);
}
function setButtonState(button, state) {
const hint = button.parentElement && button.parentElement.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-hint]’);
const followLabel = button.dataset.followLabel || ‘Follow’;
const followingLabel = button.dataset.followingLabel || ‘Following’;
const signinLabel = button.dataset.signinLabel || ‘Sign in to follow’;
const loadingLabel = button.dataset.loadingLabel || ‘Saving…’;
const pendingAuthLabel = button.dataset.pendingAuthLabel || ‘Loading…’;
button.classList.remove(‘is-following’, ‘is-loading’, ‘is-auth-required’);
if (state === ‘loading’) {
button.classList.add(‘is-loading’);
button.disabled = true;
button.textContent = loadingLabel;
if (hint) {
hint.textContent=”Updating your followed authors…”;
}
return;
}
if (state === ‘pending-auth’) {
button.classList.add(‘is-loading’);
button.disabled = true;
button.textContent = pendingAuthLabel;
if (hint) {
hint.textContent=”Checking your sign-in status…”;
}
return;
}
button.disabled = false;
if (state === ‘following’) {
button.classList.add(‘is-following’);
button.textContent = followingLabel;
if (hint) {
hint.textContent = followingLabel === ‘Unfollow’
? ‘Remove this writer from your followed list.’
: ‘Click again to unfollow.’;
}
return;
}
if (state === ‘signin’) {
button.classList.add(‘is-auth-required’);
button.textContent = signinLabel;
if (hint) {
hint.textContent=”Sign in to follow writers and manage your list.”;
}
return;
}
button.textContent = followLabel;
if (hint) {
hint.textContent=”Click to follow.”;
}
}
function renderWidgets(scope) {
const root = scope || document;
root.querySelectorAll(‘[data-author-follow-widget]’).forEach(function (widget) {
const button = widget.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-button]’);
if (!button) {
return;
}
const staffId = widget.dataset.staffId;
const hasToken = !!getBearerToken();
if (!isPianoIdentityReady() && !hasToken) {
setButtonState(button, ‘pending-auth’);
return;
}
if (!hasToken) {
setButtonState(button, ‘signin’);
return;
}
if (followedAuthorsMap.has(String(staffId))) {
setButtonState(button, ‘following’);
} else {
setButtonState(button, ‘follow’);
}
});
}
function renderManageList(container) {
if (!container) {
return;
}
const hasToken = !!getBearerToken();
if (!isPianoIdentityReady() && !hasToken) {
container.innerHTML = (
‘
‘
);
return;
}
if (!hasToken) {
container.innerHTML = (
‘
‘
);
return;
}
const followedAuthors = Array.from(followedAuthorsMap.values());
if (!followedAuthors.length) {
container.innerHTML = (
‘
‘
);
return;
}
container.innerHTML = followedAuthors
.map(function (author) {
return (
‘
‘
);
})
.join(”);
bindEvents(container);
renderWidgets(container);
}
async function refresh(scope, options) {
const forceFetch = !!(options && options.force);
if (!hasFollowWidgets(scope)) {
return;
}
// Wipe the cached map BEFORE the first render so a user-switch can’t
// momentarily display the previous user’s “Following” state.
