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☆ Libya floods wipe out quarter of city, 10,000 feared missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Ayman Werfali | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NEAR DERNA, Libya, Sept 12 (Reuters) - At least 10,000 people were feared missing in Libya on Tuesday in floods caused by a huge storm, which burst dams, swept away buildings and wiped out as much as a quarter of the eastern city of Derna. "The number of bodies recovered in Derna is more 1,000," he said. "I am not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the city has disappeared. [1/5]People are stuck on a road as a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit Shahhat city, Libya, September 11, 2023. Libya is politically divided between east and west and public services have crumbled since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that prompted years of conflict.

Persons: Storm Daniel, Abu Chkiouat, Al Jazeera, Ramadan, Ali Al, Saadi, Tarek Amara, Ayman Werfali, Friedrieke Heine, Angus McDowall, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Clauda, Tom Perry, Ingrid Melander, Alison Williams, Peter Graff Organizations: Reuters, International Federation of, Red Crescent Societies, Facebook, Libyan, Thomson Locations: DERNA, Libya, Derna, Geneva, Tunisia, Derna's, NATO, Tripoli, Misrata, United States

☆ US-Mexico border is world's deadliest land migration route, IOM finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A gap in the U.S.-Mexico border fence near Sasabe, Arizona, U.S., May 10, 2022. REUTERS/Rebecca Noble/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The U.S.-Mexico border is the world's deadliest land migration route, according to U.N. migration agency figures published on Tuesday, with hundreds losing their lives attempting to make perilous desert crossings. Paul Dillon, spokesperson for IOM, said that the figures recorded "represent the lowest estimates available." IOM said that nearly half of the deaths recorded last year were linked to the crossing of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. The Darien Gap, a jungle border crossing between Panama and Colombia, saw 141 documented migrant deaths last year, according to IOM.

Persons: Rebecca Noble, Paul Dillon, Dillon, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Organization for Migration, IOM, Thomson Locations: U.S, Mexico, Sasabe , Arizona, Texas, Geneva, Americas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Darien, Panama, Colombia

☆ US-Mexico Border Is World's Deadliest Land Migration Route, IOM Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.S.-Mexico border is the world's deadliest land migration route, according to U.N. migration agency figures published on Tuesday, with hundreds losing their lives attempting to make perilous desert crossings. Paul Dillon, spokesperson for IOM, said that the figures recorded "represent the lowest estimates available." IOM said that nearly half of the deaths recorded last year were linked to the crossing of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. Most of the victims on Caribbean migration routes were people from the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba. The Darien Gap, a jungle border crossing between Panama and Colombia, saw 141 documented migrant deaths last year, according to IOM.

Persons: Paul Dillon, Dillon, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, William Maclean Organizations: Organization for Migration, IOM Locations: GENEVA, U.S, Mexico, Texas, Geneva, Americas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Darien, Panama, Colombia

☆ Simone Biles: How to watch gymnast go for more history at US Gymnastics Championships
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Coverage of the US Gymnastics Championships will be domestically broadcast on NBC and Peacock while international viewers can watch the event on the USA Gymnastics YouTube channel. Simone Biles competes in the floor exercise during the World Championships in 2019. Smiley N. Pool/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images Biles competes on the balance beam during the US National Gymnastics Championships in August 2013. The world gymnastics championships are then scheduled to take place between September 30 and October 8 in Antwerp, Belgium. Biles is the most decorated gymnast in US history, winning 32 medals across the Olympics and the world championships.

