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World's Biggest Ice Sheet in Antarctica in Serious Trouble Due to Global Warming
It's about size of the entire United States.
8:30 AM
by Frank Landymore / Earth & Energy
Breaking the Ice
The East Antarctic ice sheet is the biggest in the world at around the size of the United States.
But changing ocean currents, which are in large part driven by climate change, are forcing warmer waters its way and could cause the ice sheet to destabilize and melt, according to shocking new research published in Nature Climate Change this week.
Until now, not a lot was known about the East Antarctic ice sheet’s role in climate change compared to the neighboring West Antarctic ice sheet, the researchers claim in a piece for The Conversation.
Scientists have long suspected that the West Antarctic sheet is melting and significantly contributing to rising sea levels.
But according to the latest study, its eastern counterpart may become a big contributing factor as well.
Chilling News
The team focused on a specific part of the East Antarctic ice sheet known as the Aurora Subglacial Basin in the Indian ocean, which, until now, scientists believed to be protected by a layer of cold water known as dense shelf water.
So when the team discovered there was "unequivocal" warming in the ocean surrounding the East Antarctic ice sheet at a rate of up to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1930, alarm bells went off.
That’s a change of up to 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit per decade on average, a rate which, since the 1990s, has been as high as 1.62 degrees.
Climate Driver
Those rates are being driven by a strong belt of westerly winds known as the Southern Annular Mode. Thanks to an increase of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, the winds are moving further south towards Antarctica, bringing warmer waters with them.
If those waters cause the Aurora Subglacial Basin to melt, global sea levels could rise by over 16 feet.
The researchers also challenge the assumption that ocean warming begins at its surface, and believe their findings indicate that it actually starts in deeper water — which, if confirmed, could seriously harm marine life ecosystems.
These are some pretty harrowing implications for global climates. Sea levels are already rising at rapid rates — and having a significant chunk of Antarctica melt would only serve to drastically exacerbate the issue.
More on climate change:
Scientists Warn of Devastating Mass Extinction Event Caused by Climate Change
https://futurism.com/the-byte/mass-extinction-event-climate-change
https://futurism.com/the-byte/worlds-biggest-ice-sheet-antarctica-trouble
World's Biggest Ice Sheet in Antarctica in Serious Trouble Due to Global Warming
It's about size of the entire United States.
8:30 AM
by Frank Landymore / Earth & Energy
Breaking the Ice
The East Antarctic ice sheet is the biggest in the world at around the size of the United States.
But changing ocean currents, which are in large part driven by climate change, are forcing warmer waters its way and could cause the ice sheet to destabilize and melt, according to shocking new research published in Nature Climate Change this week.
Until now, not a lot was known about the East Antarctic ice sheet’s role in climate change compared to the neighboring West Antarctic ice sheet, the researchers claim in a piece for The Conversation.
Scientists have long suspected that the West Antarctic sheet is melting and significantly contributing to rising sea levels.
But according to the latest study, its eastern counterpart may become a big contributing factor as well.
Chilling News
The team focused on a specific part of the East Antarctic ice sheet known as the Aurora Subglacial Basin in the Indian ocean, which, until now, scientists believed to be protected by a layer of cold water known as dense shelf water.
So when the team discovered there was "unequivocal" warming in the ocean surrounding the East Antarctic ice sheet at a rate of up to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1930, alarm bells went off.
That’s a change of up to 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit per decade on average, a rate which, since the 1990s, has been as high as 1.62 degrees.
Climate Driver
Those rates are being driven by a strong belt of westerly winds known as the Southern Annular Mode. Thanks to an increase of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, the winds are moving further south towards Antarctica, bringing warmer waters with them.
If those waters cause the Aurora Subglacial Basin to melt, global sea levels could rise by over 16 feet.
The researchers also challenge the assumption that ocean warming begins at its surface, and believe their findings indicate that it actually starts in deeper water — which, if confirmed, could seriously harm marine life ecosystems.
These are some pretty harrowing implications for global climates. Sea levels are already rising at rapid rates — and having a significant chunk of Antarctica melt would only serve to drastically exacerbate the issue.
More on climate change:
Scientists Warn of Devastating Mass Extinction Event Caused by Climate Change
https://futurism.com/the-byte/mass-extinction-event-climate-change
https://futurism.com/the-byte/worlds-biggest-ice-sheet-antarctica-trouble
TRUMP WAS WORST PRESIDENT EVER ---- VERIFIED
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=164406121
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/trump-worst-president-history/617730/
Jones probably has more $$ stashed in a private location.
It's great to see Alex Jones' issues getting such great coverage.
Alex Jones ordered to pay $49.3M total over Sandy Hook lies
By JIM VERTUNO 20 minutes ago
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones attempts to answer questions about his emails asked by Mark Bankston, lawyer for Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, during trial at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Wednesday Aug. 3, 2022. Jones testified Wednesday that he now understands it was irresponsible of him to declare the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre a hoax and that he now believes it was “100% real." (Briana Sanchez/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury on Friday ordered Infowars’ Alex Jones to pay $49.3 million in total damages to the parents of a first-grader killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which the conspiracy theorist falsely called a hoax orchestrated by the government in order to tighten U.S. gun laws.
The amount is less than the $150 million sought by Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son Jesse Lewis was among the 20 children and six educators killed in the deadliest classroom shooting in U.S. history.
The trial is the first time Jones has been held financially liable for peddling lies about the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut. .. https://apnews.com/article/alex-jones-infowars-sandy-hook-verdict-edc1c705ed13b84398084bed91a85b37
Jurors at first awarded Heslin and Lewis $4.1 million in compensatory damages, which Jones called a major victory. But in the final phase of the two-week trial, the same Austin jury came back and tacked on an additional $45.2 million in punitive damages.
Earlier this week, Jones testified that any award over $2 million would “sink us.” His company Free Speech Systems, which is Infowars’ parent company, filed for bankruptcy protection during the first week of the trial.
Punitive damages are meant to punish defendants for particularly egregious conduct, beyond monetary compensation awarded to the individuals they hurt. A high punitive award is also seen as a chance for jurors to send a wider societal message and a way to deter others from the same abhorrent conduct in the future.
Attorneys for the family had urged jurors to hand down a financial punishment that would put Infowars out of business.
“You have the ability to stop this man from ever doing it again,” Wesley Ball, an attorney for the parents, told the jury. “Send the message to those who desire to do the same: Speech is free. Lies, you pay for.”
An economist hired by the plaintiffs testified that Jones and the company are worth up to $270 million, suggesting that Jones was still making money.
