Travelore News: Major Power Outage In Spain And Portugal Knocks Out Subway Networks, Traffic Lights And ATM Machines

A blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, halting subway trains, cutting phone service and shutting down traffic lights and ATM machines for the 50 million people who live across the Iberian Peninsula.

Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica said that restoring power to large parts of the country and neighboring Portugal could take 6-10 hours.

The company declined to speculate on the causes of the huge blackout. The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center issued a statement saying there was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack.

Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Eléctrica, told journalists it was unprecedented, calling the event “exceptional and extraordinary.”

The outage hit across Spain and Portugal, including their capitals, Madrid and Lisbon. Offices closed and traffic was snarled as traffic lights stopped working. It was not possible to make calls on some mobile phone networks, though some apps were working.

The countries have a combined population of over 50 million people. It was not immediately clear how many were affected. It is rare to have such a widespread outage across the Iberian Peninsula.

Authorities said the cause was not immediately known, though one Portuguese official said the problem appeared to be with the electricity distribution network in Spain.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez convened an extraordinary meeting of Spain’s National Security Council and visited Red Eléctrica to follow efforts at restoring grid operations.

The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at the prime minister’s residence.

Portugal’s government said the outage appeared to stem from problems outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.

“It looks like it was a problem with the distribution network, apparently in Spain. It’s still being ascertained,” Cabinet Minister Leitão Amaro was quoted as saying.

Portuguese distributor E-Redes said the outage was due to “a problem with the European electricity system,” according to Portuguese newspaper Expresso. The company said it was compelled to cut power in specific areas to stabilize the network, according to Expresso.

Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE said a major power outage hit several regions of the country just after midday local time, leaving its newsroom, Spain’s parliament in Madrid and subway stations across the country in the dark.

A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across the country indicated a steep drop around 12:15 p.m. from 27,500MW to near 15,000MW.

Spanish airports were operating on backup electrical systems and some flights were delayed, according to Aena, the company that runs 56 airports in Spain including Madrid and Barcelona. In Lisbon, terminals closed and throngs of tourists sat outside in the sun and the shade waiting for news about their flights.

“We haven’t seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes we’ve been waiting here,” Dutch tourist Marc Brandsma told The Associated Press.

Train services in both countries ground to a halt. Video aired on Spanish television showed people evacuating metro stations in Madrid and empty stations with trains stopped in Barcelona.

The Spanish Parliament in Madrid closed and play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended. Three matches were underway when power went down.

Spain’s traffic department asked citizens to avoid using their cars as much as possible due to the power outage, which has affected traffic lights and electrical road signage.

Barcelona’s streets filled with throngs of people on sidewalks, milling about in front of darkened stores and offices and exchanging information on what had happened.

Immediate concerns were which phone companies still had some, at least, spotty coverage, or where internet access might be found. Another concern was how to get home with the subway shut and public buses packed.

In Terrassa, an industrial town 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Barcelona, stores selling generators were out of stock after people lined up to buy them.

In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, the outage hit Lisbon and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts. Portuguese police placed more officers on duty to direct traffic and cope with increased requests for help, including from people trapped in elevators.

Portuguese hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators. Gas stations stopped working.

Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection said backup power systems were operating.

Several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, reports said. Also in Portugal, courts stopped work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected.

By RENATA BRITO and BARRY HATTON

If President Trump’s 31% tariffs On Switzerland Are Imposed, Then Instead Of Buying The Rolex Land-Dweller In The U.S. It Will Be Cheaper To Fly First Class From New York To Geneva, Buy The Watch, Stay In A Suite At The Four Seasons, Dine At A Michelin Restaurant And Fly Back

In a world where luxury and logic rarely coexist, a curious financial paradox is emerging in the world of fine watches. Thanks to a proposed tariff hike on Swiss watches imported into the United States, the cost of owning a brand-new Rolex Land-Dweller might skyrocket. If the tariffs are implemented as planned, prices for Swiss watches could jump by as much as 31%. That means, in theory, a watch that has a retail price of €47,400 (about $52,300) would now cost closer to $68,500 for American buyers.

This potential markup of over $16,000 is enough to make even the most brand-loyal Rolex enthusiasts take pause. But more than that, it opens the door to a fascinating and very real possibility: it could soon be cheaper to fly to Geneva in first class, stay in a luxury suite, dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and buy the Land-Dweller locally, all for less than what it would cost to buy the same watch stateside.

The thought reads like the beginning of a luxury heist or a well-researched finance blog hack, but it’s grounded in hard numbers. A round-trip first-class flight from New York City to Geneva with American Airlines can be booked for around $11,000.

The loft suite at the Four Seasons Geneva

Furthermore, a suite at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues—arguably one of the most exclusive stays in the city—can cost about $3,000 for one night. Add in a dinner at one of Geneva’s renowned Michelin-starred restaurants like Domaine de Châteauvieux or Le Chat-Botté, and you’re looking at another $1,000 for a decadent, wine-paired evening.

The Le Chat-Botté

Add all that up—flight, lodging, gourmet experience—and the total cost comes to approximately $15,000. Subtract that from the $16,000 saved by avoiding the tariff-inflated price in the US, and you’re still left with roughly $1,000 to spare. That’s $1,000 after having flown first class across the Atlantic, indulged in five-star hospitality, and walked out of a Swiss boutique with one of the most anticipated Rolex releases of the year strapped to your wrist.

Buyers queued up outside the Rolex store in Geneva.

It sounds outrageous, and yet it is a perfectly rational response to an irrational pricing distortion. Rolex’s pricing structure is famously opaque, with allocation policies and boutique politics sometimes standing in the way of even the wealthiest buyers. But at least for those who have access to the Land-Dweller at MSRP in Switzerland, this workaround not only makes financial sense—it turns the act of purchasing into an experience worthy of the brand’s prestige.

Image – The White House

To be clear, the prices have not changed yet. As of now, the U. price remains untouched, and Swiss boutiques are still selling their models at current retail rates. The scenario, then, is a thought experiment—a projection of what could happen if the US follows through on the proposed 31% tariff on Swiss timepieces. But it’s a scenario that buyers, resellers, and even rival luxury brands are watching closely.

Geneva, long regarded as the beating heart of horology, has always been a kind of pilgrimage site for watch aficionados. But in a world where trade policy warps the cost of global luxury, the Swiss city could become a strange new outpost for American retail therapy. Weekend jaunts to Switzerland may become less of a novelty and more of a calculated financial decision. For those spending five figures on a watch, it’s not absurd to tack on a European vacation—especially when it effectively costs nothing.

There’s also something undeniably poetic about it. A buyer leaving JFK, settling into a lie-flat seat, sipping champagne at altitude, arriving in the cradle of watchmaking, and walking cobbled streets to a boutique perched on the edge of Lake Geneva. They make their purchase in the place where the watch was born, sleep in a suite once occupied by diplomats and dignitaries, and dine under the artistry of chefs who plate with the same precision as a master watchmaker.

Of course, not every buyer will have the time—or inclination—to cross the Atlantic for their watch. But for those who do, this may be one of those rare instances where indulgence is not only enjoyable, but economically justified. In the strange math of luxury under tariffs, flying first class to buy a watch abroad might not be a splurge. It might just be smart shopping.

https://luxurylaunches.com/author/sayan/

Trump's Tariffs Set To Drive Up Bar Bills And Wipe Out Spirits Jobs

U.S. drinkers will pay more for cocktails, champagne and foreign beers, brands will disappear from bar menus and jobs will be lost on both sides of the Atlantic as a result of U.S. President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs, drinks industry bodies and analysts said on Thursday.

