Scorching heatwave threatens to break top temperatures

Scorching heat across the Northern Hemisphere threatened to break records and whip up wildfires on Monday as the dire consequences of global warming take shape.

Parts of Europe, Asia and North America were preparing for historic heat with health warnings and evacuations.

Europe could record its hottest-ever temperature this week on Italy's islands of Sicily and Sardinia where a high of 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) is predicted, the European Space Agency said.

"I'm really struggling with the heat. I've bought a mini fan, an umbrella and bottles of water," said Lilu Da Costa Rosa, a 48-year-old Brazilian saleswoman visiting Rome on Sunday.

In the Vatican, 15,000 people braved sweltering temperatures on Sunday to hear Pope Francis lead prayers, using parasols and fans to keep cool.

But in their black robes, priests like Francois Mbemba said they were "sweating like hell".

The 29-year-old said it felt hotter in St Peter's Square than in his Democratic Republic of Congo diocese.

In Japan, authorities issued heatstroke alerts for tens of millions of people in 20 of its 47 prefectures as near-record high temperatures scorched large areas and torrential rain pummelled other regions.

National broadcaster NHK warned the heat was life-threatening, with the capital Tokyo and other places recording nearly 40 degrees Celsius.

Japan's highest temperature ever -- 41.1C first recorded in Kumagaya city in 2018 -- could be beaten, according to the meteorological agency.

Some places experienced their highest temperatures in more than four decades Sunday, including Hirono town in Fukushima prefecture with 37.3C.

The US National Weather Service warned a "widespread and oppressive" heatwave in...