Compulsory breaks for food delivery riders as Greece heatwave persists
The labour ministry's order prohibits these activities from midday to 5pm in central Greece and several islands, with employers also advised to offer remote work options.
This measure comes as a heatwave is set to grip the country until Thursday, following similar extreme temperatures experienced across Europe.
Greek authorities are implementing long-term strategies to address the effects of climate change, including the deployment of a record number of firefighters this summer.
The country has recently battled significant wildfires, including one on Crete that necessitated the evacuation of 5,000 tourists, and another near Athens.
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The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ted Cruz was overseas again when disaster hit Texas - but his team claims he ‘promptly' booked a flight home this time
Texas Senator Ted Cruz was overseas again when devastating floods struck his home state, but this time he promptly got on a flight home, his team claimed. Cruz was in Greece visiting the Parthenon in the capital city of Athens this weekend as disaster hit in Texas, reminiscent of when he went to Cancun, Mexico, in 2021 during one of the worst winter storms in the state's recent history. At least 95 people, including children, have died after heavy rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to swell in central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. In a statement, Cruz's team confirmed the senator was in the middle of his family vacation and said he got back 'as fast as humanly possible.' 'The Senator was already in the middle of preplanned family vacation travel overseas when the flooding occurred on July 4. Within hours, he spoke by phone with Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick, Texas Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd, and President Trump, working to ensure that the maximum federal assets were available for search and rescue,' Cruz's office said in a statement to The Independent. 'He and his team worked closely with local officials and with families of missing girls throughout that time. He promptly booked a flight back home. Given the time difference, he left Athens on Sunday morning and was back in Texas that night. And he was in Kerrville on the ground early Monday morning,' the statement added. Cruz's vacation was first reported by The Daily Beast after an anonymous eyewitness told the outlet they spotted him at the Parthenon around 6 p.m. local time/11 a.m. ET Saturday. '20 kids dead in Texas and you take a vacation?' the eyewitness claimed they asked the senator, who 'sort of grunted and walked on.' On July 4, Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp, announced that more than 20 girls were missing. They have since confirmed that 27 girls and staff members were killed in the disaster. According to The Daily Beast, Cruz arrived in Greece on July 3. On July 2, the Texas Division of Emergency Management announced it was activating state emergency response 'in anticipation of increased threats of flooding in parts of West and Central Texas,' the warning said. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, acting as governor for Gregg Abbott who was out of state, called a press conference that night to warn of the flooding when Cruz was touching down in Athens. The next day, on July 4, Patrick called a second press conference. On July 5, Cruz and his wife were seen at the Parthenon before returning to the U.S. the next day, the Daily Beast reported. Cruz's team did not specifically respond to questions The Independent put to them about the senator's timeline. The Texas Republican's communications director Macarena Martinez accused the outlet of having 'no regard for the tragedy in Texas' in a post on X. 'A bull**** piece published by a bull**** rag outlet with no credibility, and with no regard for the tragedy in Texas,' Martinez said in a post on X Monday. 'The Senator is on the ground in Texas and arrived as fast as humanly possible. I explained all of this to their two-faced reporter,' she wrote. Cruz faced a wave of backlash in 2021 after he went to Cancun during a harsh winter storm, which left thousands of Texans without heat or water. The scandal earned him the nickname of 'Cancun Cruz.' He later apologized and admitted it was 'obviously a mistake.' 'In hindsight, I wouldn't have done it,' he said.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ted Cruz blasted for vacationing in Greece during devastating Texas floods as he admits 'something went wrong'
Senator Ted Cruz was once again caught vacationing as a crisis struck Texas. Deadly floods struck the Texas Hill Country over the weekend, taking countless lives including dozens of girls at summer camp. Cruz meanwhile was seen vacationing in Athens, Greece over the weekend after casting his vote on Trump's budget bill last week. Photos of the vacationing Senator and his wife Heidi were first published by the Daily Beast. 'A bull*** piece published by a bull*** rag outlet with no credibility, and with no regard for the tragedy in Texas,' Cruz's spokeswoman Macarena Martinez wrote on X, sharing the Daily Beast's story about Cruz. 'The Senator is on the ground in Texas and arrived as fast as humanly possible. I explained all of this to their two-faced reporter,' Martinez also added in her reply. After learning of the tragedy striking his home state and making his way back to America, Cruz participated in a briefing with other Texas officials Monday.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Italy hit by 'water bomb' floods as southern France battles wildfires
