UN warns as heatwave sweeps across Europe

Paris

A blistering heatwave sweeping through Europe today brought blackouts to France and fears of heat stroke for Wimbledon tennis fans, but meant a range of interesting ice creams for the continent's zoo animals. 

With temperatures pushing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), the UN warned heatwaves were growing more frequent and intense due to climate change, and called on more countries to put warning systems in place to inform people of the dangers.

At the Safaripark Beekse Bergen zoo in the Netherlands, staff had already put their emergency procedures in place -- including ice cubes for baboons, cold showers for the elephants, and special meat- and fruit-flavoured ice cream for the ring-tailed lemurs.

Humans were having a tougher time, with around a million homes in western France left without power overnight Tuesday after the heatwave moved in from Spain, and another blackout striking Brittany Wednesday morning, cutting electricity to 100,000 houses.

Elsewhere in the city, public fountains became impromptu beaches, with parents sunbathing on benches and children playing in the water in their swimming costumes behind King's Cross station.