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Fighting Fire With.... Twitter... London's Fire Brigade Goes 2.0

BBC, LONDON FIRE BRIGADE (UK)

Worldcrunch

LONDON - Are you already getting Twitter alerts from the subway company? Football results? Movie listings ? Now it's your turn to do your city a favor. The London Fire Brigade is now recruiting the Twitter army to spread information on fires and incidents around the city.

Tweet your emergency: London Fire Brigade plans to accept callouts over Twitter tnw.to/k0YU9

— Matt Brian (@m4tt) December 18, 2012

The London Fire Brigade also announced today that it was thinking about setting up the world’s first 999 emergency Twitter feed.

"The Brigade was quick to point out that people should never tweet to report emergencies and should instead always dial 999. It said it has already experienced people tweeting it to report fires and strongly advised against this as its Twitter feed is not monitored round the clock. Fire chiefs said people should continue to dial 999 to report emergencies."

Meanwhile, the London Fire Brigade is asking Londoners to send in simple descriptions of fires and incidents, using – if possible – photos and videos @LondonFire.

With 30 million emergency calls a year, says the BBC: "It's time to look at new ways for people to report emergencies quickly and efficiently and social media could provide the answer in the future."

Firefighters are attending a fire at a pub on Balham High Road. A small amount of the first floor is alight. More soon.

— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) December 18, 2012

Firefighters are attending a fire at building under construction on Allington Street in Victoria. More soon

— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) Décembre 11, 2012

Flames might burn your scones. And ignite your homes. And we will try to #fixyou #foodfightclub

— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) December 13, 2012

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Putin's "Pig-Like" Latvia Threat Is A Chilling Reminder Of What's At Stake In Ukraine

In the Ukraine war, Russia's military spending is as high as ever. Now the West is alarmed because the Kremlin leader is indirectly hinting at a possible attack on Latvia, a NATO member. It is a reminder of a growing danger to Europe.

Photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Pavel Lokshin

-Analysis-

BERLIN — Russian President Vladimir Putin sometimes chooses downright bizarre occasions to launch his threats against the West. It was at Monday's meeting of the Russian Human Rights Council, where Putin expressed a new, deep concern. It was not of course about the human rights of the thousands of political prisoners in his own country, but about the Russian population living in neighboring Latvia, which happens to be a NATO member, having to take language tests.

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