Brussels records hottest-ever day

The European Union's de facto capital of Brussels on Friday recorded its hottest day on record, with the city roasting in 35.9C heat, Belgium's IRM weather agency said.

Along with much of Europe, Belgium is sweltering under the latest in a succession of heatwaves that have broken records in several countries.

According to AFP calculations, parts of the continent home to at least 150 million people on Friday experienced temperatures above 35C.

Scientific experts say that human-made climate change has made such phenomena more extreme and more frequent, and Europe has become the globe's fastest-warming continent.