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☆ Cooler temperatures offer temporary reprieve for Alberta wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 9 (Reuters) - Wildfires in Canada's main oil-producing province Alberta eased on Tuesday thanks to cooler weather, but thousands of people remained under evacuation orders and officials warned temperatures were expected to rise in coming days. The wildfires also forced oil and gas producers to shut in at least 319,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), or 3.7% of the country's production. Officials said firefighters had made progress in southern and central Alberta where cooler temperatures and higher humidity slowed the blazes. The fire danger remains high in many parts of northern Alberta and the province is forecast to have high temperatures return by the end of this week. "We are not expecting the kind of winds we saw last week ... but certainly we are not taking it for granted," said Christie Tucker, information unit manager for Alberta Wildfire.

TORONTO, May 8 (Reuters) - Canada's oil and gas producers shut down some production after Alberta was hit by an unprecedented wildfire season, although rain and cooler weather are expected to bring some relief on Monday. Canada is home to the world's third-largest reserves, and most of these are in northern Alberta's vast oil sands. NuVista Energy (NVA.TO) said on Monday it had temporarily shut in about 40,000 boepd as a precaution. In neighboring British Columbia, several communities remained under evacuation orders after heavy rain last week and flood warnings stayed in place. ($1 = 1.3319 Canadian dollars)Reporting by Denny Thomas; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A California man says he's 'so lucky to be alive' after his Tesla started shaking and caught fire while driving
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A California man said he was lucky to be alive after his Tesla car caught fire while driving. Bishal Malla was on his way home and about to enter Highway 99 when his car started shaking. A California man said he was lucky to be alive after his Tesla started shaking and caught fire while he was driving. "I am so lucky to be alive at the moment," Malla told KCRA 3, "and I'm sure glad that my family was not there." It isn't clear why Malla's Tesla caught fire.

☆ A 'disgruntled' JetBlue passenger called in a bomb threat after missing his flight from Las Vegas to LA, authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A JetBlue passenger missed his flight from Las Vegas to LA, with his bag onboard the plane. Airport officials said the "disgruntled" passenger then called in a bomb threat, per KABC-TV. A passenger who was angry that he missed his JetBlue flight from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Los Angeles, California, called in a bomb threat on Thursday, authorities said. The passenger who missed his flight was taken into custody by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, with KVVU reporting that police took "enforcement action against the subject." Las Vegas Police, JetBlue, and the LAX Police Department did not respond to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ Employee Monitoring and Surveillance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +50 min

Ensuring Employee Safety and Systems SecurityEmployers may use electronic workplace monitoring and surveillance to protect their:Worksites. Potential Liability for Electronic Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceEmployers that engage in electronic workplace monitoring and surveillance must comply with various federal and state laws, including:The Wiretap Act. Best Practices for Electronic Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceTo avoid violating relevant state and federal laws, before conducting workplace monitoring and surveillance, employers should:Consider the purpose and appropriate scope of their monitoring and surveillance activities and what methods will help them achieve their objectives. Determine the Purpose of Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceBefore conducting any workplace monitoring or surveillance, best practice is for employers to identify the purpose and goals of these activities to:Ensure that there is a legitimate business purpose for the planned monitoring and surveillance activities. Determine the scope of monitoring and surveillance necessary to accomplish the business purpose, and conduct only the minimum monitoring and surveillance necessary to meet that business need.

☆ Fan death, crowd trouble mar CAF Champions league ties in North Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 30 (Reuters) - Casablanca authorities have opened an investigation after a fan died outside the gates of the Stade Mohammed V before Raja's match against Al-Ahly in the CAF Champions League quarter-finals on Saturday. Another CAF Champions League quarter-final between Esperance and Algeria's JS Kabylie in Tunis on Saturday was marred by crowd trouble, which caused a 40-minute delay to the second half. Esperance fans clashed with Tunisian security forces and lit fireworks on the terraces at halftime of the tie at Rades Stadium. They will face Al-Ahly over two legs for a place in the final after the Cairo club held Raja to a 0-0 draw in Casablanca. Raja's city rivals Wydad, the reigning champions, will face South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns in the other semi-final next month.

