This photograph taken on August 9, 2022 shows a dried corn field near Aire-sur-Adour, southwestern France. - The French government said that it had activated a crisis task force to coordinate efforts to alleviate the impacts of a "historic" drought exacerbated by a third extreme heatwave of the summer. Water restrictions have already been ordered in nearly all of France's 96 mainland departments, with 62 at the highest alert level, and the Meteo-France weather agency has forecast little relief for the coming weeks. "This drought is the worst ever recorded in our country... the situation could persist for the next two weeks or become even worse," the office of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said in a statement. The dry conditions are a "disaster" for farmers across the country as well as for "our ecosystems and biodiversity," it added. (Photo by GAIZKA IROZ / AFP)