News Trending

Oder river: Mystery surrounds thousands of fish deaths

By 645 0

Officials from Poland and Germany are attempting to determine what is causing a large-scale fish die-off in the Oder river, which divides the two nations. Since late last month, hundreds of kilometres of the river have been covered in thousands of dead fish.

Although tests have been conducted, it is believed that a harmful substance entered the water. However, the precise chemical is yet unclear. The German government has issued warnings about an impending environmental catastrophe and has advised people to stay away from the river.

However, activists have accused the government of both nations of neglecting to cooperate in order to promptly respond to the tragedy and protect people. Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister of Poland, fired two environmental officials on Friday for how they handled the situation.

German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke demanded a thorough inquiry into the incident and stated that investigators were working “full out” to determine its cause. Following the first complaints of a problem from Polish fishermen and anglers as early as July 28, tonnes of dead fish are alleged to have been pulled from the river.

According to the news agency AFP, the Oder is a river that is typically regarded as clean and serves as a habitat for 40 domestic fish species. However, a representative of the Brandenburg state in eastern Germany claimed test findings indicated elevated oxygen levels in the water, suggesting the presence of an alien material.

According to Katarzyna Kojzar, a journalist for the Polish investigative website OKO.press, beavers, birds, and ducks have also been impacted.

However, a heatwave and record low water levels on the Oder meant that fish were already in trouble, according to Christian Wolter of the Leibniz Institute.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Medusa festival: One killed as strong winds cause stage collapse in Spain

By 590 0

Early on Saturday, heavy winds at a festival in Spain caused pieces of a stage to fall, leaving one man dead and at least 40 others hurt.Video of the festival in Cullera, south of Valencia, showed some attendees scurrying away in fear while others could be seen carrying on with their revelry.

Later, the well-known electronic music festival Medusa was cancelled. According to local media, the deceased man was in his 20s. Three of the victims experienced severe trauma. Witnesses described an unexpected sandstorm that hit the festival site. In the country’s eastern coastal region at the time, winds gusting over 80km/h (50mph) were reported by Spain’s meteorological agency.

One of the attendees informed Spanish media that they were “in a state of disbelief.” “Anyone could have done it, including myself,”

The event’s organisers posted a statement on Facebook in which they expressed their “devastation and sadness” at what had occurred.

They said “severe strong winds” damaged the venue’s infrastructure at around 4:00 local time (02:00 GMT), and the decision to evacuate the area was made right away.

Picture Courtesy: google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Suspected bank robber rescued from tunnel near Vatican

By 666 0

Police believe an Italian guy who was pulled from a collapsed tunnel not far from the Vatican may have been trying to tunnel his way into a bank. After firefighters spent eight hours pulling him out from beneath a road, he is now recovering in a hospital.

However, given that he and another man were both taken into custody by police for “resisting a public authority,” he may now need to bail himself out of even more trouble. He might have been a member of a gang trying to rob a bank, according to police speculation.

A police spokesman told the AFP news agency, “We are still investigating; we do not exclude that they are thieves, it is one of the ideas.

The two were also held for causing damage to public property. According to local media, the reason is obvious because the tunnel was discovered close to a bank just before the long weekend on August 15, when the majority of the city is empty.

The Corriere della Sera daily’s headline read, “The whole gang.”

Picture Courtesy: google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

France firefighters battle ‘monster’ wildfire near Bordeaux

By 543 0

Almost 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of woodland have already been burnt by a “monster” wildfire in southwest France, according to officials. A number of homes have been destroyed by the raging fire nearby Bordeaux, which has also compelled 10,000 locals to escape.

Gregory Allione, a firefighter spokesperson, told France’s RTL Radio that “it’s an ogre, it’s a monster.” The firefighting effort is being hampered by strong winds and hot heat. Austria, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Romania, according to President Emmanuel Macron, “are coming to aid” France in putting out the fire. He tweeted, “European solidarity at work!”

Several other European nations, including France, have experienced a wave of catastrophic wildfires this summer as a result of the continent-wide drought and high heat. In Portugal and Spain, the heat has been blamed for more than 1,000 fatalities.

With temperatures expected to reach 37C (99F) in some regions over the next four days, the UK has now issued an amber extreme heat warning. The officials warn that the heatwave would likely have an impact on transportation, working conditions, and health. About 30 kilometres (19 miles) south-east of Bordeaux, in the Gironde region of France, a sizable wildfire has been burning for the past two days close to the community of Landiras.

