By Lori Ewing BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Italy's Olympic champion and showman Gianmarco Tamberi captured his first world high jump title on

A North Carolina man who brought two pipe bomb-like devices to a church earlier this year avoided jail time, after family and community members wrote letters en masse to a local court asking for leniency. Joshua Wayne Hawyley, 37, of Connelly Springs, pleaded guilty earlier this month in Catawba County Superior Court to three counts of possession of a weapon of mass destruction. The father was sentenced to three years of supervised probation, a mental evaluation, and barred from possessing firearms and explosives, as well as prevented from contacting the church where he brought explosive devices earlier this year. “Joshua is a good, caring man and deserves better than this,” his wife Savanah Hawley wrote in a letter to the court, the Hickory Record reported. “His children need him, and he needs his children. Please don’t let him go away for 2.5 years. Jail isn’t the punishment he deserves. He deserves a good doctor and medication.” “(Joshua Hawley) often fixates on various things, due to his mental status,” local resident Jackie Miller added in a letter of her own. “And at that time he was fixated on making smoke bombs — something he apparently did in his youth.” The 37-year-old was arrested in May for bringing multiple pipe bombs to Marketplace Church in Mountain View. The pastor of the church told police Hawley had mental issues and showed up to the church in a “manic state,” telling an employee he brought something for the church and asked security guards where the pastor’s vehicle was, warning the employee the pastor should be careful so the bomb didn’t “blow up in his face,” according to the Morganton News Herald. No one was injured in the incident. “I think in a house of worship people should feel safe and not feel intimidated,” Catawba County Sheriff Don Brown said at the time of the arrest. Four months before the pipe bomb incident, Hawyley had been asked to stop attending the church, after members grew uncomfortable with his behaviour, which included showing up to the facility in military-style attire, wearing a body camera and open-carrying guns and knives. Hawley did not have a formal mental health diagnosis at the time, though family members said in letters to the court they believe he suffers from mental illness including bipolar disorder and border schizophrenia. Read More Marjorie Taylor Greene addresses online conspiracy theory linking her to Jan 6 pipe bomber Convicted Colorado pipe bomber will get new trial 30 years later Hoax bomb threats target major US retailers including Walmart and Whole Foods demanding bitcoin and gift cards

The daughter of slain California businesswoman Laura “Lauri” Ann Carleton says the man who shot and killed her mother is “irrelevant”. Officials named 27-year-old California man Travis Ikeguchi as the suspect who shot and killed Carleton after making homophobic remarks about a Pride flag hanging outside her Mag.Pi fashion store in Cedar Glen on Friday. Ikeguchi, who was later shot and killed by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies, had made bigoted comments criticising the LGBT+ community and law enforcement on X, formerly known as Twitter, and the far-right platform Gab. In a statement to NBC News, Ari Carleton said the family “doesn’t care” about the suspect. “We will continue to steer the narrative away from him and towards my mother and honouring her. He is irrelevant,” Ms Carelton said. “The media must stop glorifying these individuals by giving them this platform.” San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the homicide as a potential hate crime. Carleton’s senseless murder has since led to an outpouring of grief and anger from her children and family members, Hollywood stars and the LGBT+ community members who have warned that her killing is a marker of the anti-LGBT+ hate currently being spread across the US. Read More A California man spewed anti-LGBT+ hate online. Then he murdered a mom-of-nine over a Pride flag A mother and businesswoman whose LGBTQ advocacy cost her her life: Who was Laura Ann Carleton? When people ripped her store’s Pride flag, Laura Carleton hung up another. This time it ended with her murder A murder over a Pride flag is sadly no surprise to anyone paying attention

