France wildfires force mass evacuation

Wildfires in southern France have forced the evacuation of 10,000 people overnight, officials say.

Hundreds of firefighters have been deployed to battle the fires near Bormes-les-Mimoses, in the country's Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.

France earlier asked its EU neighbours for more help fighting the fires.

Some 4,000 hectares (15.4 sq miles) of land have burned along the Mediterranean coast, in the mountainous interior and on the island of Corsica.

"The evacuations, at least 10,000, followed the progression of the fire," a fire official was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

"It's an area that doubles or triples its population in summer," the official added.

One of the worst fires is raging in an area near the popular resort of Saint-Tropez.

In Corsica, hundreds of homes have been evacuated.

Overall, more than 4,000 firefighters and troops backed by water bombers have been trying to extinguish the flames since Monday.

At least 12 firefighters have been injured and 15 police officers affected by smoke inhalation, officials say.

on Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Sint Maarten jet engine blast kills New Zealand woman

A New Zealand woman has died on the Caribbean territory of Sint Maarten after the blast from a powerful jet engine knocked her to the ground.

The incident happened at the famous Princess Juliana International Airport, which is just metres from the beach.

Beachgoers can walk up to the airport fence as planes take off.

Police said the 57-year-old woman had been holding on to the fence before the force of the jet engines threw her backwards, causing serious injury.

She was taken to hospital for treatment, but died later.

Danger signs

The particular stretch of beach on the Dutch territory is popular with tourists, partly because the planes fly extremely low over the sand before landing.

The beginning of the runway is just 50m (160ft) from the fence on Maho beach, and about the same distance to the waterline.

There are prominent warning signs in the area instructing beachgoers not to stand near the fence because of the dangerous air blasts.

on Thursday, July 13, 2017

US storms: Missouri floods close Mississippi near St Louis

South-west of St Louis, a section of Interstate 44 was closed by flooding near the town of Rolla while part of Interstate 70 was also closed in the neighbouring state of Illinois.

Many other smaller roads were also closed across the two states, where flood warnings were in effect.

Floods also inundated a wastewater treatment plant south of St Louis on Monday, causing sewage to flow directly into rivers and streams.

The flooding in Missouri and southern Illinois began over the weekend after as much as 10ins (25cm) of rain fell in some areas in a matter of hours.

It came after severe storms over the Christmas holiday claimed at least 49 lives across southern and western states of the US.

Parts of eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas and Illinois are still subject to flood warnings.

on Friday, June 30, 2017

Syria war: US-backed forces 'surround IS in Raqqa'

It is believed that up to 100,000 people are trapped by the fighting. Reports continue to emerge of IS militants preventing civilians from fleeing.

Up to 4,000 militants are believed to be holed up inside Raqqa.

More than 300,000 people have lost their lives in six years of conflict in Syria, which began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad before escalating into a full-scale civil war. Eleven million other people have been displaced by the fighting.

on Thursday, June 29, 2017

Okja: A genetic super pig and the environment

The environment may have been a running theme but sinister notions of capitalism, greed and the global economy also played a role.

"They'll eat it if it's cheap," snaps CEO Lucy Mirando in a telling scene after she's confronted with hesitations about public discomfort surrounding her organisation's meat products.

"It is reasonable to fear the potential disasters and dangers that genetically-modified foods may bring," Bong said.

"There are people who say the danger of GM foods is being overly exaggerated but nobody is able to prove their safety either."

on

Friendship Between Tanzania actors and Others

on Tuesday, June 27, 2017

GOOD NEWS TO ALL TANZANIAN FROM JWTZ

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