Latest news with #Rhein
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Major evacuation in Cologne after second world war bombs discovered
The biggest evacuation in Cologne since the second world war is under way after the discovery of three unexploded bombs dropped by allies 80 years ago, causing major disruption to the western German city. About 20,000 people are having to leave their homes and businesses, hotels, a care home for elderly people and a hospital are being forced to evacuate. Three bridges over the river Rhein have been closed and rail traffic has been halted or diverted. Numerous schools, kindergartens, museums and the tram network, as well as the home of the city's philharmonic orchestra, have had to close after the entire old town was brought to a halt. Major broadcaster RTL had to shift its news programmes to studios in Berlin, as its building sits inside the evacuated area of about 1,000 metres in radius. Several programmes that were due to be transmitted live had to be recorded instead, the broadcaster said. The bombs are due to be defused on Wednesday morning. They are US-produced bombs, two are 20 tons and one 10 tons, all of which were discovered on Monday on the right bank of the Rhein during building works near the Deutz ship works. All three are equipped with impact fuzes intended to cause detonation on contact with a hard surface. Volunteers, police and other city authorities will carry out a round of checks ringing on doorbells, calling through letter boxes, and gathering information from residents about their neighbours on Wednesday morning, before attempts to defuse the bombs can start. Police have said they have the authority to use force to remove anyone who refuses to leave voluntarily. Locals can call a hotline or refer to a website for advice. Tents and other facilities such as sport halls and churches outside the evacuated area will be open to provide people with food, refreshments and support, city authorities said. Eighty years after the end of the second world war, such finds are still not unusual in Cologne, which was among Germany's most heavily bombed cities during the conflict. It was hit in 262 air raids carried out by the RAF, sometimes using US-produced bombs, especially towards the end of the conflict. About 20,000 people were killed in the bombing raids. On the night of 30 May 1942, the city was the target of the Royal Air Force's first 'thousand-bomber raid' on a German city. More than 1,000 aircraft were dispatched, flying in a narrow 'bomber stream' formation, the density of which had the effect of overwhelming German radar and defences. On this single night, 868 bombers attacked the city with 1,455 tons of bombs in what was known as Operation Millennium. It is not yet known when the bombs currently awaiting defusing were dropped.
Boston Globe
22-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
A movie on kids' efforts to save the planet shows how childhood lessons endure beyond Earth Day
For many, it goes far beyond a single day of recognition. There are organizations around us that live and breathe sustainability — dedicating their time to educate and take action to preserve and protect our surroundings and planet. Advertisement 'You can drive around almost any town or city and see trash scattered on the sidewalks. (Earth Day) is about educating and inspiring people to take some action every day to change behaviors," said Neil Rhein, founder of Keep Massachusetts Beautiful, a group launched in 2014 with over three dozen participating towns and cities across the Bay State. Advertisement A changing world Fast forward nearly 30 years since that childhood Earth Day project and I'm fortunate to work in a field closely tied to the health of our environment, especially as our atmosphere and oceans continue to change for the worse as we see more extreme weather. It sure is changing. Human-induced global warming has driven the average temperature Over the past decades, sea levels have increased throughout the world, including The increase in global sea levels compared to the 1993-2008 average. NOAA And the data shows just how warm our planet has become compared to the century average. A look at the global average temperature change compared to the 100-year average (1901-2001). NOAA 'Doing something about it' with trash monsters The good news is that year-over-year, the amount of attention given and action taken to help combat our changing Earth has increased — and many are happening right around us. Keep Massachusetts Beautiful Chatting with Rhein recently was eye-opening. After constantly seeing roadway litter piling up in his neighborhood, one day in 2008, he decided to organize the first litter collection journey in Mansfield, Mass. Seventeen years later, he's developed Keep Massachusetts Beautiful as a leading statewide cleanup initiative with one goal in mind — leaving his state a cleaner and greener place to live, work, and play. 'Our network of 42 local chapters blankets the state monthly and seasonally, picking up litter and recycling,' said Rhein. 'Ninety-nine percent of people are bothered by litter and trash, it comes down to civic pride, and you should do something about it.' Keep Massachusetts Beautiful volunteers clean up near the starting line in Hopkinton a few days before the Boston Marathon. KMB The depth of passion to keep the Earth healthy and habitable runs deep. . One example is the Framingham chapter, where Patrick St. Pierre, a member of Keep Framingham Beautiful, is bringing the story of the Save the Earth Club to life in a film by the same name highlighting two local elementary school students' efforts to take action with their classmates to save our planet from trash and pollution. Advertisement 'The goal is to incept the idea of saving the Earth at an early age so we don't have to reteach kids to care about their actions,' said St. Pierre. 'This short movie shows how to fight 'trash monsters' with the help of community, with a call to action for kids to start their own Save the Earth Club to help curb increasing environmental issues and climate change.' The film is expected to come out in the fall. Patrick St. Pierre designed the artwork for the upcoming short movie on Save to Earth Club, which was started by a pair of local elementary students trying to build awareness and take action to protect the planet. Patrick St. Pierre Rhode Island Clean Water Association The Rhode Island Clean Water Association (RICWA) is a non-profit emphasizing non-polluted water. The NPO holds multiple events a year to spread awareness and take action to keep water clean for consumption and for vegetation and agricultural use. They're hosting an Earth Day clean-up toward The New Hampshire Forest Society I thought this group was very unique. A non-profit focused on keeping the forests of New Hampshire protected and flourishing. New Hampshire is one of the nicest wooded states across the country and the 10,000-plus members of the Forest Society are dedicated to protecting the roughly 1 million acres of forest space across the state. Advocating for local and statewide policies, holding clean-ups, spreading information, and promoting good land use are Advertisement 'At the end of the day, you can do a little to save a lot,' said Rhein. Ken Mahan can be reached at
