International News
Thousands Evacuated As Greece Wildfire Rages On Crete
A wildfire fanned by gale-force winds on the southern Greek island of Crete has forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists, officials said on Thursday.
An elderly man died in neighbouring Turkey, where wildfires forced the evacuation of six villages in the western province of Izmir.
Hot dry weather in Greece — not unusual for this time of year — has heightened the risk of a repeat of summer wildfires that have hit the country in recent years, while Turkey, although spared from the recent heatwaves that gripped southern Europe, has battled the effects of a long-term drought brought on by climate change.
On Crete, about 5,000 people were evacuated in response to a blaze that broke out Wednesday evening, the president of the regional hotels’ association told AFP Thursday.
Yorgos Tzarakis said about 3,000 tourists and 2,000 residents had been moved, mostly overnight, as a “precaution” from areas close to the Crete resort town of Ierapetra.
Earlier, vice-prefect Yannis Androulakis told Greek broadcaster Mega confirmed “evacuations took place in numerous hotels and tourists were safely transferred to a closed gymnasium in the municipality of Ierapetra,” in the southeast.
The authorities acted because water bomber planes could not reach the affected areas overnight, he added.
“At the moment, there are three active fronts,” Androulakis said. “Because of the strong winds, the fire has progressed quite rapidly.”
Around 270 firefighters, 10 helicopters and drones have been deployed to tackle the blaze, said Vassilios Vathrakoyannis, a spokesman for the fire service.
They include reinforcements sent in from the capital, Athens.
“There are still a number of different fronts. The fire is burning scrubland and crops,” he said.
“The winds are very strong — up to nine on the Beaufort scale.”
One dead in Turkey
In Turkey, two wildfires broke out near Izmir, Turkey’s third city.
In each case, three villages were evacuated.
“An elderly, bedridden patient could not be saved,” Salih Uzun, a lawmaker in Izmir for the opposition CHP party, said of the blaze close to Odemis.
“The biggest problem is the wind speed of up to 85 kilometres per hour (53 miles per hour) which is causing the fire to spread very quickly. And it constantly changes direction,” Izmir governor Suleyman Elban said.
“So the intervention from both land and air is seriously challenging,” he told reporters, saying the flames had cut off the main highway from Izmir city.
In both places, a total of “nine planes, 22 helicopters and 1,100 (fire trucks and other) vehicles are intensively fighting the fires”.
He said both fires in the province, as well as other that began at the weekend and have been brought under control, “were caused by power cables”.
Citing forestry ministry figures, meteorologist Ismail Kucuk told AFP “90 percent of forest fires” were due to man-made causes.
Power cables in particular posed a risk if they were not properly maintained, he said.
Uneven, arid terrain
In Crete, Greece’s largest island, the arid, uneven landscape criss-crossed by gullies, has made it difficult for firefighters to tackle the blaze.
The fire damaged houses and crops in fruit and vegetable greenhouses, media reports said.
Like the rest of Crete, Ierapetra — a seaside resort with a population of 23,000 — takes in thousands of tourists in the summer.
The risk of fires was “considerable” in July, the hottest month of the year in Greece, Vathrakoyannis said.
The country recorded its hottest-ever summer last year when 45,000 hectares (110,000 acres) of land was burned, according to WWF Greece and the Athens National Observatory.
In terms of surface area destroyed, 2023 was the worst on record.
Nearly 175,000 hectares were obliterated and 20 people died during heatwaves when temperatures rose in places to 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit).
Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more frequent and more intense wildfires and other natural disasters, and have warned Turkey to take measures to tackle the problem.
International News
Nottingham Forest Sacks 5th Manager In 10 Months, To Wrap Up Oliver Glasner’s Deal
Oliver Glasner is in advanced talks to replace Vitor Pereira as Nottingham Forest head coach, a move which would see the Austrian become the club’s fifth manager in less than a year.
Pereira announced his departure from the club in a statement on Wednesday, saying that it came as a “complete surprise to me and without any warning”.