Bernard Pettingill, who was hired by the plaintiffs to study Jones’ net worth, said records show that Jones withdrew $62 million for himself in 2021, when default judgments were issued in lawsuits against him.
01:40
Obama Played Cards The Day Bin Laden Was Killed: Important
Osama bin Laden was the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed thousands.
"Subject: Breaking News: Sources: U.S. kills Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri in drone strike"
Osama bin Laden sits with his adviser Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian linked to the al Qaeda network, during an interview with Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir (not pictured) in an image supplied by Dawn newspaper November 10, 2001. Hamid Mir/Editor/Ausaf Newspaper for Daily Dawn/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
-------------
President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other members of his national security team as they monitored the mission that ended with the death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
Pete Souza/White House
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/08/15/212312070/obama-played-cards-the-day-bin-laden-was-killed-important
https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/barack-obama
What Are the ‘Star Trek’ Stars Up to Now?
by Krystle Richardson
Share on Facebook
Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer
Scott Bakula is a veteran of science fiction, with starring roles in two of the most critically acclaimed series to hit our televisions. You may recognize him as Sam Beckett from Quantum Leap, a role for which he received a Golden Globe award and four Emmy nominations. As much as we loved him in Quantum Leap, this role is not the reason he’s made it onto our list.
https://www.daily-stuff.com/star-trek-where-are-they-now/2?xcmg=1
Actress Nichelle Nichols, 'Star Trek's' trail-blazing Uhura, dies at 89
By Will Dunham
July 31, 20226:52 PM CDT Last Updated an hour ago
Actor Nichelle Nichols, who played the character Uhura in the original "Star Trek" TV series,
poses at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, Calfiornia August 5, 2012.
REUTERS/Fred Prouser/File Photo
July 31 (Reuters) - Nichelle Nichols, whose portrayal of starship communications officer Lieutenant Uhura in the 1960s sci-fi TV series "Star Trek" and subsequent movies broke color barriers and helped redefine roles for Black actors, has died at age 89, her family said.
Nichols, whose fans included Martin Luther King Jr. and a young Barack Obama, "succumbed to natural causes and passed away" on Saturday night, her son, Kyle Johnson, wrote on Facebook.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/actress-nichelle-nichols-star-treks-trail-blazing-uhura-dies-89-2022-07-31/
Climate and environment
The latest stories from around the world on climate change, environmental degradation and preservation and energy transition.
https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
Latest News from the Tour de France Femmes 2022
Posted published about 3 hours ago
Tour de France Femmes 2022 stage winners and results
https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-femmes-2022/
Annemiek van Vleuten solos to victory and the Tour de France lead on stage 7
(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Tour de France Femmes stage 6 - How it happened
Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) delivered a crushing blow to the competition on stage 7 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, winning the stage and taking the maillot jaune. 3
When she attacked on the Petit Ballon with 70km still to race, only Demi Vollering could follow, but the SD Worx rider lost contact on the second of three category 1 ascents, the Col du Platzerwasel and chased all day, ultimately finishing 3:26 behind Van Vleuten.
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ) led the next group, over five minutes down, to the line, with Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) in tow. The Polish rider is now in third place overall.
Marianne Vos, the leader for five stages, lost contact early on and finished the stage almost 25 minutes in arrears.
much more . . .
https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/tour-de-france-femmes-2022/
AP Week in Pictures: Global | July 23-July 29, 2022
Pope Francis visits the Lac Ste. Anne pilgrimage site in Alberta, Canada, Tuesday, July 26, 2022, during his visit to apologize to Indigenous peoples for the abuses committed by Catholic missionaries in the country's notorious residential schools. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
yesterday
https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-donald-trump-5ecd5f17551abc86403e3f79f6a43df3
July 23-29, 2022
From Pope Francis’ visit to Canada to apologize to Indigenous peoples for the abuses committed by Catholic missionaries in the country’s notorious residential schools, to former President Donald Trump taking part in the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, N.J., to a Ukrainian servicewoman writing her wishes to children in the U.S. on a Ukrainian flag inside a frontline bomb shelter in Kharkiv region, this photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world made or published by The Associated Press in the past week.
Rescue workers help residents evacuate from a flooded area caused by heavy rains, in Lasbella, a district in Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province, Tuesday, July 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Hamdan Khan)
A devotee, with steel hooks pierced through his back, pulls a cart during an annual pilgrimage to the temple of the Hindu goddess Sheetla Mata in Jammu, India, Sunday, July 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
Tunisians celebrate the exit polls indicating a vote in favor of the new Constitution, in Tunis, late Monday, July 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Riadh Dridi)
In this photo made with an Optical Gas Imaging thermal camera, a plume of heat from a flare burning off methane and other hydrocarbons is detected in the background next to an oil pumpjack as a cow walks through a field in the Permian Basin in Jal, N.M., Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Photojournalist Evgeniy Maloletka runs from a blaze in a burning wheat field while on assignment after Russian shelling, a few kilometers from the Ukrainian-Russian border in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Friday, July 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)
A Ukrainian servicewoman writes her wishes to children in the U.S. on a Ukrainian national flag, inside a bomb shelter at the frontline in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, July 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
The coffin for Anna Protsenko, who was killed in a Russian rocket attack, stands next to the bench where she died, ahead of her funeral procession, outside her home, on the outskirts of Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, Monday, July 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-donald-trump-5ecd5f17551abc86403e3f79f6a43df3/gallery/f5ced0a0e920463ba322073b58029149
Combat vet 'fuming' over lawmakers' failure to pass two bipartisan measures that could have helped millions
Senate Republicans suddenly tanked the PACT Act on Wednesday, two weeks after a House committee declined to advance the Major Richard Star Act.
July 29, 2022, 4:17 PM CDT
By Melissa Chan
A U.S. military veteran who would have benefited from two bipartisan measures recently sacked in the House and Senate said lawmakers “spit” in veterans’ faces by rejecting both proposals.
Michael Braman, 45, is one of many veterans left angry and confused after Senate Republicans suddenly tanked a widely supported measure that would have expanded medical coverage for millions of former military members exposed to toxic burn pits during their service.
Supporters of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act — or PACT Act — overwhelmingly expected the House-passed bill to sail through to the president’s desk for a signature.
But in a procedural vote Wednesday night, 41 Senate Republicans blocked the bill’s passage, including 25 who had supported it a month ago.
“They’re playing games with our veterans and their families, and that’s cruelty,” Braman said. “Our leaders of our country spit in our face by going back on this bill.”
