
HK Democracy Activists Win Narrow Legal Victory in Protest Case
A Hong Kong court overturned one of two convictions for seven top democracy activists including media mogul Jimmy
2023-08-14 13:56

'Across the Spider-Verse' animators allege harsh working conditions during production
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, as Mashable's Kristy Puchko wrote, has reminded us of "the wonders
2023-06-25 22:12

World Bank Chief Eyes Corporate Philanthropy to Raise Funds
World Bank President Ajay Banga is preparing to pitch for private capital and corporate social responsibility funds to
2023-07-19 12:37

‘Like a disaster movie’: Brit family in Corfu describe holiday horror and escape plan
A British family was forced to flee in the middle of the night as the wildfires ravaging parts of Greece broke out in Corfu on Sunday evening and came within metres of their holiday home. Rebecca Bell, 50, of Sheffield, was among those who received an evacuation order via a text message overnight as dozens of blazes erupted on the western island, with more than 2,000 people moved to safety. “It did feel like the end of the world yesterday,” she told The Independent from the village of Sinies, describing the intensity of the heat, “banks of flames” cascading down the hillside, and a “yellow glow of fire” in the sky. The blaze broke out in the northern part of Corfu, which is popular with British tourists, on Sunday evening, with those in Sinies, Santa, Megoula, Porta and Palia Perithia told to evacuate to Kasiopi. Have you been affected by this story? Email tara.cobham@independent.co.uk Firefighters have struggled through the night to contain 82 wildfires across Greece, 64 of which started on Sunday, the hottest day of the summer so far, amid strong winds and successive heatwaves driven by the climate crisis. The most serious fire was on the island of Rhodes, where 19,000 people had been evacuated from several locations as wildfires burned for a sixth day, Greek authorities said, in what was "the largest evacuation from a wildfire in the country". Ms Bell, who works for a technology company, arrived at their rented villa in Sinies on Friday with her husband, Mat Pennell, their 18-year-old daughter, and the teenager’s friend for the family’s two-week summer holiday. They were all about to leave for dinner on Sunday evening when they received the evacuation order. But, unable to see flames, only smoke, and reassured by the villa owner, they decided to continue with their evening plans. It was when they got into the car after eating and attempted to return to the villa that was the most frightening moment, she said. “We saw banks of flames coming down the hillside and realised it was serious.” The roads to the village were shut and police cordons were in place, but the family were allowed to collect their passports from the villa. “We packed up in 10 minutes and threw everything into the car,” said Ms Bell. “I’ve never packed a bag that quickly in my life. “When we were up there by the villa it was hot, you could feel the heat. The fire was perhaps about 400 metres from our villa.” She spoke of giant fire and water trucks driving up the hill as they were coming back down. The family went to the evacuation point Kasiopi but said there was nothing happening there, so they sat in the car until about 2am when they realised they would not be making it back to the villa that night. “It felt weird driving around like, ‘What do we do now?’ It was bizarre, very disaster movie-esque,” said Ms Bell. They spoke with a local businessperson who let the family stay in his home for the night. “Because we had rented privately it was down to us to work out our next move, and we ended up with some kind strangers,” Ms Bell said. “My husband and I slept on the sofa in the man’s living room, which was super kind and amazing to be so welcoming to people in such a crazy situation.” She said they did not sleep a huge amount and heard helicopters presumably dropping water on the hillside at sunrise. The family managed to make it back to the villa on Monday morning, shortly before receiving a text message that advised people to return to their accommodation as “the situation is under control and the fire is receding”. Ms Bell said smoke can still be seen rising in the hills but the yellow glow of fire has been replaced by clear skies. “The fire looked pretty close to the villa, but nothing has burned,” she said, adding: “Safety first, but I am very glad the holiday plans didn’t go to rack and ruin.” Read More Greece fires – live: Corfu evacuations begin as tourists fleeing Rhodes inferno spend second night in airport ‘Like hell on earth’: Brits evacuated from Rhodes describe devastating Greek wildfires Greece wildfires: Everything you need to know How to tell if you have Covid or heatstroke Why do heatwaves in the UK feel hotter than abroad?
2023-07-24 21:14

Players, Announcers Laugh as Umpire Says He Can Hear Everything Being Said Because of Small Crowd
VIDEO: Umpire Doug Eddings warns Diamondbacks he can hear everything because the crowd is so quiet.
2023-06-23 19:53

Target of the right, George Soros hands reins to son
As George Soros passes control of his philanthropic empire to his son, the legendary investor and democracy advocate remains subject to unrelenting and often...
2023-06-13 04:06

Tracy Chapman makes history as first Black recipient of top CMA Awards songwriter prize
Tracy Chapman made history and Lainey Wilson was the biggest winner at the star-studded bash.
2023-11-09 16:00

Arkansas vs. TCU prediction and odds for Fayetteville Regional (Horned Frogs offense has answers)
TCU throttled Arkansas on Sunday to clinch a spot in the Fayetteville Regional Finals, but the Razorbacks bounced back and beat Santa Clara to extend its season.This is the first of potentially two games for the Horned Frogs and Razorbacks as the host team must win both to advance to the Super R...
2023-06-05 23:26

Huawei Suppliers Top Asia Stock Benchmark to Defy Bad October
The frenzy around Huawei Technologies Co.-linked shares has hauled them to the top of Asia’s key benchmark in
2023-10-27 09:25

Western Canada wildfires force tens of thousands to flee
Officials in western Canada's British Columbia implored tens of thousands of residents to heed warnings and evacuate Saturday as "severe and fast changing" wildfires threatened large parts of the scenic...
2023-08-20 07:07

Temu-Owner PDD Soars 12% After Sales Defy Chinese Gloom
PDD Holdings Inc. revenue rose a stronger-than-expected 66% after the company behind hit shopping app Temu spent to
2023-08-29 20:52

Joe Rogan draws parallel between drinking water and 'dinosaur's p**s' while discussing Mesozoic Era during 'JRE' podcast
Joe Rogan said, 'Millions of years that dinosaurs were around, all that water, at some point in time, was filtered out of a dinosaur's d**k'
2023-07-14 16:35
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