INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Throughout Europe, temperatures have peaked causing forest fires and barbeque bans.(representational)Paris, France: A heatwave scorched
much of Europe on Friday, with near-record temperatures leading to firefighters battling forest blazes and authorities banning barbecues,
however rain cooled some regions in the evening.Here is a roundup:Greece: Blame GameA blame game broke out over wildfires that killed 82
people in Greece.Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Mikos Toskas claimed there were "serious" signs of arson.Others pointed the finger at
the government over its poor fire prevention measures while Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he accepted "political responsibility" for
the tragedy.Germany: Forest FiresGermany sweltered in near-record temperatures, forecast to reach as high as 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees
Fahrenheit).Firefighters were battling wildfires near Fichtenwalde, southwest of Berlin, and in northern Saxony-Anhalt.Public broadcaster
ARD posted a picture of a fire engine filling up with water from a swimming pool.In Berlin, police used a water cannon to drench the parched
lawn of Germany's iconic Reichstag parliament building.Officials in Hamburg cancelled the annual fireworks due to fears the dry ground could
catch fire.Britain: 'Furnace Friday'There was some relief from what British media dubbed Furnace Friday with a heavy downpour in London
during the afternoon.Earlier, meteorologists said the all-time British record of 38.5 C could be broken.Cross-channel rail operator
Eurotunnel cancelled thousands of tickets after "extreme temperatures" and malfunctioning air conditioning disrupted services.London fire
brigade asked councils to ban barbecues in public parks after an increase in call-outs to fires.High temperatures forced the famously
conservative Marylebone Cricket Club into a rare concession: allowing members to attend a match without a jacket.Netherlands: Night FeverThe
Netherlands counted 1,143 forest fires in the first 25 days of July, compared with 187 in the whole of July 2017.The country registered its
hottest night on record from Thursday to Friday: 24.4 C.Sweden: Barbecue BanSwedish authorities said 17 forest fires were still burning in
the country after others were put out this week.The country sweltered in its highest temperatures this year: 34.6 C in some southern
regions.Neighbouring Finland said it would send 35 firefighters to Sweden, joining teams from other EU countries.Rain is forecast for the
weekend, but citizens are still banned from lighting barbecues or fires.Latvia: Wildfire TamedFirefighters in Latvia said they had contained
a 1,000-hectare peat bog wildfire in the west.Latvia has declared a national disaster with a severe drought and temperatures of around 35
C.Neighbouring Lithuania and Belarus are helping to fight the wildfire.Storms cool FranceSwathes of France have also been sweltering under a
heatwave, with temperatures as high as 37 C in Paris on Thursday.A heavy downpour with hailstones cooled Paris down on Friday evening with
storms forecast over the weekend in the north and west of the country, according to forecaster Meteo-France.Belgium: hotter than 2006A
heatwave has been declared in Belgium
Thursday was the hottest July 26 on record with a high of 34 C, said meteorologist David Dehenaw.Switzerland: Heat AlertSwiss weather
authorities issued a heatwave warning for the south of the country.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by
TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