The move comes two weeks after a House committee declined to advance the Maj. Richard Star amendment, which would make medically retired and severely disabled combat veterans with under 20 years of active service eligible for both disability and retirement benefits.
“I’m fuming over this,” said Braman, who is relying on the passage of both measures.
Braman said he was a star athlete in high school who never had breathing problems. But when he returned home from a deployment to Afghanistan, where he said he was constantly around open-air burn pits, he was diagnosed with asthma.
Burn pits were common at U.S. military bases during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dangerous materials, from electronics and vehicles to human waste, were regularly doused in jet fuel and set ablaze, spewing toxic fumes and carcinogens into the air.
"Depending on the wind, no matter where you were, you’d get the smoke," Braman said.
After serving in the Army and the Army National Guard for 19 years and five months, Braman said the military forced him to medically retire in 2014 due to disability caused mostly by post-traumatic stress disorder.
Under the Maj. Richard Star amendment, Braman and about 50,000 other combat-disabled veterans like him would qualify for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars more a month in benefits.
When the House Rules Committee did not move that amendment forward two weeks ago, Braman said he felt forgotten by the nation he served.
At the time, however, he felt hopeful that at least the PACT Act would succeed, expanding Veterans Affairs health care eligibility to more than 3.5 million post-9/11 combat veterans who were exposed to toxins while serving in the military.
[...]
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/combat-vet-fuming-lawmakers-failure-pass-two-bipartisan-measures-helpe-rcna40688
Van Vleuten in her own world
Tour de France Femmes 2022 | Stage 7 | Sélestat > Le Markstein Fellering
The stage film July 30 th 2022 - 17:44
Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) delivered a fantastic one-woman show on Saturday, as stage 7 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift took the riders into the Vosges mountains. There were three cat-1 ascents to overcome on the way to the finish at Le Markstein, and the Dutch climber went on the move as early as she hit the first slopes up Petit Ballon. She then dropped Vollering on the following climb, Col du Platzerwasel, to go solo 62km away from the finish. She capped off her dominant ride with another strong ascent, on Grand Ballon, to open major gaps and take the Maillot Jaune.
She will have to defend it on the way to La Super Planche des Belles Filles, where the winner of the Tour will be crowned on Sunday"
The “queen stage” of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift brings awe and motivation in the peloton. With many attacks and counter-attacks, the peloton fly towards the first ascent of the day, the cat-1 Petit Ballon. 33 attackers, including the World champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo), open a gap of 50’’ just before the ascent. But Movistar have other ideas for the day…
Movistar launch Van Vleuten
The attackers are caught as soon as they hit the first slopes up Petit Ballon (9.3km at 8.1%, summit at km 48.6). Only a dozen of riders remain at the front of the race, the yellow jersey Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) is not part of them… And Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) already attacks.
Demi Vollering (SD Worx) follows Van Vleuten while Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) sets off in pursuit. Behind them, a group of chasers emerge with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Grace Brown, Evita Muzic (FDJ Suez Futuroscope), Juliette Labous (Team DSM), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram) and Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel & Service). At the summit, Longo Borghini trails by 1’25’’, the chase group by 2’30’’ and Vos by 7’45’’.
Van Vleuten opens up impressive gaps
[...]
https://www.letourfemmes.fr/en/news/2022/stage-7/van-vleuten-in-her-own-world/1292895
Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’
"Fuck Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Mitch McConnell, Tom Cotton, and every one of those motherfu***ng pieces of garbage. They don't care who lives or who dies, who prospers or who ends up homeless, or anyone living out their days, helpless and hopeless, in some dilapidated VA hospital. Fuck the Republican Party in which so many seek to hold the title of America's first "fuehrer.""
President Trump has repeatedly disparaged the intelligence of service members, and asked that wounded veterans be kept out of military parades, multiple sources tell The Atlantic.
Thursday, September 03, 2020 6:28:23 PM
[...]
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=158096572
also:
A continuation of Trump's HATRED for the Military and the Veterans...
Pentagon orders shutdown of Stars and Stripes newspaper
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=158116733
A great video "Will the Aletsch Glacier turn into a lake? ,.etc
Yah Vol
Exclusive: Glaciers vanishing at record rate in Alps following heatwaves
July 26, 2022 1:20 AM CDT
Last Updated 17 hours ago
By Emma Farge and Gloria Dickie
MORTERATSCH GLACIER, Switzerland, July 26 (Reuters) - From the way 45-year-old Swiss glaciologist Andreas Linsbauer bounds over icy crevasses, you would never guess he was carrying 10 kg of steel equipment needed to chart the decline of Switzerland's glaciers.
Normally, he heads down this path on the massive Morteratsch Glacier in late September, the end of the summer melt season in the Alps. But exceptionally high ice loss this year has brought him to this 15-square-kilometer (5.8-square-mile) amphitheatre of ice two months early for emergency maintenance work.
The measuring poles he uses to track changes in the depth of the pack are at risk of dislodging entirely as the ice melts away and he needs to drill new holes. (https://tmsnrt.rs/3RXrTb7)
The Alps' glaciers are on track for their highest mass losses in at least 60 years of record keeping, data shared exclusively with Reuters shows. By looking at the difference in how much snow fell in winter, and how much ice melts in the summer, scientists can measure how much a glacier has shrunk in any given year.
Scientists scramble to harvest ice cores as glaciers melt
https://graphics.reuters.com/CLIMATE-CHANGE/ICE-CORES/zjvqkjkjlvx/#:~:text=Scientists%20are%20racing%20to%20collect,cases,%20it's%20already%20too%20late
The Alps' glaciers are on track for their highest mass losses in at least 60 years of record keeping, data shared exclusively with Reuters shows. By looking at the difference in how much snow fell in winter, and how much ice melts in the summer, scientists can measure how much a glacier has shrunk in any given year.
[...]
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/exclusive-glaciers-vanishing-record-rate-alps-following-heatwaves-2022-07-26/
Glaciologist Andreas Linsbauer and assistant Andrea Millhaeusler drill a hole at a measuring point on the Pers Glacier near the Alpine resort of Pontresina, Switzerland July
People stand at a lookout point near Mount Piz Palue and Piz Bernina, near the Alpine resort of Pontresina, Switzerland July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
Glaciologist Andreas Linsbauer and assistant Andrea Millhaeusler stand on a border moraine of the Pers Glacier near the Alpine resort of Pontresina, Switzerland July 21, 2022.
Host Dario Andenmatten of the Britannia Hut refuge talks during an interview with Reuters near the Alpine resort of Saas-Fee, Switzerland July 19, 2022. REUTERS/Emma Farge ..
