Sawt Falasteen - Paris landmarks shutter early as France bakes in latest heatwave

As of Saturday, a quarter of mainland France was sweltering under the country's highest heat alert level, including the Paris region.

The operator of the Eiffel Tower said the latticed-steel monument would "exceptionally close" early on Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 pm (1400 GMT), "due to the high temperatures forecast".

The 324-metre (1,063-foot) tower, which attracts seven million tourists a year, usually stays open past midnight during the high season.

Two of the French capital's most famous museums, the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay, have taken similar measures.

The Louvre, the most visited museum in the world, said on Thursday it would close at 4:00 pm from Friday through to Monday.

The Musee D'Orsay announced it would also close early, "due to the extreme heat" at 5:00 pm from Saturday to Wednesday.

And the organisers of the Tour de France cycling race said Sunday's 185.5-kilometre stage would be shortened by 30 kilometres, cutting out a hilly loop, because of the intense heat -- the first time in its history it has taken such a decision.

Belgian sprinter Tim Merlier, winner of Saturday's stage, welcomed the news.

"We are now one week of racing, it was always above 35C degrees," he said. "It's definitely a fight to have water, ice and drinks between the (support) cars."

- Call for vigilance -

Twenty-four departments, home to 22.2 million people according to an AFP calculation, were under the maximum alert level issued by the national weather service Meteo-France on Saturday.

Another 59 departments of 96 in mainland France were under an orange heat warning, a step below the highest, as people flooded trains and highways at the start of a holiday weekend ahead of France's national public holiday on July 14.

Across France, many towns have called off their firework displays for Bastille Day due to increased risk of fires amid the dry conditions.

Wildfires have scorched twice as much land in France so far this year as in the same period last year, an official said on Friday.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for vigilance on Saturday, warning nine out of 10 fires are due to human activity.

"A single second of inattention can put families at risk, endanger those who protect us and destroy our countryside," he wrote on X.

The European nation is facing its third heatwave since May, with a heatwave in June shattering records.

The country recorded more than 2,000 excess deaths during the June heatwave, and 300 during the high temperatures in late May, according to official figures.

The government has faced a barrage of criticism, accused of being "unprepared" for the extreme weather, the increasing frequency of which scientists have linked to man-made climate change.

High temperatures are expected to continue until Bastille Day, according to Meteo-France.

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E.Aziz--SF-PST