Sacramento, July 27 (IANS) Crews in northern California continued battling the largest wildfire of the year in the western US state, which has left more than 130 structures destroyed and thousands of people evacuated.

The Park Fire, which started Wednesday afternoon near Chico, north of California’s capital city Sacramento, had rapidly expanded to engulf over 164,000 acres (663.9 sq km) as of Friday morning, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, Xinhua news agency reported.

The fire has already destroyed 134 structures and threatens 4,200 more, with only 3 per cent contained by Friday morning, according to data from local officials and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

“Today the Park Fire burned very actively with hot, dry weather over the region. The fire area is currently under a Red Flag Warning due to gusty winds and low humidity. The fire is burning in some grass, brush, mixed timber and dead vegetation,” Cal Fire said in its latest update on Friday.

The fire’s cause has been traced to an act of arson. Authorities have arrested a 42-year-old man, named Ronnie Dean Stout II, a Chico resident, on suspicion of intentionally starting the fire.

According to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, the blaze was believed to have begun when a burning car was pushed into a gully, rolling almost 20 meters down an embankment. The motive behind this alleged act remains unclear.

The rapid spread of the Park Fire has forced widespread evacuations across Butte County and the neighbouring Tehama County.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said that approximately 4,000 residents were ordered to evacuate, including 400 from Chico itself.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office reported that by early Thursday, 3,500 people had already been displaced from their homes.

At least two people suffered minor injuries, though the full extent of the fire’s impact on the local population is still being assessed. Officials are urging residents to stay informed about their evacuation zones and be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.

Cal Fire mobilized various resources to combat the Park Fire. As of Friday morning, 1,633 personnel were engaged in firefighting efforts, supported by 142 engines, 6 helicopters, and 54 bulldozers.

State officials said that firefighters were focusing on evacuations, protecting structures, and constructing containment lines to halt the fire’s advance.

–IANS

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San Francisco, July 27 (IANS) A massive wildfire in the US state of Oregon has grown rapidly to some 600 square miles (1,554 sq km), an area more than half the size of Rhode Island’s land mass, officials have said.

The Durkee Fire, sparked by lightning on July 17, is the largest blaze in the US so far. Officials said the fire was only 20 per cent contained on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, a single-pilot tanker plane contracted by the US Bureau of Land Management went missing Thursday while fighting another wildfire, the Falls Fire, near the town of Seneca on the edge of the Malheur National Forest.

The plane was found Friday morning, authorities said, adding that the pilot on board was killed during the crash.

The Falls Fire has grown to 219 square miles (567 sq km) with 55 per cent contained, according to the government website InciWeb.

As of Thursday, wildfires had burned almost 1 million acres (4,047 sq km) in Oregon and 125,900 acres (509 sq km) in Washington state so far this year, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland, Oregon.

In California, the Park Fire has forced the evacuation of more than 4,000 residents in Butte County, north of California’s capital city Sacramento. The fire grew uncontrolled overnight from 125,000 acres (505 sq km) on Thursday to 164,200 acres (664 sq km) Friday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

More than 110 active fires covering 2,800 square miles (7,250 sq km) were burning across the country on Friday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

–IANS

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Brussels, July 27 (IANS) The European Union (EU) has announced that it has transferred 1.5 billion euros ($1.62 billion) worth of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

The diversion of funds was made possible after the EU adopted a set of legal acts in May, allowing the use of these net profits for Ukraine’s benefit, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a statement on Friday, the EU said this was the first payment derived from immobilised Russian assets. The funds will be allocated through the European Peace Facility and to the Ukraine Facility.

The 1.4 billion euros allocated to the European Peace Facility will be used to finance the acquisition of priority military equipment, including air defence systems and artillery ammunition, said Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs.

“There is no better symbol or use for the Kremlin’s money than to make Ukraine and all of Europe a safer place to live,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

The Kremlin has condemned the EU’s decision as illegal. “This is certainly a reason for thoughtful actions in response to such illegal decisions that are being implemented by the European Union,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, warning that the move will not go unanswered.

–IANS

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Helsinki, July 27 (IANS) Finland suspects a Russian vessel to have violated Finnish territorial waters in the Gulf of Finland.