Ukrainian saboteurs coordinated by Kyiv’s military intelligence services are said to have carried out drone attacks on airfields deep inside Russia – one of which appears to have destroyed a supersonic Russian bomber. It is one of a number of recent assaults on Russia and its military hardware, as well as drone attacks on Moscow. The latest such attack on the capital came overnight into Tuesday. Responding to the attack on the Russian airfields, British military intelligence said that the weekend attack is highly likely to have destroyed a nuclear-capable Tu-22M3 supersonic long-range bomber. Kyiv says Russia has used the Tu-22M3 to bomb targets across Ukraine with conventional munitions. Western military experts believe Russia has around 60 of the aircrafts. The destruction of the plane, which can be fitted with conventional or nuclear warheads, underscores the vulnerability to drone attacks of Russia’s fleet of ageing but lethal long-range bombers that are a major part of Moscow’s war effort. Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC showed what appeared to be 10 long-range bombers parked on the apron of the Soltsy air base, about 400 miles from the border with Ukraine, on Wednesday 16 August. By Monday, two days after the attack, all those bombers had left the air base. A large black spot was visible on one of the aprons where one of the bombers had been parked. The attack appeared to prompt Russia to relocate other planes of the same type from the airfield to alternative bases further from Ukraine. Russia's Defence Ministry said the attack on Saturday on one of its military airfields in the Novgorod region had been carried out by a Ukrainian drone and that one plane had been damaged. It gave no more details. In a daily update on Ukraine, British military intelligence said “a Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE medium bomber of Russia’s Long Range Aviation (LRA) was highly likely destroyed at Soltsy-2 Airbase in Novgorod Oblast, 650km (403 miles) away from Ukraine’s border”. “This is at least the third successful attack on LRA airfields, again raising questions about Russia’s ability to protect strategic locations deep inside the country,” it said. Ukraine rarely claims such attacks, even if officials are not against pointing them out, but the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper and Ukraine's NV news outlet reported groups of saboteurs were behind the strikes. They attributed two attacks to the saboteurs: the one on Soltsy air base and one on Monday against the Shaikovka air base in the southwestern Kaluga region that is about 180 miles (300km) northeast of the Ukrainian border. Russia's Defense Ministry didn't comment on the reported attack on Shaikovka, but Russian media did. Ukraine has repeatedly sought to take the war into the heart of Russia this year via drone attacks. It has increasingly targeted Moscow’s military assets behind the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov told the Ukrainian LIGA.net news outlet on Monday that at least one Russian warplane was damaged in the attack on Shaikovka. He said it was carried out by people who worked in close coordination with Ukrainian military intelligence but gave no further details. As for the drone attacks on Moscow – which have increased in recent weeks – Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed a number were shot out of the sky on Tuesday, but falling wreckage of one drone shattered an apartment building’s windows and damaged vehicles in Moscow’s western suburbs. Flights at several Moscow airports were temporarily suspended Tuesday as a security precaution amid the attacks, authorities said. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, said that the country’s forces have made progress in its counteroffensive to retake land occupied by Russia during the invasion ordered by President Vladimir Putin – and so proving Kyiv can push back a better-armed and numerically superior enemy. Ukrainian troops have faced vast Russian minefields and trenches in the counteroffensive launched in early June, But Ms Maliar brushed aside any suggestion that Kyiv’s progress was too slow. “It's incorrect to measure this advance by metres or kilometres,” Ms Maliar told Reuters. “What’s important is the very fact that despite everything, we’re moving forward even though we have fewer people and fewer weapons.” Ms Maliar highlighted the situation in eastern Ukraine, where she said Russian forces – who also enjoy air superiority – can fire 400,000-500,000 artillery shells each week or around 10 times more than Ukraine. Earlier on Tuesday, she said Ukrainian troops had gained a foothold in the southeastern village of Robotyne on the road to Tokmak, an occupied rail hub whose recapture would be a milestone in Kyiv’s southward drive to reach the Sea of Azov. The next major settlement is the big regional city of Melitopol. Germany’s foreign minister said on Tuesday Ukraine needed more help penetrating Russian minefields and that Berlin was discussing with its partners how to fulfil Kyiv’s requests for more equipment. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Biden to attend next month's G-20 summit in New Delhi, while Harris will head to Jakarta for ASEAN Poland's leader says Russia's moving tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, shifting regional security Iran unveils armed drone resembling America's MQ-9 Reaper and says it could potentially reach Israel