Persons: CNN — Simone Biles, she’s, Biles, –, Alfred Jochim, Peacock, Simone Biles, Laurence Griffiths, Ron, Smiley, Tim Clayton, Corbis, Dean Mouhtaropoulos, Lintao Zhang, Nellie, Adria, Leslye Davis, Gabby Douglas, Douglas, Donald Miralle, Ezra Shaw, Damir Sagolj, Reuters Biles, Kai Pfaffenbach, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, Aly Raisman, David Ramos, Emmanuel Dunand, Jimmy Fallon, Donald Glover, Andrew Lipovsky, Michael Phelps, Raisman, Olivia Munn, Trae Patton, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Alex Wong, Bob Levey, Sasha Farber, Eric McCandless, Daniel Dunn, Ulrik Pedersen, NurPhoto, Lionel Bonaventure, Emilee Chinn, Natacha, Cecile Canqueteau, Landi, Shannon Miller, Robert Gauthier, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols, Larry Nassar, Saul Loeb, Joe Biden, Biden, James Corden, Pete Buttigieg, Terence Patrick, Stacy Revere, Jon Durr, “, ” Organizations: CNN, US, NBC, USA, YouTube, Houston Chronicle, The New York Times, Getty, Reuters, White House, Disney, Entertainment, Walt Disney Television, Houston Texans, GK, Tokyo, Los Angeles Times, USA Gymnastics, CBS, Network, Tokyo Games, Olympic Games, Olympics Locations: San Jose , California, Houston, Spring , Texas, Rio de Janeiro, AFP, Tokyo, American, Biles, Antwerp, Belgium

☆ Pacific island sea levels rising faster than global average, WMO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The morning's first rays of sunlight hit the island community of Serua Village, Fiji, July 15, 2022. As the community runs out of ways to adapt to the rising Pacific Ocean, the 80 villagers face the painful decision whether to move. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies World Meteorological Organization FollowGENEVA, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Sea levels in the South-West Pacific are rising faster than the global average, threatening low-lying islands while heat damages marine ecosystems, the U.N. meteorological agency said on Friday. In its State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2022 report, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said water levels were rising about 4 mm per year in some areas, slightly above the global mean rate. "This will have a big impact on the South-West Pacific region as it is frequently associated with higher temperatures, disruptive weather patterns and more marine heatwaves and coral bleaching," Taalas said in a statement.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Petteri Taalas, El, Taalas, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: REUTERS, World, GENEVA, South -, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, -, Thomson Locations: Serua Village, Fiji, South, South - West, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Australia, Papua New Guinea, - West Pacific, Philippines

☆ On Our National Mall, New Monuments Tell New Stories
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Blake Gopnik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Combine those three terms, and you often end up in a glorious muddle. For just one month, Friday, Aug. 18 through Sept. 18, the National Mall will be hosting “Pulling Together,” an open-air exhibition that tests what works best, or fails least, when artists, publics and monuments are brought together. “Pulling Together” makes room for monuments that talk, for instance, about Black church leaders with AIDS, about the schoolchildren who cut through Washington’s color line, and about Asian migration after America’s war in Vietnam. (One shocking absence: art that addresses the sexism undermining half the world’s humans. The show is planned as the first installment in “Beyond Granite,” a series of temporary public projects led by the Trust for the National Mall with the National Capital Planning Commission and the National Park Service.

Persons: Paul Farber, Salamishah Tillet, Lincoln, Farber Organizations: Art, AIDS, Trust, National Capital Planning Commission, National Park Service, Rutgers University, The New York Times, Mellon Foundation Locations: Vietnam, Philadelphia

☆ Ukraine reports new attack on grain silos but cargo ship sets sail
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Hong Kong-flagged container ship Joseph Schulte leaves the sea port, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine, in this handout picture released August 16, 2023. Russia has made regular air strikes on Ukrainian ports and grain silos since mid-July, when it pulled out of the U.N.-backed deal for Ukraine to export grain. Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), which owns the ship jointly with a Chinese bank, confirmed that the ship was en route to Istanbul. Kubrakov said it was carrying more than 30,000 metric tons of cargo in 2,114 containers, adding that the corridor would primarily be used to evacuate ships from the Black Sea ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi. DANUBE PORTSUkraine turned to its Danube river ports after Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal seeking better terms for exports of its own food and fertilizer.

Persons: Joseph Schulte, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, Kubrakov, Urozhaine, Hanna Maliar, Izmail, Lidia Kelly, Gus Trompiz, Matthias Inverardi, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS Acquire, Benchmark, United Nations, Reuters, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, Ukraine, Odesa, Russia, KYIV, Russian, Hong, Kong, Reni, Moscow, Big, Istanbul, Chornomorsk, Pivdennyi, Ukrainian, Urozhaine, Azov, Constanta, Romania, Black, Turkey, Nairobi

Analysts said it tests President Tayyip Erdogan's resolve to maintain good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has invited to Turkey this month to discuss resuming the UN-brokered deal that had protected grain exports from Ukraine. "Ankara's silence is strange but shows it is still counting on Putin to visit and return to the grain deal." It wants the West to accept some Russian demands, and for Russia to drop others, to restart Ukraine grain exports under UN and Turkish oversight. A Turkish defence ministry official, requesting anonymity, said Ankara was looking into the Black Sea raid but gave no more details. "Therefore Erdogan should negotiate and try to convince Western countries, not Putin, for the reinstatement of the grain deal," he said.