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/exclusive-glaciers-vanishing-record-rate-alps-following-heatwaves-2022-07-26/
Exclusive: Glaciers vanishing at record rate in Alps following heatwaves
July 26, 2022 1:20 AM CDT
Last Updated 17 hours ago
By Emma Farge and Gloria Dickie
MORTERATSCH GLACIER, Switzerland, July 26 (Reuters) - From the way 45-year-old Swiss glaciologist Andreas Linsbauer bounds over icy crevasses, you would never guess he was carrying 10 kg of steel equipment needed to chart the decline of Switzerland's glaciers.
Normally, he heads down this path on the massive Morteratsch Glacier in late September, the end of the summer melt season in the Alps. But exceptionally high ice loss this year has brought him to this 15-square-kilometer (5.8-square-mile) amphitheatre of ice two months early for emergency maintenance work.
The measuring poles he uses to track changes in the depth of the pack are at risk of dislodging entirely as the ice melts away and he needs to drill new holes. (https://tmsnrt.rs/3RXrTb7)
The Alps' glaciers are on track for their highest mass losses in at least 60 years of record keeping, data shared exclusively with Reuters shows. By looking at the difference in how much snow fell in winter, and how much ice melts in the summer, scientists can measure how much a glacier has shrunk in any given year.
Scientists scramble to harvest ice cores as glaciers melt
https://graphics.reuters.com/CLIMATE-CHANGE/ICE-CORES/zjvqkjkjlvx/#:~:text=Scientists%20are%20racing%20to%20collect,cases,%20it's%20already%20too%20late
The Alps' glaciers are on track for their highest mass losses in at least 60 years of record keeping, data shared exclusively with Reuters shows. By looking at the difference in how much snow fell in winter, and how much ice melts in the summer, scientists can measure how much a glacier has shrunk in any given year.
[...]
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/exclusive-glaciers-vanishing-record-rate-alps-following-heatwaves-2022-07-26/
Glaciologist Andreas Linsbauer and assistant Andrea Millhaeusler drill a hole at a measuring point on the Pers Glacier near the Alpine resort of Pontresina, Switzerland July
People stand at a lookout point near Mount Piz Palue and Piz Bernina, near the Alpine resort of Pontresina, Switzerland July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
Glaciologist Andreas Linsbauer and assistant Andrea Millhaeusler stand on a border moraine of the Pers Glacier near the Alpine resort of Pontresina, Switzerland July 21, 2022.
Host Dario Andenmatten of the Britannia Hut refuge talks during an interview with Reuters near the Alpine resort of Saas-Fee, Switzerland July 19, 2022. REUTERS/Emma Farge ..
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/exclusive-glaciers-vanishing-record-rate-alps-following-heatwaves-2022-07-26/
AP PHOTOS: Tour de France cyclists pass by in a flash
Photo/Daniel Cole, File)
yesterday
FILE - A woman cheers the riders, as she stands at her window, during the fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 171.5 kilometers (106.6 miles) with start in Dunkerque and finish in Calais, France, Tuesday, July 5, 2022. (AP)
PARIS (AP) — For most of those living along the route of the 109th edition of the Tour de France, the race is usually experienced from the side of the road.
Often quiet villages and sleepy mountain towns are transformed into a festival of cycling fans sporting costumes and cheering every passing vehicle until the cyclists arrive.
The Associated Press captured the quotidian amid the spectacle, how the race was experienced from inside the quiet spaces and homes that became the setting for the world’s most prestigious bicycle race.
FILE - Spectators watch the riders pass in the town of Valentine during the seventeenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 130 kilometers (80.8 miles) with start in Saint-Gaudens and finish in Peyragudes, France, Wednesday, July 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)
FILE - Denmark's Magnus Cort Nielsen, wearing the best climber's dotted jersey, and France's Anthony Perez, right, ride in the breakeway as they cross the village of Cassel during the fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 171.5 kilometers (106.6 miles) with start in Dunkerque and finish in Calais, France, Tuesday, July 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
People take pictures of riders in the pack with Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, during the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 176.5 kilometers (109.7 miles) with start in Tomblaine and finish in La Super Planche des Belles Filles, France, Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A girl looks at her mobile phone as other watch the riders on TV in a bar during the fifteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 202.5 kilometers (125.5 miles) with start in Rodez and finish in Carcassonne, France, Sunday, July 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
https://apnews.com/article/sports-france-europe-cycling-0e0bad50f3ccef27da15a100bdefc54e
...Starring LIZ CHENEY
By David Horsey
Seattle Times cartoonist
Step aside, Tom “Maverick” Cruise. Your movie about jet jockeys has raked in a colossal hoard of money and kept struggling movie theaters afloat, but the real blockbuster of this summer has been the House Jan. 6 committee hearings.
Starring Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, one of the few Republicans left with a moral center, and a stream of ex-White House aides who found their backbones and testified to the truth, the riveting series of hearings that climaxed on Thursday night presented a comprehensive indictment of Donald Trump’s betrayal of his country.
The evidence of the former president’s guilt was provided largely by Trump loyalists who stuck with him up to the day he unleashed a mob to attack the United States Capitol and ignored the pleas of his staff and family to call off the violence. That makes assertions of partisan bias in the committee’s investigation ring utterly hollow and purely cynical.
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/must-see-truth-telling/
Thousands ordered to flee California wildfire near Yosemite
By NOAH BERGER and JOCELYN GECKER
13 minutes ago
Flames consume a home on Triangle Rd. as the Oak Fire burns in Mariposa County, Calif., on Saturday, July 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
WAWONA, Calif. (AP) — A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park exploded in size Saturday into one of California’s largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and shutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses.
The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and by Saturday morning had rapidly grown to 10.2 square miles (26.5 square kilometers), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. It erupted as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite park.
Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span in the sparsely populated, rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.
“Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters,” Cal Fire said in a statement Saturday morning that described the Oak Fire’s activity as “extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group torching.”
By Saturday morning, the fire had destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures, damaged five others and was threatening 2,000 more structures, Cal Fire said. The blaze prompted numerous road closures, including a shutdown of Highway 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road — blocking one of the main routes into Yosemite.
More than 400 firefighters, along with helicopters, other aircraft and bulldozers, battled the blaze, which was in a sparsely populated, mostly rural area of the Sierra Nevada foothills, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.
Hot weather, low humidity and bone dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades was fueling the blaze and challenging fire crews, Patterson said. California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.
“The fire is moving quickly. This fire was throwing embers out in front of itself for up to 2 miles yesterday,” Patterson said. “These are exceptional fire conditions.” The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 2,600 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Friday afternoon and there was no indication when it would be restored. “PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment,” the utility said.
