The fire started when someone’s backyard trash burning got out of hand, officials said.
(CNN)More than 600 homes have been evacuated as a fast-movingwildfirein Bay County on the panhandle of Florida prompted authorities to issue a state of emergency.
The Adkins Avenue fire has burned more than 1,400 acres (1.6 square miles) and is 20% contained, theFlorida Forest Service said.
The fire started Friday when someone was burning trash in their backyard and the flames got out of hand, Bay County Sheriff Tom Ford said at a news conference.
At least two homes have been destroyed and as many as 12 were damaged, Emergency Services Chief Brad Monroe estimated.
Vladimir Putin is an old man scared of death trying to turn back time.Ukraineand Ukrainians are as his blood sacrifice. Hisinvasionof their country is his attempt to forestall his personal, inevitable demise.
As we grow older, death becomes harder to ignore. As it approaches it’s natural to want to reverse time. We become nostalgic, a little bitter about the present. As death closes in we commit silly acts to prove we are still young. We try, a little comically, to thumb our nose against the inevitable. Dodge…
People hold a flag on an overpass in Brazil, Indiana on March 1, in support of a truck convoy bound for Washington, DC.
(CNN)Convoy groups led by American truckers are making their way toward the nation’s capital to demand an end to all Covid-19 mandates and restrictions.
The protestors, with members coming from at least three individual convoy groups, are expected to arrive in Washington, DC throughout the upcoming weekend.
The convoys follow the lead of Canadian protesters who in late January spentthree weeksdemonstrating against Covid-19 mandates,cripplingthree US border crossings and downtown Ottawa.
Canadian police arrestedmore than 100 people when the so-called “Freedom Convoy,”turned violent after truckers blocked roads and irritated residents with honking horns.
Donald Lee claimed he killed a Fannin bighorn sheep in Alaska but an online sleuth and Yukon conservation officers proved he didn’t
The photo on the left shows Donald Lee with the sheep. The photo on the right shows Yukon conservation officer Sean Cox in the same location, with arrows pointing out the natural landmarks proving that the animal was on the Canadian side of the border.Photograph: Yukon territorial court
When an Alaskan hunter ventured out into the rugged mountains and dropped his target with a single rifle shot, it seemed like the perfect crime.
The only witness lay dead on the rocky landscape.
But Donald Lee’s deception was uncovered after forensic work by a savvy online sleuth and conservation officers revealed that Lee killed a bighorn sheep inCanada– not the United States, as he had previously claimed.
Putin signs law on jail terms for ‘fake news’EPACopyright: EPARussian President Vladimir Putin has now signed into law a bill that punishes the spread of “fake” information about the country’s armed forces with jail sentences of up to 15 years.The bill was unanimously passed by Russian lawmakers on Thursday.Several independent Russian media outlets have been forced to close in recent days after describing as “invasion” or “war” what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.Putin also signed another bill that would allow fines or jail terms for calling for sanctions against Russia.Article share tools
Posted at 11:3911:39Blinken: ‘Stability in Europe hangs in the balance’Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty ImagesUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with EU and Nato leaders on a six-nation trip through EuropeImage caption: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken…
More than one million people have now fled Ukraine, with the EU suggesting that number could rise to four million.
The scale of the tragedy is still unfolding – and while the focus is rightly on the humanitarian disaster, it’s meant some people have had to make agonising decisions about what to take with them.
And that includes what happens to their much-loved pets.
“The devastation caused by some of these rocket attacks, that open environment full of glass, concrete and metal is dangerous to people but also to animals,” James Sawyer, UK director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.
His organisation supports shelters in Ukraine and has been supplying resources like food, veterinary supplies and paying the wages of staff during the war to ensure animals can carry on being looked after.
“Local supplies are running out, one of the two animal shelters we support has been damaged by shells, losing one of the animals,” he adds.
James says it’s “too unsafe to be able to put boots on the ground”, so the IFAW is focusing on the best possible support remotely.
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They’ve been providing emergency aid to staff who’ve reported a dire situation with 1,100 dogs in their care.
And staying to look after the animals is obviously dangerous. At one shelter, staff say they’re too scared to light a fire in case it draws unnecessary attention.
Image caption,One of the shelters being supported by IFAW in Ukraine
Crossing the border
There are also issues trying to evacuate across the border, with rules around microchipping and vaccination for animals normally in place.
