Water tanks replace springs on a Serbian mountain as drought endangers some 1,000 cows and horses
The early drought that started in May has affected people, animals and crops throughout the Western Balkans , causing water and power restrictions, disruptions in river traffic and problems in agriculture in this part of southeast Europe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Southern Europe Battles Deadly Wildfires
Wildfires were raging on Wednesday in southern Europe, where thousands of firefighters were struggling to beat back flames fed by high winds and scorching heat. Extreme temperatures have gripped much of the region since Friday, fueling fires that had claimed at least two lives in recent days. On Wednesday, the toll continued to climb. At least four more people were confirmed dead from the blazes, which were burning in Spain, Greece, Turkey, Montenegro and Albania. Dozens of people, including firefighters, have been injured. The authorities in Greece have deployed nearly 5,000 firefighters and 62 aircraft, along with several Coast Guard vessels, and they warned on Wednesday of a 'very difficult' day ahead. 'A very high fire risk is predicted for most areas of the country,' Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis, the country's fire service spokesman, said in a Greek-language statement. He said that strong winds were blowing on the popular tourist island of Chios, where a fire had split into two fronts that were nearing residential areas. High winds were also complicating firefighting efforts in Preveza, a city on the western coast, and in Patras, in the northern part of the Peloponnese. Spain has also been hard hit by wildfires this week amid dangerous temperatures that have dried out vegetation across the region, making already arid places even more combustible. At least 14 active fires were burning on Wednesday, the minister of ecological transition, Sara Aagesen, said in an interview on Cadena SER radio. The country's national military emergency unit said in a post on X that at least 1,000 soldiers had been deployed to help fight the fires. Local officials said a 35-year-old volunteer had died fighting the fire in the region of Castilla y León, while seven other people were seriously injured and 8,200 had been evacuated in the region. At least 15 people were injured in the fires in Galicia, the regional emergency services said in a post on X. In Turkey, the interior minister said on Tuesday night that about 1,800 emergency workers and 19 aircraft were battling a blaze in the coastal city of Canakkale. On Wednesday, the government's chief spokesman, Burhanettin Duran, said that a man had been killed when a fire truck overturned. Casualties tied to wildfires were also reported in Montenegro, where the defense ministry said an army sergeant had died and another was seriously injured when the water tanker they were driving overturned, and in Albania, where the government said at least one person died.
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Typhoon Podul brings no major damage as it crosses Taiwan and heads for China
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Typhoon Podul crossed southern Taiwan, where authorities closed schools and government offices as heavy rain threatened more damage to agriculture in the island's southeast. No major damage was reported. The storm hit Taitung county on the east coast shortly after noon, moving across the south of the island at about 36 kilometers (22 miles) per hour. By 5:00 p.m. (0900 GMT) its center was just off Taiwan's west coast, churning out into the Taiwan Strait and China, according to the Central Weather Administration.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
European satellite to step up monitoring of extreme weather
The Ariane 6 rocket on Wednesday blasted off carrying Europe's next generation satellite for warning against extreme weather events. As many European countries simmer in a deadly heatwave, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) said its MetOp-SGA1 satellite will give "earlier warnings to help protect lives and property from extreme weather". "Metop-SGA1 observations will help meteorologists improve short- and medium-term weather models that can save lives by enabling early warnings of storms, heatwaves, and other disasters, and help farmers to protect crops, grid operators to manage energy supply, and pilots and sailors to navigate safely," the agency added. The rocket carrying the four-tonne satellite took off from France's Kourou space base in French Guyana. MetOp-SGA1 was to be put into an 800 kilometre (500 mile) high orbit. It will be Europe's first contribution to a US-led programme, the Joint Polar System, putting up satellites orbiting between the north and south poles. The six monitoring instruments on the satellite are twice as precise as the agency's existing satellite, IASI. It will monitor ocean and land temperatures, water vapour and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the amount of desert dust and cloud cover. "Extreme weather has cost Europe hundreds of billions euros and tens of thousands of lives over the past 40 years -- storms like Boris, Daniel and Hans, record heatwaves and fierce wildfires are just the latest reminders," said Phil Evans, EUMETSAT director-general. "The launch of Metop-SGA1 is a major step forward in giving national weather services in our member states sharper tools to save lives, protect property, and build resilience against the climate crisis." The liftoff was the third by Ariane 6 since its inaugural flight in July last year. The Ariane company said that it had 32 launches planned from Kourou in coming years and that it was aiming to carry out nine or 10 launches each year. fro/tw/giv