Trump's latest round of global and country-specific tariffs was set to hit everything from the popular negroni cocktail, based on Italy's Campari liqueur, to Guinness stout, made by the world's top spirits producer Diageo.

He also introduced a 25% levy on all beer imports and added beer cans to existing aluminium tariffs, hitting labels such as Mexican-made Corona and Dutch Heineken.

Shares of some spirits companies such as Diageo and Campari however gained as threats of 25% tariffs affecting Mexican tequila and Canadian whisky did not materialise. A threatened 200% tariff on European alcohol also remained outstanding for now.

However, industry bodies said the levies laid out on Wednesday were already high enough to hurt sectors that rely heavily on U.S. drinkers for sales.

European spirits exports alone to the U.S. stood at 2.9 billion euros ($3.18 billion) in 2024, according to trade body spiritsEurope, which said many U.S.-based jobs also relied on this trade.

French groups and officials warned of a 20% slide in sales and mass layoffs in regions like Cognac, where French brandy is produced for export, largely to the U.S. and China. The Spanish Wine Association warned no market could offset lost sales in the United States.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

"Many labels, which cannot be replaced by local production, will disappear from the tables of U.S. consumers, while a serious production and employment crisis is looming in Italy and Europe," Micaela Pallini, president of Italian trade association Federvini, said in a statement.

Japanese drinks maker Suntory said it will focus on selling spirits in countries where they are made as a result of tariffs.

Other major spirits and beer producers either declined to comment, did not immediately respond to requests for comment or said they were assessing the impact.

Analysts at UBS estimated that large listed spirits makers would have to hike prices by between 2% and 5% to cover the tariffs, or absorb the cost themselves and take a similar hit to operating profit.

Serious discussions about prices were underway now that tariff rates are known, said Tammy Curtis, senior vice president of commercial finance at Republic National Distributing Company, a top U.S. spirits distributor. "There will be winners and losers," she said, adding products where more of the tariff can be absorbed throughout the supply chain will fare better.

Sales of products like wine and cognac are already falling in the United States. French and Spanish wine producers told Reuters U.S. drinkers would have to pay some of the cost of tariffs. This would hurt U.S. wine businesses more than foreign counterparts, the U.S. Wine Trade Alliance added.

NOWHERE TO GO

Strategies used to mitigate tariffs during Trump's first term, such as shipping wine in bulk, would not help with these blanket levies, Allan Sichel, chairman of Bordeaux wine lobby CIVB, said.

Some producers may be able to shift manufacturing or parts of it, such as bottling. Other products like French champagne or Scotch whisky have to be made in specific countries or designated regions and cannot move production.

The Irish whiskey sector exports 40% of its production to the U.S., which drives growth and helps fund expansion in other markets, said Eoin O Cathain, head of the Irish Whiskey Association.

Companies may now shift their focus elsewhere, he continued, especially given ongoing uncertainty.

While Europe was spared the 200% tariff Trump has threatened to impose, it could still come if Europe's retaliation hits U.S. spirits, such as bourbon whiskey. "If it goes up to 200%, that'll be game over. The U.S. market will be finished," said Frederic Zeimett, CEO of Champagne Leclerc Briant which exports to the United States. ($1 = 0.9116 euros)

Reporting by Emma Rumney in London, Elisa Anzolin in Milan, Sybille de La Hamaide, Dominique Patton, Tassilo Hummel in Paris and Corina Pons and Emma Pinedo in Madrid; Additional reporting by Diana Mandia Alvarez in Gdansk and Lucien Libert in Paris; Writing by Emma Rumney; Editing by Barbara Lewis and Tomasz Janowski

Travelore News: Heathrow Says It Doesn’t Know When Power Will Be Restored And Expects Disruption For Days After Fire

Heathrow Airport says it doesn’t know when power will be restored and expects disruption to last for days after an electrical substation fire nearby.

The airport said in a statement it does not have “clarity on when power may be reliably restored.”

At least 1,350 flights to and from Heathrow were affected, flight tracking service FlightRadar 24 said, and the impact was likely to last several days as passengers try to reschedule their travel and airlines work to get planes and crew to the right places.

Authorities do not know what caused the fire but so far found have no evidence it was suspicious.

Residents in west London described hearing a large explosion, followed by a fireball and clouds of smoke, when the blaze ripped through the electrical substation near the airport.

Some 120 flights were in the air when the closure was announced, with some turned around and others diverted to Gatwick Airport outside London, Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris or Ireland’s Shannon Airport, tracking services showed.

Lawrence Hayes was three-quarters of the way to London from New York when Virgin Atlantic announced they were being diverted to Glasgow.

“It was a red-eye flight and I’d already had a full day, so I don’t even know how long I’ve been up for,” Hayes told the BBC as he was getting off the plane in Scotland. “Luckily I managed to get hold of my wife and she’s kindly booked me a train ticket to get back to Euston, but it’s going to be an incredibly long day.”

Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports for international travel. It had its busiest January on record earlier this year, with more than 6.3 million passengers, up more than 5% from the same period last year.

Still, the disruption Friday fell short of the one caused by the 2010 eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed clouds of ash into the atmosphere and created trans-Atlantic air travel chaos for months.

The Metropolitan Police force said counterterrorism detectives were leading the investigation because of their ability to find the cause quickly and because of the location of the electrical substation fire and its impact on critical national infrastructure.

Miliband said the fire, which took seven hours to control, also knocked out a backup power supply to the airport. Heathrow said in a statement that it had no choice but to close the airport for the day.

“We expect significant disruption over the coming days, and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens,” the airport said.

The fire’s widespread impact on travel led to criticism that Britain was ill prepared for disaster or some type of attack if a single blaze could shut down Europe’s busiest airport.

“The U.K.’s critical national infrastructure is not sufficiently hardened for anywhere near the level it would need to be at to give us confidence this won’t happen again,” said Alan Mendoza, the executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, a security think tank. “If one fire can shut down Heathrow’s primary systems and then apparently the backup systems, as well, it tells you something’s badly wrong with our system of management of such disasters.”

Tom Wells, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, acknowledged that authorities had questions to answer and said a rigorous investigation was needed to make sure “this scale of disruption does not happen again.”

Heathrow — where the U.K. government plans to build a third runway — was at the heart of a shorter disruption in 2023 when Britain’s air traffic control system was hit by a breakdown that slowed takeoffs and landings across the U.K. on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Disruption could last days

Though the fire has been brought under control, Anita Mendiratta, an aviation consultant, said the impact of the closure will be felt over two to four days as airlines, cargo carriers, and crews are moved into position and passengers rebooked.

“As soon as the airport opens up at midnight tonight, it’s not only about resuming with tomorrow’s flights, it’s the backlog and the implications that have taken place,” Mendiratta said. “Crew and aircraft, many are not where they’re supposed to be right now. So the recalculation of this is going to be intense.”

The London Fire Brigade sent 10 engines and around 70 firefighters to control the blaze and about 150 people were evacuated from their homes near the power station.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said in a post on X the power outage affected more than 16,300 homes.

Diverted, canceled and in limbo

At Heathrow, a family of five traveling to Dallas showed up in the hopes their flight home — still listed as delayed — would take off.

But when Andrea Sri brought her brother, sister-in-law and their three children to the airport, they were told by police that there would be no flight.

“It was a waste of time. Very confusing,” said Sri, who lives in London. “We tried to get in touch with British Airways, but they don’t open their telephone line until 8 a.m.”

Travelers who were diverted to other cities found themselves trying to book travel onward to London. Qantas airlines sent flights from Singapore and Perth, Australia, to Paris, where it said it would bus people to London, a process likely to also include a train shuttle beneath the English Channel.

