Experts are predicting that the developing El Niño is likely to make 2023 the world's hottest year.

Britons travelling to Greece have been told to sign up for emergency alerts as the country is gripped by “extreme heat” and wildfires. The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for the popular tourist destination, with Britons warned of travel disruption as temperatures soar. It comes after thousands were evacuated from at least six seaside communities near Athens after their homes were threatened by wildfires. Much of Greece has been baking in near 40C conditions as a heatwave grips the continent, with temperatures in the southeast European country forecast to climb further later this week and into the weekend. “Extreme temperatures are currently affecting many areas of Greece,” the guidance says. “You can register on the Greek government’s Emergency Communication Service to receive emergency alerts.” Travellers are also advised to monitor local and international weather updates from the Greek Meteorological Service or European Meteorological Services, check conditions with their travel provider and follow the advice of local authorities at all times. There is also a chance that the extreme weather conditions could disrupt travel, the Foreign Office added. Officials in Greece issued the six evacuation orders on Monday morning as strong gusts of up to 70kph (45mph) whipped the wildfire closer to resort towns. The army, police special forces and volunteer rescuers freed retirees from their homes, rescued horses from a stable, and helped monks flee a monastery threatened by the flames. Last night water-dropping planes and helicopters tackled the flames near Lagonisi, some 40 km (25 miles) southeast of the capital. The second large wildfire broke out in a wooded area near the resort town of Loutraki, some 90km (55 miles) west of Athens, where a children’s summer camp and rehabilitation center for seniors were evacuated, local officials said. Fire Service spokesman Yiannis Artopios said the strong and changeable winds and mountainous terrain in which both fires broke out were slowing the firefighting effort. "The conditions are changing constantly and this has to be matched by our response. We have ordered multiple evacuations," he said. The evacuees gathered along the coastline or were put up in schools and hotels, while coast guard vessels were dispatched to smoke-heavy beachfronts to assist if needed. On a visit to Brusssels, Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the risk posed by wildfires this month as "extremely difficult" to deal with. "We have always had wildfires and we always will have them. But with the effects of the climate crisis, we are experiencing fires with increasing intensity," Mr Mitsotakis said, speaking on the margins of talks between leaders from the European Union and Latin American and Carribean countries. Greater Athens and much of southern Greece were on the second highest level of alert for wildfires Monday and Tuesday following a four-day heat wave that eased over the weekend. More heatwave temperatures are expected later in the week. Residents and visitors in areas affected by the two fires received cell phone alerts from the Civil Protection Ministry. Loutraki Mayor Giorgos Gionis said municipal workers were also assisting seniors in the evacuations, adding that the operation had been impeded by cell phone reception outages. Local officials confirmed that homes had been destroyed and badly damaged in both fires. Southern and parts of eastern Europe are currently in the grip of a sweltering heatwave that meteorologists forecast will continue well into this week. Other popular holiday destinations including Italy, Spain and Turkey are also experiencing intense heat. Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in the La Palma area of the Spanish Canary Islands over the weekend as a wildfire tore through 4,500 hectares of land as firefighters struggled to tackle the blaze. Forecasters in Italy say that Sardinia looks set to become the “epicentre” of the heatwave this week and could see temperatures of 48C (118.4F), just shy of the record 48.8C (119.8F) recorded in Sicily in August 2021. This week’s heatwave has been named Charon after the ferryman who delivered souls into the underworld in Greek mythology. Last week’s was named Cerberus - the name of a mythical creature in ancient Greek folklore. Cerberus, a three-headed dog, was believed to guard the gates to the underworld. Scientists say climate change is making extreme weather events like the current heatwaves in Europe more common. Read More Which holiday destinations will be hottest this week and how can you stay safe as temperatures soar? Europe heatwave: Is it safe to travel to Italy, Spain, Greece and Croatia? Extreme 40C heatwaves will frequently occur in UK without emissions cut, Met Office says Independent Traveller guide to best hotels and short breaks Best hotels in New York: Where to stay in Manhattan, Brooklyn and more Cheap hotels in Paris 2022: Where to stay for value for money

By Yuliia Dysa (Reuters) -`Ukrainian forces struck airfields in Russian-held territory in eastern and southern Ukraine overnight, destroying helicopters, knocking

Philadelphia Democrats on Tuesday will nominate Cherelle Parker to be the city's next mayor, CNN projects, the 100th in its history and the first Black woman to hold the top job.

