France registered its highest temperature since records began on Friday as the death toll rose from a heatwave suffocating much of Europe. The mercury hit 45.9 degrees Celsius (114.6 Fahrenheit) in Gallargues-le-Montueux, in the southern Provence region, weather forecaster Meteo France said, nearly two degrees above the previous high of 44.1 Celsius recorded in August 2003. Twelve towns in southern France saw new all-time highs on Friday and three experienced temperatures above 45 degrees, it said. The World Meteorological Organization said 2019 was on track to be among the world’s hottest years, and that 2015-2019 would then be the hottest five-year period on record. It said the European heatwave was “absolutely consistent” with extremes linked to the impact of greenhouse gas emissions. Four administrative departments in France were placed on red alert, signaling temperatures of “dangerous intensity” that are more typical of Saudi Arabia. The unusually […]