Hot and noisy? Not for me, I much prefer the cold and quiet

It's been hot lately, hasn't it? Here in Beijing, it feels like the thermometer's been hovering around the 30 C mark for weeks now (whenever it hasn't been raining, that is).

Across the sea in Japan, meanwhile, the mercury soared to 41.1 C at the end of July, setting new heat records and hospitalizing thousands in the process. Scores also died.

In Greece, ongoing wildfires around the country's capital have claimed more than 90 lives, while up to 70 people died in Canada's Quebec province as a result of a recent heat wave.