Niger Army Ready to Hit Back After Coup Attempt, Presidency Says
Niger’s presidency said the army is on standby to strike back against members of the Presidential Guard who
1970-01-01 08:00
Kevin Spacey 'humbled' by acquittal on all sex charges in London trial
By Sam Tobin and Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) -A tearful Kevin Spacey said he was "humbled" after a jury in
1970-01-01 08:00
Close Encounters With UFOs Described to Congressional Committee
Three former military officers told Congress they saw unexplained flying objects and one of them claimed the US
1970-01-01 08:00
Trudeau Shores Up Economic Bench Amid Affordability Crunch
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau placed greater emphasis on portfolios such as housing and the Treasury Board in an
1970-01-01 08:00
Port of Rotterdam, Vopak in Race for $2.8 Billion Hydrogen Port in South Africa
Port of Rotterdam and Koninklijke Vopak NV have been asked to submit construction and funding plans for a
1970-01-01 08:00
Bumble Bets on Platonic Relationships With Standalone Friendship App
Bumble Inc. is building on the success of the popular friend-finding mode on its dating app and launching
1970-01-01 08:00
Trump Says He’ll Revive Stolen-Vote Claim If He’s Charged Over Jan. 6
Donald Trump signaled his claims about the 2020 presidential election being rigged against him will feature prominently in
1970-01-01 08:00
US FAA Tightening Airliner Design Rules in Wake of Boeing 737 Max Crashes
US aviation regulators announced two new steps to tighten the process of approving airliner designs, actions required by
1970-01-01 08:00
Volkswagen Takes $700 Million Xpeng Stake for EV Pact to Win Back China
Volkswagen AG plans to invest $700 million in Xpeng Inc. and jointly develop electric vehicles in China as
1970-01-01 08:00
Telkom to Partner With South Africa as Assets Attract Buyers
Telkom SA SOC Ltd. and the South African government are in advanced talks to partner in rolling out
1970-01-01 08:00
Sputtering Bitcoin’s Spot Trading Volumes Sink to a 30-Month Low
A metric tracking how much Bitcoin is being bought and sold has slid to a 30-month low as
1970-01-01 08:00
Winds fuel fire flare-ups in Rhodes as state of emergency declared across island
Firefighters and civilians battling the nine-day wildfires ravaging Rhodes are contending with continuous flare-ups fuelled by unpredictable winds, as temperatures neared a scorching 40C. Greece’s civil protection agency extended the state of emergency across the entirety of Rhodes on Wednesday, which will remain in place for six months, “to deal with emergencies and manage the consequences of catastrophic forestry fire”. In the town of Malonas, which was evacuated on Saturday, The Independent watched on alongside exhausted volunteers as a section of the charred forest nearby reignited. The handful of volunteers gathered outside St George’s Church stood up to watch as a firefighting plane flew overhead, dousing the flames in water – as smoke continued to rise skywards. They expected to venture out again alongside hundreds, if not thousands, of other civilians on Wednesday night to do what they could to keep the fires at bay – having fought back the flames as they encroached on the sleepy inland town just the night before. “We have no energy, we have no power – not enough to stop this ... We are waiting for the wind to calm down to try again tonight to finish the job, but it is very difficult because after 10 days everyone is very tired,” a volunteer named Panos said, adding: “I’m going to sleep now for one hour.” He spoke as firefighters were mobilised to the nearby village of Apollona, while fires also burned further south in Vati and Gennadi. “The fires have started again,” a fire service official told The Independent. “A little wind and the fire returns … That’s the problem.” Having been told to evacuate both Malonas and nearby Kalathos at the weekend, Miles and Tristan, both in their 50s and originally from England, returned to Tristan’s house in Malonas on Wednesday to bring his four cats home. After receiving the “stressful” emergency alert telling them to leave Kalathos for either Kallithea – which they felt at the time was unsafe – or Lindos, where locals had already been told it was safe to return and where they knew a hotel manager who could put them up for the night. “Even if we’re just camping down on sofas in the hotel reception, it’s shelter, whereas if we went to Kallithea we would literally be on the street,” said Tristan. Speaking in the entrance to Tristan’s home as a firefighting plane flew overhead, dropping water a short distance away, the pair said they now planned to stay put. “We’re fed up with it now,” said Miles, an artist who has lived in Rhodes for 17 years. Tristan added: “Also, now [the authorities] are willing to allow everyone to help [keep flare-ups at bay], whereas before they just didn’t want the complications of it – non-Greek speakers being where they are [with] no skills, no car. I haven’t even got boots. They said ‘what are you going to do: walk over the ground in trainers? They’re just going to melt.” Describing a “pattern” of flare-ups each afternoon, Tristan said: “It’s been almost identical for three days, it’s really weird.” Miles added: “Clear in the morning. By the afternoon, the sky’s gone dark ... there’s smoke everywhere, and you can see it for miles.” However, the skies remained clear as they spoke – prior to the individual flare-up witnessed by The Independent some 15 minutes later. “That’s why the helicopters are flying over now, they’re damping down near the edges to try and make sure it doesn’t come back,” said Miles. Read More Infernos, black skies and fleeing tourists: Greece wildfires in pictures as blazes ravage Corfu and Rhodes Summer holidays to fire-hit Rhodes on sale for just £295 – half the usual price Tragic 'last words' of hero pilots who died in plane crash fighting Greek wildfires Tourists flying into Greece inferno reveal why they refuse to cancel holiday
1970-01-01 08:00