A Black Missippi FedEx driver who was chased and shot at by two white men while delivering packages has lost his job at the carrier, according to his attorney. D’Monterrio Gibson, 25, was delivering parcels in the city of Brookhaven last January, when father and son Gregory and Brandon Case blocked his delivery van with a pickup truck and began shooting at him as he drove away, according to prosecutors. Mr Gibson, who said the incident left him with anxiety, trouble sleeping, and caused him to seek therapy, lost his job at the end of the this July, after refusing to accept a part-time, non-courier position at the company, according to an email from FedEx shared with The Associated Press. “I honestly feel disrespected,” he told the AP. “They can’t tell me when I should be ready to come back.” The company had been voluntarily paying for his therapy while he was away from the job on worker’s compensation leave, CNN reports. Mr Gibson plans to file a state lawsuit against FedEx, after his $5m federal lawsuit against the delivery giant accusing them of racism was dismissed in August, with the court finding the Mississippi man hadn’t proven he was discriminated against because of his race. “FedEx has shown its true colors,” Mr Gibson’s attorney, Carlos Moore, told the network. “It has never cared about my client’s Black life. How could any employer be so insensitive and tone deaf and fire a dedicated employee after he almost lost his life working for the company?” The Independent has contacted FedEx for comment. Gregory and Brandon Case were charged by local officials with attempted murder. Last week, the case against them was declared a mistrial, after a police detective testified to not sharing a copy of a video interview with Mr Gibson after the shooting with either the prosecution or the defence. The men, who say they were responding to an unknown van parked outside of a family member’s house on a public road, remain out on bond. Mr Gibson was wearing his FedEx uniform when making the delivery that preceded the shooting on 24 January, 2022, driving a rental van with the Hertz logo on multiple sides, according to court documents. As he went to leave the area, Gregory Case allegedly blocked the driver in with his pickup truck, causing Mr Gibson to dry around the truck and leave the area. His van was struck with three rounds. “They came out of nowhere,” Gibson said at a news conference last year. “Even if [the van] was unmarked, civilians still can’t take the law into their own hands.” “I’m thinking this is a racism thing,” he said. His attorney alleged that the Cases were seeking to emulate the Ahmaud Arbery incident, where a group of white men in Georgia pursued a Black jogger in 2020 in their pickup trucks then murdered him. “It was clearly a copycat crime,” Mr Moore said during the 2022 news conference. “These people tried to be copycats, and that’s why we need full justice, not Mississippi justice. This man went to work, and they attacked him like he was a wild animal.” Read More Mississippi grand jury cites shoddy investigations by police department at center of mistrial Mississippi judge declares mistrial for two white men charged with shooting at Black FedEx worker Confrontation with 2 white men left Black FedEx driver traumatized, mom says outside their trial

Ukraine has broken the "stalemate" on the frontline and is making progress in its counteroffensive against Russia, a senior Kyiv official claimed. The embattled nation began its long-awaited counteroffensive in June this year against the Russian invaders. But progress has been slower than anticipated as Ukrainian forces try and take heavily fortified Russian positions, surrounded by landmines. Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar brushed aside any suggestion that Kyiv's progress was too slow and said Ukraine had military doctrine by attacking an enemy that has a numerical advantage in manpower and weaponry. Ms Mailar said: "It's incorrect to measure this advance by metres or kilometres. "What's important is the very fact that despite everything, we're moving forward even though we have fewer people and fewer weapons." Her claims were also backed up by the US as White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan told a briefing on Tuesday: "We have been clear all along that this battlefield is very dynamic."We are seeing it (Ukraine) continue to take territory on a methodical, systematic basis." Read More Putin was meant to be at a summit in South Africa this week. Why was he asked to stay away? Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said to be recruiting Wagner 'strongmen' for Africa On the ground in Ukraine, the desperate fight to protect a key city from 100,000 of ‘Putin’s thugs’

