Britain issues first Amber Extreme Heat warning

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Met Office issued its first ever amber extreme heat warning on Monday, saying unusually high temperatures expected western areas and continuing high night-time temperatures created potential risks to health.

The alert is the first issued by the Met Office since the national meteorological service launched its extreme heat national severe weather warning system at the start of June to help better inform people of the risks hot weather can bring.

Much of Britain has seen heatwave conditions in recent days but temperatures are expected to rise further, possibly reaching 33 degrees Celsius in some western parts of the country, the Met Office said.

“The impacts of extreme heat can be many and varied. It can have health consequences, especially for those who are particularly vulnerable, and it can impact infrastructure, including transport and energy, as well as the wider business community,” the Met Office said in a statement.

A record-breaking heatwave this month killed hundreds of people in Canada and the United States. Europe also has been unusually hot and flooding has devastated parts of Germany, Belgium and other countries.

(Reporting By Susanna Twidale; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Tyson recalls nearly 40,000 pounds of Weaver chicken patties

FILE PHOTO: Traders gather at the post that trades Tyson Foods on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange June 3, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

(Reuters) – Tyson Foods Inc is recalling nearly 40,000 pounds of its Weaver chicken patties after some consumers found pieces of rubber in the product, the no. 1 U.S. meat processor said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday classified the recall as Class 1, the strictest form of recall where the use of the product may cause serious health consequences or death.

A Tyson spokeswoman said the company did not know how rubber from machines used for processing the product ended up in the patties and declined to disclose how many customers reported finding the contaminant.

There were no reports of injuries or illnesses associated with the affected product, Tyson said.

The voluntary recall includes 26 oz. bags of Weaver cooked chicken patties produced this January.

The recall comes a little over three months after the company pulled close to 12 million pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken strips from the market over contamination concerns.

(Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru)