Popular city bans public alcohol amid heat wave as people take risks to cool down

France has banned some public drinking and restricted outdoor events as a brutal heat wave bears down on Europe, according to the Associated Press (AP). Tourists and locals are reportedly taking desperate — and sometimes dangerous — measures to cool off by plunging into canals and dunking in fountains. Authorities in France imposed alcohol restrictions in public spaces and at some major gatherings as temperatures climbed toward triple digits, as health experts warn that drinking in extreme heat