Budget airline Ryanair, which doesn’t operate out of Heathrow, said it added eight “rescue flights” between Dublin and Stansted, another London airport, to transport stranded passengers Friday and Saturday.

National Rail canceled all trains to and from the airport.

Blaze lit up the sky and darkened homes

Matthew Muirhead was working Thursday night near Heathrow when he stepped outside with a colleague and noticed smoke rising from an electrical substation and heard sirens crying out.

“We saw a bright flash of white, and all the lights in town went out,” he said.

Flights normally begin landing and taking off at Heathrow at 6 a.m. due to nighttime flying restrictions. But the skies were silent Friday morning.

“Living near Heathrow is noisy, there are planes every 90 seconds or so, plus the constant hum of traffic, but you get used to it, to the point of no longer noticing,” said James Henderson, who has lived next to the airport for more than 20 years. “Today is different, you can hear the birds singing.”

https://apnews.com/author/jill-lawless

Travelore News: Lufthansa Ground Staff To Strike On February 20, Says Union

Ground staff at German airline Lufthansa opens new tab LHAG.DE will go on strike on Tuesday, the Verdi union said on Sunday, announcing the latest industrial action to hit Germany's transport sector as workers demand more pay.

The strike is scheduled to start at 4 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Tuesday and finish at 7.10 a.m. (0610 GMT) on Wednesday, the union said. The airports affected are Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Cologne and Stuttgart.

Michael Niggemann, the Lufthansa executive board member responsible for human resources, said the strike was unfortunate as the German carrier had made a "far reaching" offer during talks - which Verdi had rejected - and it would inconvenience customers and staff alike.

A similar strike caused the cancellation of 900 out of 1,000 planned flights at the start of February, affecting about 100,000 passengers.

The ground services arm is among several groups of Lufthansa workers in negotiations over collective bargaining agreements.

Verdi is demanding a wage increase of 12.5% for 25,000 ground staff workers, or at least 500 euros ($544.30) a month more over a 12-month period, plus a one-off payment of 3,000 euros to offset inflation. Germany, Europe's largest economy, has been hit with a number of nationwide strikes affecting air travel, railways and public transport.

Reporting by Ilona Wissenback and Alexander Ratz Writing by Sarah Marsh Editing by David Goodman, Reuters

Travelore News: The JetBlue-Spirit Airlines Merger Was Blocked By A Federal Judge. Here’s What You Need To Know

The prospect of a JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger took a major hit in court on Tuesday when a federal judge sided with the Biden administration and blocked the $3.8 billion deal.

The judge ruled that JetBlue’s purchase of Spirit, the nation’s largest low-cost airline, would harm competition — and increase prices for air travelers as a result. Meanwhile, JetBlue has maintained that it needs such a deal to compete with industry rivals.

Here’s a rundown of what you need to know.

WHY WAS THE JETBLUE-SPIRIT MERGER BLOCKED?

It boils down to competition concerns. The Justice Department and several state attorneys general sued to block the merger last year — arguing that it would drive up fares by eliminating low-cost Spirit. U.S. District Judge William Young agreed.

Young, who was nominated for the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan, ruled that the merger would harm competition and violate antitrust law.

“There are no ‘bad guys’ in this case,” the Boston-based judge wrote. “The two corporations are — as they are expected to — seeking to maximize shareholder value. The Department of Justice is — as the law requires — speaking for consumers who otherwise would have no voice.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

With no merger in sight, the status quo for both JetBlue and Spirit remains — meaning air travelers shouldn’t expect major changes anytime soon.

But JetBlue and Spirit said they disagreed with the ruling and are considering whether to appeal. JetBlue, the nation’s sixth-largest airline by revenue, argued that it needs the deal to better compete with larger rivals.

The ruling could also open the door for Frontier Airlines to make another attempt to buy Florida-based Spirit. The two budget airlines announced a cash-and-stock deal back in 2022, but JetBlue made an all-cash offer and won the bidding war.

WHAT’S THE REGULATORY OUTLOOK FOR MERGERS LIKE THESE?

Tuesday’s ruling was a victory for the Biden administration, which has moved aggressively to block mergers across several industries — including health care, video gaming and publishing — arguing that such consolidation hurts consumers.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday that the Justice Department will “continue to vigorously enforce the nation’s antitrust laws to protect American consumers.”

The administration’s court victory could make it more likely that it will challenge Alaska Airlines’ proposal to buy Hawaiian Airlines.

In the past, the Justice Department has faced criticism for greenlighting a wave of mergers. Within air travel, previous administrations allowed a series of deals that consolidated the industry to the point where four carriers — American, Delta, United and Southwest — control about 80% of the domestic market.

HOW DID THE STOCKS OF JETBLUE AND SPIRIT REACT?

Spirit shares plunged 47% Tuesday. JetBlue’s stock gained 5%.

BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS

Travelore News: Who Is Crown Prince Frederik, Denmark’s Soon-To-Be King?

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — As a teenager, Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik felt uncomfortable being in the spotlight and wondered whether there was any way he could avoid becoming king.

Such doubts have been swept aside as the 55-year-old takes over the crown on Sunday from his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who is breaking with centuries of Danish royal tradition and retiring after a 52-year reign. The crown prince will become King Frederik X.

An athlete, decorated military officer and rock music fan, Frederik has a more informal style than his mother but is equally popular in the Scandinavian country.

Margrethe stunned the nation when she announced during her traditional New Year’s Eve speech that she would step down, citing health reasons. A royal palace spokeswoman told the Berlingske newspaper that the queen informed her sons about her decision only three days before the announcement.

The crown prince, whose full name is Frederik André Henrik Christian, was born on May 26, 1968, as the first child of Margrethe and her husband, Prince Henrik, who died in 2018. His younger brother, Prince Joachim, was born in 1969.

Shy and reserved as a child, Frederik felt uneasy about the idea of ascending the throne, and the intense attention and scrutiny that come with it. In a 1996 interview with Berlingske Tidende, the crown prince said that in his teens he sometimes wondered whether he could escape his fate.

“I thought it was too uncomfortable,” Frederik said. “You knew you were going to be so public, so known, so accessible to everyone and so depicted. I didn’t like that.”

As an adult he grew more comfortable with his position as heir to the throne and prepared himself for it. Frederik, who in addition to Danish speaks English, French and German, graduated from Aarhus University with a master’s degree in political science. His studies included two semesters at Harvard University.

He received military training in several branches of Denmark’s armed forces including as a frogman in an elite naval unit. Frederik got the nickname “Pingo” because of an episode when his wetsuit was filled with water and he waddled like a penguin, he said in a 2010 interview with Danish public broadcaster DR.

He learned about diplomacy during postings at the Danish Embassy in Paris and at Denmark’s United Nations mission in New York. Like Britain’s King Charles III, he has shown a special interest in climate change and other environmental issues.

Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary wave from the tugboat “Svitzer Marysville” during its naming ceremony in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Nov 24, 2011. (Scott Barbour, Pool Photo via AP, File)

At home in Denmark, Frederik is known for being informal and down-to-earth. While he attends official functions in medal-studded uniforms, he can occasionally be spotted blending in with the crowds riding a bicycle with his bodyguards in tow or high-fiving teenagers.

A keen sportsman, Frederik has participated in six marathons, one Ironman triathlon and a dog-sled expedition in northern Greenland. For several years he was Denmark’s member of the International Olympic Committee.

Some Danes feel so comfortable around the crown prince they address him without his royal title.

Lars Hovbakke Sørensen, a historian and expert on the Danish royal house, said Frederik has a more contemporary style than his mother, effortlessly engaging in casual conversation with regular people, though he is less astute than the queen in delivering formal speeches.

