The flames devastate Sicily, leaving a dramatic situation in which more than 50 fire fronts remain active. During the night of Tuesday, the fire has put at risk the Greek temple of the archaeological park of Segesta, which is located in the northwest of the island and dates from the fifth century BC, according to the Greek City Times.

The temple was saved thanks to the continued efforts of the firefighters, but the fire destroyed the souvenir shop and the cafeteria of the archaeological park. Hotels and rental rooms near the area were evacuated as a precaution. Francesco Groppuso, mayor of Segesta, expressed his anger at considering the flames the work of arsonists.

The temple, of Doric origin and especially well preserved, is located on a hill on the outskirts of the city. Its construction dates back to 420 BC and, although the city did not have a Greek population at that time, it is thought to have been built by an Athenian architect.. Others believe that the indigenous Elymians were in charge of its construction.

The fire also threatens other tourist centers on the island, which have had to be evacuated. Palermo International Airport was forced to close early Tuesday morning as flames ripped through the airport's perimeter.

After a week with temperatures that have reached 46 degrees due to the Charonte heat wave, the fire has spread throughout the island, leaving at least 5 people dead.. The flames are approaching tourist towns such as Catania and Taormina, while the authorities ask the population to avoid going outdoors due to the risk of poisoning.

More than 1,500 people have been displaced from towns such as Alimenusa, Gangi, Blufi, Misilmeri, Cefalù Bolognetta, Santa Flavia, Villabate, Partinico, San Cipirello and Corleone, where some houses have been completely charred.

With about 80,000 inhabitants, the city of Bakhmut was a prosperous industrial and mining center in the Donetsk region before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but after more than a year of war it has become a jumble of ruins because its destruction it is practically complete.

Proof of this are the images captured by drones, which show an apocalyptic scenario when they fly over the city, the epicenter of the fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian armies for months.

Last May, Russian troops with the help of mercenaries from the Wagner group took control of most of the city, although the fighting has never stopped in the surroundings and the Ukrainian army is currently pressing to retake the city. .

Two new fires declared this Wednesday afternoon in central Greece have quickly triggered the evacuation of several towns, while thousands of firefighters and volunteers continued to work piecemeal to control and reduce the flames on the islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Eube.

The countries bordering the Mediterranean are suffering these days the largest wave of fires in memory due to high temperatures. Along with Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Tunisia and Algeria are trying to pay for numerous fires that have already left fatalities.

In Algeria, 34 fatalities have been registered and the authorities have arrested 19 people for their alleged involvement in the spread of fires.

The Russian army has responded to the advances of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south of the country and around Bakhmut by launching a drone attack against the Kharkov region, which has destroyed industrial facilities.. It has also punished the Sumy region with artillery shelling, while maintaining its 'embargo' on Ukrainian grain with attacks on Black Sea ports.

For some it is not enough to buy an island; they want a country, a state. And they invent it or create it in reality. Those who choose this last formula manage to have what we call a micronation, something like an independent State that lacks a legal basis in international law and that does not have the recognition of other States and international organizations.

In reality, these micronations do not possess any of the attributes of a State such as the monopoly of force, the sovereignty of the territory or the control of its population.. They usually occupy imaginary or very small territory. In the case at hand, it is 11 acres of land (about 4.5 hectares) and all of it is desert.

We are completely surrounded by the US”, reads (not without irony) on its official website

It is the space occupied by the Republic of Slowjamastan, the country that slow jam DJ Randy Williams has given himself. The land, which the DJ bought in October 2021, cost him $19,000.

He is the “sultan” of this micronation located in Imperial County, in southern California (USA), along California State Route 78, about 160 kilometers from San Diego.. “We are completely surrounded by the US”, reads (not without irony) on its official website.

Williams should be asked about his “war of independence”, because although the “State” was founded on September 16, 2021, independence (says its official website) did not arrive until December 1 of that same year.. The “sultan” was inspired by the Republic of Molossia, another micronation located in Dayton (Nevada) that he visited in August 2021.

The full name of the country is the United Territories of the Sovereign Nation of the People's Republic of Slowjamastan. Su líder es “Su Excelencia el Sultán Supremo Randy “¡R Dub!” Williams”.

This DJ was inspired by Molossia, but before that he had visited all the Member States of the United Nations (he assures that only Turkmenistan was left).. In the desert plot that shapes his country there is a large border sign next to the highway, a border checkpoint and an open desk that serves as an office for its creator.

