Central Europe is going through one of its warmest periods ever.

Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have all experienced very high temperatures.

Up to five hundred people are said to have died in Hungary because of the heat.

The heat is also being blamed for several forest fires in Italy and Serbia.

Croatia, Austria, Macedonia, Albania and Turkey have also been affected by the extreme heat.

Tuesday was not a good day to be an investor. Stock prices around the world fell.

Stock markets in Brazil, Russia, Turkey, and several other countries all had a bad day.

The decline started in China and then was felt in New York. By early Wednesday the markets in Japan and Europe were also falling.

However, there might be good news soon. Stock prices rose at the end of the business day in Shanghai on Wednesday.