ATHENS: A fast-moving wildfire fueled by gale-force winds raged unabated closer to Athens on Monday, burning trees, houses and cars and forcing evacuations of hospitals and at least 11 towns and villages, Greek authorities said.
Hundreds of wildfires have broken out across Greece since May. While summer fires are common in Greece, extraordinarily hot and dry weather linked to climate change have made the blazes more frequent and intense, according to scientists.
More than 560 firefighters backed by volunteers, 17 waterbombing planes and 15 helicopters battled the latest wildfire that broke out at 3 p.m. (midday GMT) on Sunday near Varnavas 35 km (20 miles) north of the capital.
By Monday morning the fire had spread southward and was burning on several fronts including the village of Grammatiko, the ancient town of Marathon, the seaside municipality of Nea Makri, and Mount Penteli just north of Athens.
Strong winds were constantly changing the flames’ direction.
“Despite a hard battle and the superhuman efforts overnight, the fire spread very fast and has reached Mount Penteli,” a fire brigade official said.
Firefighting aircraft paused operations overnight and resumed efforts early on Monday. Police assisted with evacuations and some residents spent the night in shelters.
At least three hospitals had been evacuated in Penteli.
The blaze, with flames as high as 25 meters (82 feet), spread “like lightning” due to gale-force winds, fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said on Sunday.
Thick clouds of smoke darkened the sky over Athens on Sunday evening. Hours later, the flames were burning near the residential suburb of Dionysos about 23 km (14 miles) northeast of the city center, and nearby areas.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis rushed back to Athens from a weekend break on the island of Crete to oversee the response to the blaze, a government official said, with memories still fresh of a 2018 fire that killed 104 people in the seaside town of Mati, near the capital.
After its warmest winter on record and long periods of little or no rainfall, Greece is forecast to record its hottest-ever summer.
Authorities are on high fire alert until Thursday while weather experts have warned of a “very difficult week.”
“Half of Greece will be in the red,” Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Saturday. citing temperatures of around 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) amid strong winds.
Greek wildfire rages near Athens; towns, hospitals evacuated
https://arab.news/mkqsn
Greek wildfire rages near Athens; towns, hospitals evacuated
- Hundreds of wildfires have broken out across Greece since May
- More than 560 firefighters backed by volunteers, 17 waterbombing planes and 15 helicopters battled the latest wildfire
Indonesia threatens to ban Musk’s Grok AI over degrading images of children and women
- Grok has been complying with user requests to alter images of real people
- Other countries, including Malaysia and France, have also threatened action against X
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Communications Ministry threatened on Wednesday to ban Elon Musk’s X and its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok after degrading pictures of women and children generated without consent surged on the social media platform.
Grok has been complying with requests from X users to modify images of real women and children stripped to their underwear, creating a viral trend that has sparked concerns across the globe.
A preliminary investigation found that Grok “does not yet have explicit and adequate regulations to prevent the production and distribution of pornographic content based on real photos” of Indonesian citizens,” Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs said in a statement.
Indonesia has strict laws against the production and distribution of pornography, with the government regularly instructing internet service providers to block access to websites containing such content.
“The obligation to comply with Indonesian laws and regulations applies to all digital platforms operating in Indonesia,” the ministry said.
“Should there be non-compliance or lack of cooperation, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs may impose administrative sanctions, including termination of access to Grok’s AI services and the X platform.”
Indonesia has joined a growing list of countries, which includes Malaysia, India and France, that are calling for investigations and threatening action against Grok.
Concerns grew after a December update to the chatbot made it easier for users to post photographs of people and ask for their clothing to be removed.
In a report published on Tuesday, European non-profit organization AI Forensics said Grok is “systematically ‘undressing’ women.”
Its analysis of 20,000 images generated by Grok between Dec. 25 and Jan.1 found that 53 percent of them contained individuals in minimal attire, with 81 percent of them being women, while two percent of the images depicted persons appearing to be 18 years old or younger.
Indonesia’s Communications Ministry said AI service providers and users are also subject to administrative or criminal sanctions under Indonesian law if they are proven to have produced or distributed pornographic content or modified personal images without permission.
“Every digital platform must ensure that the technology they provide does not become a medium for privacy violation, sexual exploitation or the degradation of a person’s dignity,” said Alexander Sabar, director-general of digital space at the ministry.
“We urge all parties to use artificial intelligence technology responsibly. The digital space is not a lawless space; every citizen’s privacy and right to their image must be respected and protected.”
