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65 forest fires reported in 24 hoursA total of 65 forest fires broke out in the 24-hour period to 6 p.m., the Fire Service said on Tuesday, warning that the threat of fires remains very high for Wednesday in many regions.Citizens are urged to avoid any open-air activities that can cause a fire by negligence, such as burning dry grass and branches, using machines that create sparks – such as circular saws, welding devices – using outdoor grills, smoking bees, and throwing lit cigarettes.
Meta’s new AI chatbot can’t stop bashing FacebookLaunched on Friday, BlenderBot is a prototype of Meta’s conversational AI, which, according to Facebook’s parent company, can converse on nearly any topic. Asked about Mark Zuckerberg, the bot told BuzzFeed’s Max Woolf that “he is a good businessman, but his business practices are not always ethical. It is funny that he has all this money and still wears the same clothes!”The bot has also made clear that it’s not a Facebook user, telling Vice’s Janus Rose that it had deleted its account after learning about the company’s privacy scandals. “Since deleting Facebook my life has been much better,” it said.
Water firms ‘sold off reservoirs that could have eased drought’Companies gave up sites for reserves without building new ones, says former head of Natural EnglandWater firms have sold off reservoirs that could have helped ease drought to housing developers, the former head of Natural England has said. Dozens of reservoirs across the country have been given up by water companies, while no new ones have been built in the last 30 years. Writing for The Telegraph, Andrew Sells - who was head of Natural England between 2014 and 2019 - said the sell-off, with no replacements, was evidence of water companies putting profits before water resilience. Thames Water, Severn Trent and Southern Water are among those to have sold off some of their reservoirs in recent years. Thames Water, which announced on Tuesday that it would soon bring in a hosepipe ban for its 15 million customers, has sold off 25 reservoirs since the 1980s, according to the GMB Union. That includes a reservoir at Cheshunt, which it sold in 2006 to developers to build 249 flats after the water company said it was no longer needed, as well as a water storage facility in Enfield, sold to a house builder. Dr Andy Hughes, a reservoir expert who has advised Thames Water and Southern Water, said companies often kept reservoir facilities but were unable to use the water from them, as they were no longer connected to working treatment facilities. “Most companies have at least one or two reservoirs that they no longer want,” he said. Water industry sources said companies faced pressure from Ofwat to close old facilities to save money, as well as scrutiny from the regulator over the financial benefit of opening new ones. Water companies say they face widespread opposition in building new reservoir facilities, despite a recognition they will be increasingly needed under drier conditions as a result of climate change. Thames Water has spent more than a decade attempting to construct a £1 billion reservoir to serve more than eight million people in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The plans were first rejected by the government in 2011 and have been the subject of local opposition. There are plans for a handful of new reservoirs across the country, but only one - the £100 million Havant Thicket project, near Portsmouth - actually has planning permission.
Quote65 forest fires reported in 24 hours – using outdoor grills, smoking bees, and throwing lit cigarettes.https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1190867/65-forest-fires-reported-in-24-hours/
65 forest fires reported in 24 hours – using outdoor grills, smoking bees, and throwing lit cigarettes.
Zakynthos village under evacuation orders due to fireThe village of Megala Alonia in the northern part of the Ionian island of Zakynthos is now under evacuation orders as a wildfire threatens the area.Residents have received a message via the 112 emergency number to evacuate toward the village of Ano Volimes.The Fire Service said 24 firefighters with 10 fire engines are working to contain the blaze, assisted by five water-dropping aircraft and one helicopter.
First license for skyscraper in Greece issued, minister saysThe first license for the construction of a skyscraper in Greece was issued late on Tuesday, Development and Investments Minister Adonis Georgiadis said on Wednesday.In an interview with private broadcaster Skai TV, the minister said construction of the 198.85 metre-high tower in Elliniko – to be called the Riviera Tower – is expected to begin in a few weeks.
A tax officer was injured in Argostoli when he and a colleague were 'escorted' from a restaurant having found it to be avoiding tax by not issuing receipts. Allegedly the tax official tripped and fell necessitating a visit to hospital. Police summoned, restaurant issued with a fine and closed for a month.
Alien species invade Med as temperatures head higherExperts are sounding the alarm as the warming of the sea is affecting the Mediterranean ecosystem, which is already stressed from overfishing, plastic pollution, yacht traffic and noise pollution.While the number of alien species is increasing due to rising temperatures, marine mammal populations have declined by 41% in the last 50 years. Indicatively, half of the shark and ray species are considered endangered, and there are no more than 400 monk seals.
Quote from: Maik on Wednesday, 10 August, 2022 @ 20:49:50A tax officer was injured in Argostoli...Maik, think this should be on News Briefs
A tax officer was injured in Argostoli...
Dozens feared dead as migrant boat sinks off the coast of GreeceOfficials say navy and air force efforts to rescue up to 50 people has shown no signs of progress Dozens of people are feared to have died off the coast of Greece after their boat sank while attempting to make the perilous crossing from Turkey.Efforts by Greece’s navy and air force to rescue up to 50 people who went down with the vessel in stormy waters off Rhodes had shown no signs of progress by late Wednesday, coast guard officials said.“There were around 80 people on board according to the 29 men who were rescued in the area at around 5am,” a coast guard official said. “Up to 50 people are still missing.”The boat, which was en route to Italy from Antalya in southern Turkey – an increasingly popular passage for those attempting to get to Europe – sank 38 nautical miles south of Rhodes in seas whipped by gale-force winds. Coast guard officials described the shipwreck as being in international waters.