PETA Germany has been on the border trying to “shepherd animals out safely”, according to Jennifer White from the animal rights group.
Like IFAW, she says the group is working with partner organisations in neighbouring Romania who’ve managed to get into Ukraine to rescue abandoned animals, along with offering to vaccinate dogs and cats.
She says two tonnes of cat and dog food have been donated, as well as giving blankets to people who’ve been walking vast distances.
When you think of animals, it’s not just about household pets.
“Whenever an area is hit by war, those animals stuck in the zoo are dependent,” Jennifer says.
Reports suggest animals from the Save Wild bear sanctuary near Kyiv were transported to Poland, where a zoo has offered them refuge for the duration of the war.
But that’s not the case everywhere, with staff at the Kyiv zoo reportedly saying the opportunity to evacuate its animals has now well and truly passed.
“It’s almost impossible to evacuate animals, because it’s impossible to provide appropriate veterinary service and transportation,” says Kyrylo Trantin, the zoo’s chief.
Image caption,A young woman arriving from Ukraine clutches her dog as they wait to cross into Poland
What can people in the UK do?
Jennifer says people should be writing to their MPs to urge government action on relaxing rules to allow entry for people in the UK with their companion animals.
A statement by DEFRA says are “strong biosecurity measures in place to protect the public and other animals from diseases”.
But it adds it recognises “the difficult and distressing situation” that Ukrainian nationals faced and the UK government was “looking at options to provide support” to those entering the UK with their pets.
The charity Paws And Whiskers Sussex say they are working with groups in Romania, trying to empty as many shelters there to make space for Ukrainian animals, by getting the animals to the UK.
“The plan is once the Ukrainian animals have received veterinary care and assessments, then we can also begin to find homes for them as well,” says Hannah Carter, director of the group.
James adds people shouldn’t travel to the war zone and instead should support organisations doing expert work.
“Most importantly, you need to remain committed for the long-term, because solutions for people and animals require that commitment and approach.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hold a news conference at NATO headquarters, after their meeting on Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, in Brussels, Belgium.
Wildlife officials agreed Wednesday to around-the-clock hours for alligator hunting but expressed some concerns about a new part of the hunting arsenal.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Wednesday directed staff members to set up rule changes that will ensure more daylight hours for alligator hunting in most parts of the state. The commission also supported allowing pre-charged pneumatic airbows with tethered lines as part of the equipment that alligator hunters can use.
But commissioners, meeting at the Tampa Convention Center, directed staff to look into modifying the allowed strength of airbows. That came after Robb Upthegrove, a Plant City resident from an alligator hunting family, expressed concerns about allowing just any hunter to use an airbow, which he said could be as strong as a “rifle.”
The National Transportation Safety Board says a plane that crashed off the North Carolina coast had issued no distress calls and made no declarations of an emergency
Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck speaks with reporters in Carteret County, N.C., on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. Authorities say four teenagers and four adults returning from a hunting trip were on board a small plane that crashed off the coast of North Carolina over the weekend.
Uncredited – television, WCTI-TV
Law enforcement get ready for a search after a small plane crash in Carteret County, N.C., on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. Authorities say four teenagers and four adults returning from a hunting trip were on board a small plane that crashed off the coast of North Carolina over the weekend.
There are places in the valleys where you can walk your dogs or where your kids play that have a unique danger: animal traps. Read more at ktnv.com/13investigates.
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — “I was really proud of my dad,” said 12-year-old Dylan Vaske, describing what looks on his family’s cell phone video like a rescue but is actually a crime.
“It is a gross misdemeanor in the state of Nevada to disturb somebody else’s trap,” explained Doug Nielsen of the Nevada Division of Wildlife.
EPACopyright: EPARussian President Vladimir Putin has now signed into law a bill that punishes the spread of “fake” information about the country’s armed forces with jail sentences of up to 15 years.The bill was unanimously passed by Russian lawmakers on Thursday.Several independent Russian media outlets have been forced to close in recent days after describing as “invasion” or “war” what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.Putin also signed another bill that would allow fines or jail terms for calling for sanctions against Russia.Article share tools
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty ImagesUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with EU and Nato leaders on a six-nation trip through EuropeImage caption: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken…