discardCacheIfTokenChanged();
renderWidgets(scope);
const manageContainer = document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-list]’);
const managePreferencesContainer = document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-preferences]’);
const hasToken = !!getBearerToken();
if (!isPianoIdentityReady() && !hasToken) {
renderWidgets(scope);
renderManagePreferences(managePreferencesContainer);
renderManageList(manageContainer);
return;
}
if (!hasToken) {
renderManagePreferences(managePreferencesContainer);
renderManageList(manageContainer);
return;
}
try {
await loadFollowedAuthors(forceFetch);
renderWidgets(scope);
renderManagePreferences(managePreferencesContainer);
renderManageList(manageContainer);
} catch (error) {
console.warn(‘Unable to load followed authors.’, error);
if (error && error.code === ‘AUTH_REQUIRED’) {
renderWidgets(scope);
renderManagePreferences(managePreferencesContainer);
renderManageList(manageContainer);
}
}
}
function startLoginPoll() {
if (loginPoll) {
clearInterval(loginPoll);
}
let attempts = 0;
loginPoll = setInterval(function () {
attempts += 1;
if (getBearerToken() || isLoggedIn() || attempts > 25) {
clearInterval(loginPoll);
loginPoll = null;
refresh(document, { force: true });
}
}, 1000);
}
function stopPianoReadyPoll() {
if (pianoReadyPoll) {
clearInterval(pianoReadyPoll);
pianoReadyPoll = null;
}
}
function startPianoReadyPoll() {
stopPianoReadyPoll();
let attempts = 0;
pianoReadyPoll = setInterval(function () {
attempts += 1;
if (isPianoIdentityReady() || getBearerToken() || attempts > 40) {
stopPianoReadyPoll();
// Non-forced: if bindPianoInitRefresh already fetched, the TTL
// dedupes this call. If it lost the race, this call wins.
refresh(document);
}
}, 500);
}
function bindPianoInitRefresh() {
if (pianoInitBound) {
return;
}
pianoInitBound = whenPianoReady(function () {
// The Piano init callback is the canonical “identity is ready” signal;
// cancel the fallback poll so it can’t issue a redundant second fetch.
stopPianoReadyPoll();
refresh(document, { force: true });
});
}
async function handleWidgetClick(widget, button) {
const staffId = widget.dataset.staffId;
if (!getBearerToken()) {
setButtonState(button, isPianoIdentityReady() ? ‘signin’ : ‘pending-auth’);
if (typeof window.showPianoLogin === ‘function’) {
window.showPianoLogin();
startLoginPoll();
}
return;
}
// If the identity changed since the cache was last filled, drop the stale
// map before the follow/unfollow decision below — otherwise the click
// could issue the wrong action against the previous user’s state.
discardCacheIfTokenChanged();
setButtonState(button, ‘loading’);
try {
if (followedAuthorsMap.has(String(staffId))) {
await apiRequest(apiBaseUrl + “https://www.washingtontimes.com/” + staffId, { method: ‘DELETE’ });
followedAuthorsMap.delete(String(staffId));
removePushlyFollowedAuthorId(staffId);
} else {
const author = await apiRequest(apiBaseUrl + “https://www.washingtontimes.com/” + staffId, {
method: ‘PUT’,
body: JSON.stringify({
push_enabled: followDeliveryPreferences.push_enabled,
email_fallback_enabled: followDeliveryPreferences.email_fallback_enabled,
}),
});
followedAuthorsMap.set(String(staffId), author);
appendPushlyFollowedAuthorId(staffId);
}
saveStoredFollowDeliveryPreferences(
deriveFollowDeliveryPreferences(Array.from(followedAuthorsMap.values())),
);
syncPushlyFollowedAuthorsProfile();
renderManagePreferences(document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-preferences]’));
renderWidgets(document);
renderManageList(document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-list]’));
} catch (error) {
console.warn(‘Unable to update followed author.’, error);
if (error && error.code === ‘AUTH_REQUIRED’) {
setButtonState(button, ‘signin’);
}
renderWidgets(document);
}
}
function bindEvents(scope) {
const root = scope || document;
root.querySelectorAll(‘[data-author-follow-widget]’).forEach(function (widget) {
if (widget.dataset.followWidgetBound === ‘true’) {
return;
}
widget.dataset.followWidgetBound = ‘true’;
const button = widget.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-button]’);
if (!button) {
return;
}
button.addEventListener(‘click’, function () {
handleWidgetClick(widget, button);
});
});
root.querySelectorAll(‘[data-author-follow-manage-preferences]’).forEach(function (container) {
if (container.dataset.followGlobalPreferencesBound === ‘true’) {
return;
}
container.dataset.followGlobalPreferencesBound = ‘true’;
async function handlePreferenceChange() {
const pushInput = container.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-global-pref=”push”]’);
const emailInput = container.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-global-pref=”email”]’);
if (!pushInput || !emailInput) {
return;
}
const previousPreferences = {
push_enabled: followDeliveryPreferences.push_enabled,
email_fallback_enabled: followDeliveryPreferences.email_fallback_enabled,
};
const payload = {
push_enabled: !!pushInput.checked,
email_fallback_enabled: !!emailInput.checked,
};
// Drop a stale map if the identity changed before iterating — we
// don’t want to issue follow updates against the previous user’s
// authors with the current user’s bearer token.
