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(AP) — Hurricane Lee looks poised to wallop New England later this week even as the region still deals with the impact of days of wild weather that produced torrential rain, flooding, sinkholes and a likely tornado. Areas from Watch Hill, Rhode Island, to Stonington, Maine — including Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket — are under a tropical storm watch. The National Weather Service in Boston said radar data and videos showed it was likely that a tornado damaged trees and power lines in Rhode Island and Connecticut on Wednesday. Heavy rain turned his swimming pool into a mud pit and filled his basement with 3 feet (91 centimeters) of water. In Providence, Rhode Island, downpours flooded a parking lot and parts of a shopping mall.

Persons: Hurricane Lee, Dan McKee, “, ” McKee, Sean Pope, ”, Maura Healey, Matthew Belk, Healey, Hurricane Lee didn’t, Dean Mazzarella, Mazarella Organizations: U.S ., National Hurricane Center, Cape, National Weather Service, Rhode, Gov, Massachusetts Gov, Firefighters Locations: LEOMINSTER, Mass, Hurricane, wallop New England, Stonington , Maine, U.S, Watch Hill, Rhode Island, Nantucket, Massachusetts, Rhode, Boston, Rhode Island and Connecticut, Lincoln , Rhode Island, Attleborough , Massachusetts, Leominster , Massachusetts, Providence , Rhode Island, Leominster, Danbury , Connecticut, Nova Scotia, Canada, England, Vermont

☆ Hundreds of shops gutted in market fire in Bangladesh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DHAKA, Sept 14 (Reuters) - A huge fire gutted several hundreds shops at a market in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, but there were no casualties as the blaze swept through the area in the early hours of Thursday, before stores opened. It took six hours for military forces and firefighters to contain the blaze, which spread quickly in the Mohammadpur market due to the large amount of flammable items such as cooking oil and plastics, officials said. Fire service official Shahjahan Sikder said there were no casualties in the fire, which was likely caused by an electric short circuit. [1/5]Firefighters work after a fire broke out at the Mohammadpur Krishi Market in, Dhaka, Bangladesh September 14, 2023, in this picture obtained from social media. In April, a fire in a shopping complex in Dhaka injured several firefighters and burned down some 5,000 stores.

Persons: Shahjahan Sikder, Ruma Paul, Miral Organizations: Firefighters, REUTERS Acquire, Thomson Locations: DHAKA, Dhaka, Bangladesh

☆ Blaze in Spanish Care Home for Elderly Kills One, Injures 27
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID (Reuters) - An overnight fire in a care home for the elderly in the northern Spanish region of Asturias killed one person and injured 27, emergency services said on Wednesday. The fire started on the first floor of a three-storey building, emergencies services said. When firefighters arrived, flames had spread through the first floor of the building. The fire was specially intense in the room where rescuers later found the victim. A 46-year-old worker was in serious condition, while 26 people suffered slight injuries, the emergencies services said.

Persons: Emma Pinedo, Inti Landauro, Nick Macfie Locations: MADRID, Spanish, Asturias

☆ Hanoi, Vietnam: Fire kills many in nine-story apartment building
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Many people were feared dead and several injured in a fire at a nine-story apartment block in Vietnam’s capital of Hanoi, the official news agency said on Wednesday, while authorities have yet to confirm the number of deaths. The fire broke out in the middle of the night in the building with 150 residents, the official Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said, but had been contained by 2 a.m. local time. Television images showed firefighters equipped with hoses and ladders at the scene by night while a column of thick, dark smoke billowed from the building during the day. Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire, the agency said.

Organizations: Vietnam News Agency, Police Locations: Hanoi

☆ Fire at Vietnam apartment block kills 30 — state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Firefighters work to put out a fire and rescue people at an apartment block in Hanoi on September 13, 2023. At least 30 people have been killed in a fire at an apartment block in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, among them children, local media reported on Wednesday, citing the city's police. Contacted by Reuters, an officer with Hanoi police said the number of victims had yet to be finalised and declined to provide details. State-run Dan Tri and Saigon Giai Phong put the death toll at 30, citing Hanoi police. Several of the victims were admitted to local hospitals with multiple injuries after having jumped from their windows to escape the fire, state media said, citing Vu Hoang Phuong of Hanoi Medical University Hospital.