On Friday, 18 August, police were alerted to a report of a person being shot at a clothing store. Officers identified the victim as the store’s owner, Laura Ann Carleton, who had suffered a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials said there had been an altercation at her store over an LGBTQ Pride flag that she was displaying. The suspect, now identified as 27-year-old Travis Ikeguchi, had made “several disparaging remarks” about the flag before shooting her, police said. Ikeguchi fled the scene after shooting Carleton, but was found by sheriff's deputies several miles away and was fatally shot in a confrontation. Authorities later revealed that Ikeguchi had posted a series of homophobic comments on social media. The attack has sparked outrage across the community and social media. Carleton was a mother, business owner, fashion enthusiast – and a passionate LGBTQ+ advocate. Who was Laura Ann Carleton? Carleton, known as “Lauri” was 66 years old and was the owner of a clothing store called Mag.Pi, located in Cedar Glen, near San Bernadino in Southern California. According to the official Mag.Pi store website, her love for fashion was sparked during her teenage years. She started her career working in the family business at Fred Segal Feet in Los Angeles while attending the Art Center School of Design. She then made her way to Joseph Magnin Century City and began running the “top fashion” show floor. Progressing in her fashion career, Carleton joined Kenneth Cole and remained there for over 15 years, where she worked with factory and design teams in Italy and Spain. The designer travelled with her husband Bort across the US, Europe and South America, which fuelled her love for design, fashion, food, fine art and architecture. Carleton said Mag.Pi,strives to tackle “everyday life with grace and ease and continuing to dream.” The couple lived in Studio City, Los Angeles, and also own a 1920s fisherman’s cabin on Lake Arrowhead. Her website sayd: “With a penchant for longevity, Laura has been married to the same man Bort for 28 years. She is an amazing mother of a family of nine children, the youngest being identical twin girls.” What have people said about her? Hollywood director Paul Feig – whose movies include Bridesmaids and The Heat – led tributes to the mother-of-nine, remembering the much loved “true ally”. Under a picture of the two of them together, Feig wrote: “We are all devastated for her husband Bort and her family and the LGBTQ+ community, for whom Lauri was such a true ally. Her alleged murderer was later shot and killed by the San Bernardino police and so no longer poses a threat to the community. But this intolerance has to end. “Anyone using hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community has to realize their words matter, that their words can inspire violence against innocent loving people. Let’s all keep moving forward with tolerance and love. Let’s not let Lauri’s tragic death be in vain.” A charity organisation, Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+, said in a statement that Carleton was an ally for the community. It said: “Lauri did not identify as LGBTQ+ but spent her time helping & advocating for everyone in the community. She will be truly missed. From what we understand the suspect is no longer a threat.” Carleton’s daughter, Ari, put out a heartbreaking message in homage to her “fearless, cool and compassionate” mother. The post was coupled with several photos of Carleton with her loved ones, with the caption: “Make no mistake, this was a hate crime. Her flags had been torn down before and she always responded by putting up a bigger one. Our family is broken. “We have a long road ahead of us as we navigate this new reality without our loving matriarch. We find peace in knowing she passed quickly in a place she cherished, doing what she loved while fiercely defending something she believed in. She was fearless, cool and compassionate – always putting others first.” The post continued: “We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support that our family has received from loved ones and strangers alike, it has provided hope and light in our darkest days. We will continue to advocate for love, equality and acceptance in everything that we do. Love will always triumph hate.” “I feel deeply saddened by this,” actor Jamie Lee Curtis said on Instagram. “This is our country now and we can’t look away. Rest in peace Laura Ann Carleton, a mother of nine. Thank you for your allyship.” Goodwill Ambassador for the UNHCR and Sex and The City star Kristin Davis said Carleton’s murder is a “hate crime” and added: “I cannot comprehend what has happened and I can only imagine what her family and close friends are going through. We cannot rest in our work towards love and understanding and equality for every person. It is abundantly clear that divisive senseless hate is the only motive for this hate crime. “Lauri was a strong ally, when her Pride flags were stolen she quickly replaced them. To think that she was murdered for her support of our LQBTQ+ family tears my heart into pieces. I want Lauri to be known as the HERO she was and is. I want her family to know we are thinking of them and for everyone to know that we must continue to stand up for what is right! #lovewins.” Tributes from the community Comments from members of the community also began to pour in after daughter Ari made the post about her mother, sharing her pain and grief with the world. One person wrote: “My husband and I met your mom 3 weeks ago as we stumbled into her store. She was kind, and generous and such a force. She spoke so highly of her two girls and told us about all the times she drove you up to lake arrowhead during HS to make memories with you. She made us feel like we were family in a 30 min conversation. I am so sorry for what has happened. She was an angel on earth and now a real one.” Another said: “I am so grateful for angels like your mother who so selfless took care of others. As a gay man my heart goes out to you and your family even more so that she has been such a fearless warrior for my own personal acceptance in this world. I truly love you and your family. My heart is hurting, but I will take the advice I just got from her well-spoken, beautiful, brave daughter. That is to stay focused on positivity and love and to honor her legacy.” Read More Laura Carleton shooting – latest: Travis Ikeguchi’s anti-LGBT+ online history revealed after Pride flag murder A California man spewed anti-LGBT+ hate online. Then he murdered a mom-of-nine over a Pride flag A murder over a Pride flag is sadly no surprise to anyone paying attention

