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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004275

Britain eases quarantine rules, opening up travel with France

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Fully vaccinated visitors arriving in England from France will no longer have to isolate for 10 days, a loosening of restrictions that puts them in the same category as travelers from most other European countries.

The U.K. also eased rules for arrivals from India, Bahrain, and travel hubs the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Those countries will move from the U.K.’s highest-risk “red” list to its medium-risk “amber” list, meaning arrivals will no longer need to quarantine in a government-approved hotel.

Six other European nations, including Germany, were added to the lowest-risk “green” list, meaning all visitors can avoid quarantine whether or not they are fully vaccinated. All changes will come into effect from 4 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 8.

Spain and all its islands — key summer holiday destinations for British tourists — will remain on the amber list, but travelers are advised to get take a lab-processed PCR test before departing to the U.K.

The rule changes will be a boon for airlines and tourism companies that have been hit hard by the pandemic and objected loudly to U.K. travel curbs. The British government was under growing pressure from French ministers, as well as industry bodies, to overturn its decision last month to put France in a newly created “amber-plus” category.

“We welcome more low-risk countries being added to the green list but urge the government to go further,” British Airways Chief Executive Officer Sean Doyle said in a statement. “We’re lagging behind Europe, with our more stringent testing requirements and a red list significantly broader than our European peers.”

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After Spain, France was the second most-visited country by Britons before the pandemic, with low-cost carriers including EasyJet Plc offering dozens of flights per week. The surprise amber-plus restriction in July came just as school holidays began in the U.K.

While airline travel has rapidly rebounded in Europe, the U.K.’s evolving restrictions deterred many in Britain from booking overseas trips. Seat capacity in the U.K. this week was 42% of 2019 levels, compared with 68% for the wider European region, according to data from OAG.

Large network airlines in particular have been clamoring for restrictions to be dropped on long-distance routes in order to generate vital cash. Classifying India and the UAE as medium-risk will offer some relief to carriers including IAG SA-owned British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., Emirates and Qatar Airways.

But the U.S., a key long-haul market, remains only partially open. Americans are allowed to holiday in Europe, but Britons and people from most other European countries still can’t go to the U.S.

President Joe Biden is preparing to require foreign arrivals to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, Reuters reported, as part of a plan to eventually move away from country bans.

“It seems that a path is opening,” French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said on France Info radio Thursday.

The U.K. Department for Transport said Wednesday that the declining proportion of French Covid cases from the beta variant, which may be more vaccine-resistant, meant it would now be moved back to the amber list.

The U.K. decision “puts an end to an incomprehensible situation,” France’s Djebbari said.

Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Norway were added to the lowest-risk list, allowing quarantine-free travel. People returning to England from a green or amber country must take a Covid-19 test before departure and book a test for day two after arrival.

Initially, the changes will apply only to England, although other regions of the U.K. are expected to follow the same regime.

Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, said more work was needed.

“We remain a long way off a full and meaningful restart of international travel and the government must recognize this and provide the support that will protect our world class aviation industry and the thousands of jobs that remain at risk,” Dee said in a statement.

Under rules introduced Aug. 2, all fully vaccinated travelers from the U.S. and European Union can avoid isolation on arrival into the U.K. France was not initially included in this due to concerns over the beta variant.

Visitors from other amber-list countries, as well as those who are not fully vaccinated, need to self-isolate for 10 days. That period can be shortened if they pay for an extra test on day five.

“In this new world we’re living with coronavirus, and as we have done domestically with the unlocking, learning to live with it with international travel as well,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC radio. “Double vaccination and full vaccination is going to be a feature for ever more, and probably all countries will require full vaccination in order for you to enter.”

Georgia, Mexico, and the French islands of La Reunion and Mayotte were added to the U.K.’s red list from Aug. 8, the government said, because of the risk from variants or high prevalence of the coronavirus. Only people with U.K. residency rights can enter from red-list nations, and everyone must quarantine for 10 days in a hotel.

The cost of staying in a government-approved quarantine hotel for travelers from “red” countries will rise to $3,174 (£2,285) for a single adult from Aug. 12, up from $2,072 (£1,750), the government said.

