Heat wave pushes thermometer well over 40C

A woman takes a break from the heat under the shade of a tree in central Athens on Friday as Greece struggled with the summer's first heat wave. The National Observatory of Athens said the highest temperatures yesterday at 3 p.m. were recorded in Elefsina, which was sweltering at 45.3 degrees Celsius, Aspropyrgos (44.6C), Sparta (44.4C), Larissa (44.3C) and Aghioi Theodoroi in Corinthia (44.1C). Conditions are not expected to get any better over the weekend, as meteorologists forecast daytime highs of above 40C in many parts. [Yiannis Kolesidis/ANA-MPA]