☆ Fuel tank ablaze in Sevastopol, official says apparent drone attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A still image from a video shows smoke rising following an alleged drone attack on oil depot in Sevastopol, Crimea, April 29, 2023. Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev via Telegram/Handout via REUTERSApril 29 (Reuters) - A fuel tank was ablaze in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol in what appeared to be a drone strike, the Moscow-installed governor said on Saturday. "According to preliminary information, the fire was caused by a drone hit," Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Kyiv almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. "Since the volume of fuel is large, it will take time to localise the fire."

☆ California's fire season under way weeks after heavy rain and snow
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, April 28 (Reuters) - Barely five weeks after the last bout of heavy rain and snow in California's historically wet winter, firefighters on Friday battled the state's first large wildfire of the year in rugged foothills east of Los Angeles. The blaze posed no immediate threat to populated areas as it burned steep terrain deep in the forest, agency spokesperson Lyn Sieliet said. Still, it marked the first blaze of the 2023 season measuring 100 acres or more, signaling the potential for extreme wildfire activity this summer and fall. Forecasters said a warming trend hastened a spring thaw following a spate of Pacific storms that pummeled California with torrential rains and mountain snow from late December until late March. Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia kills 17 in biggest Ukraine air strikes for nearly two months
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Sergiy Karazy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Russia carries out new wave of air attacksUkraine's president condemns 'Russian terror'The attacks are the first on such a scale for weeksKYIV, April 28 (Reuters) - Russia hurled missiles at cities across Ukraine as people slept early on Friday, killing at least 17 people in the first large-scale air strikes in nearly two months. Hours after the pre-dawn attacks, Kyiv said it was finishing preparations for a counteroffensive to try to take back territory occupied by Russian forces in 14 months of war. Moscow says it does not deliberately target civilians, but air strikes and shelling have killed thousands of people and devastated cities across Ukraine. Kyiv says strikes on cities far from the front lines have no military purpose apart from intimidating and harming civilians, a war crime. The war is coming to a juncture after a months-long Russian winter offensive that gained little ground despite the bloodiest fighting so far.

☆ "No one is left": Ukrainian mourns neighbours killed by Russian missile
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Sergiy Karazy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

UMAN, Ukraine, April 28 (Reuters) - Serhii Lubivskyi looked up with tears in his eyes at the empty space where his neighbours' flats stood before a Russian missile strike reduced them to rubble. "No one is left," Lubivskyi, 58, said on Friday in the central Ukrainian city of Uman. "My neighbours are gone, no one is left ... only the kitchens were left standing," he said, crying as he took a deep drag from a cigarette. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians in its "special military operation" in Ukraine, but this is no consolation for Lubivskyi. "They don't care, the more people they kill, the more they want to kill, just because we don't want to work for them."

☆ Croatia clears mystery clumps of oil from beaches before tourists arrive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Antonio Bronic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

No official explanation has been given for the pollution, which has stuck, in small patches, to the rocks and wild limestone beaches near the town of Pula. This is not the first time oil had drifted ashore in the area, she said, and people deserve to know the cause. "We cannot just wait and fear each year that wind will bring us a new oil spill," Buttignoni told Reuters. "There will be a problem because this (oil) constantly keeps coming though in smaller quantities," said villager Giuliano. "There will be a problem with tourism, when guests arrive and probably step on it.

☆ A new bipartisan bill would make sure government and nonprofit workers can get student-loan forgiveness — even if they leave public service after 10 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The bill would eliminate the requirement to be employed in public service at the time of debt relief. It would ensure that borrowers that complete the required 120 qualifying payments will get loan forgiveness. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program was created in 2007 to give government and nonprofit workers student-loan forgiveness after ten years, or 120 qualifying payments. "Since its creation, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program has had persistent issues that have made it difficult for public service employees to access student debt relief in exchange for their dedicated service to our nation," Menendez said in a statement. "Our public servants, like police officers and teachers, rightfully have access to student loan forgiveness after ten years of public service," Houlahan said in a statement.