Persons: Dan, Phong, Hoang, Pham Minh Chinh Organizations: Vietnam News Agency, Reuters, Hanoi police, Police, Hanoi Medical University Hospital . Locations: Hanoi, Saigon

Typically, it’s the faithful who carry the various likenesses of Mary in similar festivals across the world. A century ago, the Vatican formally granted special permission for animals to pull the floats with life-sized statues of the Virgin Mary, said the Rev. Another uncommon aspect of the procession is the iconic century-old sacred image standing on the bow of a boat-shaped float – the Virgin Mary breastfeeding infant Jesus. At least 50 were women dressed in pink and blue like the Virgin statue, carrying Jesus dolls or real babies. One of this year’s floats represented Our Lady of Peace, her statue framed by flags of conflict-ridden countries like Ukraine and Libya.

Persons: ”, Antonio Faustino, Virgin Mary, “, Pope Francis, Mary, Fernando Albano Cardoso, Faustino, Jesus, Albano, Julieta Pereira, ” Pereira, Filipe Mendonça, he’s, Alfredo Teixeira, Peace, –, gingerly, Francisco Lopes, Jennifer Esteves Organizations: Catholic, Vatican, Catholic Church, Catholic University of Portugal, Lamego’s, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: LAMEGO, Portugal, Portugal’s, Nossa Senhora, ”, Lisbon, Douro, Switzerland, Ukraine, Libya, Portuguese, Germany

☆ Morocco earthquake: How the entire village of Tinzert was wiped out in just 10 seconds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Tinzert, Atlas Mountains, Morocco CNN —Rajaa Acherhri was known as the village math genius. She buried them the next day, alongside 19 other people who were killed in Tinzert, a tiny mountain village in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Hakim Idlhousein stands near the rubble of his house, in the village of Tinzert, in Morocco, which was destroyed by the quake. Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP Bags of blood sit on a table at a blood center in Marrakech, Morocco, on September 11. Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Powerful earthquake kills thousands in Morocco Prev NextFatema Acherhri was born in Tinzert, as was her husband.

Persons: Morocco CNN — Rajaa Acherhri, Sanaa, Fatema, Rajaa, hasn’t, Fatema Acherhri, Ivana Kottasova, ” Hakim Idlhousein, Idlhousein, CNN they’ve, Abdeltif Ait Bensoli, Ait Bensoli, Edabdelah, couldn’t, Ait, Hakim Idlhousein, ‘, Fadel Senna, Talat, Hannah McKay, Talat N'Yaaqoub, Nacho Doce, Carl Court, Alejandro Martinez Velez, Talat N'yaaqoub, Reuters Mouath Aytnasr, Suleiman, Mosa'ab, Abu Adem Muhammed, Nathan Laine, Wang Dongzhen, Moulay Brahim, Piero Cruciatti, Abdelhak Balhaki, Acherhri, hammam, ” Acherhri, “, ”, Ourika Organizations: Morocco CNN, CNN, UNICEF, Moroccan, Getty, Reuters, Anadolu Agency, Bloomberg, Kyodo, People, Moroccan Royal Armed Forces Locations: Atlas Mountains, Morocco, Tinzert, Moroccan, Al Haouz, Ifghan, Ait Bensoli, Marrakech, Douzrou, AFP, Talat N'Yaaqoub, Talat, Tinmel, Tafeghaghte, Old City, Amizmiz, Xinhua, Moulay, Brahim, Moulay Brahim, Tansghart, Marrakesh

☆ ‘A day that changed history': US marks 22 years since 9/11 attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Jennifer Peltz | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Commemorations stretch from the attack sites — at New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania — to Alaska and beyond. But a sense of connection is enshrined in a local memorial incorporating steel from the World Trade Center’s destroyed twin towers. As another way of marking the anniversary, many Americans do volunteer work on what Congress has designated both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance. First lady Jill Biden is due to lay a wreath at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon. Educators with a total of more than 10,000 students have registered for access to the free “National Day of Learning” program, which will be available through the fall, organizers say.

Persons: Joe Biden, Eddie Ferguson, Jessica Leigh Sachs, “ We’re, ”, Joe Maurath, Kamala Harris, James Giaccone, Joseph Giaccone, ” James Giaccone, Andrew Siff, “, ” Biden, Republican George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Obama, Jill Biden, Harris ’, Doug Emhoff, Katherine Hostetler Organizations: Trade Center, Pentagon, Washington , D.C, NBC New, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Trade, Congress, of Service, Democrat, Republican, National Park Service Locations: firehouses, New, Shanksville, Pennsylvania —, Alaska, Anchorage, Washington ,, India, Vietnam, Virginia’s Goochland County, NBC New York, New York, Columbus , Indiana, Fenton , Missouri, St, Louis, Jersey's Monmouth, U.S, Fort Meade, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Stoystown

