French authorities warn people to avoid the Alps during heatwave
People are being urged to avoid the Alps as a heatwave is expected to hit this week, making climbing conditions dangerous. Local authorities in the Haute-Savoie region, which includes the French side of Mont Blanc, warned there are higher than usual risks of rockfalls and also new crevices opening up on glaciers. It comes as a so-called "heat dome" is due to hit continental Europe. Italy, Switzerland and France have all issued heat warnings as temperatures are anticipated to hit 40C this week. Haute-Savoie authorities said in a statement online: "We appeal to everyone's sense of responsibility and judgement and urged you, where possible, to delay taking the Normal Route up Mont Blanc." In normal conditions, between 100 to 200 climbers reach the summit each day. Swiss weather authorities said on Monday that a new record had been set for the altitude of the zero-degree line in the Alps, which is the height at which the temperature dips below 0C. According to Le Monde, it was clocked overnight from Sunday to Monday at 5,298 metres, "which constitutes a record since monitoring began in 1954". Last July during a more severe heatwave, all seven routes to the Mont Blanc summit had deteriorated so much that only extremely experienced climbers could make. French authorities also closed down two popular mountain shelters due to the risk of rockfalls. Four southern regions - the Rhone, Drome, Ardeche and Haute-Loire - were placed under "red alert" for heat on Monday. This allows local authorities to call off sports and cultural events and close public facilities if needed. Meteo France said: "The heatwave is expected to peak between Tuesday and Thursday, depending on the regions. The length and intensity of this event could require stepping up alert levels in some departments.” Meanwhile, grape-pickers in wine-producing regions of southern France have been advised to start work on the harvest in the early hours of the morning to avoid sweltering in a late summer heatwave. Jerome Volle, a wine producer in Ardeche and vice-president of the French farmers' union FNSEA, told BFM TV that the grape harvest was already underway in his region. One way to cope with the heat was to "start picking the grapes at 3.30 a.m. in the morning and to stop at 11am," he said. Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau also told reporters during a visit to a vegetable farm in Burgundy that the heatwave created problems for crops and so there was a need to adapt. "To grow enough food, it is necessary to adapt the schedules, which farmers do, which market gardeners do, which breeders do, and at the same time continue to produce in conditions which are necessarily somewhat degraded," he said. Read More Mapped: Where are the wildfires in Tenerife as blaze forces thousands to flee Newborn babies among dozens of patients evacuated from hospital to ferry to escape raging Greek wildfire The five charts alarming scientists about the climate crisis Microsoft revamps deal for video game maker Activision Blizzard to meet UK demands A major wildfire in northeastern Greece has forced the evacuation of villages and a city hospital Swiss glaciers under threat again as heat wave drives zero-temperature level to record high
2023-08-22 23:47
Mother of ‘hell on wheels’ teen who caused double murder crash pleaded with judge to spare her before life imprisonment
Before an Ohio teenager Mackenzie Shirilla was found guilty on multiple counts of murder for the “hell on wheels” crash that killed her boyfriend and friend in 2022, her mother pleaded before a judge for “leniency.” The 19-year-old was charged for a deliberate 100mph car wreck that left her boyfriend Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, dead. Shirilla’s mother, Natalie Shirilla, pleaded before her daughter was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. Addressing the families, she said, “I’m broken, sad and lost and my heart hurts for everyone. Davion was her new friend and Dom was the love of her life and he was part of our family.” The 19-year-old could be seen crying in the background as her mother spoke. To Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, the mother said, “This was a terrible, tragic, nightmare accident,” adding that her daughter “has no memory of the accident.” “She will never emotionally or physically recover from it. She almost died too,” Ms Shirilla said as she asked the judge for nonconsecutive sentences. Ms Shirilla began crying when she recounted the events of the day, saying that she got a phone call saying there had been an accident but didn’t know who was in the car; she called Shirilla’s boyfriend multiple times but got no response. Ms Shirilla then called Dominic’s mother, who also didn’t pick up, making Ms Shirilla nervous that she was also in the car. “My son is dead,” Dominic’s mother told Ms Shirilla, she recalled. “We loved him so much,” Ms Shirilla repeatedly said about Dominic. She then discussed that after the accident, people online were calling Shirilla a murderer and “making death threats”. She made calls to try to take down the comments, since her daughter’s phone was in the custody of police: “She would never ever ever murder the love of her life.” “For three months after the accident, she would only wear his clothes. She would only eat the snacks he ate. She would only listen to the music he wrote,” Ms Shirilla said, talking about how she laid in her bed for three months with a “shrine” of Dominic next to her. Ms Shirilla said she and her husband encouraged their daughter to experience a “second of fun” when Halloween came around after “losing her whole world.” She went to a concert with Dominc’s cousin and others. “I’m hearing an awful lot about your daughter. I’m not hearing very much about the two dead people,” Judge Russo said when Ms Shirilla paused. “I’m asking you for leniency because this was a tragic accident that she does not remember,” Ms Shirilla pleaded, with her hands in a prayer position. “Davion – he’s a new friend…” Ms Shirilla started saying before the judge interjected: “What does that mean? That his life is worthless?” “God no,” Shirilla’s mother protested. “They all spent every day together.” “But isn’t that part of the problem, Ms Shirilla?” the judge asked, continuing: “That they all trusted each other? It’s a problem how they all ended up in a car together and two of them ended up dead.” “I understand what it looks like. I’m saying that it’s a tragic accident – she would never,” Ms Shirilla said. The judge replied, “We’re going to have to disagree on that.” Judge Russo held the trial without a jury, explaining: “She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The