April 27 (Reuters) - As wildfire season approaches, U.S. officials along the West Coast are working hard to mitigate risks with prescribed burns, while a widespread educational campaign is underway to create buffers around fire-prone homes. In Washington state, Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Hillary Franz is working on reversing negative perceptions surrounding prescribed fires. The test fires were lit ahead of a full prescribed burn. "It's a frustrating emotional roller coaster," said Stenbeck, standing on top of Bogg's Pit, the DNR-owned land that has been the focus of a prescribed burn since late last year. "It's important that people make sure there is space between their vegetated fuel and their homes ... once we have a wildfire, embers move quickly.

Kids in Hammond, Indiana, are forced to climb over and through stopped trains block their way to school. Jamie Kelter Davis for ProPublicaState lawmakers have tried to curb blocked crossings by restricting the lengths of trains. Spielmaker, the Norfolk Southern spokesperson, said: "We work with first responders on a daily basis to assist however we can. A favorable court opinion could allow other states to finally enforce their laws on blocked crossings. Among those who hope to voice their concerns about the blocked crossings are rail workers themselves who worry about the kids.

WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - The Biden administration said on Wednesday the plan from U.S. Republican lawmakers to cut federal spending for a decade in exchange for raising the debt ceiling would cost rural communities thousands of jobs and billions of dollars. The House of Representatives could vote as soon as Wednesday on the plan proposed last week by Speaker Kevin McCarthy. There would be 2,700 fewer firefighters to handle wildfires, 125,000 fewer rural households connected to high-speed internet, and 84,000 fewer farmers and ranchers receiving assistance in implementing conservation practices, the USDA said. Under the new version, expanded work requirements would go into effect in 2024 instead of 2025. About 275,000 people would lose benefits each month under the plan, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday.

☆ Flambéed pizza thought to have sparked deadly Madrid restaurant fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Al Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Madrid CNN —A fire believed to have been started by a flambéed pizza has killed two people and injured 12 others at a restaurant in the Spanish capital Madrid, city officials said Saturday. “It appears the fire started when a flambéed pizza was being served, which set fire to the decorations in the restaurant,” Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez Almeida told Spain’s state television TVE at the scene on Saturday, hours after the late Friday night blaze. Spanish media reported that a specialty of the restaurant was a pizza in the flambé style - a cooking procedure where spirits are poured on the food and briefly set alight. That was in addition to the two fatalities, said Montse Marcos, a supervisor with the Madrid city ambulance services. The fire was in the Plaza de Manuel Becerra, on the edge of the Spanish capital’s upscale Salamanca neighborhood.

☆ Ford F-150 Lightning fire footage highlights a growing EV risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

EV fires have become a growing concern as automakers push to increase sales of electric vehicles and meet tightening emissions standards. An electric Ford F-150 Lightning caught fire on Feb. 4, 2023 due to a battery issue traced back to one of the automaker's suppliers. A bill that requires them to complete a training program about the risk of electric vehicle fires passed unanimously this year. There's also the risk of reignition: Lithium-ion battery fires can re-engage weeks later with little to no warning. An electric Ford F-150 Lightning caught fire on Feb. 4, 2023 due to a battery issue traced back to one of the automaker's suppliers.

CNN —A young Chinese woman who was arrested after attending a peaceful protest against Covid-19 restrictions in Beijing last year has been released alongside several of her friends after four months in police custody, according to a source familiar with their situation. Cao was released Wednesday evening, according to a source with direct knowledge. Three of her friends who were detained around the same time in December were also released, according to the source, who learned of their situation through mutual friends. Under Chinese law, the two others released alongside Cao would also likely have been formally charged to remain in custody until Wednesday, though CNN has not confirmed their charges. Two others in the group were released on bail in January, CNN confirmed at the time, while two more were released in February, according to the source familiar with the situation of those released this week.

☆ DeSantis-picked board seeks new taxes and affordable housing at Disney after the company's 'blatant and hostile' grab for control
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

DeSantis' board overseeing Disney is considering new taxes, public transit, and housing. The board met for the first time since Disney's surprise maneuver. The five-member board met Wednesday for the first since Disney stealthily arranged a deal that would allow the theme park and resort to maintain control of its land, virtually in perpetuity. Much of the meeting made the legal case for the new board moving ahead, despite the maneuver Disney pulled last month. Firefighters who work for Disney's district said the previous board failed to give them the resources they needed to do their jobs, including new ambulances, even as Disney grew.