REUTERS/Nacho Doce Acquire Licensing RightsTINMEL, Morocco, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Villagers in parts of Morocco devastated by the country's biggest earthquake in over a century camped outside for a fourth night on Monday, as the death toll rose to more than 2,800 people. State TV reported late on Monday that the death toll had risen to 2,862, with 2,562 people injured. With much of the quake zone in hard-to-reach areas, authorities have not issued any estimates for the number of missing. In the village of Tinmel, almost every house was pulverised and the entire community has been left homeless. The stench of death from dozens of animals buried under the rubble wafts through parts of the village.

Persons: Mohamed Ouchen, Mouhamad Elhasan, Elhasan, Antonio Nogales, Alexander Cornwell, Ahmed Eljechtimi, Moaz Abd, Angus McDowall, Rosalba O'Brien, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, State TV, Imi N'Tala, United, UNESCO, Heritage, IMF, World Bank, United Arab, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tikekhte, Adassil, Morocco, Spain, Britain, Qatar, Moroccan, Tinmel, Spanish, Nogales, Marrakech, gridlocked, United Arab Emirates, Algeria

☆ Somber 9/11 Ceremony Draws Mourners to Ground Zero
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Claire Fahy | More About Claire Fahy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They were both at the ceremony supporting their mother, Maureen Tippington Lipshie, who was one of the family members reading names, including that of her brother. She was a nurse who set up a first aid station at ground zero. According to the Uniformed Firefighters Association, 341 firefighters, paramedics and other Fire Department employees have died from cancers and other illnesses linked to the toxic dust at ground zero. They sat by the South Pool and listened to the names being read from a loudspeaker hung on a nearby tree. Ms. Espinoza’s husband, Otto Espinoza, was a police officer who died of cancer in 2015 after being assigned to search and rescue teams at ground zero.

Persons: Maureen Tippington Lipshie, “, ”, Sloane Lipshie, Betty Espinoza, Espinoza’s, Otto Espinoza Organizations: New York Fire Department, Uniformed Firefighters Association, Fire Department

Black residents of the Hogg Hummock community on Sapelo Island sat mostly silent as McIntosh County commissioners scheduled a Tuesday vote on the proposal. “This plan will be be a giant step in the destruction of the culture of Hogg Hummock,” said Commissioner Roger Lotson, whose district includes Sapelo Island. In 2012, dozens of Hogg Hummock residents and landowners appealed tax increases caused by soaring property values. The current county ordinance limits homes in Hogg Hummock to 1,400 square feet (130 square meters) of heated and air-conditioned space. Hogg Hummock earned a place in 1996 on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of America’s treasured historic sites.

Persons: Hogg, Hogg Hummock, ”, Roger Lotson, JR Grovner, “ I've, David Stevens, Adam Poppell, Stevens Organizations: ”, Hogg, National Register of Historic Places Locations: DARIEN, Ga, Georgia, McIntosh, Sapelo, Savannah, North Carolina, Florida, Civil, McIntosh County

CNN —The number of first responders who have died from 9/11-related illnesses now almost equals the number of firefighters who died during the terror attacks themselves. A total of 341 New York City Fire Department firefighters, paramedics and civilian support staff who died from post-911 illnesses are now memorialized at the FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall, according to the Uniformed Firefighters Association. The memorial commemorates both first responders who died during the attacks and those who died from related illnesses in the years since. That count almost equals the 343 New York firefighters who died during the 2001 attacks. More than 71,000 people are currently enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry, a long-term study seeking to understand the physical and mental health effects of the terror attacks.

Persons: ”, Laura Kavanagh, Joseph Brosi, Jim Brosi, “, ” Joseph Brosi, Joe, Brosi Organizations: CNN, New York, New York City Fire Department, FDNY, Trade Center, Uniformed Firefighters Association, World Trade, World Trade Center Health, World Trade Center, Zero Locations: New York City

☆ Foreign reactions and offers of aid in response to Morocco earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/6] A general view of damage in the historic city of Marrakech, following a powerful earthquake in Morocco, September 9. ****OFFERS OF FOREIGN AID AND SUPPORTALGERIAAlgeria, which broke off ties with Morocco two years ago, said it would open its air space for humanitarian and medical flights to Morocco. TURKEYThe Turkish Foreign Ministry said Ankara was ready to provide all kinds of support "to heal the wounds of the earthquake in Morocco". Valerie Pecresse, president of the Paris region, said on X it was offering 500,000 euros ($535,000)in aid for Morocco. -------------**** ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN NATIONALSFRANCEThe French Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Morocco and the ministry in Paris have opened crisis centres "to respond to demands for information or help from our compatriots."

