Greek firefighters beat back wildfires
Firefighters faced "scattered" pockets of flames around Patras, Greece's main port to Italy, after an overnight struggle, fire department spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said.
The fire close was "still active" however in the eastern outskirts of the city of 250,000, he said.
Citing data from the EU's Copernicus satellite monitoring programme, the Athens national observatory said fires in the Patras area, the Aegean island of Chios, the Ionian island of Zakynthos and near the western city of Preveza had burned over 10,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land.
Authorities said three men aged 19 to 27 had been detained on suspicion of starting some of the fires around Patras on Tuesday.
"There are clear signs and even proof of malicious activity that led to these fires," Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis told a news briefing.
He added that fire services had been called to an average of 70 blazes daily, up from an average of around 40.
Officials on Wednesday evacuated a children's hospital and a retirement home as the fire moved close to Patras.
The ambulance service said over 70 people, including several firefighters, had been treated for minor burns and respiratory problems, many of them in the Patras area.
Many of the stricken areas remained without water or electricity on Thursday.
Patras' communist Mayor Kostas Peletidis this week criticised the government for not sending enough aerial support.
Kefalogiannis, of the ruling conservative party, hit back Thursday claiming that the mayor had encouraged citizens to ignore evacuation orders.
Alexandros Dimitrakopoulos, a forestry professor at Thessaloniki's Aristotle University, said forest fires in Greece now regularly threaten urban areas.
"We have seen it in (the greater Athens area) since 2021, now in Patras," he told state TV ERT.
Other important fires continued to burn on the islands of Zakynthos and Chios and near Preveza. Some 600 emergency crew and nearly 30 water bombing aircraft were deployed in all locations.
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Eyewitness News
17 hours ago
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Trump drops Ukraine ceasefire demand after Putin summit
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IOL News
a day ago
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India's bold economic play: Adapt or lose!
Director of the National Gandhi Libray from New Delhi,India Professor Annamalai Alagan addresses guests at the 132nd anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi forcibly ejected at the Pietermaritburg railway station. New Delhi has chosen a different path: swift recalibration, strategic diversification, and an unflinching focus on long-term resilience. Image: Rajesh Jantilal / File IN THE grand theatre of global economics, protectionism and Trump's Economic Nationalism, which have reshaped global trade, India has once again demonstrated why it remains one of the most adaptive players in the Global South and BRICS+ nations. The recent tariff shocks unleashed by the Trump administration, which have been boisterous, sudden, and strategically disruptive, have sent weaker economies into a spiral of retaliatory rhetoric or defensive stagnation. But India, true to form, responded with the quiet pragmatism of a nation that understands the oldest rule of economic survival: adapt or perish. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus once declared: 'The only constant in life is change.' India, a cornerstone of the BRICS Plus bloc, seems to have internalised this wisdom better than most. While Washington's nationalist and protectionist trade policies have forced many nations into reactive posturing, New Delhi has chosen a different path: swift recalibration, strategic diversification, and an unflinching focus on long-term resilience. For Africa, a continent still wrestling with the ghosts of colonial era resource dependency and sluggish industrialisation, India's playbook offers not just inspiration, but an urgent blueprint. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ When the US government under Donald Trump announced aggressive tariffs on Indian exports, the immediate reaction in some quarters was one of outrage. After all, India and the US have enjoyed a steadily deepening trade relationship, with bilateral exchanges exceeding $100 billion (about R18 trillion) in recent years. Yet, rather than succumbing to knee-jerk protectionism or hollow threats, India's policymakers went to work quietly, methodically, and with the precision of a chess grandmaster anticipating the next move. Reports from *Economic Times* reveal that New Delhi is already crafting a multipronged response to counter stiff US tariffs through enhanced export incentives, tax rebates for manufacturers, and a renewed push to deepen trade ties with Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia while continuing trade negotiations with Washington. This is not the behaviour of an economy caught off guard; it is the hallmark of a leadership that sees crisis as an opportunity