Picture Courtesy: google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Domino’s: the fast food juggernaut departs from Italy, the birthplace of pizza

By 616 0

According to sources, Domino’s Pizza’s final locations in Italy have been shut down as a result of the bankruptcy of the company that ran its locations there. According to Bloomberg, who broke the news, the pandemic affected franchise owner ePizza SpA.

Since its arrival in the pizza capital in 2015, Domino’s had had trouble attracting customers. Some social media users rejoiced at the news of the fast food giant’s departure from the nation. After being adversely affected by coronavirus restrictions, EPizza SpA initially declared bankruptcy in the beginning of April.

“The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent and prolonged restrictions from a financial point of view have seriously damaged ePizza,” the company said.

The business also said that as more conventional eateries began utilising delivery apps, competition was growing. The company received 90 days of creditor protection as part of the bankruptcy process. However, that defence expired last month.

Since its peak in 2020, the Italian company has already begun to reduce its operations, and deliveries ceased at the end of July. According to the bankruptcy records, as of 2020, the company operated 23 stores in Italy directly and six more through sub-franchising.

With more than 1,200 locations, the UK and Ireland is by far the largest Domino’s market in Europe. The largest pizza company in the world has more than 18,300 locations throughout more than 90 different countries, the majority of which are franchisee-run.

Domino’s set out to differentiate itself from the country’s traditional pizza producers seven years ago by offering a thorough home delivery service and a distinctive menu that featured US-style toppings like pineapple. Nevertheless, it encountered escalating competition during the epidemic as neighbourhood eateries joined services like Deliveroo and Just Eat for meal delivery.

Some social media users applauded the news that Domino’s was abandoning the birthplace of pizza.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending War

Russia using Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as army base – Ukraine

By 655 0

According to the CEO of Ukraine’s nuclear power corporation, Russian forces occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station have turned the facility into a military base from which to assault Ukrainian positions.

The plant was under “huge” threat, but it was still safe, Petro Kotin told the BBC. Russia and Ukraine have been blaming one another for attacks on the station, Europe’s largest nuclear plant, for days now, heightening fears of a serious accident. The complex is still run by Ukrainian experts despite being occupied by Russia since early March.

Over the weekend, Ukraine accused Russian forces of bombing the Soviet-era plant, claiming three radiation monitors were damaged and two personnel were hospitalised with shrapnel wounds.

Enerhoatom’s CEO, Mr. Kotin, made unconfirmed accusations that 500 Russian military were stationed at the factory and had set up rocket launchers nearby.

Because nobody from Ukraine is likely to take action, “They [Russian soldiers] utilise it [the power plant] like a shield against the Ukrainian military,” Mr. Kotin stated.

“Any attack [on] a nuclear plant is a suicidal thing,” declared UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia’s actions “nuclear terrorism.”

However, Russia refuted the charges and claimed that the strikes were the work of Ukrainian forces. According to the nation’s defence ministry, the shelling had damaged a high-voltage power cable.

A Washington-based think tank called the Institute for the Study of War claimed last week that Russia was exploiting Western concerns about a nuclear disaster by building the facility, “presumably in an effort to weaken Western will to offer military support” to Ukraine.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

Entertainment News Trending

Roger E. Mosley: Magnum P.I. actor dies aged 83 after car crash

By 641 0

The original Magnum P.I. actor Roger E. Mosley, who starred in all eight seasons, passed away at the age of 83. He played Theodore “T.C.” Calvin, Tom Selleck’s character’s friend and a helicopter pilot.

Last week, Mosley passed away as a result of injuries received in an automobile accident in Lynwood, Los Angeles. His death was verified to the Hollywood Reporter by his daughter Ch-a, who had earlier informed fans about the vehicle accident. We could never grieve such a lovely man, she later remarked on Facebook. Any wailing made in his honour would make him angry. It is time to honour the legacy he has left for all of us.

“I love you daddy. You loved me too. My heart is heavy but I am strong. I will care for mommy, your love of almost 60 years. You raised me well and she is in good hands. Rest easy.”

Tina Andrews, a friend of his, tweeted: “What a nice guy and talented actor who had fantastic parties. R.I.P., Roger. We will miss you and how much we loved you.”

Critics liked Mosley’s portrayal of The Midnight Special musician Huddie Ledbetter in the 1976 film Leadbelly.