A shoeless older man attempting to flee the blaze on Friday crashed his sedan into a ditch in a closed area and was helped by firefighters. He was safely driven from the area and did not appear to suffer any injuries. Several other residents stayed in their homes Friday night as the fire continued to burn nearby.
Meanwhile, firefighters have made significant progress against a wildfire that began in Yosemite National Park and burned into the Sierra National Forest.
The Washburn Fire was 79% contained Friday after burning about 7.5 square miles (19.4 square kilometers) of forest. It was one of the largest fires of the year in California, along with the Lost Lake Fire in Riverside County that was fully contained in June at 9 square miles (23 square kilometers)
The fire broke out July 7 and forced the closure of the southern entrance to Yosemite and evacuation of the community of Wawona as it burned on the edge of Mariposa Grove, home to hundreds of giant sequoias, the world’s largest trees by volume.
Wawona Road is tentatively set to reopen on Saturday, according to the park website.
https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-fires-california-evacuations-department-of-forestry-and-fire-protection-3b924a9d041b37acdc57e4b4eb8a64fe?utm_medium=Article&utm_source=Connatix
Protesters in UK decry climate change after record heat wave
By SYLVIA HUI today
1 of 8
Members of environmental groups including Just Stop Oil, the Peace and Justice Project and Insulate Britain take part in a mass protest in Parliament Square, London. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
Members of environmental groups including Just Stop Oil, the Peace and Justice Project and Insulate Britain take part in a mass protest in Parliament Square, London. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
LONDON (AP) — Protesters turned out Saturday on the streets of London and in the Scottish city of Glasgow to demand faster action against climate change following the record-smashing temperatures that scorched the U.K. this week.
Activist groups including Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain led protesters in a sit-in on Parliament Square in London to demand that the Conservative government stop giving new licenses for oil and gas production, tax big polluters and help people install more energy efficient heating in their homes.
“Tuesday’s extreme heatwave was a warning about what we will face as the climate collapses –- thousands of deaths, homes lost to wildfires and emergency services stretched to breaking point,” said Indigo Rumbelow from Just Stop Oil. “We are so unprepared for extreme heat and it’s only going to get worse.”
The U.K.’s Met Office weather agency recorded 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in England on Tuesday, the highest-ever temperature registered in a country ill-prepared for such extreme heat.
British summers are usually quite moderate and few homes, schools or small businesses have air-conditioning.
The heat wave paralyzed major train networks, damaged airport runways and saw 15 fire departments across the country declaring major incidents. The London Fire Brigade said that Tuesday was the busiest day for firefighters since World War II.
In Glasgow, climate activists staged a “die-in” protest to demand urgent action to tackle climate change. Protesters laid on the ground in one of the city’s busiest shopping areas, covered in white sheets with “causes of death” including heat stress, famine and water scarcity.
“We’ve been sounding the alarm about the global climate emergency for years,” said Wolf Saanen, 39. “Now it has arrived on our shores, will those with the power to change things finally listen?”
Some climate groups warned they will stage more disruptive demonstrations in the autumn to bring Westminster — the seat of Parliament — to a standstill.
The groups also want the British government to reduce energy bills amid a soaring cost-of-living crisis that’s expected to squeeze households further in the fall when the weather turns colder.
Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
https://apnews.com/article/london-england-glasgow-c17bae08468767664e6d72edf5b8cc43
Protesters in UK decry climate change after record heat wave
By SYLVIA HUI today
1 of 8
Members of environmental groups including Just Stop Oil, the Peace and Justice Project and Insulate Britain take part
in a mass protest in Parliament Square, London. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
Members of environmental groups including Just Stop Oil, the Peace and Justice Project and Insulate Britain take part in a mass protest in Parliament Square, London. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
LONDON (AP) — Protesters turned out Saturday on the streets of London and in the Scottish city of Glasgow to demand faster action against climate change following the record-smashing temperatures that scorched the U.K. this week.
Activist groups including Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain led protesters in a sit-in on Parliament Square in London to demand that the Conservative government stop giving new licenses for oil and gas production, tax big polluters and help people install more energy efficient heating in their homes.
“Tuesday’s extreme heatwave was a warning about what we will face as the climate collapses –- thousands of deaths, homes lost to wildfires and emergency services stretched to breaking point,” said Indigo Rumbelow from Just Stop Oil. “We are so unprepared for extreme heat and it’s only going to get worse.”
The U.K.’s Met Office weather agency recorded 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in England on Tuesday, the highest-ever temperature registered in a country ill-prepared for such extreme heat.
British summers are usually quite moderate and few homes, schools or small businesses have air-conditioning.
The heat wave paralyzed major train networks, damaged airport runways and saw 15 fire departments across the country declaring major incidents. The London Fire Brigade said that Tuesday was the busiest day for firefighters since World War II.
In Glasgow, climate activists staged a “die-in” protest to demand urgent action to tackle climate change. Protesters laid on the ground in one of the city’s busiest shopping areas, covered in white sheets with “causes of death” including heat stress, famine and water scarcity.
“We’ve been sounding the alarm about the global climate emergency for years,” said Wolf Saanen, 39. “Now it has arrived on our shores, will those with the power to change things finally listen?”
Some climate groups warned they will stage more disruptive demonstrations in the autumn to bring Westminster — the seat of Parliament — to a standstill.
The groups also want the British government to reduce energy bills amid a soaring cost-of-living crisis that’s expected to squeeze households further in the fall when the weather turns colder.
Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
https://apnews.com/article/london-england-glasgow-c17bae08468767664e6d72edf5b8cc43
Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at
Climate and environment
The latest stories from around the world on climate change, environmental degradation and preservation and energy transition.
https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
Protesters in UK decry climate change after record heat wave
By SYLVIA HUI today
1 of 8
Members of environmental groups including Just Stop Oil, the Peace and Justice Project and Insulate Britain take part in a mass protest in Parliament Square, London. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
Members of environmental groups including Just Stop Oil, the Peace and Justice Project and Insulate Britain take part in a mass protest in Parliament Square, London. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
LONDON (AP) — Protesters turned out Saturday on the streets of London and in the Scottish city of Glasgow to demand faster action against climate change following the record-smashing temperatures that scorched the U.K. this week.
Activist groups including Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain led protesters in a sit-in on Parliament Square in London to demand that the Conservative government stop giving new licenses for oil and gas production, tax big polluters and help people install more energy efficient heating in their homes.