An overview of the media in Turkey, including links to broadcasters and newspapers.

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

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

Wildfires continue to cause chaos in Europe as firefighters in Greece and Tenerife tackle blazes in soaring heat. Devastating blazes in central Greece left two dead and two firefighters injured on Monday, while fires consumed the city of Alexandroupolis, damaging a school, a cemetery and several homes. And on Tuesday, the bodies of 18 people were found in a forest after a fire struck an area in the north east of the country. In a separate incident, around 65 of the more than 100 patients in the Alexandroupolis hospital in north-eastern Greece were transported to a ferry docked in the city’s port, as hot, dry and windy conditions have kept fires stoked for four days. It comes as dozens more houses were damaged by another wildfire in the Kavala region, local authorities said, while a separate fire in the Evros border region was burning through woodland in a protected national park. A new fire broke out in the Aspropyrgos area on the western fringes of the Greek capital on Tuesday morning, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for two villages in the area. Romania sent 56 firefighters and Cyprus send two water-dropping aircraft to help fight the wildfire in Alexandroupolis, while French firefighters helped tackle a separate fire on the island of Evia. Here is a map which shows where the wildfires are in Greece: The highest fire risk level (extreme) was given by the General Secretariat of Civil Protection of the Ministry of Climate Crisis & Civil Protection for the following areas today: Region of Attica Region of Central Greece (PE Boeotia, PE Evia, PE Fthiotida) Peloponnese Region (Argolida PE, Corinthia PE) There is a very high fire risk for the following areas: Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace (Evros PE including the island of Samothraki, Rodopi PE, Xanthi PE, Kavala PE, Thassos PE) Region of Central Macedonia (PE Thessaloniki, PE Halkidiki, Mount Athos) North Aegean Region (Lemnos PE, Lesvos PE) Region of Thessaly (Magnesia PE, Sporades PE) Region of Central Greece (PE of Fokidas, PE of Fthiotida, Skyros island) Region of Peloponnese Region of Attica (Kythira Island) Region of Western Greece Region of Epirus (Preveza Region, Arta Region, Thesprotia Region) Region of Ionian Islands (PE Kefallonia, PE Zakynthos, PE Lefkada) In Tenerife, more than 12,000 people were evacuated from their homes as a devastating blaze- which was started deliberately- burnt through about 13,400 hectares (33,000 acres) of pine forest and scrubland. Locals were seen fleeing in horror from plumes of flames and smoke as the fire spread after it was first sparked last Tuesday. Fernando Clavijo, regional president of Canary Islands, said police suspected arson and have opened three lines of investigation. It has not been revealed if any arrests were made. The fire began in the Arafo mountains around the Mount Teide volcano - Spain’s highest peak- expanding to a raging perimeter of 84 kilometers as it ravaged the north of the island over the last six days. Authorities on Sunday allowed some of the 12,000 people evacuated from the villages of Arafo and Candelaria to return to their homes and the remaining evacuees could receive more good news on Monday, Clavijo said. However, emergency services recommended residents in the area around the fire, which includes the capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife, to close windows and to stay indoors. It recommended wearing face masks if they need to go outside, as the air quality was “very unfavourable” due to smoke. Read More Apocalyptic scenes in Tenerife as wildfire continues to rage on island Mapped: Where are the wildfires in Tenerife as blaze forces thousands to flee Tenerife fire that has raged for six days was started deliberately Greek firefighters find bodies of 18 people in forest Newborns evacuated from hospital to ferry to escape raging Greek wildfire Biden promises to assist Maui fire survivors for ‘as long as it takes’ during visit Maui guest interrupts Steve Bannon show over politicisation of fires

