Category World News

Southern Europe battling worst wildfires in decades amid huge blazes

By in News, World News

Firefighters in southern France have warned that a huge fire they have been battling, which spread across an area bigger than Paris, could reignite as the region continues to face a scorching heatwave.

Authorities on Sunday said hot, dry winds and a heatwave would make the work of firefighters even more hazardous.

The fire has ravaged a vast area of France’s southern Aude area, larger than the size of the nation’s capital, killing one person and injuring several.

“It’s a challenging day, given that we are likely to be on red alert for heatwave from 4:00pm (14:00 GMT), which will not make things any easier,” said Christian Pouget, Aude’s prefect.

The fire is no longer spreading but is still burning within a 16,000-hectare area, the chief of the region’s firefighter unit, Christophe Magny, said on Saturday, adding it would not be under control until Sunday evening.

The blaze will “not be extinguished for several weeks”, he said.

Some 1,300 firefighters were mobilised to prevent the blaze from reigniting.

Temperatures this weekend are expected to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas, while Monday is forecast to be the “hottest day nationwide”, according to national weather service Meteo France.

In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, a 65-year-old woman was found dead on Wednesday in her home, which had been engulfed in flames.

Authorities said one resident suffered serious burns and four were lightly injured, while 19 firefighters were hurt.

The blaze – the largest in at least 50 years – tore through 16,000 hectares (40,000 acres) of vegetation, disaster officials said.

Emmanuelle Bernier said she was “extremely angry” when she returned to a devastating scene on her farm, with 17 animals lost in the fire.

“I will definitely change jobs. This will change my whole life,” she told the AFP news agency, with her property now housing just a few geese and two sick goats.

Prime Minister Francois Bayrou visited the area last week, calling the wildfire a “catastrophe on an unprecedented scale”.

“What is happening today is linked to global warming and linked to drought,” Bayrou said.

Fires burning elsewhere in Europe

Elsewhere in Europe, fires also rage, with experts stating that European countries are becoming more prone to such disasters due to intensifying summer heatwaves linked to global warming.

Italian firefighters on Sunday tackled a wildfire on Mount Vesuvius, with all hiking routes up the volcano near Naples closed to tourists.

The national fire service said it had 12 teams on the ground and six Canadair planes fighting the blaze, which has torn through the national park in southern Italy since Friday.

In Greece, emergency services brought numerous fires under control over the last two days, but new outbreaks are likely, due to a lasting drought and strong winds, civil protection officials said on Sunday.

The region southeast of Athens was particularly hard-hit, with almost 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres) of agricultural land, forest and scrubland destroyed, according to the meteorological service.

Wildfires are inevitable, but we can learn to control them

By in News, World News

We are midway through summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and we are witnessing another severe wildfire season. In May, wildfires were burning throughout Russia’s Far East. Last month, wildfires broke out throughout Turkiye, Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria. Fires continue in Portugal, France and Spain. In Canada, the blazes have not stopped since April.

Satellite data show that fires burn on average about 4 million square kilometres (1.5 million square miles) of the planet’s surface each year, including forests. And the number of wildfires is expected to increase by 50 percent by the end of the century.

There are two main reasons for the rise in wildfires.

First, the changing climate is driving protracted and frequent heatwaves and droughts that dry out forests, providing an immediate source of tinder and fuel. In a self-perpetuating cycle, wildfires themselves then billow carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing further to the climate crisis. Fires emitted an estimated 6,199 megatonnes of carbon dioxide globally in 2024.

Second, the way we live and use land today means we are increasingly encroaching on forests and elevating the risk of wildfires. Many of these fires are started by humans for different reasons – such as carelessness and clearing land for agriculture and settlements. And urban infrastructure is edging closer to nature, increasing the danger that fire poses to human lives.

There is no doubt that the costs of wildfires for people and the planet are immense. Wildfires destroy property, crops, businesses and livelihoods and can be especially devastating for developing countries.

But not all fires are bad.

Fires have been part of the Earth’s ecosystem for hundreds of millions of years, occurring naturally on every continent except Antarctica. They can help generate and stimulate the replenishment of ecosystems. They can clear away the layers of litter on the forest floor and add nutrients to the soil, allowing new shoots to grow that provide food for birds and animals. For some plant species, seeds even depend on fires to germinate.

Conducting controlled fires – often during cooler months – is a vital way for people to prevent destructive wildfires before they begin.