discardCacheIfTokenChanged();
const followedAuthors = Array.from(followedAuthorsMap.values());
saveStoredFollowDeliveryPreferences(payload);
managePreferencesPending = true;
pushInput.disabled = true;
emailInput.disabled = true;
try {
await Promise.all(
followedAuthors.map(function (author) {
return updateFollowPreferences(author.id, payload);
}),
);
renderManagePreferences(container);
renderWidgets(document);
renderManageList(document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-list]’));
} catch (error) {
console.warn(‘Unable to update author follow preferences.’, error);
saveStoredFollowDeliveryPreferences(previousPreferences);
pushInput.checked = previousPreferences.push_enabled;
emailInput.checked = previousPreferences.email_fallback_enabled;
} finally {
managePreferencesPending = false;
pushInput.disabled = false;
emailInput.disabled = false;
}
}
container.addEventListener(‘change’, function (event) {
const target = event.target;
if (!target || !target.matches(‘[data-author-follow-global-pref]’)) {
return;
}
handlePreferenceChange();
});
});
}
function init(scope) {
const root = scope || document;
if (!hasFollowWidgets(root)) {
return;
}
bindEvents(root);
renderWidgets(root);
bindPianoInitRefresh();
startPianoReadyPoll();
refresh(root);
}
window.WTAuthorFollow = {
init: init,
refresh: refresh,
};
document.addEventListener(‘DOMContentLoaded’, function () {
init(document);
});
window.addEventListener(‘focus’, function () {
if (hasFollowWidgets(document)) {
refresh(document);
}
});
document.addEventListener(‘visibilitychange’, function () {
if (!document.hidden && hasFollowWidgets(document)) {
refresh(document);
}
});
} else {
window.WTAuthorFollow.init(document);
}
})();
A helicopter carries water to a …
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–
Associated Press
–
Monday, July 27, 2026
NICOSIA, Cyprus — An angry Cypriot defense minister on Monday ordered an investigation into why National Guard engineers ignored regulations and blew up discarded ammunition that ended up sparking a fast-moving brush fire.
Defense Minister Vassilis Palmas expressed “intense dissatisfaction and strong irritation” that an engineering battalion destroyed a half dozen rocket-propelled grenade projectiles at the Kalo Chorio firing range on the island’s southern coast – in the middle of the summer fire season.
Palmas said he ordered the probe to get to the bottom of why the rounds were detonated “under these conditions of 104 Fahrenheit even as such explosions of heavy weaponry during the summer months are prohibited.”
“You understand that I will act with all the severity that is provided for under such circumstances,” Palmas told reporters.
Some 100 firefighters assisted by eight aircraft placed the fire under control after it scorched about 300 acres of wild growth and prompted the precautionary evacuation of two small communities near the fire front. No homes or other property were damaged.
Palmas said there are clear protocols about when and how such weapons disposal can take place and that the engineers battalion “logically” would’ve been in contact with National Guard Command before going ahead. The purpose of the probe is to determine exactly how this transpired, Palmas said, adding that a report should be ready in the next couple of weeks.
Arid winters and scorching summers in recent years have created tinderbox conditions on the east Mediterranean island nation. A year ago, Cyprus experienced one of its most devastating wildfires in recent memory that killed an elderly couple in their car as they were trying to flee the rapidly moving front along a mountain road.
A regional fire fighting hub has been set up on Cyprus that could also assist Middle East countries in battling major wildfires.
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