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☆ Pope urges world leaders to do more to tackle climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, July 23 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday that recent heat waves across many parts of the world and flooding in countries such as South Korea showed that more urgent action was needed to tackle climate change. "Please, I renew my appeal to world leaders to do something more concrete to limit polluting emissions," the Pope said at the end of his Angelus message to crowds in St. Peter's Square. Francis has called on the world to rapidly ditch fossil fuels and made the protection of the environment a cornerstone of his pontificate. On Sunday, the pope expressed solidarity with those who were suffering from the climate crisis and those helping them. Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pope Francis, Pope, Angelus, Francis, Keith Weir, Hugh Lawson Organizations: CITY, Thomson Locations: South Korea, St, United States, China, Europe, Italy, Greece, Rhodes

☆ Wildfire on Greek island of Rhodes forces hundreds to evacuate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Smoke rises from a wildfire in Rhodes Island, Greece, July 22, 2023 in this screengrab taken from a social media video. Tiktok/@blairsbrainiacs/via REUTERSATHENS, July 22 (Reuters) - A wildfire raged uncontrolled on the Greek island of Rhodes on Saturday, forcing hundreds of people to flee affected villages and beaches, authorities said. It damaged three hotels in the seaside village of Kiotari on Saturday, according to the Athens News Agency. Fires are common in Greece but hotter, drier and windy summers have turned the country into a wildfire hotspot in recent years. Meteorologists have warned that the current sweltering temperatures are expected to last until the end of the month.

Persons: Angeliki, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Coastguard, coastguard, Firefighters, Athens News Agency, Thomson Locations: Rhodes Island, Greece, REUTERS ATHENS, Rhodes, Kiotari, Slovakia

☆ Wildfires Imperil Greek Isle of Rhodes, Forcing Big Relocation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Niki Kitsantonis | More About Niki Kitsantonis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Greek Coast Guard vessels on Saturday evacuated hundreds of tourists and locals trapped in seaside villages on Rhodes that were threatened by five-day-old wildfires, moving them to safer parts of the island. A Greek Navy warship was en route to join the five Greek Coast Guard vessels and two army boats that were being aided by 30 private vessels in the area, according to a Coast Guard statement. A Coast Guard spokesman, Nikos Alexiou, said around 2,000 people had been evacuated by sea from southeastern Rhodes. “Most have been rescued but the operation is continuing,” he told Greek television, adding that Coast Guard boats were patrolling the area, along with a helicopter. Thousands more people on Rhodes were evacuated over land to other parts of the island.

Persons: Nikos Alexiou, “, ”, George Hatzimarkos Organizations: Guard, Greek Navy, Greek Coast Guard, Coast Guard Locations: Rhodes

☆ Rhodes wildfire forces mass evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

He said an operation was ongoing to evacuate about 600 people from beaches in Kiotari and Gennadi towards Plimmiri. Firefighters, backed by air water bombers and reinforcements by Slovakia, struggled with new outbreaks of the wildfire, which was fanned by strong winds. [1/18]A wildfire burns in a forest near Lardos, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, July 22, 2023. It damaged at least three hotels in the seaside village of Kiotari on Saturday, according to the Athens News Agency. Fires are common in Greece but hotter, drier and windy summers have turned the country into a wildfire hotspot in recent years.

Persons: Nikos Alexiou, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, Konstantinos Taraslias, Rhodes, Taraslias, Angeliki Koutantou, Frances Kerry, Mike Harrison, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Coastguard, coastguard, Authorities, Firefighters, REUTERS, Athens News Agency, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Rhodes, Kiotari, Plimmiri, Pefki, Slovakia, Lardos, Greece, Laerma

☆ Europe weather: Heatwave in Greece likely to become longest one country has ever recorded
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Duarte Mendonca | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A heat wave baking Greece is likely to become the longest the country has ever recorded, experts say, as the country battles wildfires and restricts access to its popular tourist sites. He told CNN that the streak could go beyond those days, but at the moment “it’s hard to predict.”The longest continuous heatwave that Greece has faced was 12 days long, back in July 1987, Lagouvardos said. The country also experienced record-breaking heat, with capital Rome hitting a new high temperature of 41 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Scientists are warning that the extreme weather may only be a preview of what’s to come as the planet warms. “The weather extremes will continue to become more intense and our weather patterns could change in ways we yet can’t predict,” said Peter Stott, a science fellow in climate attribution at the UK Met Office told CNN.