While Margrethe is known for her appreciation of classical music, ballet and art, Frederik is more into rock music and sports, and younger generations find him relatable, Hovbakke Sørensen said.

“People expect the monarchs to be more informal, to be more like themselves. They don’t want this very large distance to the royal persons as we have seen before,” he said.

Laura Larsen, a 27-year-old social housing employee in Copenhagen, said she believes Danes will like the new king.

“He is going to be quite a relaxed king compared to our current monarch, compared to what we’re seeing,” she said.

Like many of his contemporaries in Europe’s royal houses, Frederik found his spouse outside the aristocracy. He met Australian-born Mary Donaldson, the daughter of Scottish immigrants, in a bar during the Sydney Olympics in 2000. They married four years later.

The couple have four children: Prince Christian, 18; Princess Isabella, 16; and 13-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.

Once Margrethe has abdicated, Christian will take over the title of crown prince and become first in line to succeed his father.

Mary will become queen of Denmark. Her unlikely journey from the island of Tasmania to become the world’s first Australian-born queen on the other side of the world has captivated Danes and Australians alike.

At a Jan. 3 reception for foreign diplomats in Copenhagen, Australia’s ambassador to Denmark, Kerin Ann Burns Ayyalaraju, said Australians are “incredibly proud” of Mary, who often has been described in magazines as a fashion icon.

“It is incredible to see how she has become such a significant part of Danish society,” the ambassador said.

When Frederik turned 50, Mary praised her husband in a witty and romantic speech in fluent Danish.

“You have always pushed the boundaries, and you have insisted on shaping the world around you to fit the person and have not allowed the structures in that world to define you,” Mary said.

BY JAN M. OLSEN. Associated Press reporter Anders Garde Kongshaug contributed to this report.

Travelore News: Japan Lowers Its Tsunami Warning But Still Tells People Not To Go Home After A Series Of Earthquakes

Japan dropped its highest-level tsunami alert, issued following a series of major earthquakes on Monday, but told residents of coastal areas not to return to their homes as deadly waves could still come.br />

The quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 7.6, started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu. It was unclear how many people might have been killed or hurt.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes in the Japan Sea off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m

At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said. A fire broke out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity was out for more than 30,000 households, he said.

The agency initially issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido.

The warning was downgraded to a regular tsunami several hours later, meaning the waters could still reach up to 3 meters (10 feet). Aftershocks could also slam the same area over the next few days, it said.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV initially warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet).

NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired hours after the initial alert. Several aftershocks also rocked the region.

Hayashi stressed that it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.

“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said.

People returning to get their wallets and other belongings have been known to be swept away and drowned even hours after the first evacuation warning. People were evacuated to stadiums, where they will likely have to stay for a few days.

Hayashi said no reports of deaths or injuries had been confirmed from the quakes, saying the situation was still unclear. Japan’s military was taking part in the rescue efforts, he said.

Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighborhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.

Some people sustained minor injuries when they tripped and fell while fleeing, or objects fell off shelves and hit them, according to NHK.

Bullet trains in the area were halted, although some parts of the service were restored by evening. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren’t working.

The Meteorological Agency said in a nationally broadcast news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.

More than a dozen strong quakes had been detected in the region, with risks of setting off landslides and houses collapsing, according to the agency.

Takashi Wakabayashi, a worker at a convenience store in Ishikawa Prefecture, said some items had tumbled from the shelves, but the biggest problem was the huge crowd of people who had shown up to stock up on bottled water, rice balls and bread.

“We have customers at three times the level of usual,” he said.

Tsunami warnings were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia.

The Japanese government has set up a special emergency center to gather information on the quakes and tsunami and relay them speedily to residents to ensure safety, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.

Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused meltdowns at a nuclear plant. The latest warning was the first time since the 2011 disaster that a tsunami warning of this magnitude was issued.

Government spokesman Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area had not reported any irregularities on Monday. Nuclear regulators said no rises in radiation levels were detected at the monitoring posts in the region.

BY YURI KAGEYAMA, AP

Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, Katie Davies in London and Lorian Belanger in Bangkok contributed.

Ukraine Celebrated Christmas On Dec. 25 For The First Time, Distancing Itself From Russia

Christmas carried more than spiritual weight for many Ukrainians this year as the country newly observed it as a public holiday on Dec. 25 rather than the later date followed in Russia.

The change, enacted in legislation signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in July, reflects both Ukrainians’ dismay with the 22-month-old Russian invasion and their assertion of a national identity.

Ukraine is predominantly Orthodox Christian, but the faith is divided between two churches, one of which had long affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which didn’t recognize the authority of the Russian church and had been regarded as schismatic, was granted full recognition in 2019 by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Orthodoxy’s top authority.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was a branch of the Russian church, announced in 2022 after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war that it was breaking ties with Moscow and considered itself autonomous. However, its parishes continue to follow the same liturgical calendar as the Russian church and will observe Christmas on Jan. 7.

Many Ukrainians embraced the move to celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 with enthusiasm.

“It’s historical justice,” said Yevhen Konyk, a 44-year-old serviceman who, along with his family, participated in traditional celebrations at an open-air museum in Kyiv. “We need to move forward not only with the world but also with the traditions of our country and overcome the imperial remnants we had.”

In the village of Kryvorivnia, thousands of worshipers, many in traditional garb including the embroidered shirts called vyshyvankas, crowded the streets and streamed to the settlement’s noted elaborate wooden church.

Kryvorivnia, in the Carpathian mountains, is about 800 kilometers (500 miles) west from the frontline, but the war was on the minds of the worshipers. “People didn’t just come to observe the celebration, they came to pray,” said local priest Ivan Rybaruk, who said 16 people from the village of only 1,500 residents have died in the fighting.

“People understand that we live here as safe as it could be. Missiles don’t fly here, bombs don’t explode, but we have lost a lot of guys,” said 27-year-old Olha Mynykh, standing in front of the house of a soldier who was declared missing. “People don’t feel that kind of joy. Of course, they feel joy because of Christmas because it’s impossible not to feel the light of God in the heart. But the scale of the celebration, the nature of the celebration, has obviously changed. It’s not as joyful and full of fun as before.”

Oksana Poviakel, the director of the Pyrohiv Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine in Kyiv, where Christmas celebrations took place, said that observing the holiday on the 25th is “another important factor of self-identification.”

“We are separating ourselves from the neighbor who is currently trying to destroy our state, who is killing our people, destroying our homes, and burning our land,” she said.

Asia Landarenko, 63, said she prays every day for her son, who is currently in the military. “The state of war affects everything, including the mood. The real celebration of Christmas will be after the victory, but as the Savior was born, so will be our victory,” she said.

BY VOLODYMYR YURCHUK

Families Of Hamas Hostages, Including 28 Countries In Addition to Israel, Fear The World Will Forget. They’re Traveling To Be Living Reminders

The photo of the white-haired woman in a golf cart, wrapped in a purple blanket and flanked by a gunman, was among the first to emerge of the hostages seized during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

But Yaffa Adar’s granddaughter is afraid that the world’s memory of that harrowing day – and the impetus to free some 240 people held by Hamas – is fading. So Adva Adar and her brother, like many other relatives of the hostages, have left Israel for what they hope will be a friendly reception in cities around the world.

Paris, Atlanta and London. Chicago and Vienna. The island of Cyprus.

They fear the alternative will be a collective amnesia, as memories of that day are replaced by news of Palestinian deaths in Gaza. Israeli social media is filled with images of the missing person flyers of the hostages being ripped down around the world.

“It’s very scary thinking that it’s going to be old news that my grandmother will stay hostage,” Adva Adar said.