Persons: Abdelhak, Algeria's, Olaf Scholz, Antony Blinken, Valerie Pecresse, Benoit Payan, Jose Manuel Albares, Antonio Nogales, Eli Cohen, “, Israel's Magen David Adom, Magen David Adom, Kais Saied, Nawaf Al, Ahmad Al, Jaber, Marcel Ciolacu, NARENDRA MODI, VLADIMIR PUTIN, MOHAMMED VI, KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, ANNALENA, EMMANUEL MACRON, FELIPE, Tomasz Janowski, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Turkish Foreign Ministry, UNITED STATES Secretary, French Foreign Ministry, Morocco, Cote d'Azur, Orange, Spain's, Moroccan, ISRAEL, Crescent, Ministry of Health, Israel Defense Forces, INDIAN, IMF, Bank, MINISTRY, Facebook, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, ALGERIA Algeria, Moroccan, TURKEY, Ankara, AFAD, Turkish, Turkey, GERMANY, New Delhi, Germany, United States, FRANCE, France, Paris, Marseille, Marseille's, Occitanie, Corsica, Provence, Alpes, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, SPAIN, TUNISIA, Tunisian, KUWAIT, Jaber Al, Sabah, ROMANIA, TAIWAN, Algeria, Kingdom of Morocco, EMIRATES, German, Rabat

☆ Nearly all world's population exposed to global warming over June-Sept - study
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Nearly all of the world's population experienced higher temperatures from June to August as a result of human-induced climate change, according to a peer-reviewed research report published late on Thursday. A study by Climate Central, a U.S.-based research group, looked at temperatures in 180 countries and 22 territories and found that 98% of the world's population were exposed to higher temperatures made at least twice more likely by carbon dioxide pollution. "Virtually no one on Earth escaped the influence of global warming during the past three months," said Andrew Pershing, Climate Central's vice president for science. The heatwaves in North America and southern Europe would have been impossible without climate change, said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment. They have been made infinitely more likely because they would not have occurred without climate change."

Persons: Alexandros Avramidis, Andrew Pershing, Friederike Otto, David Stanway, Ali Withers, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Firefighters, REUTERS, Rights, Climate Central, Climate, Grantham Institute, Thomson Locations: Sesklo, Greece, Rights SINGAPORE, North America, Europe, U.S, Singapore, Copenhagen

☆ Museum Curators Evaluate A.I. Threat by Giving It the Reins
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Zachary Small | More About Zachary Small | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Marshall Price was joking when he told employees at Duke University’s Nasher Museum of Art that artificial intelligence could organize their next exhibition. As its chief curator, he was short-staffed and facing a surprise gap in his fall programming schedule; the comment was supposed to cut the tension of a difficult meeting. But members of his curatorial staff, who organize the museum’s exhibitions, embraced the challenge to see if A.I. Professions of all kinds — military pilots, comedians, firefighters, advertisers — are confronting how artificial intelligence will change longstanding responsibilities, as well as assumptions they have about the technology. “We naïvely thought it would be as easy as plugging in a couple prompts,” Price recalled, explaining why curators at the North Carolina university have spent the past six months teaching ChatGPT how to do their jobs.

Persons: Marshall Price, ” Price Organizations: Duke University’s Nasher Museum of Art, North Locations: North Carolina

☆ Drone strikes on Ukraine's Izmail damage port, grain silo - governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian firefighters work at a site of a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on September 6, 2023. State Emergency Service Of Ukraine /Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSept 7 (Reuters) - Russian drone strikes have damaged port infrastructure, a grain silo and administrative buildings in the Izmail district of Ukraine's Odesa region, its governor, Oleh Kiper, said on Thursday. Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine's grain export infrastructure amid talks on resumption of a Black Sea grain deal to allow unhindered exports of grain from Ukrainian ports. Most were aimed at the Odesa region but some also targeted the northern area of Sumy, it added. Russia quit the grain deal in July, a year after it was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey, saying its own food and fertiliser exports faced obstacles and insufficient Ukrainian grain was going to countries in need.