For many Indigenous peoples, prescribed burning has been an integral part of land management for millennia, helping to curb dangerous wildfires, encouraging ecological diversity and procuring food by promoting new growth and attracting grazing game animals.

A recent study into the return of Indigenous fire burning in Australia’s Kimberley region showed that the annual massive wildfires in the region had reduced to once-in-a-decade events since the practice was reintroduced by the traditional owners of the land.

The use of fire for sustainable resource management is also one of the recommendations that the organisation I work for, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, is recommending as part of its integrated fire management approach.

Other preventive measures against wildfires are also needed, and community engagement is a key strategy. The practical experience and knowledge held in communities must shape integrated fire management strategies and policies from the ground up. This is essential. Actively engaging communities in decision-making, leveraging local knowledge and practices, and building capacity for fire prevention, preparedness and control can reduce wildfire risks and build long-term resilience.

Another layer of defence is fire early-warning systems. By incorporating drought indices, local traditional knowledge of weather and climatic influences, such systems predict fire-danger conditions and help with planning well before the wildfire season.

Some fires are simply inevitable, however, and having better monitoring mechanisms to detect fires and an appropriate fire extinguishing capacity at the ready is necessary if we are to contain wildfires before they become dangerous. In this way, suppression action can happen before fires grow beyond the possibility of containment. Certain countries already do an excellent job of fire monitoring, but the practice is yet to become standard in others.

Maintaining biodiversity and diverse landscapes – rather than monotonous, fire-prone, human-created landscapes – can also reduce the risk of fire spreading and causing damage and loss.

People must learn to live harmoniously with nature, not simply bend it to their will. That means inappropriate development in fire-prone ecosystems must be discouraged, given that the building of new infrastructure adjacent to wild spaces may play a central role in causing wildfires.

These strategies may sound onerous, but they take up far fewer resources, not to mention fewer lives, than battling uncontrollable wildfires.

With the right measures, humans can coexist with fire.

More than 600 Shia pilgrims hospitalised due to chlorine gas leak in Iraq

By in News, World News

More than 600 Shia pilgrims in Iraq have been briefly hospitalised with respiratory problems after inhaling chlorine as the result of a leak at a water treatment station, according to authorities.

The incident took place overnight on the route between the two Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, in the centre and south of Iraq, respectively.

This year, several million Shia Muslim pilgrims are expected to make their way to Karbala, which houses the shrines of the revered Imam Hussein and his brother Abbas.

There, they will mark the Arbaeen, the 40-day period of mourning during which Shia commemorate the death of Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

‘All pilgrims treated’

In a brief statement, Iraq’s Ministry of Health said “621 cases of asphyxia have been recorded following a chlorine gas leak in Karbala.

“All have received the necessary care and left hospital in good health,” it added.

Security forces charged with protecting pilgrims said the incident had been caused by “a chlorine leak from a water station on the Karbala-Najaf Road”.

Much of Iraq’s infrastructure is in disrepair due to decades of wars, internal conflicts and corruption, with adherence to safety standards often lacking.

Two boxers die from brain injuries in separate bouts in Japan

By in News, World News

Two Japanese boxers have died from brain injuries sustained in separate bouts on the same card at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall.

Shigetoshi Kotari, 28, collapsed shortly after completing a 12-round draw against Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) junior lightweight champion Yamato Hata on August 2.

He underwent emergency brain surgery for a subdural haematoma – a condition in which blood collects between the brain and skull – but died on Friday.

“Rest in peace, Shigetoshi Kotari,” the World Boxing Organization (WBO) wrote on social media. “The boxing world mourns the tragic passing of Japanese fighter Shigetoshi Kotari, who succumbed to injuries sustained during his August 2nd title fight.

“A warrior in the ring. A fighter in spirit. Gone too soon. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, team, and the entire Japanese boxing community.”

On Saturday, 28-year-old Hiromasa Urakawa died after suffering the same injury during a knockout loss to Yoji Saito. He had undergone a craniotomy in an attempt to save his life.

“This heartbreaking news comes just days after the passing of Shigetoshi Kotari, who died from injuries suffered in his fight on the same card,” the WBO said in another social media post on Saturday. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends, and the Japanese boxing community during this incredibly difficult time.”

In response, the Japanese Boxing Commission announced all OPBF title bouts will now be reduced from 12 rounds to 10.

Earlier this year, Irish boxer John Cooney died a week after being taken into intensive care following his Celtic super-featherweight title defeat to Nathan Howells in Belfast.