In News
Greece on Fire, Thousands of Houses Burned Down
Israel has offered to assist Greece in controling the powerful fires in Athens which destroyed 100,000 dunams of woods
Greece on fire: large fires that spread quickly in Athens and the surrounding areas caused over ten thousand people to be evacuated from their houses.
The large fires began on Friday and caused electricity blackouts and disturbances in water supply to the Greek capital. Many residents left their houses after strong winds caused the fires to flare up and spread. The authorities have reported that the fires were inaccessible and impossible to control due to large amount of thick smoke.
Hundreds of firefighters and dozens of helicopters and aircrafts tried to put out the fires, but were unsuccessful. It is estimated that 100,000 dunams of woods were destroyed in the fire. Yesterday afternoon, Greece turned to neighboring countries to ask for assistance, among them Cyprus, France and Italy.
Athens declared a state of emergency. Over ten thousand people were evacuated from their homes after the fires spread to the direction of local houses. All green spaces in the outskirts of the city were destroyed by the fire. Athens' mayor said that "the situation is tragic. The fire is beyond control".
Israel also offered its assistance to Greece. Israel's ambassador to Greece Ali Yachye conveyed Israel's offer to the authorities.
This is not the first time that Greece is suffering from incontrollable fires; two years ago even larger and more powerful fires spread across the country. Greece then accepted Israel's offer of assistance and dozens of Israeli firefighters arrived in Greece to help put the fire out.
Obama in Oslo: “If I fail as president no prize can cover that up” Before receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, the President of the United States, Barack Obama, spoke in news conference in Oslo and reduced the status of the award compared to his role: "If I fail as president, all the awards in the world will not cover that up." About the criticism of his being chosen for the Prize he said: “When I succeed in my role all the criticism will disappear.”
Philippines Before Elections: Guerilla Warfare 75 students and teachers were kidnapped and held hostage in the Philippines. 15 of the students were released after intensive negotiations between the terrorists and the local authorities.
Iran: If You Impose Sanctions, We will Stop Cooperating In an interview with an Iranian news agency, a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said that Iran is not obligated to fulfill its commitments, if the decisions of the UN Security Council decisions are based solely on "political motivations."