Ukraine war: Western armour struggles against Russian defences
Russians use layers of mines to prevent Ukraine's advance on the southern front.
2023-07-27 14:51
Xi Protege’s Sudden Removal Adds to Rough Start for Third Term
The sudden ouster of Xi Jinping’s handpicked foreign minister is the latest example of how the Chinese president’s
2023-07-27 14:47
Barclays Unveils New Buyback as Investment Bank Misses Estimates
Barclays Plc said it would buy back a further £750 million ($972 million) of its shares after a
2023-07-27 14:46
Turkey’s New Central Bank Governor to Confront Misgivings in Public Debut
Turkey’s newly-installed central bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan will step into the spotlight for the first time on
2023-07-27 12:20
Most unaccompanied children failed to win asylum in Greece, NGO says
BRUSSELS Fewer than a third of unaccompanied children succeeded in winning asylum in Greece last year, with the
2023-07-27 09:57
Niger Army Ready to Hit Back After Coup Bid, Presidency Says
Niger’s presidency said the army is on standby to strike back against members of the Presidential Guard who
2023-07-27 09:25
Greece orders fresh evacuations as wildfires erupt on mainland
By Angeliki Koutantou and Karolina Tagaris ATHENS (Reuters) -Authorities ordered the evacuation of a handful of communities in central Greece
2023-07-27 06:22
Trump Says He’ll Revive Stolen-Vote Claim If He’s Charged Over Jan. 6
Donald Trump signaled his false claims about the 2020 presidential election being rigged against him will feature prominently
2023-07-27 03:18
EU plans to buy new firefighting planes as climate crises worsen
By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union wants to sign contracts this year for up to 12 firefighting planes,
2023-07-27 02:53
Russia-Ukraine war – live: Putin’s forces pushed back near Bakhmut as Kyiv sends 1,700 drones to help advance
Vladimir Putin’s troops are being pushed back by Kyiv’s forces in eastern and southern Ukraine, where 1,700 drones will be sent to the frontline to help their counteroffensive “All of [the drones] are now going to the front to protect the lives of our soldiers, to make our artillery even more accurate, to destroy the enemy,” Mykhailo Fedorov, a deputy prime minister, said. The deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, reported advances towards the southern occupied cities of Melitopol and Berdyansk which is on the Sea of Azov. She said Kyiv’s troops were also successfully attacking in the east on the flanks of occupied Bakhmut – a city that has gained symbolic importance to both Kyiv and Moscow after months of bloody clashes. While “successes” in the southeast, she added, include an area near the village of Staromayorske which is located by a cluster of hamlets recaptured by Ukraine in the Donetsk region this summer. “Battles continue near Staromayorske, our defenders have successes, they were gaining a foothold on the reached frontiers,” Ms Maliar added. Read More Putin ‘looked paralyzed and unable to act’ as Wagner coup unfolded African leaders arrive in Russia for summit with Putin, as Kremlin seeks allies in Ukraine war China and Russia to join North Korea’s Korean War celebrations in a first after pandemic ‘Our own front line’: Ukrainian surgeons see wave of wounded soldiers since counteroffensive began
2023-07-27 00:17
Fire-Ravaged Greece Braces for More Heat as Rest of Europe Cools
Greek authorities are evacuating part of the central city of Lamia as high winds and heat increased the
2023-07-26 23:48
Winds fuel fire flare-ups in Rhodes as state of emergency declared across island
Firefighters and civilians battling the nine-day wildfires ravaging Rhodes are contending with continuous flare-ups fuelled by unpredictable winds, as temperatures neared a scorching 40C. Greece’s civil protection agency extended the state of emergency across the entirety of Rhodes on Wednesday, which will remain in place for six months, “to deal with emergencies and manage the consequences of catastrophic forestry fire”. In the town of Malonas, which was evacuated on Saturday, The Independent watched on alongside exhausted volunteers as a section of the charred forest nearby reignited. The handful of volunteers gathered outside St George’s Church stood up to watch as a firefighting plane flew overhead, dousing the flames in water – as smoke continued to rise skywards. They expected to venture out again alongside hundreds, if not thousands, of other civilians on Wednesday night to do what they could to keep the fires at bay – having fought back the flames as they encroached on the sleepy inland town just the night before. “We have no energy, we have no power – not enough to stop this ... We are waiting for the wind to calm down to try again tonight to finish the job, but it is very difficult because after 10 days everyone is very tired,” a volunteer named Panos said, adding: “I’m going to sleep now for one hour.” He spoke as firefighters were mobilised to the nearby village of Apollona, while fires also burned further south in Vati and Gennadi. “The fires have started again,” a fire service official told The Independent. “A little wind and the fire returns … That’s the problem.” Having been told to evacuate both Malonas and nearby Kalathos at the weekend, Miles and Tristan, both in their 50s and originally from England, returned to Tristan’s house in Malonas on Wednesday to bring his four cats home. After receiving the “stressful” emergency alert telling them to leave Kalathos for either Kallithea – which they felt at the time was unsafe – or Lindos, where locals had already been told it was safe to return and where they knew a hotel manager who could put them up for the night. “Even if we’re just camping down on sofas in the hotel reception, it’s shelter, whereas if we went to Kallithea we would literally be on the street,” said Tristan. Speaking in the entrance to Tristan’s home as a firefighting plane flew overhead, dropping water a short distance away, the pair said they now planned to stay put. “We’re fed up with it now,” said Miles, an artist who has lived in Rhodes for 17 years. Tristan added: “Also, now [the authorities] are willing to allow everyone to help [keep flare-ups at bay], whereas before they just didn’t want the complications of it – non-Greek speakers being where they are [with] no skills, no car. I haven’t even got boots. They said ‘what are you going to do: walk over the ground in trainers? They’re just going to melt.” Describing a “pattern” of flare-ups each afternoon, Tristan said: “It’s been almost identical for three days, it’s really weird.” Miles added: “Clear in the morning. By the afternoon, the sky’s gone dark ... there’s smoke everywhere, and you can see it for miles.” However, the skies remained clear as they spoke – prior to the individual flare-up witnessed by The Independent some 15 minutes later. “That’s why the helicopters are flying over now, they’re damping down near the edges to try and make sure it doesn’t come back,” said Miles. Read More Infernos, black skies and fleeing tourists: Greece wildfires in pictures as blazes ravage Corfu and Rhodes Summer holidays to fire-hit Rhodes on sale for just £295 – half the usual price Tragic 'last words' of hero pilots who died in plane crash fighting Greek wildfires Tourists flying into Greece inferno reveal why they refuse to cancel holiday
2023-07-26 21:49