Georgia Republicans are moving to preserve their majorities as they propose additional Black voting districts in a special legislative session that opened Wednesday

The mother of three allegedly 'fought so hard' that most of her fingernails were broken, according to Seaside Police chief

A 17-year-old has pleaded not guilty to hate-motivated murder in a stabbing that followed a clash over men dancing

The executive committee of Minnesota's Democratic Farmer Labor Party gave initial approval to bylaws that will permanently ban people who engage in or incite violent acts from participating in party activities

The Mar-a-Lago IT supervisor identified as “Trump Employee 4” in the latest indictment against former presidentDonald Trump and his alleged co-conspirators was reportedly informed that he’s a target of the ongoing Justice Department probe into alleged mishandling of classified records by the ex-president. According to CNN, the employee in question is named Yuscil Taveras. The outlet said Mr Taveras, who is charged with any crime at this point, subsequently met with Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team of prosecutors and gave evidence that was used to obtain the superseding indictment against Mr Trump, co-defendant Walt Nauta and a newly-added third co-defendant: Mar-a-Lago maintenance supervisor Carlos De Oliveira. According to the superseding indictment, Mr De Oliveira informed Mr Taveras during a conversation at the Palm Beach social club that “’the boss wanted” the contents of a server containing CCTV surveillance records “deleted” in the days following receipt of a grand jury subpoena for video that showed the corridor outside a room where boxes of documents from the Trump White House were being stored. Prosecutors allege that Mr Taveras responded by telling Mr De Oliveira that he did not think he “would have the rights” to delete the footage in question, leading his co-worker to ask: “What are we going to do?” Mr De Oliveira is charged with conspiring with Mr Trump and Mr Nauta to obstruct the DOJ probe into Mr Trump’s alleged unlawful retention of national defence information as well as with lying to investigators about his involvement in moving boxes containing records from the Trump administration when Mr Trump moved from the White House back to his Palm Beach, Florida property. A Trump campaign statement called the charges “nothing more than a continued desperate and flailing attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their Department of Justice to harass President Trump and those around him” and accused Mr Smith, a veteran prosecutor overseeing multiple probes into Mr Trump of “casting about for any way to salvage their illegal witch hunt and to get someone other than Donald Trump to run against Crooked Joe Biden”. Read More Georgia DA says Trump 2020 election probe is ‘ready to go’ in strongest hint yet of looming indictment Trump news – live: Georgia DA says Trump 2020 case is ‘ready to go’ as Mar-a-Lago worker heads to court Right-wing TV host at Trump rally denies he wants to kill liberals, globalists, and RINOs

KHARTOUM (Reuters) -Fighting in Sudan's capital escalated on Wednesday with fierce clashes and air strikes, witnesses said, as delegations of

