Portugal forest fires kill 43 near Coimbra
A catastrophic forest fire in Portugal has claimed at least 43 lives, officials say.
Many died while trying to flee the Pedrógão Grande area, 50 km (30 miles) south-east of Coimbra, in their cars, according to the government.
Several firefighters are among the 59 people injured.
"Unfortunately this seems to be the greatest tragedy we have seen in recent years in terms of forest fires," said Prime Minister Antonio Costa.
The death toll could rise further, he said.
Secretary of State for the Interior Jorge Gomes said that three people died from smoke inhalation and 18 people travelling in four cars died on the road linking Figueiró dos Vinhos to Castanheira de Pera.
A place called 'hope': the tiny island on the frontline of US-China tensions
More than 100 Filipinos live 15 miles from one of Beijing’s most ambitious island bases in the South China Sea
On the horizon, the azure sea water stops and the white, concrete structures of the Chinese military base rise up.
“Sometimes we get nervous because we are only civilians. If they invade the island, they can harm us. They can do whatever they want,” says Romeo Malaguit, a fisherman and father of two, who lives on the nearby Philippine-claimed island Thitu.
Locally known as Pag-asa, meaning hope in Filipino, Thitu is a tree-studded settlement no more than 1.5km long and 800 metres wide. A dilapidated runway takes up almost half the area.
Firing at DemocracyThe Toxic State of America
The attack on Republican members of Congress in the United States this week is a product of America's increasingly toxic political climate. Democracy is at stake in a country where two, deeply divided sides are no longer capable of reasonable debate.
A Commentary by Christoph Scheuermann
Once the attacker was dead and the injured cared for, once quiet had returned to Congress and the investigation had begun, a hint of harmony briefly descended over Washington. Democrats said prayers for Republicans, adversaries found warm words for each other and even Donald Trump acted like a statesman. America is strongest, he said, "when we are unified and when we work together for the common good."
This, from Trump -- arguably America's most divisive figure.
Unemployed, debt-weary Greeks view eurozone bailout with skepticism
In a nation plagued by long-standing unemployment and a mountain of debt, some Greeks are cautious to celebrate the credit lifeline thrown to them by EU governments on June 16. Others, however, see the gesture as 'the beginning of the end to the Greek drama.'
Subdued by three bailouts, record high unemployment and a maelstrom of taxes, Greeks were in no mood to party on Friday, June 16, 2017, at news of a last-gasp deal pulling them from the brink of a financial abyss. Again.
Eurozone governments threw indebted Greece another credit lifeline worth 8.5 billion euros on Thursday, offered further clarity on a roadmap to possible debt relief and the International Monetary Fund said it might join a bailout program after sitting on the fence for two years.
"What's the big deal? Is it going to change the real problem of more than a million unemployed Greeks?" said Maria Papadia, jobless for four years.
CAR: Church shelters Muslims fleeing Anti-balaka
More than 1,500 Muslims who found refuge in a church over a month ago are growing restless and desperate, priest says.
Bangui, Central African Republic - At least 1,500 people, mostly Muslim civilians, currently stuck in a Catholic church in the country's southeast, are growing increasingly desperate, a priest has told Al Jazeera.
The displaced people took refuge in the cathedral in the town of Bangassou after fleeing deadly violence in mid-May.
"The situation is not safe enough to leave, and so they cannot move from here," said Father Alain Blaise Bissialo, the priest at the church.
"There are men who walk around town with guns."
Navy stops search for 7 missing sailors after bodies found
(Mainichi Japan)
The search for seven U.S. Navy sailors missing after their destroyer collided with a merchant ship in waters off Japan was called off Sunday after several bodies were found in the ship's flooded compartments, including sleeping quarters.
Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the Navy's 7th Fleet, addressed reporters at a Navy base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, but wouldn't say how many bodies were recovered, pending notification of next of kin.
The USS Fitzgerald sustained significant damage in the collision with the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal around 2:20 a.m. Saturday. Aucoin paid tribute to the crew's efforts to save their ship, saying they prevented it from sinking.
No comments:
Post a Comment