“Tuesday’s extreme heatwave was a warning about what we will face as the climate collapses –- thousands of deaths, homes lost to wildfires and emergency services stretched to breaking point,” said Indigo Rumbelow from Just Stop Oil. “We are so unprepared for extreme heat and it’s only going to get worse.”
The U.K.’s Met Office weather agency recorded 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in England on Tuesday, the highest-ever temperature registered in a country ill-prepared for such extreme heat. British summers are usually quite moderate and few homes, schools or small businesses have air-conditioning.
The heat wave paralyzed major train networks, damaged airport runways and saw 15 fire departments across the country declaring major incidents. The London Fire Brigade said that Tuesday was the busiest day for firefighters since World War II.
In Glasgow, climate activists staged a “die-in” protest to demand urgent action to tackle climate change. Protesters laid on the ground in one of the city’s busiest shopping areas, covered in white sheets with “causes of death” including heat stress, famine and water scarcity.
“We’ve been sounding the alarm about the global climate emergency for years,” said Wolf Saanen, 39. “Now it has arrived on our shores, will those with the power to change things finally listen?”
Some climate groups warned they will stage more disruptive demonstrations in the autumn to bring Westminster — the seat of Parliament — to a standstill.
The groups also want the British government to reduce energy bills amid a soaring cost-of-living crisis that’s expected to squeeze households further in the fall when the weather turns colder.
Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
https://apnews.com/article/london-england-glasgow-c17bae08468767664e6d72edf5b8cc43
Right! That's why Trump, the Fake President, admired Hitler.
This country definitely cannot go that route.
10 Ways That Trump Is Like Hitler
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=156420745&txt2find=%3Cspan%20style=
Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot hearings lay blame at Trump's feet
July 22, 2022 5:07 AM CDT Last Updated 34 min ago
By Patricia Zengerle and Sarah N. Lynch
A never before seen video of former U.S. President Donald Trump rehearsing a speech, where he refused to admit a day after the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol that the 2020
WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) - After losing the 2020 election, Donald Trump ignored close allies who told him that his claims of widespread election fraud were untrue, and when the followers who believed his false accusations stormed the U.S. Capitol, he sat back and watched.
That was the narrative the U.S. House of Representatives' select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack laid out in eight hearings over six weeks, which wrapped up with a study of the former president's actions during the 187-minute assault on Congress by thousands of his supporters.
"President Trump sat at his dining table and watched the attack on television while his senior-most staff, closest advisors and family members begged him to do what is expected of any American president," U.S. Representative Elaine Luria said. "President Trump refused to act because of his selfish desire to stay in power."
Some 18 months after the deadly assault, the hearings replayed video of rioters smashing their way into the Capitol, screaming "Hang Mike Pence" as they hunted the vice president who Trump had called on to overturn his election defeat.
They featured hours of testimony, some live and some recorded, from close Trump allies including former Attorney General Bill Barr, who dismissed Trump's fraud claims as "bullshit," and former White House staff including one who recalled an enraged president hurling plates, leaving ketchup running down a wall.
The hearings were intended to lay out a case that the Republican Trump violated the law as he tried, for the first time in U.S. history, to stop the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next.
It is not yet clear if the Justice Department will bring charges against Trump, but the hearings appear to have somewhat hurt his standing with Republican voters. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Thursday found that 32% of Republicans say Trump should not run for president in 2024 -- a possibility he continues to flirt with publicly -- up from 26% who said that at the start of the hearings.
read more .. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ex-trump-aide-bannon-seek-dismissal-criminal-contempt-congress-charges-2022-07-21/
Attorney General Merrick Garland this week declined to say whether the Justice Department would charge Trump. But he did not rule it out.
"No person is above the law in this country. I can't say it any more clearly than that," Garland told reporters on Wednesday.
Trump and his allies -- including some Republicans in Congress -- deny he did anything wrong and dismiss the committee of seven Democrats and two Republicans as politically motivated.
Congressional Republicans last year blocked a proposal by Democrats for a bipartisan commission on Jan. 6, similar to the one convened after the 9/11 attacks, leaving the power to pick members in the hands of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Republican Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger joined the panel, which presented a scripted case without the verbal combat common in congressional hearings.
RIOT TRIALS CONTINUE
More than 850 people have been charged with joining in the riot, on a wide range of charges ranging from illegally entering restricted federal property to seditious conspiracy. More than 325 have pleaded guilty so far and the Justice Department has also scored multiple guilty verdicts in the cases of defendants who chose trial by jury.
In another high-profile case, prosecutors have charged Trump adviser Steve Bannon with contempt of Congress for refusing to answer a subpoena from the committee. Closing arguments in that case are expected on Friday. read more
The leaders and more than a dozen members of the right-wing Proud Boys and Oath Keepers have been charged with seditious conspiracy for their alleged role in organizing the attack, charges that carry sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
Still, critics have accused the Justice Department of not doing enough to investigate Trump or his inner circle for their efforts to overturn his election defeat.
But there are signs that the investigation appears to be broadening beyond the riot itself.
Under the leadership of the Matthew Graves, the U.S. Attorney in D.C. who was sworn in last fall, the department has started issuing grand jury subpoenas to electors in key battleground states, including some electors who signed bogus certificates certifying the election for Trump.
According to one May 5 subpoena seen by Reuters, prosecutors are seeking communications between electors and federal employees, "any member, employee or agent of Donald J. Trump."
Kristy Parker, a former federal prosecutor now with the non-profit group Protect Democracy, said she believes there is enough evidence to warrant a criminal probe into Trump's conduct.
"If DOJ ultimately decides that it isn't going to pursue charges against Trump, someone is going to have to explain to the public," Parker said in an interview. "Too much has come out now."
Kinzinger said the committee would urge changes to laws and policies intended to head off future attempts to overturn election results. A bipartisan Senate group this week introduced new legislation that would make clear that the vice president does not have the authority to throw out election results.
Such reforms were vital to guard against a repeat of the chaos and bloodshed of Jan. 6, Kinzinger said.
"The forces Donald Trump ignited that day have not gone away.
The militant, intolerant ideologies. The militias. The alienation and the disaffection. The weird fantasies and disinformation," Kinzinger added. "They're all still out there, ready to go. That's the elephant in the room."
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/jan-6-us-capitol-riot-hearings-lay-blame-trumps-feet-2022-07-22/
Photos: The U.K. Reaches Its Highest Temperature Ever
ALAN TAYLOR JULY 19, 2022, 25 PHOTOS IN FOCUS
Britain’s weather service recently issued its first-ever “red warning,” predicting extreme temperatures for early in the week, and today, measurements at Heathrow Airport climbed above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time ever. Residents were urged to stay indoors and not to travel unnecessarily during the hottest times of day.
