Authorities in Sardinia plan to ask the Italian government to allocate funds for reforestation projects.
Authorities in Sardinia plan to ask the Italian government to allocate funds for reforestation projects.
Authorities in Sardinia plan to ask the Italian government to allocate funds for reforestation projects.
Authorities in Sardinia plan to ask the Italian government to allocate funds for reforestation projects.

Italy asks European countries for firefighting planes to tame Sardinia fires


Nicky Harley
  • English
  • Arabic

Italy has asked European countries to send firefighting aircraft to help tame fires on the island of Sardinia that have prompted hundreds of people to flee their homes.

Italy's Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Facebook that the country's civil protection authority issued the request for help.

"Two [aircraft] are on their way from France, which I officially thank," Mr Di Maio said.

A fire rages through the countryside in Cuglieri, Sardinia.
A fire rages through the countryside in Cuglieri, Sardinia.

Fires have raged across the island's western province of Oristano, burning thousands of hectares of land, killing animals and damaging property.

There have been no reports of people dying or suffering from serious injuries, but Italian news agency Ansa reported that 400 people left their homes and were taken to safety on Sunday. A similar number left overnight.

The civil protection authority said seven Canadair aircraft, amphibious planes used to pick up water to drop on fires, were operating in the Oristano area.

"The fires today have mainly affected the south," the authority said.

Hot south-westerly winds have complicated efforts to tackle the flames.

Christian Solinas, President of the Sardinia Region, said the fires were "a disaster without precedent".

He said it was not possible to determine the full extent of the damage, but he planned to ask Prime Minister Mario Draghi to allocate recovery funds for reforestation projects.

Andor
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Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate 

WHEN TO GO:

September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.

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Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
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  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
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Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Xpanceo

Started: 2018

Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality

Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

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Updated: July 25, 2021, 9:07 PM`