Published : August 06, 2021

By : Syndication Washington Post, Bloomberg · Emily Ashton, Siddharth Philip

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004223

23 dead in Indias West Bengal floods

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23 people were killed in the floods in Indias eastern state of West Bengal, and nearly 250,000 people were displaced from their homes following the discharge of water from dams that inundated six districts.

The floods in India’s eastern state of West Bengal have killed 23 lives, local media reports said Wednesday.

The floods were triggered after heavy rains hit several parts of the state, pushing water levels up in the rivers and dams.

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Nearly 250,000 people were displaced from their homes following the discharge of water from dams that inundated six districts.

“The flood situation in West Bengal worsened on Wednesday claiming eight more lives taking the toll to 23 as fresh areas went under water,” a local media report said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia relief of 2,695 U.S. dollars to the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to flooding in West Bengal and 673 U.S. dollars to each injured in floods.

Meanwhile, officials said relief and rescue operations were going on in the affected areas.

At present India is in the grip of southwest monsoon and most parts are experiencing heavy to very heavy rainfall, besides extremely heavy spells at isolated spots.

Published : August 05, 2021

By : xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004222

Pigeon pair panda cubs born in Chinas Shaanxi

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A captive giant panda gave birth to a pigeon pair of cubs in northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province, provincial forestry bureau said Wednesday.

The giant panda, named “Ya Ya,” gave birth to a male cub weighing 110 grams and a female cub weighing 137 grams at Qinling Giant Panda Research Center on Saturday afternoon.

Ya Ya, born in 2009, has been involved in breeding and mating since 2017 but has suffered miscarriages for three consecutive years.

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This year, in order to ensure successful reproduction, the research center staff carried out a series of obstetric checks and treatments for Ya Ya, which laid a good foundation for smooth birth of the cubs, the bureau said.

In 2021, the research center has witnessed the birth of four cubs, which raised the number of captive Qinling giant pandas to 36.

The Qinling giant panda is a subspecies of giant panda first recognized in 2005. It has a smaller and rounder skull, shorter snout and less fur than the more familiar Sichuan subspecies. 

Published : August 05, 2021

By : xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004221

Tens of thousands of people feared trapped by fighting in southern Afghanistan: UN

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Since the start of the year, nearly 360,000 people have been forcibly displaced by conflict in southern Afghanistan. About 5 million people have been displaced since 2012.

The United Nations is deeply concerned about the safety of civilians in Lashkar Gah, the capital city of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, fearing tens of thousands were trapped by fighting, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday.

Conflict in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar displaced civilians to adjacent, calmer areas within the provincial capital cities (Lashkar Gah and Kandahar) and neighboring districts, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

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“There are reports of increased civilian casualties, destruction or damage to civilian houses and to critical infrastructure, including hospitals,” the office said. “Hospitals and health workers are becoming overwhelmed by the number of wounded people.”

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are assessing needs and responding as access allows. They said they reached over 2,000 people on Sunday with food, water, sanitation and cash assistance in Kandahar.

Since the start of the year, nearly 360,000 people have been forcibly displaced by conflict. About 5 million people have been displaced since 2012.

In the first half of the year, attacks on health facilities deprived 200,000 people in Afghanistan of access to primary care, OCHA said.

Children pose for photos at a camp for displaced people in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 28, 2020.

The humanitarian office urged parties to the conflict to protect civilians, aid workers and civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, in compliance with international humanitarian law. It also called on parties to grant aid workers access to assistance without interference, honoring humanitarian principles.

Humanitarians are committed to stay and deliver in Afghanistan and expect to have reached almost half of the nearly 16 million people targeted for assistance, so far in 2021, despite worsening conditions, said OCHA.

The United Nations seeks urgent funding for Afghanistan’s humanitarian response plan, which requires 1.3 billion U.S. dollars but has received only 485 million dollars, or 38 percent of the request. 

Published : August 05, 2021

By : xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004218

Germany to waive insolvency filing requirement for flood-affected firms

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The repeal of the insolvency filing requirement would apply retroactively from July 10 until the end of October 2021. It still needs final approval by the federal parliament, according to the BMJV.

German companies affected by last month’s catastrophic floods would not have to file for insolvency until the end of October, the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV) announced on Wednesday.
 