Persons: Oleh Kiper, Kiper, Clarence Fernandez, Kim Coghill Organizations: Emergency, Ukraine, REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Odesa region, Handout, Izmail, Ukraine's Odesa, Russia, Sumy, Turkey

☆ Severe flooding in Greece leaves at least 6 dead and 6 missing, villages cut off
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

An aerial view taken on September 7, 2023 shows a destroyed bridge in a flooded area in the city of Karditsa, central Greece. - | Afp | Getty ImagesWidespread flooding in central Greece left at least six people dead, six missing and dozens trapped, with severe rainstorms turning streams into raging torrents, bursting dams, washing away roads and bridges, and hurling cars into the sea. An aerial view taken on September 7, 2023 shows the flooded village of Farkadona near the city of Karditsa, central Greece. While much of central Greece was inundated, the fire department said a new forest fire had broken out Thursday afternoon in the northeastern region of Evros. An aerial view taken on September 7, 2023 shows the flooded village of Farkadona near the city of Karditsa, central Greece.

Persons: rainstorms, Ozan Kose, Vassilis, Pavlos Marinakis, Marinakis, Will Vassilopoulos, Vasilis Vathrakogiannis Organizations: Afp, Getty, Turkish Gendarmerie, Fire, European Locations: Karditsa, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Igneada, Kirklareli, Athens, Farkadona, Evros, Soufli

CNN —At least 17 people have been killed, including a child, after a Russian missile struck a market in a town in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, officials said, one of the worst attacks in months. “Russian troops are terrorists who will not be forgiven and will not be left in peace,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote on Telegram. “There will be a just retribution for everything.”Russian missile attacks regularly hit civilian areas but tolls this high are unusual. But footage of the attack shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showed civilians walking along the market street before the missile struck on Wednesday afternoon. In a brief exchange with Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, Blinken noted the “good progress” Ukraine has made in its counteroffensive.

Persons: Denys Shmyhal, Kostiantynivka, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Utter, Antony Blinken, Dmytro Kuleba, Blinken, “, Rustem Umerov, Umerov Organizations: CNN, Dnipro, Ukrainian, Firefighters, Reuters, Ukrainian Defense Forces Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Uman, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Kostiantynivka, Denmark

☆ Police search for three missing people in deadly Spain floods, trains resume
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

David Fernandez, 52, shows damage on the homes of his parents and their neighbours following heavy rain, in El Alamo, Spain. REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Police and rescue services searched on Tuesday for three people missing after devastating floods hit central Spain as trains to the south resumed after thousands of passengers were left stranded. The heaviest damage was in the provinces of Toledo and Madrid in the country's centre. Railway infrastructure manager Adif said high-speed rail traffic between Madrid and the southern region of Andalusia had resumed on Monday morning after overnight repairs to damage caused by the storm. The train connection between Madrid and Toledo, 70 kilometres (45 miles) south, remained closed.

Persons: David Fernandez, Susana Vera, Teresa Ribera, Ribera, Adif, David Latona, Emma Pinedo, Inti Landauro, Ed Osmond Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Police, Sunday, Renfe, Thomson Locations: El Alamo, Spain, Rights MADRID, Toledo, Madrid, Aldea del Fresno, Toledo province, Andalusia

☆ Record Rains Flood Greece Just as Wildfires Let Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Niki Kitsantonis | More About Niki Kitsantonis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One man died and a second was missing in central Greece on Tuesday, after torrential rain unleashed major floods that submerged streets and wreaked widespread damage, just as firefighters were containing enormous wildfires in the country. As television showed semi-submerged cars stuck on flooded streets and vehicles being swept into the sea or onto muddy beaches, the police banned traffic in three regions. The ban came a day after warnings by local authorities and Greece’s fire service for people to avoid unnecessary travel during the onset of the wet front, Storm Daniel. Greece’s fire service said a 51-year-old Albanian national died after a wall collapsed on him; state news media identified him as a cattle breeder who was trying to reach his animals. Video from Volos showed partly submerged cars in streets and people being ferried through floodwaters by rescuers in plastic boats.