IN AN INFORMATION VACUUM, FEARS SPREAD

Hamas has said it will free non-Israeli hostages, who are from 28 countries and account for about half the total believed held.

But although there have been no concrete steps toward even that liberation, the idea only raises new fears for families like the Adars, who are Israeli and nothing else. If all the Americans are freed, or all the Europeans, what incentive will there be to press for the release of the others?

“The entire world should press Hamas to release the hostages no matter what nationality,” she said. “I can tell you that my grandmother and my cousin have no other nationality. So it’s like they have no reason to come back home, and it makes me really mad.”

In interviews, some of the families show signs of turning the corner from pure shock and horror to frustration and anger.

The bloodiest day in Israeli history is also abundantly recorded, thanks to smart phones and social media. Yet relatives say they have hardly more information than they did in the days after their loved ones disappeared.

“I’m furious, actually,” said Tal Edan, the aunt of 3-year-old Abigail, who was taken hostage. The family has buried and mourned Abigail’s parents, Roy and Smadar who were killed that day. “They don’t tell us anything,” she said of the Israeli government. “They have nothing.”

Israel’s overwhelming military bombardment of Gaza, families say, raises questions about whether destroying Hamas or rescuing hostages is more important — or whether the two aspirations are mutually exclusive.

Many families are turning for help to other governments — Germany, France and the United States, for example — in an implicit acknowledgement that Israel is unable to secure their loved ones’ releases.

“The priority should be first bring back the hostages before anything else. It should be the only thing on the table, and it doesn’t feel like that is the sentiment,” Ayelet Sella, who has seven family members held hostage in Gaza, said at a news conference with the families of other hostages in Paris on Tuesday.

Gilad Korngold, whose son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren are hostages, told reporters on Wednesday that an Israeli government official keeps in contact with the family three times a week. He says he believes Israel will do what it can for the hostages.

He said members of the family have German or Austrian citizenship, and “I trust the German embassy.”

“Germany and Austria don’t have a fight with any country,” Korngold said. “They have contact with everybody in the world. I believe they can do it.”

Asked if he’s confident that Israel puts the hostages’ release at the top of the agenda, he paused.

“I was believing this in the beginning, three, four days ago. Now I start to lose belief because every day that it’s over we worry more and more. We lose a lot of hope. Now, with less,” he said. “Every day, there’s no sign for them. But I think that the priority is to release the hostages.”

FROM LONDON TO ATLANTA, FAMILIES ARE SPEAKING UP

In London, seated behind a picture of his 74-year-old mother, Ada Sagi, her son Noam called on “all the governments in the world” to bring the hostages home. Four have been freed, including two Americans, and one has been rescued.

For Oliver McTernan, who has years of experience as a mediator and hostage negotiator, only one government matters: the United States. McTernan, who has been going back and forth to Gaza for the better part of 20 years, said there is no way that more than 240 hostages being held presumably in separate locations could possibly be moved safely under bombing.

“I really would have hoped that America (in) particular and some of the European countries would have been a better friend to Israel. You know, when you’re traumatized, you need real friends who can say ‘Just hold back. … Think what the consequences of this will be.’ And I don’t see evidence of that at the moment.”

On Friday, after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out “a temporary cease-fire that doesn’t include a return of our hostages.”

In Atlanta earlier this week, during an event that brought six relatives of hostages together with Georgia state lawmakers, Shani Segal interrupted another speaker when she announced she needed to go out in the hall because Hamas had released a video showing her cousin, Rimon Kirsht, who is among the missing.

“You see my cousin Rimon, sitting alive, skinny, and the only thing that I have in mind is: She’s alive,” Segal said.

“I want you to try and imagine not knowing for three weeks and two days if your family member is alive or not,” Segal said. “And the reason that I’m saying that is because when you try to go to bed. when you try to go to sleep, the only thing that you think is: ‘Does she have a bed? Is she eating? Is she drinking?’”

Segal argued that Americans should prioritize the plight of the Israeli hostages and pressed her family’s case to lawmakers in Georgia, even as Adva Adar did the same in Paris. Segal, like other Israelis speaking, said they were concerned for Palestinians in Gaza but believed most Palestinians were being oppressed by Hamas: “They are holding 2.3 million people hostage, not only our 240.

BY LORI HINNANT AND LAURIE KELLMAN

Maui Is Open To Respectful Visitors

Maui Ocean Center is open and ready to welcome back kamaʻāina and visitors seeking comfort following last week's devastating wildfires. The park — which closed briefly last week as employees helped those displaced by the fires — is now open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m

"Mahalo for everyone's support, actions and donations to those who suffered so much here on Maui," said Tapani Vuori, general manager of Maui Ocean Center. "Our community is now shifting from response mode to recovery mode. As we focus on the displaced, we are now also looking at the broader Maui community. An employed Maui is a resilient Maui. Many of our local businesses depend on the visitor community, and as that dwindles, the hardships on our island multiply. We need the resources to manage the long-term efforts it will take to restore our island community."

At the onset of the tragedy, many messages sent in pain, need, and devastation have been, at times, mixed regarding the visitor economy. The island is now rallying around maintaining a vibrant Maui economy. As Hawai'i Gov. Josh Green stated, "… decisions we made can affect everyone across the islands. So what we're saying now is travel should not be to West Maui. But the other parts of Maui are safe." While Lāhainā remains out of bounds, properties in Napali, Kaanapali, and Kapalua just to North are helping with housing the displaced and also will, at some point, be able to hire back the residents of Maui.

"Maui welcomes respectful, thoughtful tourism," Vuori added. "While we request that you respect Lāhainā and its residents by giving them the space and resources they require, we welcome you to visit the rest of our island. The island is large and diverse, with many places far from the devastation our community is addressing."

For those who wish to support the island financially, Maui Ocean Center endorses Hawai'i Community Foundation's Maui Strong Fund: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong. Guests may also round up their entrance and in-park purchases to help support efforts.

Additionally, Maui Ocean Center continues to collect donations of food and toiletries at the park's front gate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through this Sunday, Aug. 20.

For the past 25 years, Maui Ocean Center has aimed to foster wonder and respect for Hawai'i's marine life — and help protect it for future generations. Whether it's walking through an underwater tunnel next to sharks and rays or coming eye-to-eye with a humpback whale in an immersive 3D film experience, Maui Ocean Center seeks to inspire as it brings you below the water's surface. Recognized by the Hawaiʻi Ecotourism Association for its "commitment to sustainability," Maui Ocean Center is listed among the "Top 10 Aquariums in the World" by TripAdvisor's Travelers Choice.

Travelore News: British Columbia Wildfires Intensify, Doubling Evacuations To Over 35,000

Forest fires in Canada's western province of British Columbia intensified on Saturday, with the number of people under evacuation orders doubling from a day earlier, as authorities warned of difficult days ahead.

The province declared a state of emergency on Friday to access temporary authoritative powers to tackle fire-related risks, as out-of-control fires ripped through interior British Columbia, partially shutting some sections of a key highway between the Pacific coast and the rest of western Canada, and destroying many properties.

"The current situation is grim," Premier David Eby told reporters on Saturday, saying some 35,000 people were under an evacuation order, and a further 30,000 were under an evacuation alert.

Eby said the province is in dire need of shelter for evacuees and firefighters and ordered a ban on non-essential travel to make more temporary accommodation available. Officials also urged residents to avoid operating drones in the fire zone, saying it could impede firefighting efforts.

The fire is centered around Kelowna, a city some 300 kilometres (180 miles) east of Vancouver, with a population of about 150,000.