Persons: Mehmet Bey, Umit, Erdogan, Putin, NATO's, Tayyip Erdogan's, Vladimir Putin, Yoruk Isik, Grynspan, Sezer, Huseyin Hayatsever, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Coordination Centre, REUTERS, Ankara, Analysts, UN, Bosphorus Observer, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Thomson Locations: Yenikapi, Istanbul, Turkey, ISTANBUL, Ukraine, NATO, Moscow, Russia, Ankara, Odesa, Turkish, Palau, Russian

☆ Chinese duties on U.S. imports 'inconsistent' with WTO obligations
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A logo is seen at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters before a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, October 5, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Aug 16 (Reuters) - A World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel on Wednesday found that China had acted inconsistently with its WTO obligations by imposing additional duties on certain U.S. imports in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium. China's Commerce Ministry said it had noted the WTO panel decision and demanded that the United States immediately lift tariffs imposed on steel and aluminium imports. The U.S. imposed a 25% duty on steel imports and a 10% duty on aluminium imports in March 2018 based on the Donald Trump administration's "Section 232" national security investigation into steel and aluminium imports. In response to the U.S. duties, China announced that additional duties of between 15% and 25% would apply to certain imports originating in the United States, a measure challenged by Washington.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Susan Heavey, Ella Cao, Rachel More, Devika Syamnath, Sharon Singleton Organizations: World Trade Organization, REUTERS, Rights, Trade Organization, U.S . Trade, WTO, Ministry, U.S, Washington, United, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, China, United States, Beijing, U.S, Washington

☆ Sudan 'spiralling out of control' as 1 million flee country, UN warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the capital Khartoum and sparked ethnically driven attacks in Darfur, threatening to plunge Sudan into a protracted civil war and destabilise the region. "Time is running out for farmers to plant the crops that will feed them and their neighbours. The situation is spiralling out of control," U.N. agencies said in a joint statement. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsReports of sexual assaults have increased by 50%, said U.N. population fund official Laila Baker. Efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the United States to negotiate a ceasefire in the current conflict have stalled, and humanitarian agencies have struggled to provide relief because of insecurity, looting and bureaucratic hurdles.

Persons: Malik Agar, Elizabeth Throssell, Chad August, Zohra, Laila Baker, Agar, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Omar al, Bashir, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Aidan Lewis, Alexandra Hudson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: United Nations, Rapid Support Forces, Sovereign, IOM, Human Rights, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Sudan, Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan, Geneva, Chadian, Chad, Adre, Saudi Arabia, United States, Dubai, Nafisa, Cairo

☆ Montana judge hands young plaintiffs significant victory in landmark climate trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A Montana judge handed a significant victory on Monday to more than a dozen young plaintiffs in the nation’s first constitutional climate trial, as extreme weather becomes more deadly and scientists warn the climate crisis is eroding our environment and natural resources. While Seeley’s ruling won’t prevent mining or burning fossil fuels in the state, it will reverse a recently passed state law that prohibits state agencies from considering planet-warming pollution when permitting fossil fuel projects. “Their same legal theory has been thrown out of federal court and courts in more than a dozen states. The federal climate case alleges the federal government’s activities allowing further fossil fuel development, including permitting and leasing for oil and gas drilling, is violating young people’s constitutional rights to life, liberty and property. Olson recently told CNN she hopes the state case will boost the Juliana case.