Persons: National Observatory of Athens Kostas Lagouvardos, Lagouvardos, Socrates Baltagiannis, ”, Peter Stott Organizations: CNN, Staff, Research, National Observatory of, Reuters, Getty, Rome, UK Met Office Locations: Greece, National Observatory of Athens, Athens, Rhodes, Europe, Veneto, Balkans

☆ Wildfires in Greece burn for fifth day as another heatwave hits
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Fedja Grulovic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A person walks at the yard of a burnt house following a wildfire in Mandra, Greece, July 21. REUTERS/Louiza VradiATHENS, July 21 (Reuters) - Greece struggled to contain a wildfire west of Athens that burnt forestland for a fifth day on Friday as another heatwave hit the country. Two other blazes in forests on the island of Rhodes and in the Lakonia district in southern Greece were tamed on Friday. The risk of wildfires in the coming days will remain high and further heat is forecast following on from a previous heatwave. Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas and Fedja Grulovic; Editing by Angeliki Koutantou and Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vassilis Kikilias, Lefteris Papadimas, Angeliki Koutantou, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Firefighters, Reuters, Culture Ministry, Thomson Locations: Mandra, Greece, Louiza, ATHENS, Athens, Cyprus, France, Israel, Italy, Rhodes, Lakonia

☆ Wildfires in Greece largely contained, new heatwave looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Men help a firefighter as they try to extinguish a wildfire burning near the village Vlyhada, near Athens, Greece, July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Stelios MisinasATHENS, July 20 (Reuters) - Wildfires across Greece were largely contained on Thursday after razing swathes of forest and dozens of homes for days, though a new heatwave loomed, threatening to stoke tinderbox conditions across the country. A fire west of Athens which prompted mass evacuations earlier in the week was contained, a fire brigade official said. Land and aerial firefighting forces will continue preventive patrolling in forests across Greece amid difficult conditions, authorities said late on Wednesday. Fires are common in Greece, but hotter, drier and windy summers have turned the Mediterranean into a wildfire hotspot in recent years.

Persons: Stelios Misinas, Angeliki, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Firefighters, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Stelios Misinas ATHENS, stoke, Rhodes

ATHENS, July 19 (Reuters) - Wildfires burned for a third day west of the Greek capital Athens on Wednesday, as authorities braced for a new heatwave stoking tinderbox conditions across the country. At first light, air water bombers resumed operations over the towns of Mandra, west of Athens, and Loutraki, close to the Corinth canal which separates mainland Greece from the Peloponnese. Firefighters worked throughout the night to keep flames at bay and away from a complex of coastal refineries. Dozens of homes were gutted and hundreds forced to flee towering flames which seared through hamlets on Tuesday. A year later, 101 people died in the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, after a wildfire razed the town in a matter of hours.

Persons: Vassilis Varthakogiannis, Kostas Tsigas, Greece's, imploring, Andreas Theodosiadis, Michele Kambas, David Holmes Organizations: Firefighters, Traffic, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Athens, Mandra, Corinth, Greece, Peloponnese, Italy, France, Rhodes, Dervenochoria, Mati

☆ Factbox: Europe sees another year of droughts and wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Last year, heat waves resulted in over 61,600 heat-related fatalities across 35 European countries and triggered devastating wildfires. Below is a list of the most recent blazes and heat-related warnings issued in Europe. **********CROATIAA bushfire near the coastal town of Sibenik quickly spread on July 13, fuelled by strong southerly winds. Emergency services were also dealing with fires on the island of Evia, east of Athens, and Aigio, southwest of Athens. RUSSIAIn central Russia's Urals region, in the small village of Shaidurikha near Yekaterinburg, wildfires spread on July 12 and caused significant damage.

Persons: BRGM, Rhodes, El, Dina Kartit, Gaëlle Sheehan, Piotr Lipiński, Alexandra Hudson, Milla Nissi Organizations: Firefighters, Flames, El Pais, Caldera, SWITZERLAND Swiss, Swiss, TURKEY, Directorate of Forestry, Thomson Locations: Europe, Sicily, CROATIA, Sibenik, Grebastica, FRANCE, Nouvelle, Aquitaine, Occitanie, Grand Est, Bouches, Du, Rhone, Corsica, France, GREECE, Corfu, Evia, Athens, Cyprus, Israel, Italy, ITALY, Calabria, Italian, Rome, Lazio, PORTUGAL Mainland Portugal, May, RUSSIA, Russia's, Shaidurikha, Yekaterinburg, SPAIN, La Palma, Spanish, Spain, Bitsch, Valais, Turkey's, Hatay, Mersin, Canakkale, Turkish

