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Canada tries to adapt to a future of wildfires

Faced with another summer when wildfires have scorched millions of hectares of land and blankets of smoke have disrupted daily life nationwide, Canada is trying to limit the annual devastation.

Indonesia battles Mount Bromo wildfire as El Nino takes root

Indonesian authorities battled Friday to contain a wildfire that has swept through Mount Bromo National Park on Java island, destroying more than 120 hectares as the country braces itself for an extreme El Nino-fuelled dry season.

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Food security fears mount as UK farmers battle drought

Giant dust clouds rose from a green-red combine harvester as it crawled across a parched field, a sign that something was awry with UK farmer John Pawsey's land.

North Korea touts dog soup and other home-cooked recipes to beat the heat

Dog meat soup and bubbling ginseng broths are being proffered by North Korea's leadership as home remedies to take the edge off a spell of searing weather.

Rising Kenyan lakes push crocodiles closer to homes

A crocodile basks in the sunshine on the roof of a submerged conference hall at a holiday resort in central Kenya, in a visible sign of how rising lake waters are endangering thousands of families and local businesses.

South Korea pro baseball league cancels games over heatwave

South Korea's professional baseball league cancelled all games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday amid a record-setting heatwave that has sent spectators to hospital.

'Like the end of the world': the eclipse chasers flocking to Spain

Suddenly, the world is plunged into an eerie, violet darkness. The temperature drops. Birds and other animals, bewildered by unforeseen night, start behaving strangely. Stars and planets appear in the sky next to the blotted-out Sun.

Heatwave divides rich and poor of upmarket Seoul

In Seoul's affluent district of Gangnam, a severe heatwave has changed the currency of cool: access to air conditioning now defines the line between the haves and the have-nots.

Heat kills 16 in South Korea this summer: interior ministry

South Korea's summer heat has killed 16 people so far this year, the interior ministry said Tuesday, as the nation swelters in a wave of searing weather.

WWII shells surface in wildfire-ravaged French village

A huge forest fire near Bordeaux in southwestern France has revealed World War II shells in the village of Le Porge, where all residents returned to their homes on Monday after days of demining operations.

England, Wales had driest July on record: Met Office

England and Wales both experienced the "driest July on record", the UK Met Office weather agency said Monday, based on provisional figures.

Seoul issues first 'severe heatwave warning' under new system

South Korea's weather agency issued a "severe heatwave warning" for Seoul on Monday, the first such advisory since introducing the designation this year to alert the public about extreme temperatures.

South Korea records its highest-ever temperature of 42.5C

South Korea registered its highest temperature since records began more than a century ago on Sunday, as authorities warned people to "immediately" stop all outdoor activities in affected areas.

France's largest wildfire in decades 'under control', says minister

France's largest wildfire since 1949 has been brought under control, a minister said Saturday, more than a week since the fire erupted in a pine forest near the southwestern city of Bordeaux.

South Korea baseball league cancels two games over heatwave

South Korea's baseball league cancelled two professional games Saturday to ensure the safety of players and fans in a heatwave.

California lifeguards wiped out from extreme weather

In California, repeated heat waves have sent Americans running to the beaches to seek relief, but more and more swimmers are finding themselves in troubled waters as strong waves whip the coast and fuel powerful rip currents.

US plans steep water cuts for southwest amid Colorado River crisis

The US federal government on Friday unveiled its plan for future management of the beleaguered Colorado River, with significant water reductions ahead for several western states in response to record-breaking droughts worsened by climate change.

Alarm over climate-linked low level of German waterways

Alarm is growing among German shipping and industry about low rainfall sapping major waterways, with one stretch of the Rhine briefly dipping to its previous record low on Friday.

Italy's Po River valley on drought alert

Italian authorities raised the drought alert level to "high" on Thursday in the Po Valley, home of the country's longest river, due to worsening conditions and unfavourable weather forecasts.

Southern Europe 'becoming more flammable' in hotter climate, experts say

Southern Europe is "becoming more flammable" with the number of summer days primed for extreme fire conditions more than doubling since 1981, a new study found on Thursday.

May, June heatwaves caused 2,877 extra deaths in England: govt

Record-breaking heatwaves in May and June led to an estimated 2,877 excess deaths in England, the UK Health Security Agency said Wednesday.

Danube drops to 'historic lows' as fresh heatwave hits

Plummeting river levels have already brought shipping to a standstill in parts of Serbia, squeezing fuel imports and energy production -- and now heatwave warnings have been issued in the Balkans.

Spanish wildfire evacuees go home as France hit by new heat alert

Thousands of Spaniards evacuated from huge wildfires returned home on Wednesday while in France firefighters braced for worsening conditions in their own battle with raging flames.

How an AFP beach snap became emblem of Europe's wildfire summer

AFP photo editor Maximilien Lamy was on holiday with his partner and daughter last week when he took a series of snapshots of vacationers in fire-struck southwest France with his smartphone.

Spain returns wildfire evacuees as France braces for worsening weather

Thousands of Spaniards evacuated from the path of huge wildfires were returning home on Wednesday while in France firefighters braced for worsening conditions in their own battle with raging flames.

Spain allows wildfire evacuees to return but France fears flames spreading

Spain on Tuesday lifted evacuation orders for more than a dozen areas but France ordered thousands more people to leave their homes, as firefighters battled to contain the worst wildfires in living memory.

'Not out of danger': Residents return to scorched French village

The scent of cinder lingered in the air as Michael Elicegui sipped a coffee on a cafe terrasse after returning to his French village following a wildfire.

Flooding forces residents to flee homes by boat in Pakistan

Flooding from heavy monsoon rains inundated villages in eastern Pakistan, pushing residents to flee their homes by boat over fields turned into vast swathes of water on Monday.

Heat, overcrowding, pushes Italian prison guard union to sue

A prison guard union in Italy's southern Puglia region will ask prosecutors to investigate widespread workplace safety abuses, with temperatures inside overcrowded prisons rising above 50C, in a case the union says is a first, AFP has learned.

France, Spain race to contain 'monster' fires ahead of new heatwave

Shelters in France and Spain on Monday overflowed with exhausted locals and holidaymakers forced to flee blazes so massive some were forming their own mini weather systems, as authorities warned a new heatwave was set to descend on parts of the region.

'Monster' wildfires force 350,000 from homes in France, Spain

Forests burned and villages emptied as more than 325,000 people fled blazes tearing through France and Spain on Sunday, with firefighters struggling to contain flames stretching kilometres.

French firefighters face 'pyrocumulonimbus' for first time

The gigantic wildfire ravaging southwest France has created an extremely dangerous "pyrocumulonimbus" -- a phenomenon never before seen in the country -- the spokesman for the country's National Firefighters Federation of France (FNSPF) told AFP.

France and Spain battle 'unpredictable' wildfires as 300,000 evacuated

France fought an "unpredictable" wildfire close to Bordeaux on Sunday while Spain warned of "difficult hours" in its own fiery battle, with evacuations from danger zones in both countries mounting to well over 300,000 people.

D-Day beaches inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List

The iconic D-Day landing beaches in Normandy were on Sunday inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, marking the culmination of a project launched nearly two decades ago.

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