France in midst of 4th heat wave amid historic drought

PARIS (AP) — France is in the midst of its fourth heat wave of the year as the country faces what the government warned is its worst drought on record. National weather agency Meteo France said the heat wave began Monday in the south and is expected to spread across the country and last until the weekend. Overall, the southern half of France expects daytime temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Firefighters are battling a wildfire in the Chartreuse Mountains near the Alps in eastern France, where authorities have evacuated around 140 people. Last month was the driest July in France since measurements began in 1959.