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In July, flash floods caused by intense rainfall swept away roads, highways and even entire houses, with at least 180 people killed in the hardest hit federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate alone.

Even companies with “viable and successful business models have found themselves in financial distress,” said Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht. Removing the filing requirement would buy companies time to take advantage of economic aid

The repeal of the insolvency filing requirement would apply retroactively from July 10 until the end of October 2021. It still needs final approval by the federal parliament, according to the BMJV.

The waiver should apply only “as long as the requesting parties are engaged in serious financing or reorganization negotiations and there is a reasonable prospect of reorganization as a result,” the ministry noted.

On July 21, Germany decided to provide at least 400 million euros (around 473 million U.S. dollars) in emergency aid for private individuals affected by the flood. (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollars) .

Photo taken on July 16, 2021 shows roads and houses damaged in flood in Schuld, a town in Ahrweiler, Germany.

Photo taken on July 16, 2021 shows roads and houses damaged in flood in Schuld, a town in Ahrweiler, Germany.

Published : August 05, 2021

By : xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004217

Lebanon needs plan for longer-term recovery: UN deputy chief

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A strong, inclusive, and comprehensive social protection system is needed to ensure the most vulnerable are able to survive the crisis. This is crucial to positioning Lebanon on a path of inclusive growth, decent employment, and social stability, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said.

 UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Wednesday called for arrangements for longer-term recovery in Lebanon as the country is struggling from the aftermath of the Beirut Port blast exactly a year ago.

A 12-month emergency response plan articulates collective priority responses to the critical humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable people in Lebanon. But emergency efforts alone will not solve the crisis, she told an international conference in support of the Lebanese people, co-hosted by France and the United Nations.

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Mohammed spoke on behalf of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres via a video link at the international conference, which took place on the first anniversary of the tragic Beirut Port blast.

“We must help lay the foundations for longer-term recovery, anchored in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” she said.

A strong, inclusive, and comprehensive social protection system is needed to ensure the most vulnerable are able to survive the crisis. This is crucial to positioning Lebanon on a path of inclusive growth, decent employment, and social stability, she said.

“We need an enabling environment to move the needle. Ultimately, Lebanon needs an empowered government poised to rapidly implement the necessary reforms. This includes macroeconomic-fiscal reform, the promotion of accountability and transparency, legislation to ensure the independence of the judiciary and to root out corruption and regulate public procurement.”

She pledged that the United Nations will continue to stand with Lebanon and support the country’s recovery toward sustainable development.

Lebanon is in the throes of one of the worst crises in its recent history. The economy is in freefall, institutions are struggling, basic services are collapsing, society is fracturing, and the population is in dire need, said Mohammed.

The people of Lebanon have endured nearly a year without a government. They deserve strong institutions that can deliver relief, justice and redress, and a government of national interests that can pursue an ambitious course for reforms and restore stability, growth and the prospects for a democratic future that provides opportunities and taps into the full potential of Lebanon’s young women and men.

Over half of Lebanese people now live in poverty. One in three Lebanese suffers from food insecurity. Nearly 4 million people are at risk of not accessing safe water. Hundreds of thousands of children are at risk of dropping out of school. Unemployment is on the rise. People are struggling every day with inflation and acute shortages of fuel, electricity, medicines, and water, she noted.

Increasingly, Lebanese families and migrants, alongside Syrian and Palestine refugees, find themselves in need of direct emergency assistance just to meet basic needs. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to strain Lebanon’s health sector and heavily impact the economy, she said.

Family members of a firefighter martyr are offered his portrait at an art exhibition commemorating the martyrdom of 10 firefighters upon the first anniversary of the Beirut port blast in Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 3, 2021.

Family members of a firefighter martyr are offered his portrait at an art exhibition commemorating the martyrdom of 10 firefighters upon the first anniversary of the Beirut port blast in Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 3, 2021.

Portraits are displayed at an art exhibition commemorating the martyrdom of 10 firefighters upon the first anniversary of the Beirut port blast in Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 3, 2021.

Portraits are displayed at an art exhibition commemorating the martyrdom of 10 firefighters upon the first anniversary of the Beirut port blast in Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 3, 2021.

Published : August 05, 2021

By : xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004216

Delta variant accounts for over 93 pct of new COVID-19 cases in U.S.