Persons: Kathy Seeley, Montana’s, ” Seeley, ”, Julia Olson, Montana didn’t, general’s, Emily Flower, Austin Knudsen, ” Flower, “, Pat Parenteau, Olson, Biden, Daniel Farber, Juliana, it’s, ” Olson, ” Michael Gerrard, Gerrard, ” Farber Organizations: CNN, Trust, Montana, CNN Experts, Montana Supreme, Environmental, Vermont Law School, University of California, United, Children’s Trust, Biden administration’s Department of Justice, Court, Sabin, Climate, Columbia University Law School Locations: Montana, ” Montana, Hawaii, University of California Berkeley, United States

☆ Robbie Robertson, 80, Dies; Canadian Songwriter Captured American Spirit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Jim Farber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Hawkins saw enough in Mr. Robertson to write two songs with him, which he recorded, and he later invited the teenage guitarist to join his band, the Hawks, initially on bass. The Hawks also included Levon Helm on drums; by 1961, the other future members of the Band were also in the fold. While he initially refused, he did perform with Mr. Dylan in New York and Los Angeles, bringing along Mr. At the guitarist’s insistence, Mr. Dylan wound up hiring most of the other future members of the Band for the full tour. “This album was recorded in approximately two weeks,” another close Dylan associate, Al Kooper, wrote in a review in Rolling Stone.

Persons: Hawkins, Robertson, Levon Helm, Levon, Bob Dylan, Dylan, Helm, ”, Mr, “, Al Kooper, Joan Baez Organizations: Hawks, Roulette Records, Atco, Big Pink, Billboard Locations: New York, Los Angeles, Woodstock, Stone

The World Health Organisation (WHO) logo is seen near its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, February 2, 2023. "Collectively, available evidence does not suggest that EG.5 has additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages," the WHO said in a risk evaluation. COVID-19 has killed more than 6.9 million people globally, with more than 768 million confirmed cases since the virus emerged. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on COVID-19, said EG.5 had an increased transmissibility but was not more severe than other Omicron variants. Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus deplored that many countries were not reporting COVID-19 data to WHO.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Maria Van Kerkhove, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Van Kerkhove, Leroy Leo, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Toby Chopra, Angus MacSwan Organizations: World Health Organisation, REUTERS, World Health Organization, EG, WHO, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, United States, China, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Bengaluru

☆ Two years after Olympic defection, Belarusian sprinter cleared to race for Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who left the Olympic Games in Tokyo and seeks asylum in Poland, attends a news conference in Warsaw, Poland August 5, 2021. Maciek Jazwiecki/Agencja Gazeta via REUTERS/File PhotoGENEVA, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, the Belarusian sprinter who defected at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, has been cleared by World Athletics to compete for Poland after it waived the normal three-year waiting period for nationality changes. She defected to Poland, saying she feared for her safety if she returned to Belarus. A letter by the World Athletics Nationality Review Panel seen by Reuters on Monday said that Tsimanouskaya could represent Poland starting Aug. 6, 2023. World Athletics referred questions to the Polish Athletic Association (PZLA), saying it was a confidential application process.

Persons: Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Maciek, Tsimanouskaya, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Olympic, Gazeta, REUTERS, Tokyo Olympics, World Athletics, Olympics, Reuters, Olympic Games, Polish Athletic Association, Paris Games, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Poland, Warsaw, Belarusian, Belarus, BLR, Budapest, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Switzerland finds remains of climber who disappeared on glacier in 1986
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The grisly discovery was made on July 12 by climbers hiking along the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt, police in the Valais canton said on Thursday. "DNA analysis enabled the identification of a mountain climber who had been missing since 1986," the police said in a statement. "In September 1986, a German climber, who was 38 at the time, had been reported missing after not returning from a hike." The climber's remains underwent a forensic analysis at Valais Hospital, allowing experts to link them to the 1986 disappearance, the police said. Last year Switzerland's glaciers registered their worst melt rate since records began more than a century ago, losing 6% of their remaining volume -- nearly double the previous record in 2003.

Persons: Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Valais Hospital, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Zermatt, Valais, German

☆ Effects of climate change increasing in Asia, WMO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view shows submerged building amid flood water, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Talti town in Sehwan, Pakistan September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File PhotoGENEVA, July 27 (Reuters) - Extreme weather events ranging from droughts to large-scale floods and other effects of climate change are on the rise in Asia and bound to affect food security and the continent's ecosystems, the World Meteorological Organization said. In a report published on Thursday, WMO said Asia was the world's most disaster-impacted region, with 81 weather, climate and water-related disasters recorded last year, the majority of which were floods and storms. The WMO report also highlighted that most glaciers the High-Mountain Asia region had loss significant mass as a result of warm and dry conditions in 2022. "This will have major implications for future food and water security and ecosystems," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Petteri Taalas, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, Thomson Locations: Talti, Sehwan, Pakistan, GENEVA, Asia, China