☆ More Oath Keepers convicted of sedition in US Capitol attack face sentencing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Federal prosecutors are asking U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta to sentence Roberto Minuta and Edward Vallejo to 17 years in prison each after they were convicted in January alongside two other Oath Keepers members. If the judge follows that recommendation, those would be the second-longest sentences for any of the 1,000-plus people charged in the Capitol attack that was intended to block Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's November 2020 election victory over the Republican Trump. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, convicted in November of seditious conspiracy and other charges, was sentenced by Mehta last week to 18 years in prison, the longest of any of the sentences. Prosecutors said he stayed at a suburban Virginia hotel where the Oath Keepers had staged a "quick reaction force" and stashed firearms to be quickly ferried into Washington if needed. Joseph Hackett and David Moerschel, co-defendants in the trial in which Minuta and Vallejo were convicted - are due to be sentenced on Friday.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Judge Amit Mehta, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, Joe Biden's, Republican Trump, Stewart Rhodes, Mehta, Rhodes, Trump, Roger Stone, Minuta, Vallejo, Prosecutors, William Shipley, Matthew Peed, Peed, al, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel, Hackett, Sarah N, Lynch, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Republican, Minuta, World Trade, Moerschel, Thomson Locations: United States, Virginia, Washington, Vallejo, Minuta

☆ Roberto Minuta: Oath Keepers member who sped to Capitol on a golf cart gets more than four years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An Oath Keeper who acted as part of a security detail on January 6 for Roger Stone before rushing to join the riot at the Capitol was sentenced to more than four years in prison Thursday for seditious conspiracy. Roberto Minuta, who prosecutors described as one of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes’ “most trusted men,” was not initially at the Capitol but sped over in a golf cart when he learned of the breach, prosecutors said. “This isn’t about the words themselves,” Judge Amit Mehta said during the sentencing hearing Thursday. “You weren’t charged and convicted because of your words. The law doesn’t permit that,” Mehta said.

Persons: Roger Stone, Roberto Minuta, Stewart Rhodes ’, ”, ” Prosecutors, Amit Mehta, ” Mehta, Minuta, Mehta, ” Minuta, “, naïve, Rhodes “, ” “, Rhodes Organizations: CNN, Capitol, ” Locations: Washington, DC, New York

☆ Oath Keepers: Second seditious conspiracy trial against Oath Keepers begins with opening statements
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Justice Department prosecuted the first Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy case earlier this fall with mixed success – two leaders, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, were convicted of the charge while three others were acquitted. That adjustment was on full display Monday, as prosecutor Troy Edwards delivered his opening argument to the jury. Prosecutors struggled at times during the first trial to explain whether Rhodes directly ordered his militia to enter the Capitol building. Rhodes told them it was now time to take their place in history,” Edwards said. When the Oath Keepers heard that the Capitol had been breached, Edwards said they hustled toward the chaos.

☆ U.S. Capitol riot sedition prosecutions won't get easier, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Prosecutors secured a victory when two key figures in last year's U.S. Capitol attack were convicted of seditious conspiracy. It marked the first time in nearly three decades that federal prosecutors won a conviction for seditious conspiracy. At the same time, co-defendants Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell were acquitted of seditious conspiracy, and the verdict was mixed on two other conspiracy charges. The obstruction and the seditious conspiracy charges each carry potential 20-year prison sentences. For example, the four defendants in the next Oath Keepers trial played secondary roles similar to the defendants acquitted of seditious conspiracy in the Rhodes trial.

[1/3] Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes holds a radio as he departs with volunteers from a rally held by U.S. President Donald Trump in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. October 10, 2019. Rhodes in 2009 founded the Oath Keepers, a militia group whose members include current and retired U.S. military personnel, law enforcement officers and first responders. Prosecutors during the trial said Rhodes and his co-defendants planned to use force to prevent Congress from formally certifying Biden's election victory. Caldwell, who like Rhodes did not enter the Capitol building and never formally joined the Oath Keepers, tried to downplay some of the inflammatory texts he sent in connection with the attack. Four other Oath Keepers members charged with seditious conspiracy are due to go to trial in December.

☆ Oath Keepers founder found guilty of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 case
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Daniel Barnes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

WASHINGTON — A federal jury in Washington found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. All five defendants faced felony counts of seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting, and conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging their duties. Three of the defendants — Rhodes, Caldwell and Watkins — took the stand in their own defense, with Rhodes telling jurors it was "stupid" for Oath Keepers to go inside the Capitol. While three other Oath Keepers pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy, none of them testified during the trial. Four other Oath Keepers charged in conjunction with Rhodes — Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel and Ed Vallejo —are set to go to trial in early December.