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This number is even higher in certain parts of the United States. In the Midwest including Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, Delta variant accounts for more than 98 percent of all new cases.

The Delta variant accounts for an estimated 93.4 percent of all new COVID-19 cases in the United States during the last two weeks of July, according to figures published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday.

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This number is even higher in certain parts of the country, showed the updated figures for the week ending July 31. In the Midwest including Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, Delta variant accounts for more than 98 percent of all new cases.

These figures have shown a rapid increase over the past two months. In the two weeks ending May 22, Delta’s prevalence was estimated around 3 percent.

The daily average of new cases over the past week rose to 66,606 per day, from 40,597 the previous week, an increase of more than 64 percent, CDC said.

Published : August 05, 2021

By : xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004215

Asean sees 95,870 new Covid cases

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The number of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia crossed 7.65 million, with 95,870 new cases reported on Wednesday, higher than Tuesday’s tally of 90,856. There were 2,877 more deaths, increasing from Tuesday’s 2,706 and taking total coronavirus deaths in Asean to 158,783 so far.

Manila mayor Isko Moreno announced a plan to provide Covid-19 jabs to people in the city 24 hours a day for a whole week to cope with the spreading Delta variant.

The Philippine city is recruiting medical volunteers to work night shifts while aiming to relax night curfew from August 6-20 for people travelling to get vaccinated.

As of July 31, 4.6 million people in Manila, or one third of the city’s population, had received at least one jab of Covid-19 vaccine.

Malaysia meanwhile reported 19,819 new cases and 257 deaths on Wednesday, bringing cumulative cases in the neighbouring country to 1,183,110 patients and a total 9,855 deaths so far.

Wednesday’s infections were a new high since the outbreak started, which has sparked public outrage and calls for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to resign.

However, he announced that Parliament would hold a no-confidence debate in September to prove that the majority of people still believe in the government.

Published : August 05, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004213

U.K. to offer covid vaccines to 16- and 17-year-olds, but remains hesitant to go younger

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LONDON – It was a relatively easy call to vaccinate the elderly against the coronavirus and keep them from getting seriously sick. But as rich countries rapidly work their way through the age groups, attention is turning to the vaccination of children, and that raises thorny questions about the protection of the individual versus society.

The debate has been especially contentious in Britain. Just two weeks ago government advisers said that the “minimal benefits” of vaccinating children under 18 didn’t outweigh the potential risks. Yet on Wednesday, those same advisers said 16- and 17-year-olds should get jabbed as soon as possible. Though only one dose for now. And younger children should still wait. Unless they are between age 12 and 15 and medically vulnerable or living with immunosuppressed adults.

The new guidance represents a confusing 90-degree turn for British teens and their families. Even pro-vaccine parents would be forgiven if their heads were spinning with the ever-changing messaging from this government.

Britain’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization said its revised recommendation reflected both the state of the virus in Britain and additional safety data.

“In the last few weeks, there have been large changes in the way COVID-19 has been spreading in the UK, particularly in younger age groups,” the committee said in a statement on Wednesday.

It did not specify what about the spread had influenced the change in thinking, but Britain was hit early and hard by the highly contagious delta variant of the virus, and because so many older people are vaccinated, many of those getting infected are young.

The vaccination committee also cited data suggesting that one dose would provide young people with 80 percent protection against hospitalization. The committee had previously cited concern about serious side effects involving inflammation of the heart muscle or the membrane around the heart, but on Wednesday it offered further assurance that these were “extremely rare” and more of an issue after a second dose.

At a Downing Street news conference, government officials were repeatedly pressed on how much had changed in just two weeks.

“I think people are a bit confused about this changing advice,” said one reporter.

Wei Shen Lim, chair of the vaccination committee, said the advisers now had a greater certainty of data that has influenced their recommendations.

“There is no time to waste in getting on with this,” said Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, noting that children will start returning to school within weeks. “I want us to proceed as fast as is practically possible.”

But health policy experts who have been critical of the government’s hesitancy to inoculate teenagers said officials have been wasting time while getting to even this halfway conclusion, undermining what is otherwise one of the world’s most successful vaccination programs.