for growth and its national interest in guarding its every move. Compare this to the trajectory of many African economies, where trade policy often remains shackled to raw material exports and reactive rather than proactive adjustments. South Africa, once the continent's undisputed industrial powerhouse, has seen its manufacturing base erode over decades, leaving it overly reliant on mineral exports even as global demand patterns shift, while still beholden to Cold War slogans. The lesson? Economic resilience is not about the absence of shocks, but the capacity to diversification as an end and not a means to an end. India's agility in the face of US trade pressures is not happening in a vacuum. As a key member of BRICS+, New Delhi has not only diversified its trade partnerships but has also made strategic inroads into Africa's critical industries. Indian firms now dominate the continent's steel sector, control vast iron ore mining operations, and have positioned themselves as leading suppliers of lab-grown diamonds. This shift has sent shockwaves through traditional diamond producers like Botswana, which failed to anticipate the global consumer shift away from organic diamonds. While Botswana struggles to adjust to the reality that 'diamonds are not forever', India's lab-grown diamond exports are booming, proving once again that foresight and adaptability define economic survival. This is not just about circumventing tariffs; it's about rewriting the rules of engagement in a world where economic power is no longer monopolised by a handful of Western capitals. For Africa, the implications are profound. The continent remains the world's last great frontier of consumer market growth, yet too many of its economies remain trapped in the colonial era role of raw material suppliers. If India, a fellow developing economy, can reposition itself as a global manufacturing and services hub while navigating US protectionism, why can't Africa's industrial bases do the same? Africa's struggle with diversification is not for lack of opportunity. The African Continental Free Trade Area promises to be the world's largest single market, yet progress remains frustratingly slow. 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Trump's tariffs may have been designed to force concessions, but New Delhi's response has been something far more powerful: a demonstration of resilience that Africa would do well to emulate. In the end, Heraclitus was right: change is the only constant. But the real question is: In the Global South, who will change or perish? India, it seems, already has its answer. Africa must now find its own. * Phapano Phasha is the chairperson of The Centre for Alternative Political and Economic Thought. ** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media. Get the real story on the go: Follow the Sunday Independent on WhatsApp.
eNCA
3 days ago
- eNCA
Greek firefighters beat back wildfires
Greek firefighters gained ground Thursday against a wildfire outside the third-largest city of Patras, while planes bombed water on blazes on three other fronts. Firefighters faced "scattered" pockets of flames around Patras, Greece's main port to Italy, after an overnight struggle, fire department spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said. The fire close was "still active" however in the eastern outskirts of the city of 250,000, he said. Citing data from the EU's Copernicus satellite monitoring programme, the Athens national observatory said fires in the Patras area, the Aegean island of Chios, the Ionian island of Zakynthos and near the western city of Preveza had burned over 10,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land. Authorities said three men aged 19 to 27 had been detained on suspicion of starting some of the fires around Patras on Tuesday. "There are clear signs and even proof of malicious activity that led to these fires," Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis told a news briefing. He added that fire services had been called to an average of 70 blazes daily, up from an average of around 40. Officials on Wednesday evacuated a children's hospital and a retirement home as the fire moved close to Patras. The ambulance service said over 70 people, including several firefighters, had been treated for minor burns and respiratory problems, many of them in the Patras area. Many of the stricken areas remained without water or electricity on Thursday. Patras' communist Mayor Kostas Peletidis this week criticised the government for not sending enough aerial support. Kefalogiannis, of the ruling conservative party, hit back Thursday claiming that the mayor had encouraged citizens to ignore evacuation orders. Alexandros Dimitrakopoulos, a forestry professor at Thessaloniki's Aristotle University, said forest fires in Greece now regularly threaten urban areas. "We have seen it in (the greater Athens area) since 2021, now in Patras," he told state TV ERT. Other important fires continued to burn on the islands of Zakynthos and Chios and near Preveza. Some 600 emergency crew and nearly 30 water bombing aircraft were deployed in all locations.