Glasner is a free agent after leaving Crystal Palace — where he won the FA Cup in 2024-25 and then the Community Shield and Conference League the following campaign — and is set to stay in the Premier League.
The 51-year-old confirmed in January that he would leave Palace at the end of the season after two years in charge.
On Thursday, Forest confirmed Pereira’s coaching staff Filipe Almeida, Luis Miguel, Bruno Moura, Marco Knoop and Pedro Lopes had all left the club alongside the head coach.
Pereira, 57, was appointed Forest head coach in February on an 18-month contract which runs until 2027.
The Athletic reported in May Forest had been planning to show their faith in Pereira by handing the head coach a new long-term contract, but those talks were subsequently put on hold.
“Today marks the end of my journey as head coach of Nottingham Forest,” he said in his statement.
“I want to say a sincere thank you to everyone connected with this incredible football club. Although this decision came as a complete surprise to me and without any warning, I fully respect the club’s right to make the decisions it believes are best for its future.
“Naturally, I am disappointed and saddened. I truly believed in what we were building together, and I leave with a sense of pride in everything we achieved over the past months.
“Together, we enjoyed a memorable end to the season. We secured the club’s Premier League status, reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, and created moments that will stay with me forever. Most importantly, I saw a group of players grow in confidence, belief and togetherness.
“I leave Nottingham Forest with no bitterness or resentment—only respect, gratitude and wonderful memories. Football is full of unexpected moments, and while this chapter has ended sooner than I expected, I will always look back on my time here with pride and affection.”
The Portuguese succeeded Sean Dyche and was Forest’s fourth permanent boss of the season following the departures of Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou.
Nuno had led Forest to Europa League qualification the previous season but he departed in September, less than three months after signing a new deal. Postecoglou was appointed his replacement but was dismissed just 39 days later. Dyche took charge of the team in October before his dismissal in February.
Forest were three points above the relegation zone when Pereira was appointed and he subsequently steered his side to Premier League safety with two games of the campaign remaining.
His appointment marked his second managerial spell in the Premier League after guiding Wolverhampton Wanderers to safety during the 2024-25 campaign.
Cristiano Ronaldo has publicly countered suggestions from his sister, Katia Aveiro, that he intends to retire from international football following the World Cup.
The Portuguese legend recently led his team to the round of 16 following a 2-1 victory over Croatia.
Ronaldo continued to be a pivotal player for his country, having scored the equalising goal from the penalty spot after going one goal down in the second half.
Following his goal, he became the oldest player to score in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.
Reports from Portuguese media had quoted Aveiro stating that the current tournament would be Ronaldo’s final appearance for the national team.
Before the recent match against Croatia, Aveiro was quoted as saying, “From the information I have, from a reliable source, I believe that this is the last dance, so let’s enjoy it. I strongly believe this is the farewell.”
However, the football icon has made it clear that his focus remains solely on the present, not on his future.
“My future isn’t important right now,” Ronaldo stated. “I’ll have time; after winning or losing, I’ll talk to my family and then make the best decision.”
The legendary forward, who recently secured a trophy in Saudi Arabia, holds the record for both appearances and goals for his national team, with 146 goals in 232 caps.
The UEFA Appeals Body has announced that Czech club Karvina is banned from participating in next season’s Europa League. UEFA made the decision based on competition regulations, ruling that Karvina “directly or indirectly participated in activities aimed at manipulating or influencing the results of domestic matches,” as stated in the official resolution.
As a result of this decision, Karvina’s spot as domestic cup winner will be taken by Viktoria Plzeň, with Viktoria Plzeň’s second qualifying round spot going to Hradec Králové. Jablonec will fill the vacant Conference League spot originally held by Hradec Králové.
In the Europa League, Hradec Králové will face Tromsø. In the Conference League, Jablonec will face Varaždin.
Viktoria Plzeň will learn their opponent in the Europa League playoff draw on Monday, August 3.
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