From there he exercises his “power”. The website warns us that the political system of Slowjamastan is dictatorship “most days (sometimes the Sultan passes the suggestion box)”. If you even have a parliament. And what is your political position regarding other nations” “Don't start any sh*t, there won't be any sh*t”, replies the official page.

The capital is Dublândia and the official language is English with a foreign accent or GFA (General Foreign Accent).. Portuguese and Spanish are also recognized. Their national anthem is Slowjamastan (I think it's going to be an amazing place).

In addition, the State created by Williams has a time zone (Slowjamastan Standard Time), currency (the duble) and national animal (the ring-tailed raccoon).. And a slogan: “Libertas. Honor. Respectus”, thus, in Latin.

The Laws of Slowjamastan

And what laws apply in the Republic of Slowjamastan? “The foundation, vision and governance structure are unique, based on the values and visions of our Dear Leader and the day-to-day annoyances he experienced growing up in America,” Williams told KCAL News.

The governmental structure is based on the everyday hassles I experienced growing up in America.”

The first is that 'crocs' are not allowed. They do not refer to crocodiles but to a very popular type of footwear in the US. “We wish for a noble land, free from the shoe atrocities that Americans call 'crocs,'” the sultan declared.

Furthermore, “all citizens and visitors should know the difference between 'you' and 'you are'”. Anyone who can prove they don't know the difference will be kicked out and not allowed back until they learn the difference and can prove it by passing a written test.

We wish for a noble land, free from the shoe atrocities Americans call 'crocs'.”

In the country of “Dear Leader” Williams, it is forbidden to hit “reply to all” when we are going to respond to an email. Whoever does so will be forced to write in Comic Sans for 30 days.. Other no-nos include mumble rapping, putting your feet up on the ledge of your seat on airplanes, eating string cheese by biting straight into it, or grabbing the last piece of pizza.

How to have “slowjamastanian” citizenship

Like other micronations, Slowjamastan is not recognized by other states.. In fact, it has only been recognized by “the mother of the Sultan”, says the official website. For his mother and, of course, for its citizens, who are already at least a thousand.. and growing, since this month of July the North American media have echoed the “birth of a nation”.

Citizenship can be applied for through the official website of the Republic of Slowjamastan. It's free, but “if you want your photo to be published with your name on the premium listing” you have to pay $19.99. That includes a unique citizen number and a letter signed by the Sultan, but does not provide a passport or permission to live, work or camp.

The Russian government has banned imports of seafood products from “unfriendly” countries, including those in the European Union (EU), according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Economic Development.

“A ban on the importation into the Russian Federation of fish and shellfish products from unfriendly countries is introduced,” the note states.

According to the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, the rejection of imports from the EU, the United States and Norway “will free up certain niches” of the Russian local market that will be occupied by domestic producers.

In this way, Russian companies “will have the opportunity to increase production volumes, expand the range (of products) and increase the number of jobs,” the statement said.

The Russian government adopted on March 8, 2022 a list of “unfriendly” countries and territories, which includes the US and Canada, all EU member states, the UK, Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland, Albania, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, North Macedonia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan.

The fires that broke out early this Tuesday in Sicily (southern Italy) continue to spread throughout the island while emergency teams have located five charred corpses on the outskirts of the city of Palermo.

After a week with temperatures that have reached 46 degrees due to the Caronte heat wave, the fire has spread throughout the island and is approaching tourist towns such as Catania and Taormina, while the authorities ask the population to avoid going outside open air due to risk of poisoning.

In Cinisi, a town located a few kilometers from the Palermo airport, they have found the bodies of two elderly people aged 77 and 75 who lived in a small house in precarious conditions.

The emergency services have also confirmed the death of another 88-year-old woman, who suffered from health problems and whom the rescue teams could not attend due to the ferocity of the flames.

In addition, two rangers are admitted to the Civic Hospital of Palermo with first to third degree burns, although medical assistance is also complicated since the proximity of the flames forced them to evacuate the ward of another hospital in the city.

According to the local press, there are more than 1,500 people displaced from towns such as Alimenusa, Gangi, Blufi, Misilmeri, Cefalù Bolognetta, Santa Flavia, Villabate, Partinico, San Cipirello and Corleone, where some houses have been completely charred.

Likewise, several sections of the highways that connect Palermo with other points in Sicily such as Messina and Mazara del Vallo remain closed.

For its part, on the opposite side of the island, to the east, the eviction of numerous villas built around the town of Taormina, a central point of Italian tourism in the height of the summer season, has begun.