Forest fires are not uncommon in Canada, but the spread of blazes and disruption underscore the severity of its worst wildfire season yet.

About 140,000 square km (54,054 square miles) of land, roughly the size of New York state, have already burned, and government officials project the fire season could stretch into autumn due to widespread drought-like conditions in Canada.

B.C. had experienced strong winds and dry lightning in the past few days due to a cold mass of air interacting with hot air built-up in the sultry summer. That intensified existing forest fires and ignited new ones.

"We are still in some critically dry conditions, and are still expecting difficult days ahead," said Jerrad Schroeder, deputy fire centre manager at the Kamloops Fire Centre.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened a meeting of key ministers and senior officials on Saturday to discuss wildfires. The Incident Response Group, which met for the second time this week, agreed to make "additional resources available" to both British Columbia and the Northwest Territories (NWT).

MAIN EAST-WEST ROAD UNDER THREAT

A wildfire burning out of control in Yellowknife, the capital city of NWT, had triggered evacuations of almost all of its 20,000 residents this week. One patient died when he was being transferred out of Yellowknife, an NWT minister said on Saturday.

Currently, the fire is not expected to reach city limits by the end of the weekend, officials said, with some rain and cooler temperatures helping to slow its progress.

The TransCanada highway was closed near Chase, around 400 km northeast of Vancouver, and between Hope, 150 km east of Vancouver, and the village of Lytton.

The highway is the main east-west artery used by thousands of motorists and truckers heading to Vancouver, the country's busiest port.

Kip Lumquist, who works at a gift shop in Craigellachie, British Columbia, a tourist spot on the highway, said she saw a lot of devastation over the past week.

"It was crazy, we couldn't see the hills, the mountains, the trees, anything, probably (for) two and a half days," said Lumquist. "I drive a white vehicle, and when I walked out to get in my car... it's just black... It's devastating to the community."

By Friday, the fire in southern B.C. had grown more than a hundredfold in 24 hours and forced more than 2,400 properties to be evacuated.

The flames have destroyed several structures in West Kelowna and authorities have been warning that the province could potentially face the worst couple of days of the fire season this year.

B.C. currently accounts for over a third of Canada's 1,062 active fires.

The fires have drained local resources and drawn in federal government assistance as well as support from 13 countries. At least four firefighters have died in the line of duty.

By Chris Helgren and Nia Williams Some 5,000 customers are also without electricity in interior of the province, the main utility said.

Orlando, Florida, Debuts Self-Driving Shuttle That Will Whisk Passengers Around Downtown

There is going to be a new way to get around downtown Orlando, Florida, and it’s not going to require any human drivers.

Starting later this month, an electric, self-driving shuttle will whisk passengers around a 1-mile (1.6 km) loop in the downtown area for no charge, Orlando officials said Wednesday.

The eight-passenger shuttle service is part of a six-month trial for the central Florida city. Transportation planners hope to use data gathered from the pilot program to guide the city’s future transportation strategy.

“With the expansion of autonomous vehicle shuttles into our neighborhoods, we can converge cutting-edge technology with new mobility solutions to further redefine the way our community moves,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.

The autonomous shuttle service is operated by Beep Inc., an Orlando-based company that already operates a similar service in a planned community near Orlando International Airport.

AP

Maui Wildfire Death Toll Rises To 55 As Search For Victims Gears Up

KAHULUI, Hawaii, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Search teams on Maui on Friday will comb through the charred ruins of Lahaina looking for more victims of a wildfire that ripped through the Kingdom of Hawaii's onetime capital, with officials expecting the death toll of 55 to rise.

The inferno, which erupted on Tuesday, reduced the picturesque resort town to piles of smoldering debris as it torched 1,000 buildings and left thousands homeless in what was the worst natural disaster in the U.S. state's history.

Cadaver dogs from California and Washington state will assist in the grim task of recovering human remains from the ruins on Friday as firefighters work to extinguish hot spots and smaller fires. The fire was 80 percent contained as of Thursday evening, officials said.

"Understand this: Lahaina Town is hallowed, sacred ground right now," Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said, referring to humans remains that have yet to be recovered. "We have to get them out."

In addition to searching for those still missing, officials were drafting a plan to put the newly homeless up in hotels and tourist rental properties. The island currently has four shelters in operation for the displaced.

Authorities also were dealing with a widespread power and water issues across the community. As of Friday morning, some 11,000 homes and businesses remained without power, according to Poweroutage.us.

Witnesses to the conflagration that hit Lahaina spoke of their terror as the blaze consumed a town in what seemed to be minutes to many of them. Some escaped the racing flames by jumping into the Pacific Ocean.

Thousands of tourists and locals were evacuated from the western side of Maui, which has a year-round population of about 166,000, with some taking shelter on the island or on the neighboring island of Oahu. Tourists camped out in the Kahului Airport, waiting for flights back home.

Many more people suffered burns, smoke inhalation and other injuries.

"It was so hot all around me, I felt like my shirt was about to catch on fire," Nicoangelo Knickerbocker, a 21-year-old resident of Lahaina, said from one of the four emergency shelters opened on the island.

Knickerbocker heard cars and a gas station explode, and soon after fled the town with his father, bringing with them only the clothes they were wearing and the family dog.

"It sounded like a war was going on," he said.

Governor Josh Green said the scope of the disaster would surpass that of 1960, one year after Hawaii became a U.S. state, when a tsunami killed 61 people on the Big Island of Hawaii.

"It's going to take many years to rebuild Lahaina," Green said at a news conference.

Lahaina's 200-year-old Waiola Church was among the structures destroyed by the fire, local media reported. The landmark was the focal point of Christianity on Maui and the burial site of early members of the Kingdom of Hawaii’s royal family, according to the church's website.

The fate of some of Lahaina's other cultural treasures remains unclear. The historic 60-foot(18-meter)-tall banyan tree marking the spot where Hawaiian King Kamehameha III's 19th-century palace stood was still standing, though some of its boughs appeared charred, according to a Reuters witness.

The Lahaina fire was one of three major wildfires on Maui, all of them still burning, that were fueled by dry conditions, a buildup of fuel and 60 mile-per-hour (100 km per hour) gusts of wind.

Winds were forecast to ease to 6 mph (9.7 kph) on Friday as firefighters were to work to secure the perimeter of the wild land areas that burned Maui County.

As of Thursday evening, the Lahaina fire was 80% contained, while the Pulehu fire, burning to the east, was 70% contained. There was no estimate for the Upcountry fire in the center of the eastern mass of the island, Maui County said.

New Evacuations Ordered In Greece As High Winds And Heat Fuel Wildfires

A weeklong wildfire on the Greek resort island of Rhodes tore past defenses Monday, forcing more evacuations, as three major fires raged elsewhere in the country fueled by strong winds and successive heat waves that left scrubland and forests tinder-dry.

The latest evacuations were ordered in south Rhodes after 19,000 people, mostly tourists, were moved in buses and boats over the weekend out of the path of the fire that reached several coastal areas from nearby mountains. It was the country’s biggest evacuation effort in recent years.

“We are at war -– completely focused on the fires,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during a debate in parliament. “Over the coming days and weeks, we must remain on constant alert.”

Help continued to arrive from the European Union and elsewhere, with firefighting planes from neighboring Turkey joining the effort in Rhodes, where 10 water-dropping planes and 10 helicopters buzzed over flames up to five meters (16 feet) tall despite low visibility.

“The risk of fire will be extreme in several areas of Greece today,” Fire Service spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said a day after temperatures on the southern Greek mainland soared as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).

Ian Murison, a businessman from London who was on vacation with his wife and 12-year-old son in
described his family’s ordeal as they tried to escape the fires on Saturday.

