18, July 2022
European heatwave turns deadly as wildfires rage from Spain to Greece 0
Firefighters battled to contain wildfires sweeping across southwest Europe on Sunday as a heatwave showed no sign of abating, with Britain poised to set new temperature records this coming week.
Blazes raging in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain have destroyed thousands of hectares of land and forced thousands of residents and holidaymakers to flee.
It is the second heatwave to engulf parts of southwest Europe in weeks. Scientists blame climate change and predict more frequent and intense episodes of extreme weather such as heatwaves and drought.
Spanish authorities reported around 20 wildfires still raging out of control in different parts of the country from the south to Galicia in the far northwest, where blazes have destroyed around 4,500 hectares of land.
The fires have already killed several emergency personnel since last week, most recently a fireman who died late on Sunday while battling a blaze in northwestern Spain.
In France, the situation deteriorated in the southwestern Gironde region where firefighters were fighting to control forest blazes that have devoured nearly 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) since Tuesday.
‘A heat apocalypse’
The wildfires in France forced more than 16,000 people—residents and tourists combined—to decamp. Seven emergency shelters have been set up for evacuees.
France’s interior ministry announced it would send an extra three firefighting planes, 200 firefighters and more trucks.
Meteo France forecast temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of southern France on Sunday, with new heat records expected on Monday.
“In some southwestern areas, it will be a heat apocalypse,” meteorologist Francois Gourand told AFP.
France placed 15 departments, mainly down its western seaboard, on red alert—the highest on the scale—on Sunday while 51 were on orange high alert.
The chapel of a historic hospital in the southeastern city of Lyon, Grand Hotel Dieu, offered refuge to tourists on Sunday including Jean-Marc, 51, who was visiting from Alsace.
“We came back to admire the place, but we can’t leave, it’s too hot outside. We say a prayer before the fire!” he quipped.
French cyclist Mikael Cherel, taking part in the Tour de France’s 15th stage between Rodez and Carcassonne in southern France on Sunday, described “very, very difficult conditions”.
“I’ve never known such a hot day on a bike. It really was no picnic.”
Deaths
In Spain, firefighters managed to stabilise a wildfire that ravaged 2,000 hectares of woods and bushes in the southern region of Andalusia, regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno said.
The blaze started on Friday in the Mijas mountain range inland from the southern coastal city of Malaga and it spurred the evacuation of about 3,000 people.
Around 2,000 people had since returned home and now that the blaze has stabilised, Moreno said the remaining evacuees may do the same.
A fireman died from burns on Sunday while battling a blaze in Spain’s northwestern province of Zamora, the regional government said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his “condolences and affection” to the man’s family and colleagues.
“There are no words to express thanks to those who fight fires without rest for their immense work. RIP,” he added in a tweet.
Sanchez is due to visit the hard-hit eastern region of Extremadura on Monday where various fires have been raging for days.
The fireman’s death comes after a pilot was killed last week when his plane crashed in northern Portugal, and two crew members died in Greece when their helicopter fell into the sea.
The extreme heat also claimed the lives of two men in Spain over the weekend.
A 50-year-old man in Torrejon de Ardoz just outside of Madrid died on Sunday after suffering heat stroke while out for a walk, local emergency services said.
And on Saturday, a 60-year-old street cleaner in Madrid died after suffering heat stroke while working the previous day.
‘Risk to life’ in UK
In Portugal, almost the entire country remained on high alert for wildfires despite a slight drop in temperatures, after hitting 47C—a record for the month of July—on Thursday.
Only one major fire was burning on Sunday in the north.
The fires have killed two, injured around 60 and destroyed between 12,000 and 15,000 hectares of land in Portugal.
In the United Kingdom, the weather office issued a first-ever “red” warning for extreme heat, cautioning there was a “risk to life”.
The Met Office said temperatures in southern England could exceed 40C on Monday or Tuesday for the first time, leading some schools to say they would stay closed next week.
Organisers of a four-day march in the Netherlands cancelled the first day of the mass event due to start on Tuesday because of extreme heat.
The mercury is set to reach 38C in parts of the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Source: AFP
9, September 2022
Buckingham Palace becomes shrine for a grieving nation 0
A stream of mourners laid flowers and tributes outside Buckingham Palace on Friday, as it became the focal point of a country grieving the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Stony-faced soldiers in red coats and bearskin hats stood guard by the palace, the late queen’s London headquarters during her 70-year reign.
Mourners stood silently and watched, while some placed bouquets in the black railings of the landmark residence.
“We just wanted to pay tribute to the queen,” said Natalie Vehring, a violinist who has performed at concerts attended by the queen.
She was at the palace with her husband and two sons in school uniform, while on a video call with her mother in Australia.
“My mum says she remembers the king dying,” added the 46-year-old, referring to the queen’s father, George VI, who died in 1952.
“I grew up in Australia, the monarchy was a very huge part of our childhood, we sang the national anthem every day at school.
“It’s amazing how she was working a day before her passing,” she added.
People left candles in glass jars, rain-sodden Union Jack flags, newspapers bearing the late queen’s image and personal notes.
“Thank you. You served our country to the end. Faithful in God,” said one message.
“Thank you for your service Ma’am. You were a guiding light in dark times, the foundation of a nation, our strength and stay. Rest in peace,” read another.
One note, signed by “the coffee ladies”, said: “Beautiful Queen. Thank you, thank you for your constancy, your loyalty and long reign”.
‘Devastated’
Joan Russell, 55, a project manager from east London, had tears running down her cheeks as she looked at the flowers.
“I came to say a prayer,” she told AFP.
“Charles has had such a great example to follow. I believe he will do his very utmost to continue the legacy of his parents.”
There were similar scenes in Windsor, west of London, as well-wishers, many crying, left hundreds of bouquets and lit candles outside the gates of the late queen’s beloved castle.
One of those in tears was Marina Flynn, 79, whose husband used to work with the queen’s husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
“She was wonderful, she’s done nothing wrong. I met her a couple of times with the Duke and they were always really nice. I just feel devastated,” said Flynn, dressed in black.
Others expressed concern about the new King Charles III.
“Oh I’m worried about what he would do,” said Estrella Linch, 78.
“He is not a decisive man, he doesn’t know how to take big decisions,” she added.
In Scotland, the former queen’s residence at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, which will house Elizabeth’s coffin before it travels to London, also became a focus of tributes.
Locals and curious tourists came to contemplate silently and lay flowers, as preparations began to welcome the queen’s coffin.
“All this pomp and glory is going to be a nice thing and a very sad thing,” said Rebecca Evans, 44, who works for a climate change think-tank.
“It’s going be an interesting few days.”
Source: AFP