Also in the vicinity of Catania, the second most populous city in Sicily, the flames have reached populated areas and devastated palm trees in urbanized streets, gardens and homes, where there is also no water or electricity due to the intense heat that is causing overloads in services. electrical.

“The situation throughout Sicily is very difficult due to the weather conditions that further complicate the work of those who must fight the flames,” said the president of the Sicily Region, Renato Schifani, who has asked for help for firefighters to arrive from other regions because “those who are in service in Sicily are already all employed on the various fronts”.

However, the fire is breaking out in other regions of southern Italy such as Puglia, where there are active fires in the provinces of Foggia and Lecce, and Calabria, which also require immediate attention.

Violent storms in the north cause deaths

At the same time, the north of the country suffered a violent storm tonight, accompanied by lightning and sudden gusts of wind, which caused significant damage, especially in Milan, where numerous streets have been flooded and dozens of trees have fallen.

Bad weather has so far claimed five victims. The first two were a 58-year-old woman due to the fall of a tree on the car in which she was going to work and a 16-year-old adolescent due to the fall of another tree in a camp in the province of Brescia.

During a radio interview, the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, assured that it was known “that today would be a very difficult day.”

For his part, the Italian Civil Protection Minister, Nello Musumeci, declared that “today is one of the most complicated days in recent decades” in the country “due to the storms, tornadoes and hailstorms in the North and the scorching heat and devastating fires in the center-south”.

At least 51 long-finned pilot whales have died last night after being stranded on the remote Cheynes beach, in southwestern Australia, while a group of environmentalists try to rescue another 46 specimens, the authorities of the oceanic country reported this Wednesday.

A total of 97 pilot whales stranded on Tuesday in shallow water about 150 meters off Cheynes Beach, a protected cove in Western Australia that is surrounded by a park and nature reserve.

“Unfortunately, 51 whales died last night,” the Western Australia Region Parks and Wildlife Service reported on social media.

The Park Service has also detailed that rescue teams, veterinarians, marine wildlife experts and volunteers who have been deployed by land and sea since yesterday “try to take the remaining 46 whales to deep water throughout the day.”

But these tasks face a series of dangers due to the existence of “large, distressed and potentially sick whales, sharks, waves, heavy machinery and boats,” the regional body explained.

A similar tragedy in 2022

In September 2022, most of the 230 pilot whales that stranded on a remote island in the Australian region of Tasmania died, which, like Cheynes Beach, are on the migratory routes of various cetacean species.

That stranding in Tasmania occurred two years after some 470 pilot whales were stranded in the same place, of which only a hundred could be rescued and taken to the high seas.

Australia, like the neighboring country of New Zealand, is the scene of frequent strandings of whales and other marine mammals, without experts having been able to clarify the exact reasons.

However, it is believed that they may be linked to diseases, navigation errors, sudden changes in the tides, the pursuit of predators or extreme weather conditions.

An earthquake of magnitude 3.6 was registered this Tuesday in the province of Cotopaxi, in the central Andean zone of Ecuador, with no victims or material damage reported so far.

The Geophysical Institute (IG) of the National Polytechnic School indicated that the telluric movement occurred at 8:24 p.m. local time (03:24 GMT Spanish time) 89 kilometers from the city of La Maná.

The epicenter of the earthquake was located at 0.96 degrees south latitude and 79.25 degrees west longitude, with a hypocenter located 97 kilometers deep.

Ecuador is subjected to great seismic activity because it is located in the so-called subduction zone, an underwater region where the Nasca plate collides with the South American continental shelf near the coastal profile.

Likewise, the interior of the Ecuadorian territory is crossed by numerous systems of geological faults, also linked to the Andean mountain range, which also affects the seismic activity of the country.

The mayor of New York, Eric Adams, has announced this Tuesday that calls to report the presence of rats in the city have dropped 20% in the last two months, after implementing new guidelines for the disposal and collection of garbage.

The new program was launched by the hand of the first “tsarina”, appointed last April, to combat the plague of rats that invaded the streets of the city, which the mayor declared “enemy number one”.

This action minimizes the time that garbage is on the curb and increases the number of containers, which led, according to Adams, to a clear drop in calls from May to mid-July, when comparing the data with the year past

Adams further noted that rat sighting calls from the four mitigation zones, where the most action has been taken in response to rodent issues, decreased by 45 percent.

“It's still early, but these numbers show that what we're doing is working and that we're moving in the right direction,” said Adams, who recalled his “hatred of rats.”

The mayor also announced that the city will co-sponsor the first Day of Action against Rats, on August 12 in Harlem, to educate about caring for the streets, the trees or the management of garbage.