ATHENS: Officials on the Greek island of Rhodes said Saturday they had moved 30,000 people threatened by wildfires to safety — including 2,000 who had to be ferried off beaches.
George Hadjimarkos, regional governor of the South Aegean, told Skai television that the operation, which was still ongoing, had been hampered by fires cutting off some road access.
“The aim is to protect human life,” he said.
Tourists and some locals were being taken to gyms, schools and hotel conference centers on the island where they will stay overnight, while firefighters battle the blaze.
Three passenger ferries have been moored at the port of Rhodes to accommodate those rescued, Athens News Agency reported.
Members of the coast guard, the armed forces and local authority workers used dozens of buses to help move people away from the fires, said Rhodes municipality official Teris Hatziioannou.
Where the fires had cut off road access, some tourists had to walk to safety.
Panagiotis Dimelis, head of the Archangelos village council, told Skai TV that many locals had rushed to help the tourists.
“It is an unprecedented situation for the island,” he added.
For the beach operation, the coast guard said three of its boats led more than 30 private vessels to pick up people from the Kiotari and Lardos beaches on the east of the Mediterranean island.
A Greek navy boat was also headed to the area to help, according to the coast guard.
From the moment the evacuation alert sounded early in the afternoon, tourists headed for the beach, pulling their suitcases behind them.
Local video footage showed some of them pushing strollers carrying small children under the scorching sun.
Some of those seeking rescue had missed their flights off the island after the fires cut off normal transport routes, according to media reports.
Elsewhere, firefighters are still trying to bring the blaze on the island under control.
Deputy Fire Chief Yannis Artopoios said the blaze on Rhodes, which broke out on a mountain in the center of the island, was the toughest his force had had to face.
Five helicopters and 200 firefighters fought the blaze during the daytime, but the air support was called off as the light failed.
The battle to extinguish the fire in Rhodes continues in the area of Laermon and Lardos, where it is raging out of control.
ERT TV reported that some firefighters were stranded in the Ypseni Monastery, near Lardos, as they tried to convince the nuns living there to leave the area.
But they were reported to be safe.
30,000 people moved to safety as Rhodes wildfires rage
https://arab.news/rfk4n
30,000 people moved to safety as Rhodes wildfires rage
- Three passenger ferries have been moored at the port of Rhodes to accommodate those rescued
- Members of the coastguard, the armed forces and local authority workers used dozens of buses to help move people away from the fires
Indonesia’s first woman president awarded honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah University
- Megawati was recognized for her leadership and contributions to social, legal affairs
- She has received 10 other honorary degrees from Indonesian and foreign institutions
JAKARTA: Megawati Sukarnoputri, who served as Indonesia’s fifth president and was the country’s only female head of state to date, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, becoming the first foreign national to receive the title.
Megawati, the eldest daughter of Indonesia’s first President Sukarno and chairwoman of the country’s largest political party, the PDIP, served as president from 2001 to 2004.
The 79-year-old was awarded an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal affairs in Riyadh on Monday during a ceremony overseen by Princess Nourah University’s acting president, Dr. Fawzia bint Sulaiman Al-Amro.
“This recognition was given in appreciation of her efforts during her presidency, her significant contributions to social, organizational, and legal fields, and her role in strengthening institutional leadership in Indonesia,” the university said in a statement.
This is Megawati’s 11th honorary doctorate. She has received similar degrees from Indonesian and foreign universities, including the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2003 and the Soka University of Japan in 2020.
She has also been awarded the title of honorary professor by several institutions, including by the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2022.
“We gather at the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, a university that stands as a symbol of women’s progress in education, knowledge and public service … To see so many intelligent women, I feel very proud,” Megawati said in her acceptance speech.
“Women’s empowerment is not a threat to any values, culture or tradition. It is actually a condition for nations that believe in their future … A great nation is one that is able to harness all of its human potential. A strong nation is one that does not allow half of its social power to be left on the sidelines of history.”
Megawati is the longest-serving political leader in Indonesia. Indonesia’s first direct presidential elections took place during her presidency, consolidating the country’s transition to democracy after the downfall of its longtime dictator Suharto in 1998.