Persons: Storm Daniel, Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis, ”, “ Locations: Greece, Volos, Athens, Pelion, Magnesia

☆ Silicon Valley billionaires want to build a new city in rural California, but locals are skeptical of the project: 'Their secrecy has caused a lot of problems'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Janie Har | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Silicon Valley billionaires revealed plans to build a new city after buying $800 million in land. The land was quietly purchased in Solano County, a rural area near San Francisco and Sacramento. Most of the land purchased is in the southeastern portion of the county, with parcels stretching from Fairfield to Rio Vista. Billionaires want to build a new city in rural California, but they're encountering wavering support from locals and lawmakers. Solano County homes are among the most affordable in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a median sales price of $600,000 last month.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Goldman Sachs, Flannery, Laurene Powell Jobs, Reid Hoffman, Marc Andreessen, Marc Andreeseen, Lauren Powell Jobs, Michael Moritz, Paul Chinn, Countess, Michael Kovac, Sramek, Mike Thompson, Terry Chea, Princess Washington, Thompson, they're, he's, John Garamendi, Hoffman, Andreessen, Ron Kott, Kott Organizations: Service, FRANCISCO, Flannery Associates, Silicon, LinkedIn, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Getty, Fair, Solano, US Air Force, FBI, of Treasury, AP, San Francisco Bay Area, Travis Air Force Base, US Locations: Solano County, San Francisco, Sacramento, Wall, Silicon, Northern California, Solano, Silicon Valley, California, Fairfield, Rio Vista, U.S, United Kingdom, Ireland, walkable, Terry Chea California, California's, San Francisco Bay, Princess, Suisun City, Travis

☆ Subway, train lines, roads closed in Madrid, central Spain after heavy rain
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Sept 4 (Reuters) - A few subway lines in Madrid and high-speed train connections with southern cities were closed on Monday morning and two men were missing after torrential rain hit central Spain. Several roads in the Madrid region were closed as half a dozen bridges were torn down by water overflowing the riverbanks. The sudden torrential rain that hit the country transformed streets into rivers in Madrid, Castile, Catalonia and Valencia regions. Several subway lines were closed in the centre of Madrid on Monday morning. Some high-speed connections between Madrid and Andalusia region, in southern Spain, resumed later on Monday, but trains were operating at lower-than-normal speeds.

Persons: Susana Vera, Javier Chivite, Chivite, Rain, Inti Landauro, Alex Richardson Organizations: Spain's State Meteorological Agency, REUTERS, Rights, National Weather Agency, Thomson Locations: Spain's, Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID, Aldea del Fresno, Castile, Catalonia, Valencia, Andalusia

☆ Goat breeder says he's finished after deadly Evros wildfire kills livestock
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Alexandros Avramidis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We're finished, we're finished," said Raptis, 56, as he walked past his pen, most of its tin roofing knocked down by the fire. The charred body of a goat lay on the scorched ground of what was left of the enclosure. One of the 19 animals who survived bleated as Raptis grabbed its face to reveal the burns on its ear. Last year, when another fire in Evros burnt half of the stable, Raptis managed to save all his livestock. But the latest blaze, which came very close to the stable a few days ago, burnt it to the ground on Saturday.

Persons: Farmer Kleanthis Raptis, Alexandros Avramidis, Kleanthis Raptis, We're, we're, Raptis, Ioannis Artopoios, Angeliki Koutantou, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Aircraft, Thomson Locations: Evros, Greece, Provatonas

☆ The Ukraine War has accelerated research into lithium-ion battery alternatives, including ones made of sand
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The war in Ukraine has spurred more research into clean energy, including lithium-ion alternatives. Polar Night Energy says batteries made of sand could be as effective without the same risks. It has also spurred research into safer alternatives to the lithium-ion batteries used in the ever-expanding electric vehicle market. One of the key resulting innovations has been new alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, the development of which is tied to human rights abuses and environmental harm. Beyond the human rights abuses prevalent in the cobalt industry, lithium-ion batteries also present environmental hazards.

Persons: Olga Khakova, Khakova Organizations: Energy, Service, Research, The Washington Post, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council, Washington Post, Amnesty, Democratic, CNN Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Europe, Russia, Finnish, Democratic Republic of, Congo

Ukraine’s South Military Command said that at least two civilians were injured and that port infrastructure on the Danube River had been hit in the attack, which lasted more than three hours and involved more than two dozen drones. Ukraine’s Air Force said it shot down 22 out of 25 attack drones and the State Emergency Service posted photos of firefighters in the Odesa region trying to extinguish a blaze. The officials did not specify where exactly the strikes landed but local Ukrainian media reported explosions in the port city of Reni on the Danube, just across the water from Romania. Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, condemned the overnight attack. In a statement on the Telegram messaging app, he accused Russian forces of targeting port infrastructure “in the hope of provoking a food crisis and famine in the world.”

Persons: Andriy Yermak, ” Organizations: Military Command, Ukraine’s Air Force, State Emergency Service Locations: Odesa, Ukraine, Moscow, Reni, Romania, Russian

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