☆ Jury to begin deliberating in Oath Keepers' Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Ryan J. Reilly Is A Justice Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes III is facing trial alongside four other defendants: Jessica Watkins, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell. Watkins, Meggs and Harrelson went inside the Capitol during the attack, while Rhodes and Caldwell were present on restricted Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. Federal prosecutors have not proven that the Oath Keepers had an organized plan to storm the Capitol before Jan. 6. Three defendants — Rhodes, Caldwell and Watkins — took the stand in their own defense during the trial, which began with opening arguments on Oct. 3. In 1995, a jury convicted "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel-Rahman and others on seditious conspiracy charges in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

☆ Oath Oath Keepers founder used money donated to the far-right group for holiday travel and personal expenses: January 6 trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rakoczy then pressed him, asking if he'd tapped into Oath Keepers funds "quite a bit" to cover personal expenses. Rhodes, who remained outside the Capitol, testified that he thought it was "stupid" for Oath Keepers members to enter the building. From the Oath Keepers' founding, the group was focused on "forceful opposition to the government, isn't that right?" In her questioning, she also noted that the Oath Keepers provided ammunition for AR-15 rifles during the 2014 standoff at the Bundy Ranch. For Rakoczy, Rhodes' preferred image of the Oath Keepers was belied by his own messages with fellow members.

☆ Stewart Rhodes wrote message to Trump after Jan. 6 calling on him to 'save the Republic,' arrest members of Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Daniel Barnes | Ryan J. Reilly Is A Justice Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Alpers testified that he was not working on behalf of a federal law enforcement agency when he made the recording. Alpers testified on the stand that he had connections to Trump's inner circle and said he could get a message to Trump "indirectly." When he met with Rhodes on Jan. 10, he had Rhodes type a message intended for Trump on his phone. Oath Keepers members Joshua James, Brian Ulrich and William Todd Wilson all pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy. Several other Oath Keepers have pleaded guilty to other charges, including two Oath Keepers — Jason Dolan and Graydon Young — who testified in the trial.

☆ Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes drafted a text to Trump warning that Biden would 'turn all that power on you,' feds reveal at trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A government witness recorded a meeting with Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes after January 6. Jason Alpers said Rhodes typed a message for Trump warning his children would "die in prison." In that draft message, Rhodes sought to tell Trump that he "must do as Lincoln did." Federal prosecutors are expected to rest their case against Rhodes and the four other Oath Keepers members on Wednesday. At the outset of the trial, Rhodes' lawyer told jurors that the Oath Keepers founder planned to testify in his own defense.

☆ Stewart Rhodes claimed Secret Service contact months before Jan. 6 attack, former Oath Keeper testifies
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Daniel Barnes | Ryan J. Reilly Is A Justice Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Former Oath Keepers member John Zimmerman testified that Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes told him he had a contact in the Secret Service and that he heard Rhodes talking with someone he believed to be a member of the Secret Service in September 2020, a bit over three months before the attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes got on the phone with the unknown person to ask about “parameters” the Oath Keepers could operate under during the rally, Zimmerman said. He said Oath Keepers attended the rally to escort attendees from the rally location to their vehicles. “From the questions Stewart — Mr. Rhodes — was asking, it sounded like it could’ve been” a Secret Service agent, Zimmerman said. Prosecutors have said Rhodes' references to the Insurrection Act in connection with Jan. 6 were nothing more than "cover" for the Oath Keepers plot.

☆ Oath Keepers on trial: A high-stakes seditious conspiracy case could reveal new details about plotting for Capitol attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Jury selection is set to start in the trial of five Oath Keepers charged with seditious conspiracy. Oath Keepers plan to argue they were waiting on January 6 for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. "We aren't getting through this without a civil war," Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes wrote on November 5, 2020, according to court records. On Tuesday, jury selection began in the trial of Rhodes and four other Oath Keepers members confronting the most serious charges to date in a prosecution stemming from the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. "We must now do what the people of Serbia did when Milosevic stole their election," Rhodes wrote on November 7, referring to Slobodan Milošević.

☆ World’s most beautiful castles
▼ + stars: | 2019-08-07 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

As the UK crowns a new monarch, we’re exploring all things royal, from castles to grand tours. “Castles are places were plots were hatched, marriages were consummated, murders carried out, royal babies born, and so on. With castles, you are never short of fascinating things to talk about.”Read on to find out more about 21 of the world’s most beautiful castles, fortified homes that are both a feast for the eyes and a time trip back to the bygone age during which they were created. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/LightRocket via Getty ImagesThis classic medieval castle towers above the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. The castle’s vivid red-and-yellow color pattern – and its flashy clock tower – endow Pena with a much more playful air than the somber castles found elsewhere in Europe.

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