Several fires have broken out, and the extreme heat has affected travel—buckling rails, and damaging roads and runways. Gathered below are images of some of the effects of this heat wave, and some of the ways people are coping with it.
HINTS: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2022/07/photos-uk-heatwave/670566/
A police officer gives water to a British soldier wearing a traditional bearskin hat, on guard duty
outside Buckingham Palace, during hot weather in London, England, on July 18, 2022.
The dried-out bed and reduced water levels in the Thruscross Reservoir
are seen during a heatwave on July 19, 2022, in Harrogate, England.
Photos: The U.K. Reaches Its Highest Temperature Ever
ALAN TAYLOR JULY 19, 2022, 25 PHOTOS IN FOCUS
Britain’s weather service recently issued its first-ever “red warning,” predicting extreme temperatures for early in the week, and today, measurements at Heathrow Airport climbed above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time ever. Residents were urged to stay indoors and not to travel unnecessarily during the hottest times of day.
Several fires have broken out, and the extreme heat has affected travel—buckling rails, and damaging roads and runways. Gathered below are images of some of the effects of this heat wave, and some of the ways people are coping with it.
HINTS: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2022/07/photos-uk-heatwave/670566/
A police officer gives water to a British soldier wearing a traditional bearskin hat, on guard duty
outside Buckingham Palace, during hot weather in London, England, on July 18, 2022.
The dried-out bed and reduced water levels in the Thruscross Reservoir
are seen during a heatwave on July 19, 2022, in Harrogate, England.
The World Is Burning Once Again
We can only adapt so much to extreme heat.
The Atlantic
By Jacob Stern
JULY 19, 2022, 8:29 PM ET
In September 2020, the United Kingdom’s Meteorological Office published a hypothetical weather forecast ..
The World Is Burning Once Again
We can only adapt so much to extreme heat.
The Atlantic
By Jacob Stern
JULY 19, 2022, 8:29 PM ET
In September 2020, the United Kingdom’s Meteorological Office published a hypothetical weather forecast ..
Trump lives in 'alternative reality' and truly believes his election-fraud claims,
says UK film-maker with him around Jan. 6
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-lives-in-alternative-reality-believes-election-fraud-filmmaker-2022-7
A hypothetical weather forecast for 2050 is coming true next week
Analysis by Angela Fritz, CNN Senior Climate Editor
Updated 4:46 PM ET, Fri July 15, 2022
(CNN)Two years ago, forecasters in the UK conducted an interesting thought experiment: What will our forecasts look like in 2050?
The climate crisis is pushing weather to the extreme all over the world, and temperatures in the northern latitudes have been particularly sensitive to these changes. So meteorologists at the UK Met Office -- the official weather forecast agency for the UK -- dove in to the super long-range climate models in the summer of 2020 to see what kind of temperatures they'd be forecasting in about three decades.
"Not actual weather forecast," the Met Office's graphics said. "Examples of plausible weather based on climate projections."
Well, on Monday and Tuesday, the "plausible" becomes reality -- 28 years early.
[. . . ]
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/15/weather/2050-uk-forecast-comes-true-in-2022/
A hypothetical weather forecast for 2050 is coming true next week
Analysis by Angela Fritz, CNN Senior Climate Editor
Updated 4:46 PM ET, Fri July 15, 2022
(CNN)Two years ago, forecasters in the UK conducted an interesting thought experiment: What will our forecasts look like in 2050?
The climate crisis is pushing weather to the extreme all over the world, and temperatures in the northern latitudes have been particularly sensitive to these changes. So meteorologists at the UK Met Office -- the official weather forecast agency for the UK -- dove in to the super long-range climate models in the summer of 2020 to see what kind of temperatures they'd be forecasting in about three decades.
"Not actual weather forecast," the Met Office's graphics said. "Examples of plausible weather based on climate projections."
Well, on Monday and Tuesday, the "plausible" becomes reality -- 28 years early.
[. . . ]
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/15/weather/2050-uk-forecast-comes-true-in-2022/
Nearly half of Europe is at risk of drought as heat wave scorches continent
Wildfires rage in France and Spain amid heat wave, while the UK faces its hottest day ever
By Joseph Ataman, Jimmy Hutcheon, Xiaofei Xu, Zahid Mahmood and Sana Noor Haq, CNN
Updated 10:17 AM ET, Mon July 18, 2022
Paris (CNN) - Raging wildfires have scorched thousands of hectares of forest in France and Spain, while Britain is set to face its hottest day on record amid a searing heat wave.
The southwestern region of Gironde in France has seen the worst of the blazes so far.
A total 14,300 hectares (35,000 acres) of land have been burned as of Monday, with 24,000 people evacuated from the region, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Gironde prefecture said on Twitter.
The heat wave in Portugal has intensified a pre-existing drought and sparked wildfires in central parts of the country, including in the village of Memoria, in the Leiria municipality.
Authorities have deployed 1,700 firefighters to tackle the fires.
A spokesperson for the Gironde regional fire and rescue service said 12 firefighters have sustained minor injuries since the start of the operation.
In Spain, wildfires engulfed the central region of Castile and Léon and the northern region of Galicia Sunday, Reuters reported. Firefighters steadied the flames in Mijas in the southeastern Málaga province and said evacuated people could return home.
Sweltering temperatures in Portugal have exacerbated a drought that started before the heat wave, according to data from the national meteorological institute. About 96% of the mainland was already suffering severe or extreme drought at the end of June.
'Peak of intensity'
The blistering heat wave in Western Europe is expected to peak early this week.
Monthly minimum temperature records could be broken across France Monday, according to the national weather agency. Météo-France identified nine localities where the monthly minimums look set to be broken, including Rostrenen in Brittany, northwestern France, where the record has stood since 1968.
In addition to Gironde, Météo-France issued a heatwave red alert to a total of 15 departments in western and southwestern regions, as temperatures are expected to reach as high as 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) Monday. A further 51 regions have been placed under orange alert, including Paris, with residents urged to avoid going outside between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. local time.
"Given the peak of intensity expected for today, the chances are low that the mercury will drop sufficiently before the end of the day" for these records not to be broken, Météo-France added.
Since May, France has seen only eight days when average daily temperatures were below aggregated summer average temperatures. In the remaining 39 days, national daily averages have been above the average temperatures for this time of year observed between 1991 and 2020, according to Météo-France data.
