Water-dropping planes battle Athens wildfire as England records driest-ever July

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A prolonged heat wave and lack of rainfall led to the driest July in England and Wales in nearly two centuries of record-keeping, according to provisional statistics, the U.K.’s weather service said Monday .All of Wales and more than half of England are officially in drought, the Met Office said.The dry spell was accompanied with sweltering temperatures across much of the U.K., following heat waves in May and June.Wales tied its record for its warmest mean temperature for July while England and the U.K. recorded their second-warmest July.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Water-dropping planes swooped over a major wildfire west of Athens Monday as strong winds eased, a day after a midair collision between two firefighting helicopters killed two crew members.Gales at the weekend hampered firefighting efforts along mountainous and coastal areas while also allowing flames to spread more rapidly, but authorities said