PARIS\/AMSTERDAM\/LONDON
\nHealth authorities across Europe were on high alert on Friday as a killer heatwave progressed across the \u200bcontinent, prompting alcohol bans and the cancellation of mass gatherings in France, melting road surfaces in Germany and twisting rail tracks in Sweden.
\nScientists said the heatwave, which began on June 20, was \u200cthe worst recorded in Europe, where the climate is changing faster than the global average.
\nTemperatures were peaking in France and Britain, where records for June have been broken. But in Italy, the heat was expected to intensify into the weekend, bringing the summer\u2019s first readings of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
\nParis hit a June record of 40.9 C on Wednesday. Even though temperatures were expected to ease, authorities braced for more casualties.
\n\u201cThere will be consequences in terms of the number of additional deaths,\u201d French Health Minister Stephanie Rist told reporters.
\nAcross \u200bthe continent, cultural landmarks have been forced to close, and farming has suffered. In Britain, doctors said the hot weather was affecting critical equipment such as MRI scanners in hospitals.
\nParis police asked organisers of major \u200bevents, including the Solidays music festival, to cancel. Organisers of the Pride festival said they would reschedule. In Belgium, a planned re-enactment this weekend of the 1815 Battle \u2060of Waterloo – which resulted in the defeat and exile of French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte – was cancelled as a result of the heatwave.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PARIS\/AMSTERDAM\/LONDON Health authorities across Europe were on high alert on Friday as a killer heatwave progressed across the \u200bcontinent, prompting alcohol bans and the cancellation of mass gatherings in France, melting road surfaces in Germany and twisting rail tracks in Sweden. Scientists said the heatwave, which began on June 20, was \u200cthe worst recorded in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-553288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n