.
The fires have killed two, injured around 60 and destroyed between 12,000 and 15,000 hectares of land in Portugal.
In Britain, the weather office issued a first-ever "red" warning for extreme heat, cautioning there was a "risk to life".
The Met Office said temperatures in southern England could exceed 40C on Monday or Tuesday for the first time, leading some schools to say they would stay closed next week.
Eyebrows were raised, however, by comments from Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab appearing to welcome the likelihood of temperatures topping 40C and Prime Minister Boris Johnson missing a meeting about the government's response to the heatwave.
"This isn't like a lovely hot day where we can put a bit of sunscreen on, go out and enjoy a swim and a meal outside," College of Paramedics chief executive Tracy Nicholls told Sky News.
"This is serious heat that could actually, ultimately, end in people's deaths because it is so ferocious," she said.
Ambulance services are on crisis footing, and some schools in southern England have already said they will stay shut.
In the Netherlands, the mercury is set to reach 38C in parts of the country on Tuesday.
burs-jm/lcm
S.Gregor--AMWN