Spain's weather agency also issued extreme heat alerts Sunday, Reuters reported. Temperatures of 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) were forecast for the northern regions of Aragon, Navarra and La Rioja. The agency said the heat wave would end Monday, but it warned that temperatures would remain "abnormally high."
Nearly half of Europe's territory, including the UK, is "at risk" of drought, researchers at the EU Commission said Monday.
The Joint Research Centre highlighted that the drought in much of Europe is "critical" as the "winter-spring precipitation deficit ... was exacerbated by early heatwaves in May and June."
Water supply may be "compromised" in the coming months, according to the report.
Elsewhere in Europe, Britain is bracing itself for the "hottest day in UK history," according to a senior weather official. On Friday, the Met Office issued its first ever red warning for "extreme heat" over the soaring temperatures.
The Met Office's CEO, Penelope Endersby, said Monday may well be the "hottest day in UK history," but Tuesday is "expected to be even hotter."
"So it's tomorrow that we're really seeing the higher chance of 40 degrees and temperatures above that," Endersby told BBC Radio on Monday.
"Even possibly above that, 41 is not off the cards. We've even got some 43s in the model but we're hoping it won't be as high as that."
Endersby said while extreme temperatures are not expected beyond Tuesday, the Met Office will be monitoring the possibility of a drought in the coming months.
"We're expecting a big drop in temperature overnight into Wednesday -- down 10 or 12 degrees on what has been the days before," she said, adding: "Our attention is turning, once we're past these two days, to drought and when we might see any rain, and we're not seeing any significant rain coming up."
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/18/weather/europe-uk-heatwave-wildfires-france-spain-intl/index.html
Nearly half of Europe is at risk of drought as heat wave scorches continent
Wildfires rage in France and Spain amid heat wave, while the UK faces its hottest day ever
By Joseph Ataman, Jimmy Hutcheon, Xiaofei Xu, Zahid Mahmood and Sana Noor Haq, CNN
Updated 10:17 AM ET, Mon July 18, 2022
Paris (CNN) - Raging wildfires have scorched thousands of hectares of forest in France and Spain, while Britain is set to face its hottest day on record amid a searing heat wave.
The southwestern region of Gironde in France has seen the worst of the blazes so far.
A total 14,300 hectares (35,000 acres) of land have been burned as of Monday, with 24,000 people evacuated from the region, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Gironde prefecture said on Twitter.
The heat wave in Portugal has intensified a pre-existing drought and sparked wildfires in central parts of the country, including in the village of Memoria, in the Leiria municipality.
Authorities have deployed 1,700 firefighters to tackle the fires.
A spokesperson for the Gironde regional fire and rescue service said 12 firefighters have sustained minor injuries since the start of the operation.
In Spain, wildfires engulfed the central region of Castile and Léon and the northern region of Galicia Sunday, Reuters reported. Firefighters steadied the flames in Mijas in the southeastern Málaga province and said evacuated people could return home.
Sweltering temperatures in Portugal have exacerbated a drought that started before the heat wave, according to data from the national meteorological institute. About 96% of the mainland was already suffering severe or extreme drought at the end of June.
'Peak of intensity'
The blistering heat wave in Western Europe is expected to peak early this week.
Monthly minimum temperature records could be broken across France Monday, according to the national weather agency. Météo-France identified nine localities where the monthly minimums look set to be broken, including Rostrenen in Brittany, northwestern France, where the record has stood since 1968.
In addition to Gironde, Météo-France issued a heatwave red alert to a total of 15 departments in western and southwestern regions, as temperatures are expected to reach as high as 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) Monday. A further 51 regions have been placed under orange alert, including Paris, with residents urged to avoid going outside between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. local time.
"Given the peak of intensity expected for today, the chances are low that the mercury will drop sufficiently before the end of the day" for these records not to be broken, Météo-France added.
Since May, France has seen only eight days when average daily temperatures were below aggregated summer average temperatures. In the remaining 39 days, national daily averages have been above the average temperatures for this time of year observed between 1991 and 2020, according to Météo-France data.
Spain's weather agency also issued extreme heat alerts Sunday, Reuters reported. Temperatures of 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) were forecast for the northern regions of Aragon, Navarra and La Rioja. The agency said the heat wave would end Monday, but it warned that temperatures would remain "abnormally high."
Nearly half of Europe's territory, including the UK, is "at risk" of drought, researchers at the EU Commission said Monday.
The Joint Research Centre highlighted that the drought in much of Europe is "critical" as the "winter-spring precipitation deficit ... was exacerbated by early heatwaves in May and June."
Water supply may be "compromised" in the coming months, according to the report.
Elsewhere in Europe, Britain is bracing itself for the "hottest day in UK history," according to a senior weather official. On Friday, the Met Office issued its first ever red warning for "extreme heat" over the soaring temperatures.
The Met Office's CEO, Penelope Endersby, said Monday may well be the "hottest day in UK history," but Tuesday is "expected to be even hotter."
"So it's tomorrow that we're really seeing the higher chance of 40 degrees and temperatures above that," Endersby told BBC Radio on Monday.
"Even possibly above that, 41 is not off the cards. We've even got some 43s in the model but we're hoping it won't be as high as that."
Endersby said while extreme temperatures are not expected beyond Tuesday, the Met Office will be monitoring the possibility of a drought in the coming months.
"We're expecting a big drop in temperature overnight into Wednesday -- down 10 or 12 degrees on what has been the days before," she said, adding: "Our attention is turning, once we're past these two days, to drought and when we might see any rain, and we're not seeing any significant rain coming up."
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/18/weather/europe-uk-heatwave-wildfires-france-spain-intl/index.html
The week in 30 photos
Updated 7:25 PM ET, Thu July 14, 2022
This high-resolution image from the James Webb Space Telescope was among several released on Tuesday, July 12. The landscape-like view is the edge of NGC 3324, a young, star-forming region in the Carina Nebula. The telescope's infrared view reveals previously invisible areas of star birth.NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI
Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope — the most powerful space telescope ever — we were treated to some spectacular views of the universe this week.
The telescope's first high-resolution images .. https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/12/world/gallery/james-webb-telescope-first-images-space/index.html .. were shared on Monday and Tuesday. They included interactions between galaxies, a stellar nursery where stars are born, and a unique look at an exoplanet.
The telescope, which launched in December, .. https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/12/world/james-webb-space-telescope-new-images-scn/index.html .. has enough fuel to operate for the next 20 years. It is expected to shed light on the life cycles of planets, stars and galaxies and reveal mysteries of the universe.
Here are some of the stories that made headlines over the past week, as well as some photos that caught our eye.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/14/world/gallery/photos-this-week-july-7-july-14/index.html