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Hundreds Wed at Valentine's Day Ceremony in Mexico

ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP
ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP
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Hundreds Wed at Valentine's Day Ceremony in Mexico

ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP
ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP

With tears in their eyes and smiles beneath their face masks, more than 660 couples tied the knot Monday at a Valentine's Day mass wedding in Mexico.

The newlyweds included Francisco Calvo, 74, and Rosalba Silva, 67 -- two widowers who met five years ago, AFP said.

"I didn't think I would have another chance, but love arrived because love arrived," Silva said, smiling next to her new husband at the ceremony in a suburb of Mexico City.

For Jonathan Garcia, a mass wedding is almost a family custom.

"Two of my sisters in my family have already been married this way and we saw they were happy so we said 'let's continue the tradition,'" the 40-year-old said.

What the mass wedding lacks in intimacy it makes up for with perks such as free marriage certificates, said Maria Darinka Rendon, a council official in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl.

"Gathering 661 families in one place was quite a challenge," she admitted.

But it is worth it for what is "a very emotional event, for the spouses, for the families and for us who are going to witness it," she added.

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Heatstroke Alerts Issued in Japan as Temperatures Surge 

A person visits Horikiri Iris Garden in Tokyo where temperatures reached into the mid-30s Centigrade (90F+) on June 18, 2025. (AFP)
A person visits Horikiri Iris Garden in Tokyo where temperatures reached into the mid-30s Centigrade (90F+) on June 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Heatstroke Alerts Issued in Japan as Temperatures Surge 

A person visits Horikiri Iris Garden in Tokyo where temperatures reached into the mid-30s Centigrade (90F+) on June 18, 2025. (AFP)
A person visits Horikiri Iris Garden in Tokyo where temperatures reached into the mid-30s Centigrade (90F+) on June 18, 2025. (AFP)

Sweltering temperatures prompted heatstroke alerts in multiple Japanese regions on Wednesday, with dozens of people seeking emergency medical care in the capital Tokyo.

The hot weather was headline news in the country, which last year experienced its joint warmest summer ever as climate change fueled extreme heatwaves around the globe.

Record temperatures were logged in 14 cities for June, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, while in central Tokyo the mercury hit 34.4 degrees Celsius (94 Fahrenheit).

Doctors treated at least 57 people for heat-related malaise in the capital on Wednesday, adding to the 169 people seen on Tuesday.

At least three heat-related deaths were reported in other parts of the country this week.

Some Tokyo residents wore heat-repellent clothing to beat the high temperatures, like Junko Kobayashi, 73, who showed AFP her cooling scarf.

"I soak it in water and then wrap it around my neck. It feels refreshing. And I use this umbrella too. It blocks the light and heat so it feels cooler," she said.

Other elderly residents said they were trying to take it easy so as not to risk heatstroke, while 80-year-old Naoki Ito said he was making sure to regularly drink water.

"I don't need to take a big gulp, just a small sip here and there. It's important to remember that," Ito said.

Every summer, Japanese officials urge the public, especially elderly people, to seek shelter in air-conditioned rooms to avoid heatstroke.

Senior citizens made up more than 80 percent of heat-related deaths in the past five years.

Japan is also experiencing a record influx of tourists, with foreign visitors up 21 percent year-on-year in May.

"It's been pretty stinking," said 31-year-old Australian tourist Jack Budd, who was trying to find shade whenever possible with his travel partner.

"The breeze is quite warm so it's hard to get out of it unless you go inside," he said.