According to skin influencers on TikTok, topical steroid creams are being ‘illegally sold’ in some black Afro hair and beauty supply stores, affecting black women in particular. Angela Mavalla, a pharmacist and skincare educator, has been sharing TikTok videos garnering thousands of views, encouraging black women to stop purchasing topical steroid creams from these shops – as they are meant to be prescription-only treatments used with appropriate guidance from a doctor. When used incorrectly, the creams can make potentially make skin symptoms worse and harder to manage. “Though these creams tend to address issues like acne and eczema very quickly, because of their potent nature, the skin becomes addicted to it and will flare up badly once you stop using them,” said Mavalla. “A lot my clients – [who are black women] – that I consult privately, were coming to me with issues relating to topical steroid use, such as having terrible flare-ups because they had stopped using the cream, and needed help with tapering off them. “I began making content based on these creams, mainly to warn people of them, and found that these TikTok’s would go viral in a short space of time, with lots of people relating to it, and giving their own testimonials of how the creams damaged their skin,” Mavalla added. “I have seen instances of accidental skin bleaching, worsened eczema and hyperpigmentation, topical steroidal withdrawal and addiction, and worst of all, a crippling low self-esteem and self image. It’s awful. “The first point of call when it comes to steroidal creams should always be a pharmacy. Pharmacists are always willing to help, advise and where necessary, signpost to the most appropriate medical profession, such as a dermatologist.” Dr Unnati Desai, the national GP lead, as well as safeguarding lead for GP services and dermatology lead at Nuffield Health, acknowledged that it can take sometimes take time to correctly diagnose these conditions, and might require a biopsy. It might also take a longer period of time to get symptoms under control, as skin conditions may require trying multiple different treatment regimes to find the one that suits each individual person, as well as getting to grips with individual triggers. What are topical steroid creams and what should they be used for? Doctors prescribe topical steroid creams to treat a wide range of skin complaints – but it’s important to have proper assessments first. “They are topical medications (synthetic corticosteroids) that have an anti-inflammatory action on the skin, by suppressing the skin immune system and constricting the blood vessels of the skin where applied,” Desai told the PA news agency. “They are used for dermatological conditions that result in inflamed, itchy or irritated skin – e.g. eczema, psoriasis, lichen simplex, lichen planus, lichen sclerosus and other autoimmune dermatoses.” Why do people experience topical steroid withdrawal after using steroid creams? When used incorrectly, topical steroids may have potentially significant side-effects. And as Desai warned: “Stopping any steroid treatment suddenly can often result in a flare-up of the condition, which may be worse than the original presentation.” There are some obvious signs and symptoms to look out for to figure out if you are experiencing topical steroid withdrawal, such as red, burning skin and a lumpy, papulopustular rash. “When using a steroid cream to get a dermatitis flare-up under control, especially when a more potent steroid cream has been used for a prolonged period of time, it is necessary to slowly come off the steroid cream and wean your skin off treatment by either reducing the potency of the cream, or the frequency [of application],” said Desai. “This gives the skin time to adjust to coming off the steroid cream slowly, but also clarifies whether the skin condition is coming under control with treatment. “Sometimes, severe dermatoses require long-term use of a medication to be controlled, in which case your doctor will consider alternative treatment modalities.” What damage can it do to your skin?Desai added: “Long-term use of potent steroid creams is not recommended, as there may be some systemic absorption, which can result in suppression of your body’s natural cortisol hormone at the worst. “In most cases, it is the long-term impact on the skin itself that is the concern, as regular or long-term use of steroid creams can impact the skin integrity and thickness, resulting in thinning of the skin, stretch marks, increased hair at the site of use, enlarged skin blood vessels and bruising. “Using a steroid cream when there is an underlying infection present on the skin will make the infection worse, or using steroid creams on the face can result in other chronic skin conditions, such as perioral dermatitis or other acneiform eruptions. “Occasionally, an allergy can develop to components within the cream that can make the dermatitis worse.” How can people remain safe? Desai stressed the importance of only using topical steroid treatments under the appropriate supervision of a qualified clinician. “In addition, as most chronic inflammatory skin conditions tend to result in drier skin, self-care at home with soap substitutes and emollients is important,” she said. “This includes gently cleansing the skin one to two times daily maximum (over-washing will negatively impact the skin barrier function, as will long hot bubble baths), and using unscented emollients (medical grade skin creams designed to gently hydrate the skin), which will better protect the skin and may, depending on the skin condition, make a flare-up less frequent or less severe. “If a steroid cream is needed, a doctor will recommend the amount of cream to be used according to the size of the area affected. We use the ‘Finger Tip Unit’ (FTU) – one FTU is the amount of topical steroid that is squeezed out from a standard tube along an adult’s fingertip – as a method of advising each patient how much cream they need to use with each application.” Read More House of the Year 2023 shortlist revealed by Royal Institute of British Architects Fatima Whitbread supporting new fostering campaign, as research finds ‘misconceptions put people off’ 5 key coat trends to complete your autumn/winter wardrobe 12 ways to weave some woodland wonder into your home Hibernation mode: 5 small self-care adjustments to make before the clocks change 13 possible cancer symptoms you should get checked out

A trial date has been set for two white men in Mississippi who are accused of chasing and shooting at a Black FedEx driver who had dropped off a package at a home