Latest news with #SakhaRepublic
Reuters
2 days ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Rescuers save families, farm animals and one pet hamster after Russian floods
MOSCOW, July 18 (Reuters) - Rescuers ferried more than 100 people to safety this week, along with their farm animals and pets, after floodwaters caused by heavy rain engulfed villages in a sparsely-populated part of eastern Russia. Emergency crews piloted rubber dinghies down flooded streets in settlements in Russia's Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia, a vast region larger than Argentina. Some villagers clambered out of windows and were taken on piggyback into waiting boats. Rescuers also took in cows, hens and at least one pet hamster, video released by the region's emergencies ministry showed. Yakutia, a swampy and forested region, has been hit by a string of floods and fires in recent years - extreme weather-related events that scientists say are exacerbated by climate change. Authorities have put out 169 forest fires in this fire season alone, which runs roughly from the beginning of May until the end of September. This week, aerial footage showed villages submerged in brackish floods, with just roofs showing among the water. Around a third of those rescued were children, the ministry said. In all, 93 residential buildings were flooded in eight villages, it added.
CTV News
12-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Much more than tug-of-war: Mas-wrestling championships return to Calgary
Stephen Avenue in downtown Calgary is featuring mas-wrestling this weekend. Stephen Avenue set the stage for an emerging sport and show of strength called Mas-wrestling, over the weekend. Organizers say it's quite different than Olympic wrestling. Competitors sit across from each other with their feet against a board while grasping a wooden dowel or stick, called a mas. At the referee's signal, it becomes a tug-of-war type of match. Often one of the wrestlers is launched into the air. Mas wrestling is the national sport Indigenous sport for an indigenous population in the northeast region of Siberia, called the Sakha Republic. 'Since its a new sport people don't really know what it is. They are kind of unsure to try it. But when people sit down and try it, its really easy to learn, its simple and people love it,' Andrew Bolinger, Mas-wrestling North American Championship tournament organizer Calgary hosted the first North American championships in 2024. Winners from Saturday's competition will move onto the world competition in Mongolia July 30 to August 3rd.