☆ Man tests positive for MERS in Abu Dhabi near Oman border - WHO
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, July 24 (Reuters) - A 28-year-old man has tested positive for the potentially fatal Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in a city in Abu Dhabi on the border with Oman, the World Health Organization said on Monday. The man in the city of Al Ain was admitted to hospital last month, the WHO said in a statement. The WHO said there were no signs the man had come into contact with dromedary camels, which spread the disease that is separate from COVID-19. The United Arab Emirates' health ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the case. The UAE, a hub for international events, will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November and December.

Persons: Al Ain, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber Organizations: World Health Organization, WHO, Health, United Arab, United Nations, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Al, United Arab Emirates, UAE

☆ Gen Zers want to be in the office. But their bosses are at home.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Gen Z is more interested in working from the office than any other generation. "At JPMorgan, you're probably never going to be the smartest person in the room," he told Insider. Gen Zers see the office as a place to growDespite having grown up online, Gen Zers dislike working from home more than other generations. Among Gen Z, 57% want in-person jobs, according an online survey of about 3,100 US job seekers conducted by Jobslist in the final months of 2022. Joshua Roizman, a Gen Z employee at a software-development company , said he understood why some in other generations might not want to schlep back to the office.

Persons: Sam Farber doesn't, Farber, It'll, —, who've, aren't, Gen Zers, Slack, " Farber, Zehra Naqvi, Naqvi, She's, Z, Davina Ramkissoon, Joshua Roizman, Roizman Organizations: Service, JPMorgan, Kastle Systems, McKinsey Global Institute, Jobslist Locations: Wall, Silicon, Chicago, Asia, Europe, Dublin

☆ Extreme heatwaves to continue through August, WMO adviser says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Remo Casilli/file photoGENEVA, July 21 (Reuters) - Heatwaves are expected to persist in a large part of the world throughout August, an adviser on extreme heat said on Friday, following on from record temperatures in recent weeks. "We should expect or at least plan for these extreme heatwaves to continue through August," Senior Extreme Heat Advisor for the WMO John Nairn told Reuters. Extreme weather has also disrupted the lives of millions of Americans, with dangerous heat stretching from Southern California to the Deep South. Nairn said climate change meant heatwaves would become more frequent and be spread across the seasons. "We're on trend in seeing a rise in global temperatures that will contribute to heatwaves increasing in intensity and frequency," Nairn said.

Persons: Trevi, Remo Casilli, WMO John Nairn, Nairn, We've, Cécile Mantovani, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, Reuters, European, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, GENEVA, North America, Asia, North Africa, Southern Europe, Southern California, East, Nairn

☆ Switzerland fights to contain forest fire near Italy border as winds pick up
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Denis Balibouse | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BITSCH, Switzerland, July 18 (Reuters) - Swiss firefighters on Tuesday were battling a forest fire that has forced more than 200 people to evacuate, and authorities warned winds were making the blaze difficult to contain. The fire broke out on Monday on the forested flank of a mountain in Bitsch in the Valais canton near the Italian border. An helicopter carries water to a wildfire on the flank of a mountain in Bitsch near Brig, Switzerland, July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseThe situation could deteriorate further if winds grow stronger, said Adrienne Bellwald, spokesperson for the cantonal police. Its Federal Office for the Environment has warned forest fires could become more frequent, especially in summer, due to an increase in hot, dry weather caused by climate change.

Persons: Mario Schaller, Denis Balibouse, Adrienne Bellwald, Noele Illien, Emma Farge, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Janet Lawrence, Conor Humphries, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Helicopters, REUTERS, Federal Office, Environment, Reuters, World Meteorological Organization, Thomson Locations: Switzerland, Bitsch, Valais, Brig, Europe, Asia, United States

☆ Olympic chief: Don't punish athletes for their govts' acts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Asked about the participation of Russians and Belarusians at next year's Paris Summer Olympics, IOC President Thomas Bach said: "We have a mission to unite all the athletes of the world in a peaceful competition. We have the responsibility not to punish athletes for the acts of their governments." Bach said the IOC was in no hurry to decide on their participation, joking that the deadline was "before the Games." Bach presented the IOC's position as an attempt to safeguard athletes' rights. The IOC said it was confronted with the "irreconcilable positions" of Russia and Ukraine on the participation of Russians and Belarusians at the Games.