The Finnish Ministry of Defence said in a press release that the Finnish Border Guard is investigating the incident that allegedly took place Friday afternoon, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Gulf of Finland is an eastern extension of the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia, with Russian territory on both sides towards the East. The centre of the Gulf comprises international waters.

–IANS

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Paris, July 27 (IANS) Let the Games begin! Amid thunderclouds and heavy rains, the 2024 Paris Olympics got off to a stunning start as the Organising Committee (OC) made sure that the world got to see why the French capital is called ‘la Ville Lumiere’ — the city of light.

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Summer Games, the Opening Ceremony didn’t take place in a stadium; it was held in the heart of the city along its main artery: the Seine river.

The event started with representatives from Greece leading the athletes from nearly 200 countries in the Parade of the Nations on boats on the river.

And it was the American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga who set the pulses racing with a mesmerising show, setting the stage for more scintillating performances to come in what is expected to be a nearly three-hour ceremony showcasing the French culture and heritage.

The global superstar sang the French classic ‘Mon truce en plume’ by Zizi Jeanmaire and received thunderous cheers from the fans who had lined up the riverbank since the afternoon.

The ceremony was bold, original and no doubt unique. Taking on a new guise, the parade of athletes was held on the Seine with boats for each national delegation. These boats were equipped with cameras to allow television and online viewers to see the athletes up close.

A majority of the 10,500 athletes crossed through the centre of Paris, the overall playing field for the Games on which these competitors will display their sporting prowess over the next 16 days. The parade came to the end of its 6-km route in front of the Trocadero.

Eighty giant screens and strategically placed speakers allowed everyone to enjoy the magical atmosphere of this show reverberating throughout the French capital.

Athletes onboard the parade boats got glimpses of some of the official Games venues, including Parc Urbain La Concorde, the Esplanade des Invalides, the Grand Palais, and lastly the Iena Bridge where the parade will come to a stop before the ceremony’s finale at the Trocadero.

But the best part of the ceremony was when legendary Zinedine Zidane passed the Olympic Flame to Rafael Nadal. The crowd went berserk and shouted their lungs out, cheering for the two stars.

The torch was then taken down the Seine in a boat with Nadal, Serena Williams, Carl Lewis, and Nadia Comaneci.

At last, the Games were declared open.

* Rain pain, no way!

Rain tried to spoil the mood of the organisers but the fans remained on their seats to see the history in the making.

Notably, Paris is hosting the Olympics for the third time after 100 years and the city is leaving no stone unturned to make it a big success.

* Indian contingent led by P.V. Sindhu and Sharath Kamal

As many as 78 Indian athletes and officials from 12 disciplines participated in the parade. Women athletes were wearing blue sarees while the men were in blue blazers and blue trousers.

* Action begins on Saturday

Indian athletes will be in action on the first day of the quadrennial event in seven sports disciplines including hockey, shooting and badminton.

As per the schedule for Saturday (July 27), Indian rower Balraj Panwar will compete in the men’s single sculls (Heat 1) at 12:30 p.m. IST.

In shooting, Elavenil Valarivan & Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta & Ramita Jindal will compete in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Qualification at 12:30 p.m. followed by 10m Air Pistol Men’s Qualification, in which Arjun Singh Cheema and Sarabjot Singh would be in action.

Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan will also start their campaign on Saturday with the 10m Air Pistol Women’s Qualification at 4 p.m.

In tennis, Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji will take on the French pair of Fabian Reboul and Edouard Roger Vasselin in the men’s doubles first-round match at 3:30 p.m.

In badminton, Lakshya Sen will be up against Kevin Gua Cordon in the men’s singles group stage match at 7:10 p.m.

In the men’s doubles category, India’s top pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will lock horns with France’s Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar in their opening match at 8:30 p.m.

In the women’s doubles category, Ashwini Ponappa and Tanisha Crasto will play against the Korean pair of Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong in their first group stage match at 11:50 p.m.

Harmeet Desai will start his campaign against Jordan’s Yaman Zaid Jor Abo in the men’s singles table tennis event in the preliminary round at 7:15 p.m.

After the historic bronze finish in the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian men’s hockey team will aim to change the colour of their medal as they start their journey against New Zealand in a Pool B match at 9 pm (IST).

In boxing, Preeti Pawar will be up against Vietnam’s Vo Thi Kim Anh in the women’s 54kg round of 32 clash at 11:40 pm.

–IANS

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