Greek authorities said the bodies of 18 people were found Tuesday in an area of northeastern Greece struck by a major wildfire. The charred bodies were found in a remote village in northern Greece on Tuesday, where wildfires have been raging for days, the fire brigade said as a heatwave hitting southern Europe turned deadly. Greek media, without citing sources, said the bodies found south of the village of Avantas in northern Greece were thought to be of migrants. The broader Evros region is a popular route for migrants crossing from Turkey into Greece. On Monday, the burned body of another man believed to be a migrant was found in the region, a local police official said. Hundreds of firefighters struggled Tuesday to control major wildfires burning out of control for days in northeastern Greece and on Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. Hot, dry and windy conditions have seen dozens of wildfires break out across Greece, with the most severe entering its fourth day and encroaching on the northeastern port city of Alexandroupolis. On Monday, two people died and two firefighters were injured in separate fires in northern and central Greece. The fire risk level for several regions, including the wider Athens area, was listed as “extreme” for the second day Tuesday. Authorities have banned public access to mountains and forests in those regions until at least Wednesday morning and ordered military patrols. Dozens of hospital patients – including newborn babies – have been evacuated onto a ferry in the Greek port city of Alexandroupolis away from a wildfire that has raged for days. In Alexandroupolis, northeastern Greece, a ferry was turned into a makeshift hospital after 65 patients were evacuated from the University Hospital in the early hours. Ambulances also ferried patients away from a nearby clinic. Elderly patients lay on mattresses strewn across the cafeteria floor, paramedics attended to others on stretchers and a woman held a man resting on a sofa, an IV drip attached to his hand. “I’ve been working for 27 years, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said nurse Nikos Gioktsidis. “Stretchers everywhere, patients here, IV drips there... it was like a war, like a bomb had exploded.” It comes as a fresh heatwave hit southern Europe. Authorities urged residents to avoid the heat as France, Italy, Spain and elsewhere suffered hot, dry and windy conditions that scientists have linked to the climate crisis. Firefighters were also battling blazes in Spain and Italy. Read More Turkey says UN lost neutrality after world body condemns Cyprus roadwork, assault on peacekeepers U.N. calls unauthorized construction by Turkish Cypriots a violation of the status quo on Cyprus Major wildfires burn in Greece, Spain's Canary Island of Tenerife Turkish Cypriots attack UN peacekeepers trying to halt road work inside divided Cyprus' buffer zone Marble head and Cartier ring: The other items previously stolen from British Museum British Museum boss reveals items have been stolen as staff member dismissed