“We saw flames coming over the hills. Our hotel had capacity for 1,200 (people), but there was just one coach waiting,” he said. “There was no process in place. ... We all just took our cases and started walking, it was about 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) before we got out from underneath the ash cloud.”

The family reached a nearby beach, where they waited — in the dark due to a power blackout — with thousands of others to be evacuated by bus or boat.

“You could see an orange glow in the sky and it got more and more, big balls of fire going into the sky,” he said, describing chaotic scenes as evacuees crowded to board small boats arriving to take them off the beach.

“It didn’t matter if you had children, adults were fighting to get on next,” Murison said. “It was very, very stressful.”

Overnight, evacuations were also ordered on the western island of Corfu, where more than 2,000 people including tourists were moved to safety by land and sea, on the island of Evia and in a mountainous area in the southern Peloponnese region.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen contacted Prime Minister Mitsotakis late Sunday to offer additional assistance.

“I called (Prime Minister) Mitsotakis to express our full support for Greece, which is confronted with devastating forest fires and a heavy heat wave due to climate change,” she wrote in a tweet.

Addressing parliament. Mitsotakis also highlighted the threat from climate change, which he said “will make its presence ever more felt with greater natural disasters throughout the Mediterranean region.”

The fire service was investigating the causes of the blazes, which raged as 50 new wildfires on average have been breaking out daily for the past twelve days, according to government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis. On Sunday alone, 64 new blazes were recorded.

On Rhodes, the fire roared down mountain slopes, burning homes and cars and leaving livestock dead on the roadside as they tried to escape.
Authorities said no serious injuries were reported in the evacuations, but hospitals and health volunteers provided first aid to tourists and others, mostly for the effects of heat and dehydration.
Officials from the Greek Foreign Ministry were working at the international airport with several embassies and diplomats who traveled from the U.K. to assist tourists who had lost their travel documents.
Several airlines, including easyJet and package operator Tui, sent planes to Rhodes to evacuate tourists forced from hotels by the wildfire. The U.K. government said between 7,000 and 10,000 British nationals are on the island, a popular package holiday destination.

Some tourists said travel companies had failed to provide information or help.

Rhodes is visited by about 2.5 million tourists each year and is one of Greece’s most popular holiday destinations. As some visitors continued to flee the island Monday, others were arriving from multiple European destinations to start their holidays at resorts not affected by the wildfire — some 90% of the total according to Greek authorities.

Greece is using an EU satellite service to estimate the damage caused by the fire and to target resources. Photographs published online by the service showed a brown hourglass-shaped burn scar across the middle of the island.

The army was also helping to set up temporary accommodation on Rhodes, where schools and sporting facilities were opened to help with the effort.

A relative respite from the heat on Monday, with highs of 38 C (100 F) forecast, is to be followed by yet more high temperatures starting Tuesday.

However, it should get significantly cooler on Thursday, with temperatures in the low- to mid-30s Celsius, the country’s Meteorological Service said.

BY MICHAEL VARAKLAS AND DEREK GATOPOULOS, AP

Travelore News: The United States Becomes The 194th Member State Of UNESCO

Paris, 11 July 2023 - The United States officially accepted the Constitution of the United Nations Education, Culture and Science (UNESCO) on 10th July. From now on, it becomes, once more, a full member of UNESCO, which has 194 Member States.

"The return of the United States to UNESCO is complete: it has officially become a Member State of our Organization once again," Director-General Audrey Azoulay announced today. "This is excellent news for UNESCO. The momentum we have regained in recent years will now continue to grow. Our initiatives will be stronger throughout the world", she added.

On Sunday, the Secretary of State of the United States of America called the Director-General of UNESCO to inform her that he had just signed the United States’ Document of Acceptance to the UNESCO Constitution. The document still needed to be formally deposited with the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the depositary of UNESCO's Constitution. This has now been done.

With the filing of this document, the United States became the 194th Member State of UNESCO. "This is a historic moment. Our Organization is once again moving towards universality. I also want to share this victory for UNESCO with the entire United Nations family, because it is excellent news for multilateralism as a whole. If we want to meet the challenges of our century, there can only be a collective response", underscored Audrey Azoulay.

More resources for UNESCO’s Initiatives

At the beginning of June, the United States announced its intention to rejoin UNESCO to Audrey Azoulay, praising the way in which the Organization had succeeded in modernizing itself in recent years. Among the reasons for their return, they highlighted the launch of new initiatives to tackle contemporary challenges (including a global ethical framework for artificial intelligence and ocean protection programmes), the implementation of management reforms that have made the Organization more efficient, and the mediation efforts that have eased internal political tensions, particularly over the Middle East.

"This is not only an excellent track record, but also a roadmap for the future," opined Audrey Azoulay. "The return of the United States, and the additional resources that go with that, will help us to provide even better support for everyone around the world: pupils and students, researchers, academics, artists, educators, journalists - all those on whom our daily work is focused. UNESCO will also have more resources for its two strategic priorities, Africa and gender equality.”

These Are The Top 10 Bucket List Experiences Most At Risk From Climate Change

It’s not uncommon to hear talk of “bucket list” destinations: the places so spectacular that you simply must see them before you die. For most of us it might seem that there is no rush to fit in these awe-inspiring and life-affirming trips, and many will be saving them up for their later years. But is that really a safe assumption? A recent report analysed by MoneyTransfers.com identified the key cities and regions most at risk from climate change by 2050, and we were horrified to see so many of the traditional bucket list destinations appear on the list.

1. Take a River Cruise on the Yangtze River

More than half (114) of the top 200 regions most affected by climate change are situated in Asia, with China bearing the brunt, being home to over half of the top 50 most at-risk states. The majority of these are situated along the Yangtze River, a popular destination for river cruises. The world-renowned waterway has long been considered the lifeline of China, and cruises take in towering stone gorges, the mesmerising Fengdu Ghost City (a Taoist shrine to the afterlife), and the Three Gorges Dam, a feat of modern engineering. The Yangtze has already been hit hard by climate change with the Yangtze River dolphin, a freshwater dolphin native to the river, being officially declared extinct in 2007.

2. Visit the World’s Most Famous Monument to Love

Built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz, The Taj Mahal is considered one of the modern wonders of the world and features on many a bucket list. Unfortunately, following in the footsteps of Princess Diana and snapping a picture on the iconic bench outside the mausoleum may not be possible come 2050. Rapid warming in the Himalaya, which melts glaciers faster, has a significant impact on the Taj Mahal’s home state of Uttar Pradesh, causing the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers to swell, which poses a real risk to the future of the site. It is for this reason that the state features high on the XDI List.

3. Bar Hop Miami Beach

Nowhere has a bar scene quite like Miami, and very soon after landing you’ll discover that everyone has their own ideas about where the best drinks can be found. Whether you’re sipping Miami Vices in the Broken Shaker or downing rum-runners at Monty’s, there’s a reason that Will Smith sang the praises of this city’s nightlife. Unfortunately, Florida is considered to be the US state most at risk from climate change, with the sea levels projected to rise up to 31 inches by 2060. This will be absolutely devastating for Miami, with some studies predicting that the picturesque art deco hotels of Ocean Drive could all be lost entirely within the next three decades.

4. Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef has already begun to see huge devastation as a result of climate change, with unprecedented coral bleaching during 2016 and 2017. Coral bleaching occurs when the algae that provide the coral with their food and give them their rich colours leave the coral due to increased ocean temperatures or pollution, leaving the coral bleached and vulnerable. A recent IPCC report reveals that we will lose up to 90% of all warm water reefs that exist today when the average surface temperature hits 1.5C above the pre industrial levels of the late 1800s, while an increase of 2C will see them wiped out entirely.

