New Delhi, July 11 -- PARIS - The Eiffel Tower will close its gates four hours early this Saturday and Sunday, while the Louvre Museum and the Musee d'Orsay follow suit, as France's third heatwave since May descends with enough force to place 24 departments under the country's highest heat alert and leave more than 22 million people under red-alert conditions.

The closures, announced Friday by monument operators, mark one of the most visible responses to an accelerating climate crisis reshaping European summers. Euronews reported that Meteo-France projects highs of 35degC to 38degC across most of the country, with temperatures potentially climbing to 39degC in a band stretching from Burgundy to the Pays de la Loire. The Eiffel Tower will...