Deadly forest fires blaze across Greece
Dozens of devastating forest fires are creating death, havoc and destruction across Greece. Greek authorities have enlisted the help of fire-fighting aircraft from across Europe in an attempt to tackle the blazes that have so far killed 61 people and caused millions of dollars of damage to properties. The fires have gutted hundreds of homes, forcing thousands of villagers to flee in panic. Large areas of the country have been scorched and blackened. Flames as tall as apartment buildings have beat the efforts of local fire-fighters, whose brave work has not been enough to stop more fires from breaking out. Dozens of new fires are being fanned by hot, dry winds. It is becoming increasingly dangerous for anyone to try to defeat the infernos from the ground. Efforts by the Greek army have proved ineffective.
The Greek government is furious that many of the fires have been started on purpose by arsonists. Closed-circuit TV cameras have caught several arsonists igniting the fires. The government has issued a 1m euro ($1.3m) reward for anyone with information to help catch the arsonists. "The reward is set between 100,000 and 1m euros for every act of arson, depending on whether death or serious injury occurred and the size of the damage," a Greek government official said in a statement to the press. There is speculation that the fires may have been started by property developers who want to build more tourist facilities. Current Greek law forbids any development on forested land. With a lack of trees because of the fires, the property developers may now be able to get permission to build.
Meteorite hits Russia, thousands injured
A meteorite exploded above central Russia on Friday morning. It was just like a scene from a science fiction movie. People watched the bright, swimming pool-sized rock fly across the sky and then crash. It entered the Earth's atmosphere and looked like a giant shooting star. The power of the explosion damaged many buildings and smashed thousands of windows. The city of Chelyabinsk had no gas or Internet for a short time after the meteor shower came down. Thousands of people went to hospital for medical treatment. Many of them had cuts from flying glass. They did not know the shock wave from the explosion would be so dangerous and cause so much damage.
The Russian army found three giant holes in the earth where different parts of the meteorite hit the ground. One crater was six metres wide. The craters were 80 km apart. Investigators are checking the sites of where the meteorites came down to see if they are radioactive. The police have sealed off the areas to protect the public. Scientists working at the site said the meteor was mostly rock and iron. They said it is the largest meteorite to hit the Earth for over 100 years. NASA estimated that the meteor weighed around 7,000 tons and exploded with the power of 20 atomic bombs. Russian newspapers say that some people are now trying to sell rocks from the meteorite for $15 each.
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Brazil Fury Over Britain’s Toxic Waste
Brazilians are furious over 1,400 tonnes of British garbage arriving at its ports. The stinking waste included toilet seats, dirty diapers, leaking batteries and used syringes. The rotting cargo arrived in 64 different containers at three Brazilian ports earlier this year. It was destined for Brazilian waste recycling companies. The recyclers were angry over the contents as they were expecting only recyclable plastic. Brazil has demanded that Britain take back its rubbish. Roberto Messias of Brazil’s environment protection agency said: "We will ask for the repatriation of this garbage….Clearly, Brazil is not the rubbish dump of the world." Messias made it clear the importing companies would receive heavy fines.
The British Embassy in Brasilia released a statement saying it was investigating the case. Officials said Britain “would not hesitate to act” if any British company had broken international laws. Both Brazil and Britain signed up to the Basel Convention on the movement of hazardous and toxic waste in 1992. The embassy said: "The UK takes a strong global lead on protection of the environment and the safeguarding of human health, and will do all it can to stamp out the illegal trade in waste.” Public anger over the issue increased when the police found thousands of dirty toys in a container with a note in Portuguese that said: “These toys should be washed before being given to poor Brazilian children.”
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