5. Be Serenaded by a Gondolier in Venice

We were shocked to see a European city on the list, especially one so far north. Climate change isn’t just a threat to warmer countries and is a great concern for Venice, a low-lying city built on marshland. 2019 saw Venice experience the worst flooding that the city had seen in 50 years and even penetrate the 1,000 year old St. Mark’s Basilica. The city has sunk at a rate of 1mm to 2mm per year and rising sea levels could see it disappear beneath the waves as early as 2100.

6. Stay at a Luxury Hotel in the Maldives

With swaying palm trees, white sand beaches and a plethora of five star resorts to choose from, nowhere does luxury quite like the Maldives. However, at the current rate of global warming it is projected that almost 80% of the archipelago could be uninhabitable by 2050. Even as of today, more than 90% of the islands have severe erosion and 97% have no groundwater. As in Australia, climate change is also impacting the country’s coral reefs with more than 60% affected by bleaching in 2016.

7. Follow in the Footsteps of Your Favourite Star in Los Angeles

Everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Donald Trump has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and getting snapped in the same spot as your favourite celebrity, or taking a tour to see their home, can provide an interesting glimpse into how the other half lives. Unfortunately, in very recent times a number of celebrities, from Kim Kardashian to Miley Cyrus and Orlando Bloom, saw their homes engulfed with wildfires. With rising global temperatures, flooding and fire storms seem to be ever more common occurrences in the city, with 51% of Angelenos reporting that for at least some periods between summer 2020 and summer 2021 they did not leave their homes due to concerns about breathing wildfire smoke.

8. Read a Newspaper on the Dead Sea

We’ve all seen the pictures of tourists floating on the salty Dead Sea while reading a newspaper, but recent news shows that this unique body of water is drying up at a rate of 30% over the last two decades. While one cause of the Dead Sea depleting is said to be water from the River Jordan being siphoned off to support flourishing population growth, there is no doubt that global warming and decreased rainfall also plays a part, and the 40% decline in the sea’s phytoplankton can also be attributed to rising water temperatures.

9. Gaze in Wonder at the Giant Heads of Easter Island

Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is one of the most remote destinations in the world, situated 2,300 miles away from Chile. The island is famous for its giant stone heads, which the waves have just started to reach owing to rising water levels. With the island only 15 miles long at its widest point, there are fears that the sea levels could rise up to six feet by 2100 destroying much of its heritage.

10. Count Castles on the Rhine

There are over 40 castles on the area of Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen, and this scenic stretch has rightly been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, this popular destination for river cruisers and weekend breaks is imperilled by rising temperatures and falling water levels, with bouts of low water in 2018 and 2022 estimated to have cost the German economy €12 billion and €8 billion respectively. A €180million effort is now underway to protect the Rhine from climate change, but will it be enough to save this wonderful site for visitors in years to come?

By Emily Sherlock

Kilauea, One Of The World’s Most Active Volcanoes, Begins Erupting After 3-Month Pause

Kilauea, the second largest volcano in Hawaii, began erupting on Wednesday after a three-month pause, U.S. Geological Survey officials said.

The survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a statement that a glow was detected in webcam images from Kilauea’s summit early in the morning, indicating that an eruption was occurring within the Halema’uma’u crater in the summit caldera.

The images show fissures at the base of the crater generating lava flows on the crater floor’s surface, the observatory said.

Before issuing the eruption notice, the observatory said increased earthquake activity and changes in the patterns of ground deformation at the summit started Tuesday night, indicating the movement of magma in the subsurface.

All activity is within a closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on Hawaii’s Big Island.

The volcano’s alert level was raised to warning status and the aviation color code went to red as scientists evaluate the eruption and associated hazards.

Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted from September 2021 until last December. For about two weeks in December, Hawaii’s biggest volcano, Mauna Loa, also was erupting on Hawaii’s Big Island.

After a short pause, Kilauea began erupting again in January. That eruption lasted for 61 days, ending in March.

A 2018 Kilauea eruption destroyed more than 700 homes.

Before the major 2018 eruption, Kilauea had been erupting since 1983, and streams of lava occasionally covered farms and homes. During that time, the lava sometimes reached the ocean, causing dramatic interactions with the water.

Source: AP

Travelore News: American Airlines And JetBlue Must Abandon Their Partnership In The Northeast, Federal Judge Rules

American Airlines and JetBlue Airways must abandon their partnership in the northeast United States, a federal judge in Boston ruled Friday, saying that the government proved the deal reduces competition in the airline industry.

The ruling is a major victory for the Biden administration, which has used aggressive enforcement of antitrust laws to fight against mergers and other arrangements between large corporations.

The Justice Department argued during a trial last fall that the deal would eventually cost consumers hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin wrote in his decision that American and JetBlue violated antitrust law as they carved up Northeast markets between them, “replacing full-throated competition with broad cooperation.”

The judge said the airlines offered only minimal evidence that the partnership, called the Northeast Alliance, helped consumers.

The airlines said they were considering whether to appeal.

“We believe the decision is wrong and are considering next steps,” said American spokesman Matt Miller. “The court’s legal analysis is plainly incorrect and unprecedented for a joint venture like the Northeast Alliance. There was no evidence in the record of any consumer harm from the partnership.”

JetBlue spokeswoman Emily Martin said her airline was disappointed, adding, “We made it clear at trial that the Northeast Alliance has been a huge win for customers.”

The Justice Department, meanwhile, hailed the ruling.

“Today’s decision is a win for Americans who rely on competition between airlines to travel affordably,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

The partnership had the blessing of the Trump administration when it took effect in early 2021. It let the airlines sell seats on each other’s flights and share revenue from them. It covered many of their flights to and from Boston’s Logan Airport and three airports in the New York City area: John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty in New Jersey.

But soon after President Joe Biden took office, the Justice Department took another look. It found an economist who predicted that consumers would spend more than $700 million a year extra because of reduced competition.

American is the largest U.S. airline and JetBlue is the sixth-biggest overall. But in Boston, they hold down two of the top three spots, alongside Delta Air Lines, and two of the top four positions in New York.

The Justice Department sued to kill the deal in 2021, and was joined by six states and the District of Columbia.
“It is a very important case to us ... because of those families that need to travel and want affordable tickets and good service,” Justice Department lawyer Bill Jones said during closing arguments.

The trial featured testimony by current and former airline CEOs and economists who gave wildly different opinions on how the deal would affect competition and ticket prices.

The airlines and their expert witnesses argued that the government couldn’t show that the alliance, which had been in place for about 18 months at the time, had led to higher fares. They said it helped them start new routes from New York and Boston. And most importantly, they said, the deal benefitted consumers by creating more competition against Delta and United Airlines.

The judge was not persuaded.

“Though the defendants claim their bigger-is-better collaboration will benefit the flying public, they produced minimal objectively credible proof to support that claim,” he wrote. “Whatever the benefits to American and JetBlue of becoming more powerful — in the northeast generally or in their shared rivalry with Delta — such benefits arise from a naked agreement not to compete with one another.”

Hanging over the trial was JetBlue’s proposed $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit Airlines, the nation’s largest discount carrier. In March, while Sorokin was mulling his decision, the Justice Department sued to block that deal too, arguing that it would reduce competition and be especially harmful to consumers who depend on Spirit to save money.

JetBlue has countered that acquiring Spirit will make it a bigger, stronger low-cost competitor to Delta, United, Southwest — and American — which together control about 80% of the domestic U.S. air-travel market.

The government’s lawsuit against the JetBlue-Spirit deal is pending before a different judge in the same Boston courthouse.

By DAVID KOENIG