CNN —A parking garage collapsed in lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, killing one person and injuring five others, the New York Fire Department’s operations chief said. The parking garage was a four-story building that “pancaked…all the way to the cellar floor,” NYC Department of Buildings Acting Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik said. After he left his dorm, Powers said, he saw two people laying on the ground across the street from where the collapse occurred. Video taken by Powers from his dorm, which is located on the 7th floor, shows the collapsed garage with multiple damaged vehicles. At least one worker in the building was trapped on one of the upper floors of the parking garage and while he was conscious and alert, he couldn’t evacuate to a lower floor.

☆ New York City parking garage collapses, some believed trapped
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 18 (Reuters) - A parking garage collapse in New York City's lower Manhattan caused several injuries on Tuesday, local emergency officials and media reported, adding that some victims may have been trapped in the fallen structure. The second floor of the garage collapsed onto the first, CBS News reported, citing New York City emergency officials. But firefighters responding to the collapse were pulled back from the immediate scene "out of concerns about the structural stability of the building," the New York City Fire Department said in a statement. In the meantime, emergency personnel were doing their best to account for anyone who may have been trapped, the department said. New York City Mayor Eric Adams was briefed on the collapse and was be heading to the scene to survey the damage, his spokesperson said on Twitter.

☆ Fire at Georgia Plastics Plant Prompts Evacuation Order
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A fire at a plastic resin plant in Brunswick, Ga., on Saturday prompted officials to issue an evacuation order for people within half of a mile of the facility, the authorities said, as billows of dark smoke rose and spread through the city. The Brunswick Fire Department and Glynn County Fire Rescue responded to the Pinova plant around 7 a.m., the authorities said. Firefighters contained the fire within hours but around 3 p.m. it had reignited, the Glynn County Board of Commissioners said on Facebook. The board issued a shelter-in-place order for those living within half of a mile of the plant and an evacuation order was issued about an hour later. There were no injuries reported as of Saturday afternoon, the board said.

☆ Indiana industrial fire nearly extinguished but smoke still poses danger
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 12 (Reuters) - A raging industrial fire in eastern Indiana is expected to be almost entirely extinguished by Thursday evening or Friday morning, officials said, after days of thick smoke shut down schools and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate. Firefighters have successfully prevented the flames from spreading beyond the property, and about 90% of the fire is out. But the smoke contains particulate matter, which can cause respiratory and other health problems. Officials again warned residents who smell or see smoke to shelter in place, keeping windows and doors shut and turning off their heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. "I'm exaggerating, of course, but don't discount the seriousness of the smoke."

☆ Over 18,000 cows die in Texas dairy farm blaze
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 13 (Reuters) - More than 18,000 cows died after an explosion and fire at a family dairy farm in west Texas, marking the deadliest such barn blaze on record in the United States. The cause of the fire was under investigation and it was not immediately possible to contact members of the family who own the farm in one of Texas' biggest milk production counties. The blaze prompted calls from the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), among the oldest U.S. animal protection groups, for federal laws to prevent barn fires which kill hundreds of thousands of farm animals each year. The blaze was the most devastating U.S. barn fire involving cattle since the AWI began tracking such incidents in 2013. Around 6.5 million farm animals have died in such fires in the last decade, most of them poultry.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence video shows electric buses bursting into flames
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video showing buses that caught fire after a nearby pallet yard ignited in Compton, California in 2021 is circulating with claims suggesting the clip shows electric buses, but Reuters found no evidence that the buses were electric and a spokesperson for the Compton Fire Department said they were diesel vehicles. Part of the superimposed text in the video reads: "Electric bus sets on fire”. Reuters found no media reports describing the buses affected by the fire as electric vehicles. A trade publication, Outlet Bus & Motorcoach News, reported that the bus yard that caught fire was operated by company TLC Luxury Transportation (here). Reuters found no evidence that the buses that caught fire in this clip were electric vehicles.

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