Italy has been hit by deadly 'water bomb' floods while southern France battles ferocious wildfires as wild weather continues to devastate Europe. Tragically, one woman lost her life in Lombardy, northern Italy, after a furious storm caused a tree to come crashing down to the ground. Viviana Maria Baldassini, 63, from San Vittore Olona, died after being crushed by the tree trunk as she walked alongside her two friends who were both airlifted to hospital with injuries. In Lombardy, an orange weather warning has been in place since Saturday with widespread damage and destruction recorded over the weekend. Just 50 miles away in Milan, severe flooding was reported as underpasses and roads were closed as a precaution. Traffic caused backlog on the roads and parks were closed due to the risk of falling trees. 'In Milan, in less than two hours, 50mm of rain, more than 40 interventions for fallen branches and trees and three closed underpasses,' the councilor for Public Works and Civil Protection of Milan, Marco Granelli said. On Sunday evening, lightning terrifyingly struck a train on the Milan-Rome high-speed line near the town of Melegnano. The vehicle was halted for safety checks and travellers witnessed delays of up to 70 minutes. The horror weather continued to spread through the country, with Piedmont, a region of Italy bordering France and Switzerland hit with strong, destructive winds. A roof of an apartment in a residential area was blown off by the gusts, which also knocked down a tree in a local park. There were no reported injuries. Also in the northern regions of Emilia-Romagna and Friuli-Venezia Giulia there were temporary blackouts due to the ferocious storms, as hailstorms left Genoa battered. Beauty spots Tuscany and Florence were also hit hard with bad weather as trees toppled on to parked cars and rains lashed down on to the usually sunny regions. In the Florence commune of Montespertoli, lightning chillingly split a cypress tree in half as it was revealed in local media that over the course of 12 hours, over over 27 thousand lightning strikes were recorded throughout the region. On Monday, the northern and central regions continued their relentless battle against the freak bad weather with the risk of violent storms, hailstorms and strong winds, especially in the Alps and Prealps, remaining high. After a partial improvement expected this afternoon, new rainfall is set to batter Italy in the evening. In the south, however, it is still extremely hot. From mid-week, meteorologists predict the return of the African anticyclone. Temperatures are set to rise with peaks of 38C to 40C expected in Basilicata, Puglia and Sicily. Italy has placed 21 cities on red alert, including important ones, such as Rome, Milan and Naples. Emergency rooms reported a 10 percent rise in heatstroke cases, according to Mario Guarino of the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine. Elsewhere, countries across the Mediterranean are battling fast-spreading wildfires and soaring temperatures as a heatwave sweeps through Southern Europe and parts of the Middle East, prompting evacuations and emergency alerts. Blazes broke out in Greece, Turkiye, France and Syria on Sunday, with several other nations on high alert as forecasters warned that the scorching weather would intensify in the coming days. Emergency teams and ambulances were stationed near popular tourist destinations, while meteorologists warned that extreme heat events are becoming more frequent and intense. France saw wildfires break out in the Corbieres region of Aude in the southwest, where temperatures soared above 40C. A campsite and a historic abbey were evacuated due to the levels of danger. Meteo France placed 84 of the country's 101 departments under orange-level heat alerts on Monday. Fires are ongoing in Estézargues, Portel-des-Corbières and Fréjus, where tourists are reportedly being evacuated due to the blaze's proximity to a campsite, reports Connexion France . The emergency services also remain mobilised in Moux and Fabrègues, although the fires have now been largely contained. But large areas of France remain on high alert for wildfires, following last weeks heatwave, as firefighters are bracing for further incidents in the weeks to come. In Var, a fire started at Fréjus near the Camping du Colombier at around noon on Monday. Within one hour, 95 firefighters were at the scene. By 2pm, they declared the fire was under control, but it continued to burn on over two hectares of land. In Hérault, a fire began in Fabrègues early on Saturday afternoon, spreading rapidly to neighbouring Mireval, forcing the authorities to order several home evacuations and cutting power to hundreds of homes. At its peak, over 400 firefighters, four Canadair water bombers, and more than 60 vehicles were deployed. Fire crews worked through the night, and by 02:00am on July 7 the blaze was declared 'under control' by Jérôme Bonnafoux, spokesperson for the Hérault fire service. Nearly 400 hectares of brushland and pine forest were affected, although the final figure is expected to be revised after full mapping with drones. 'The wind has picked up again this morning,' Mr Bonnafoux told Franceinfo on Sunday, 'and though the temperature has dropped slightly, we are keeping watch to prevent any reignition.' In Spain, the national weather agency AEMET reported temperatures reaching 44C in parts of Extremadura and Andalusia. 'I feel that the heat we're experiencing is not normal for this time of year,' said Diego Radames, a 32-year-old photographer in Madrid, speaking to the AFP news agency. 'Madrid just keeps getting hotter.' Portugal also faced extreme conditions, with the capital, Lisbon, under a red warning until Monday night. Two-thirds of the country was on high alert for wildfires and extreme heat.