“The idea of allowing a pretty much uncharacterized virus tear through our children is utterly reckless and irresponsible, especially because it’s a vaccine-preventable disease,” said Stephen Griffin, a virologist at the University of Leeds.

“I’m very pleased that they are doing this U-turn,” Griffin said. “I hope once the safety data is in they go even younger.”

Peter Kyle, the opposition Labour Party’s point person on schools, tweeted that the government reversal on vaccines for older teens “is too late to make a difference to education when terms starts next month. Government have squandered the opportunity summer offered.”

Britain’s resistance to jabbing the young has made it an outlier in the developed world, where most rich countries are trying to get a needle into the arms of those under 18 as quickly as possible.

The United States and Canada have been vaccinating 12- to 17-year-olds since May. France, Italy and other countries in Europe began in June. Germany was something of a holdout, but this week it decided to move forward on vaccinations for that age group.

Trials are underway to test the vaccines in even younger subjects. Last week, President Biden expressed optimism that children under 12 would become eligible for inoculations in the United States “soon.”

In Britain, regulators authorized use of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine in June for those as young as 12. But when the experts on the government advisory panel delivered their assessment two weeks ago, they concluded: “Until more safety data is available and has been evaluated, a precautionary approach is preferred.”

The government advisers have emphasized the benefits and risks for individual teens. With the new advice on Wednesday, Lim said: “While covid-19 is typically mild or asymptomatic in most young people, it can be very unpleasant for some and for this particular age group, we expect one dose of the vaccine to provide good protection against severe illness and hospitalization.”

But other public health experts say it’s not just a question of risk to the individual but risk for the whole society. Teens can readily become infected and spread the virus to other children and to adults, including those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

Some of the most comprehensive studies on the effects of the coronavirus on children and teens have come out of Britain, and those studies have shown it is very rare for children to get severe covid.

Within England, from the beginning of the pandemic through February of this year, studies calculated that there were about four million cases of covid identified in children, with fewer than 6,000 hospitalizations and 25 deaths.

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Children can suffer from so-called long covid, but a review in the journal Nature reported estimates of how common it is in children “vary wildly.”

A new study published Tuesday by researchers at King’s College London followed 1,734 children, aged 5 to 17, who developed symptoms and tested positive for the coronavirus between September 2020 and February 2021, before the delta variant became dominant. The researchers report that one in 50 children with had symptoms that lasted for more than eight weeks. Two percent – of millions of cases – could be worrisome.

It is well-established that the delta variant of the virus is highly contagious, but researchers are not certain that the strain makes anyone – including young people – more ill.

Some front line health-care workers in the United States are reporting anecdotal evidence from their hospital wards that the delta variant makes for “younger, sicker, quicker” patients. But in Britain, the scientists are awaiting for more evidence.

In England, hospital admissions of those aged 15 to 24 years reached their highest rate since the peak in January 2021, but researchers note that the most likely to be unvaccinated today are the young.

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A preliminary study by Aziz Sheikh and colleagues at Public Health Scotland suggested that the risk of hospitalization was doubled for those infected by the delta variant, when compared to the alpha strain, originally detected in England. But when the alpha version of the virus was rampaging, vaccines were just beginning to be deployed, so comparisons are tricky.

Some commentators in Britain have wondered aloud if the government’s reluctance to inoculate younger people has been driven by concerns about vaccine supply. Health officials insist that supply has never been a limiting factor, though the government has declined to release numbers of available jabs.

Others have argued that the morally responsible move would be to focus on vulnerable people worldwide – not kids in Britain or America.

Andrew Pollard, a leader of the team that developed the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, told lawmakers in May that “it feels completely wrong” to prioritize children in rich countries over older populations in poor countries that don’t have access to vaccines.

“Children have near-to-zero risk of severe disease or death,” Pollard said.

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While it is true that children are less likely to become seriously ill or die, the risk is not zero.

“Kids are not invulnerable to covid, we have long covid to consider, and hospital admissions data show that between 6 and 8% of people in hospital in England are under 18,” said Griffin, of the University of Leeds.

He added that this age group has a lot more social mixing and contacts, “so, in terms of achieving population immunity, you need to target them.”