decision was death.” She added, “Her actions were controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful. This was not reckless driving. This was murder.” The court was told that the crash took place at around 5.30am on 31 July 2022 at a building in a business park. Investigators said that Shirilla drove her car down a three-quarter mile road until it hit a speed of 100mph. Data from the car’s computer and surveillance video showed that the steering wheel jerked to the right and then left before the vehicle left the road and crashed into the business. After a passerby reported the wreck roughly 45 minutes later, police arrived to find Russo and Flanagan dead, and Shrilla trapped in the driver’s seat with a fuzzy Prada slipper stuck to the accelerator. The judge told the court that the final seconds of the incident proved that Shirilla acted with purpose. “She morphs from responsible driver to literal hell on wheels,” she said. The 19-year-old will be eligible for parole in 15 years. Read More Teenage girl sobs as she’s sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for ‘hell on wheels’ deadly car crash Chicago woman arrested for threatening to kill Trump and his son Barron Man dead after being hit by Tube train following police chase
2023-08-22 23:46
KSI vs Tommy Fury press conference LIVE: Event descends into chaos as Paul and Danis nearly come to blows
KSI and Tommy Fury will face off at a press conference in London today, along with Logan Paul and Dillon Danis. YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul – who are business partners at the energy-drink company Prime – will fight Fury and Danis respectively in October, with both boxing matches taking place at London’s Wembley Arena. KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) last fought in May, seeing his controversial knockout of Joe Fournier overturned for the use of an illegal elbow. Meanwhile, Fury – half-brother of heavyweight boxing champion Tyson – beat Paul’s brother Jake on points in February. Logan Paul has mainly been involved in the WWE in recent months, though he has experience boxing (he even fought KSI in 2018 and 2019), having fought Floyd Mayweather two years ago. Meanwhile, Danis is a former teammate of UFC icon Conor McGregor and is predominantly a jiu-jitsu specialist. He will make his boxing debut when he fights Paul. Follow live updates from the press conference, below. Read More KSI vs Tommy Fury and Logan Paul vs Dillon Danis press conference: How do you watch it and what time does it start? KSI vs Tommy Fury: When is fight and how to watch Logan Paul vs Dillon Danis added to KSI vs Tommy Fury card
2023-08-22 23:46
Thailand country profile
Provides an overview of Thailand, including key dates and facts about this South East Asian state.
2023-08-22 23:46
Ousmane Dembele explains decision to join PSG from Barcelona
Ousmane Dembele has cited Luis Enrique as a key reason why he decided to leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain.
2023-08-22 23:45
Trisha Paytas recreates Selena Gomez's viral blanket meme
If there's a trend, Trisha Paytas is doing it, and she's managed to get hold of Selena Gomez's Mexican-style blanket to recreate her viral meme within days. The YouTuber posted a video of herself to TikTok branding it her 'after the hurricane photoshoot' as she posed in the turquoise rug. "Her mind is centuries ahead of all of ours", one person joked in the comments, as others quizzed how she'd managed to get an identical blanket so quickly. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter
2023-08-22 23:20
What is Pakistan's homemade cable car system?
For many who need to travel between mountains in Pakistan, makeshift chair-lifts are the only option.
2023-08-22 23:19
New Biden student loan plan cuts payments for millions, White House says
WASHINGTON The Biden administration on Tuesday said it was overhauling student loan repayment plans, seeking to make payments
2023-08-22 23:19
Taylor Swift, Trevor Noah and more join Questlove for star-studded game night
When producer and musician Questlove sent out the call for an Uno game night, he drew more than two -- more than two stars that is.
2023-08-22 23:18
Medtronic says surgeries back at pre-pandemic levels, shares rise
By Bhanvi Satija (Reuters) -Medtronic on Tuesday raised its annual profit forecast as the return of surgery volumes to pre-pandemic
2023-08-22 23:17
Twitter users are arguing over which country has the best plug sockets - yes, really
When the UK Government embarrasses us on the world stage on a regular basis, us Brits will take any small win we can find, and in the latest Twitter/X debate, we’re fighting to be crowned the country with the best plug socket – yes, really. The discussion started after user Darsam shared a graphic of our three-pinned plugs and wrote: “Britons will look you straight in the eye and say ‘yeah that’s a normal power outlet wdym [what do you mean]?’” In a follow-up tweet, they posted a picture of the EU plug socket with two holes and added: “In this house we believe EU reins [sic] supreme through its normalcy and simplicity.” Except the reason why we have three pins as opposed to the two pins elsewhere is because the top pin is known as the ‘earth pin’, and as the Digital Museum of Plugs and Sockets (we think they’re pretty switched on when it comes to this stuff) explains, “shutters [for the live and neutral holes] are pushed away by pressing down the earth pin – a very common mechanism found on most British sockets”. And popular YouTube educator Tom Scott has a handy demonstration – using an unplugged extension - on his channel from 2014, in which he says: “It’s really difficult for a kid to take, say, a screwdriver and just poke it into one of the holes, ‘cause up here is earth … that’s a safety one. “These two here are live and neutral, where the actual danger is, but they’ve got shutters over them … and I cannot poke the screwdriver in there right now. “What I have to do, is plug the earth pin – which you can see is slightly longer, the brown pin here – in first, and when that goes in, little shutters come up and let the other pins in.” British Plugs Are Better Than All Other Plugs, And Here's Why www.youtube.com And while a few people offered up other plugs than the UK or EU versions, many were quick to defend Britain on this issue: So sorry, world, we have the best plugs, and you’ll just have to suck it – or, rather, socket – up… Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-22 23:16
In his new book 'The Fall,' author Michael Wolff foresees the demise of Fox News
The next book from “Fire and Fury” author Michael Wolff is both a recounting of the recent past and a prediction for the near future
2023-08-22 22:57