Persons: Thomas Bach, Bach, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Bernadette Baum Organizations: International Olympic Committee, IOC, Hangzhou, Games, Paris Olympics, Thomson Locations: LAUSANNE, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Russian

[1/3] People cool off near the Spanish Steps, during a heatwave across Italy, as temperatures are expected to rise further in the coming days, in Rome, Italy July 18, 2023. They have added fresh urgency to talks this week between the United States and China, the world's top greenhouse gas polluters. "Whilst most of the attention focuses on daytime maximum temperatures, it is the overnight temperatures which have the biggest health risks, especially for vulnerable populations," it said. The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service says 2022 and 2021 were the continent's hottest summers on record. In a large part of the territory, night-time temperatures were in the top 5% of the highest recorded at this time of year.

Persons: Remo Casilli, John Kerry, Xi Jinping, Carlo Spanu, Anita Elshoy, Elshoy, AEMET, Talim, Angelo Amante, Emma Farge, Giselda, Crispian Balmer, Angeliki Koutantou, Emma Pinedo Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Matthias Williams, Janet Lawrence Organizations: REUTERS, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, Europe, U.S, Asia Italy, ROME, Asia, United States, Sardinia, Lazio, heatwaves, Death, China's, Greece, Swiss, India, South Korea, China, Beijing, North America, North Africa, Sicily, Sulcis, Norway, Spain, Catalonia, Aragon, Mallorca, Andujar, 44.9C, Toledo, Dervenochoria, Athens

☆ Swiss police evacuate villages due to wildfire
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, July 17 (Reuters) - Swiss police ordered the evacuation of several mountain villages late on Monday as a forest fire spread, while it was not immediately clear how many people were affected. It later added that three other villages were to be evacuated and warned of rockfalls. Air Zermatt, which operates four of the helicopters, said efforts to extinguish the fire would continue through the night. Valais police posted pictures showing a helicopter dangling a water cannon above a forest fire in the afternoon. loadingThe area is affected by the same Mediterranean heatwave affecting southern Europe, with temperatures set to exceed 30 Celsius in parts of the Valais canton this week, forecasts show.

Persons: Emma Farge, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Josie Kao Organizations: Swiss, Twitter, rockfalls, Air Zermatt, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Valais, Ried, Morel, Brig, Air, Europe

☆ Israel occupation makes Palestinian territories 'open-air prison', UN expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

GENEVA, July 11 (Reuters) - A United Nations expert on Tuesday said Israel had transformed the occupied Palestinian territories into an "open-air prison" through widespread detentions of Palestinians, an assertion swiftly dismissed by Israel. Francesca Albanese, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied territories, told reporters in Geneva that Israel had carried out widespread, systematic and arbitrary detention of Palestinians since the 1967 Middle East war. Israel's founding in 1948, defeating Arab armies from around the Middle East, scattered hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees through the wider region. In the 1967 Middle East war, Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan and Gaza from Egypt. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised internationally, and launched settlements in the West Bank and Gaza.

Persons: Israel, Francesca Albanese, Albanese, Israel's, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, William Maclean Organizations: United, Israel, Reuters, Human Rights, West Bank, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, United Nations, Geneva, Israel, East Jerusalem, Jordan, Gaza, Egypt, Jenin

☆ Antarctic ice levels undergo 'massive decrease', data shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, July 10 (Reuters) - Antarctic sea ice levels reached record lows last month, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday, a development climate change experts described as worrisome. WMO said that Antarctic sea ice levels last month - the hottest June ever recorded -- were at their lowest since satellite observations began, at 17% below average. "We're used to seeing these big reductions in sea ice in the Arctic, but not in the Antarctic. This is a massive decrease," Michael Sparrow, Chief of World Climate Research Programme, told reporters in Geneva. "Alarm bells are ringing especially loudly because of the unprecedented sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic."

Persons: We're, Michael Sparrow, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Christina Fincher Organizations: World Meteorological Organization, WMO, El, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Geneva, Global, North

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