Vaccination of children under 16 in Britain requires parental approval, and a survey conducted in April and May by the U.K. Office of National Statistics found that almost 9 in 10 parents would definitely, or probably, vaccinate their children against the coronavirus if they could. In a more recent YouGov survey, 53% of parents with underage children said they would get them a shot if the vaccine was available, while 18% said they would not. Twenty-nine percent were unsure.

Educators are also keen to see students vaccinated before their return to school in the fall, to help reduce outbreaks and minimize disruption.

The National Education Union, the biggest teachers union in Britain, said the decision will “help to protect young people, their families and communities and minimise disruption to education next academic year. No one wants thousands of pupils to miss out on school.”

Before the recent term ended, more than 1 million children in England were out of school for covid-19-related reasons in a single week in July, a record. This comes in the wake of schools being closed for months because of the pandemic.

Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor of molecular oncology at Warwick Medical School, said infection among youths is high – which translates into quarantine and missed school days and knock-on mental health impacts.

He warned that Britain may never reach population immunity or herd immunity if children are not vaccinated. People under 18 make up about 20 percent of the British population, and this pool of unvaccinated humans could keep the pandemic going on and on, increasing the risk of new variants. Some estimates suggest 85 percent of a population must be vaccinated or have had a previous infection to stop the pandemic, which would be hard to reach without including children and teens.

“The benefits of vaccination for the young strongly outweigh any risks,” Young said.

Anthony Harnden is a professor of primary care at the University of Oxford and deputy chair of Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization. In a statement, Harden stressed that “the primary aim of the vaccination program has always been to prevent hospitalizations and deaths.”

Meaning: the point of vaccines is not ending the pandemic, which many might argue with.

“The benefits of reducing transmission to the wider population from children are also highly uncertain, especially as vaccine uptake is very high in older people who are at highest risk from serious covid-19 infection,” he said.

Published : August 05, 2021

By : The Washington Post · Karla Adam, William Booth

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004212

Wildfires blaze in Athens outskirts as Greece battles worst heat in 30 years

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Thousands of residents fled their homes in Athens as forest fires swept the north of the city, burning houses, severing electricity supplies and sending plumes of thick smoke into the air as Greece grappled with its worst heatwave in 30 years.

Emergency services worked to contain the flames, in part by sending planes to drop water from the sky. Greek officials confirmed Wednesday that at least 77 people had been hospitalized as a result of the huge blaze in the Varympompi area of Athens.

Temperatures soared to 115.3 degrees Fahrenheit earlier this week as Greece recorded its hottest day on record. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said this week that the country was “facing the worst heatwave since 1987,” during which more than 1,000 people died.

George Patoulis, regional governor of greater Athens, described the fire as “large” and said the heat had dried out the landscape, worsening the conditions. “It will take a lot of work to get this under control,” he said Tuesday on state-run television.

“The fire is still raging, its perimeter is very wide and the heat load is very strong,” a fire brigade official said Wednesday, according to Reuters.

On Wednesday, Greek emergency services took to Twitter to warn residents and tourists of “extreme fire danger” in Rhodes and Crete, and advised people that conditions were “very difficult.”

“Whenever I go outside on the balcony it ‘rains’ ashes from the sky,” tweeted Demetrios Ioannou, a journalist living around 20 miles from the fires raging in Athens.

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The fires come following devastating blazes in nearby Turkey which saw lush green landscapes blackened by the inferno and forced residents force to flee their villages.

At least eight people were killed in the city of Antalya and parts of the country’s Turquoise Coast and livestock across affected areas perished before help arrived.

Turkish authorities said that over the past week, rescue services had battled to contain more than 100 fires.

Climate experts blamed rising temperatures on the widespread devastation which was also seen in Italy where residents in Sicily were evacuated and in Finland, which saw its worst forest fire in half a century.

In The United States, record-breaking heat over the summer triggered fires and stifling smoke.

Last month Greece became the first country in Europe to appoint a chief heat officer in Athens. Eleni Myrivili will be responsible for finding ways to keep the city cool as the world faces more extreme weather conditions as a result of climate change.

The mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, said that finding ways to navigate the consequences of the climate crisis was an issue for cities and countries worldwide.

“Climate change for our city means more frequent and dangerous extreme high temperatures for residents and for tourists who are critical for our economy,” he said.

Published : August 05, 2021

By : The Washington Post · Jennifer Hassan