Police officers help firefighters extinguish a fire in Thrakomakedones, near Mount Parnitha, north of Athens. Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP
Police officers help firefighters extinguish a fire in Thrakomakedones, near Mount Parnitha, north of Athens. Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP
Police officers help firefighters extinguish a fire in Thrakomakedones, near Mount Parnitha, north of Athens. Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP
Police officers help firefighters extinguish a fire in Thrakomakedones, near Mount Parnitha, north of Athens. Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP

Hundreds moved as bushfires rage across Greece for fifth day


Nicky Harley
  • English
  • Arabic

Hundreds of people have been moved from Greece after fires raged for a fifth day in a row.

Ferries took people from the island of Evia, east of Athens, on Saturday.

The fire on Mount Parnitha, on the outskirts of Athens, has forced thousands of people out since late Thursday, with emergency crews facing winds and high temperatures as they battle to contain the blazes.

Bushfires have erupted in many parts of the country amid Greece's worst heatwave in more than 30 years, tearing through tens of thousands of acres of forestland, destroying homes and businesses and killing animals.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called it a "nightmarish summer" and said the government's priority "has been, first and foremost, to protect human lives".

The government planned to reimburse people affected by the fires and would designate the burned land as areas for reforestation, he said.

More than 1,000 firefighters, including reinforcements from Cyprus, France and Israel, have been deployed to fight the fires.

Blazes on Evia, Greece's second biggest island, are scattered from one end on the Gulf of Euboea across to the other, facing the Aegean Sea.

A helicopter drops water onto a forest fire near Malakasa, north of Athens. (Photo by Louisa GOULIAMAKI / AFP)
A helicopter drops water onto a forest fire near Malakasa, north of Athens. (Photo by Louisa GOULIAMAKI / AFP)

Hundreds of people, including many elderly residents, were taken by ferry late on Friday from the town of Limni on Evia as flames reached the shore.

Authorities have battled more than 400 wildfires across Greece in the past 24 hours, with the biggest fronts still burning in the north of Athens, Evia and areas in the Peloponnese, including Mani, Messinia and ancient Olympia, the site of the first Olympic Games.

Massive fires have also been burning across Turkey, Italy and Russia.

In Turkey, eight people have been killed and dozens more taken to hospitals during 10 days of fire.

The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Planes grounded by coronavirus

British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China 

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30

Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong

Ai Seoul:  Suspended all flights to China

Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March

Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February

South Korea's Asiana Airlines,  Jeju Air  and Jin Air: Suspend all flights

Ultra processed foods

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.

Wicked: For Good

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater

Rating: 4/5

Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association
Teaching your child to save

Pre-school (three - five years)

You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.

Early childhood (six - eight years)

Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.

Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)

Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.

Young teens (12 - 14 years)

Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.

Teenage (15 - 18 years)

Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.

Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)

Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.

* JP Morgan Private Bank 

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

The BIO

Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.

Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.

Favourite book: Ian McEwan’s Atonement – the ending alone knocked me for six.

Favourite holiday destination: Italy - music and opera is so much part of the life there. I love it.

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Brief scoreline:

Liverpool 5

Keita 1', Mane 23', 66', Salah 45' 1, 83'

Huddersfield 0

Surianah's top five jazz artists

Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.  

Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.

Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.

Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.

Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.

So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?

Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
 

Updated: August 07, 2021, 1:19 PM