Additionally, he made cameos in the movies Sweet, Jesus Preacherman, The Mack, Hit Man, The Greatest, and Darktown Strutters.

However, Mosley’s most well-known part was in Magnum P.I., where he appeared in 158 of the show’s 162 episodes from 1980 to 1988.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending War

Ukraine war: Four more grain ships leave Ukraine as hopes grow for export stability

By 606 0

Through a secure maritime route, four more ships transporting grain and sunflower oil have departed Ukrainian ports. Due to Russian blockades, millions of tonnes of grain were delayed in Ukraine, causing shortages and higher food costs outside.

However, the first ship to leave Ukrainian ports since February did so last week. The most recent ships to leave port are headed for Turkey where they will be examined as part of an agreement negotiated with Russia and the UN. They began their journey over the Bosphorus strait on Sunday from the ports of Odessa and Chornomorsk.

Two are then slated to dock in Turkey following the inspections, with the other two sailing to Italy and China.

On Sunday afternoon, a new empty ship made her way to Chornomorsk and is now waiting to be loaded with grain for export.

Russia agreed last month not to attack ships that were in transit, and Ukraine said it would direct ships through mined seas as part of a pact mediated by Turkey and the UN.

If both parties concur, the 120-day agreement may be extended.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Croatia bus crash: Twelve Polish pilgrims killed and 32 injured

By 597 0

Twelve people were killed on Saturday in Croatia when a bus transporting Polish pilgrims ran off the road and into a ditch. According to reports, all 32 still alive passengers had injuries, 19 of them badly. Three priests and six nuns were part of the journey, which was planned by the Catholic organisation Brotherhood of St. Joseph. They were going to the Bosnian Catholic site of Medjugorje.

The Polish Foreign Ministry reported that all of the passengers were adults from Poland.

When the bus they were riding in drove off the A4 road between Jarek Bisaski and Podvorec, northeast of Zagreb, the accident occurred at about 05:40 local time (04:50 GMT).

Two Polish ministers are travelling to Croatia in response to the catastrophe, and Poland’s justice minister and prosecutor general have directed the Warsaw Prosecutors Office to begin an investigation into the circumstances leading up to the disaster.

Although 11 deaths were first reported, one more passed away later in a hospital.

They were all pilgrims, mostly from the Masovian province’s Radom and Sokolow, which also contains Warsaw, the capital of Poland.

The driver was not believed to be one among the dead, according to the Polish Foreign Ministry, but this has not yet been verified. Andrej Plenkovi, the prime minister of Croatia, sent his sympathies to the relatives of the victims and said in a tweet that the emergency services were doing everything they could to assist. Poland is a very famous destination for pilgrims because of rumours that in the 1980s, local youngsters witnessed an apparition of the Virgin Mary there.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

French mayor threatens €15,000 deposit to climb Mont Blanc

By 561 0

According to a French mayor, climbing the Mont Blanc now requires a €15,000 (£12,640; $15,370) deposit to cover rescue and potential funeral expenses. Mayor of Saint-Gervais, a town at the base of Western Europe’s tallest mountain, with a summit elevation of 4,807 meters, is Jean-Marc Peillex.

He claimed that those who disregarded warnings and climbed the mountain through the Goûter route were “playing Russian roulette.” Rockfalls have risen due to the hot wave. According to Mayor Peillex, the average cost of a mountain rescue is €10,000, while the average cost of a burial is €5,000. In a press release, he stated that it was unacceptable for the French taxpayer to bear those expenses.

According to his statement on the village’s official website, mountaineers coming from Saint-Gervais or the adjacent Alpine resort of Chamonix were no longer being taken by mountain guides up the well-known Goûter route, also known as the Royal Way. Their ruling is valid until no later than the middle of August.

Some “pseudo climbers,” according to Mayor Peillex, insisted on going up the mountain “with death in their knapsack.”

“I wanted to make people respond, to understand that today going up is incredibly risky, nearly suicidal,” he told the BBC.

Rockfalls have forced him to close the mountain refuges at Goûter and Tête Rousse until further notice.

He has not yet issued a legal ruling on the proposed deposit, but has the power to impose it, he told the BBC. He said the amount “has to be startling to focus attention on this”. “If anyone thinks it’s illegal they can go to court to challenge it,” he added.

He said a group of Romanians were found on the mountain on 30 July wearing shorts and trainers. A police helicopter ordered them through a loudhailer to turn back, he said, “and while they did so, they said they would return the next day”!

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright