Poland Postpones Pivotal Interest-Rate Decision to Mid-September
Poland’s central bankers postponed next month’s interest-rate meeting, an unexpected move that shifts a potentially landmark decision to
2023-08-18 22:16
Firefighters battle to stop Tenerife’s worst wildfires in decades
Firefighters are battling to try to bring the worst wildfire in decades on Tenerife under control. Fernando Clavijo, regional leader of the Canary Islands, said: "The fire and the weather have behaved in a more normal fashion after showing very unusual behaviour earlier. We've managed to work more intensely during the night... preparing containment lines on the ground," he told a news conference. The fire in the north of the Spanish Canary Island, which started late on Tuesday, has forced the evacuation or confinement of nearly 8,000 people in eight municipalities. "The good news is that there have been no new evacuations," added Mr Clavijo. He has called the wildfire the most complex the Atlantic Ocean archipelago has faced in 40 years, due to a combination of hot, dry and windy weather, as well as difficult terrain. Images and videos posted on social media showed the flames coming down the hill close to houses in small neighbourhoods and a massive cloud of smoke rising from the area. The fire is located up in a pine wooded mountain area with several municipalities on its flanks, including Arafo and Candelaria to the east, and La Orotava to the west. Army captain Rafael San Jose told Spanish National Television that some progress had been made overnight into Friday stopping the fire's spread but that rising temperatures during the day was increasing the difficulty for those fighting the blaze. The Canary Islands have been in drought for most of the past few years, just like most of mainland Spain. The islands have recorded below-average rainfall in recent years because of changing weather patterns impacted by the climate crisis. Mr Clavijo said the blaze, which has scorched 3,200 hectares (7,900 acres), was still very virulent but that fortunately there had been no injuries so far. He said Friday's efforts would be crucial to containing the fire. He said the combination of extreme temperatures and the fire had turned the area into a virtual oven. The north of the island was forecast to have a maximum temperature of 30C (84F) on Friday with light winds but temperatures were set to rise further over the weekend. The flames cover a perimetre of 40 kilometres (25 miles) encircling some 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of land. Nearly 300 firefighters and Spanish army soldiers are in the area, which is around 20 kilometres (12 miles) away from its main town, Santa Cruz. Tenerife is one of Europe's main tourist destinations. Its tourism office has stressed that the most popular tourist areas are far from the fire. Business continues as usual in hotels, beaches and other tourist sites near the coast and in the midlands, the office said. But access to the Teide National Park, one of the biggest tourist attractions in Tenerife after the beaches, was closed on Thursday evening and all tourist facilities around the Teide volcano area, including accommodation, were to be evacuated. The seven-island archipelago is located off the north-west coast of Africa and south-west of mainland Spain. More than 2,000 people were evacuated in a wildfire on the nearby La Palma island last month that affected some 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres). Wildfires have burned almost 64,000 hectares (158,000 acres) in Spain in the first seven months of the year, according to Spanish government data. That's the third highest figure in the last decade. Spain accounted for almost 40 per cent of the nearly 800,00 hectares (2 million acres) burned in the European Union in 2022, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. Associated Press Read More Mapped: Where are the wildfires in Tenerife?
2023-08-18 21:51
EU Criticizes China for Eroding Rule of Law, Autonomy in Hong Kong
The European Union warned that China’s actions in Hong Kong and Macao are eroding the autonomy of those
2023-08-18 21:15
Ukraine-Russia war – live: ‘Powerful explosion’ rocks central Moscow as Ukrainian drone downed near Kremlin
A building in central Moscow has been damaged in a drone attack in the early hours today, causing a “powerful explosion” heard across the business district of the Russian capital. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the drone was shot down by Russian air defence systems but that debris from the exploded drone fell on the city’s Expo Center, less than 5km (3.1 miles) from the Kremlin. A video published by Russian media outlets showed thick smoke rising next to skyscrapers. The Russian defence ministry blamed the “Kyiv regime” for carrying out the “terrorist attack” but added that there were no casualties in the strike. “The UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), after being targeted by air defence weapons, changed its flight path and fell on a non-residential building in the Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment area of Moscow,” the ministry said. It comes as the United States approved sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands to defend against Russia’s invading forces, as soon as pilot training is completed. Read More Ukraine’s intelligence service claims responsibility for Crimean Bridge drone attack Wagner mercenaries issue a chilling message on Poland’s doorstep: ‘We are here’ What are cluster bombs and why are they banned in some countries?
2023-08-18 18:56
Austrian Ex-Chancellor Kurz Indicted for False Testimony
Former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was formally charged with providing false testimony to a parliamentary committee investigating government
2023-08-18 18:22
Turkish Inflation Outlook at Its Worst in 21 Years on Weak Lira
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2023-08-18 17:26
A year on, Europe less fearful of U.S. green subsidies push
By Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS (Reuters) -When the United States launched its massive green subsidies push a year ago, many in
2023-08-18 16:26
ECB Readies Complaint to Italy on Bank Tax, Corriere Says
The European Central Bank is set to send a letter of complaint to the Italian government about a
2023-08-18 15:48
Ukraine Recap: Moscow Briefly Shuts Air Space After Drone Attack
All four Moscow-area airports were briefly closed early Friday and planes diverted as air defense repelled a drone,
2023-08-18 15:26
UK Retail Sales Fall More Than Expected During Rainy Spell
UK retail sales fell more than expected in July after a spell of cool and rainy weather kept
2023-08-18 14:57
Trump Says He’s ‘Not A Fan’ of Powell, Wouldn’t Reappoint Him to Fed
Former President Donald Trump said if reelected, he would not reappoint Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell when the
2023-08-18 08:54
Global Yields Reach 15-Year Highs as Rate-Hike Worries Build
Global government bond yields extended their climb — with the US 30-year reaching the highest point since 2011
2023-08-18 03:21