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FRANCE
River Seine poses health threats to the Olympic swimmers, reports Deutsche Welle
On 30 July, the men's Olympic triathlon set to be conducted in River Seine was postponed to the next day over concerns about water quality. The event now collides with the women’s competition which is also scheduled on 31 July. There are also concerns over the women's and men's 10-kilometer (6.21-mile) marathon swimming races, which are due to be held in the Seine on 8 and 9 of August. The pollution in the river has become a novel controversy since the French authorities spent around 1.4 billion EUR to clean up the river before the 2024 Olympics. They were unsuccessful in reducing the bacterial contamination by 75 per cent before the first Olympic swimming event. The locals had condemned the authorities by organising a campaign, #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin, which translates as # I shit in the Seine on 23 June. From the water test conducted by Eau de Paris monitoring group, the river showed significantly higher levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the river. Heavy rains, Leptospira, transmitted by rodent urine and parasites like cercarial larvae in contaminated water pose health threats to the swimmers. (Fred Schwaller, “Why is the Seine unsafe for Olympic triathlon swimmers?,” Deutsche Welle, 30 July 2024)
GERMANY
Court rules to reduce seats in federal parliament
On 30 July, The Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, Germany reduced the number of seats of the Bundestag (German federal parliament) from 733 to 630 (103 fewer seats). It also added a regulation to protect the position of smaller parties in the Bundestag. The court said: “If a party receives less than five per cent of the vote yet wins three or more constituencies, it should remain entitled to proportional representation in the Bundestag.” The ruling upheld the efforts of two opposition party plaintiffs- the Bavarian Christian Social Union and The Left. Members of the ruling parties welcomed the judgement as they believed that the new rules would increase efficiency. (Nette Nöstlinger, “German court allows downsizing of massive parliament,” POLITICO, 30 July 2024)
GREECE
Government bans transport of goats to curb infectious diseases
On 30 July, the BBC reported that Greece had banned the transportation of goats to contain Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), a highly infectious disease among animals. The virus can kill between 80 per cent and 100 per cent of infected animals while it is not harmful to humans. The Agricultural Ministry of Greece said: "The movement of sheep and goats for breeding, fattening and slaughter is banned throughout Greece.” Cases were detected in the central Larissa region and Corinth in the south. The ministry officials met with the local authorities and instructed the farmers, feed suppliers and slaughterhouse owners to curb the spreading disease. The ministry speculated the “suspicious imports” from abroad as the cause of the outbreak. (“Greece imposes restrictions to tackle 'goat plague',” BBC, 30 July 2024)
RUSSIA
Navy conducts military exercises to check on the military actions and readiness
On 29 July, the Russian navy kickstarted major combat training exercises of its fleets in the Arctic and Pacific oceans and the Baltic and Caspian seas. According to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, the exercise aimed to check on the actions of the navy at all levels and the readiness of the crew to perform tasks. The Ministry said that 20,000 sailors, 300 surface and submarine vessels and 50 aircraft would take part in the combat training. The drills are expected to include anti-aircraft missile firing, artillery firing at sea and air training targets, combat exercises for setting up passive interference to withdraw forces from a simulated enemy strike and the use of anti-submarine weapons by surface ships and naval aviation. The Black Sea Fleet will not take part in the drill due to considerable losses in the war in Ukraine. (“Russian navy begins major combat training exercises, Deutsche Welle, 30 July 2024)
THE UK
Hottest day with 32 degrees recorded for 2024
On 30 July, the UK marked the hottest day of the year with the intense heatwave affecting large parts. London, southern England and south-eastern Wales are expected to meet the official criteria for a heatwave this week. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued a Yellow Heat Health Alert for all areas of England - except for the North East and North West. The alert indicated a likely less impact on the younger generation but not the older generation. It also warned against the increased internal temperatures at hospitals and care homes which could pose difficulties in healthcare services. London reached 32 degrees Celsius, Wales at 29 degrees Celsius while Scotland and Northern Ireland saw highs of 22.3 and 23 degrees Celsius. (“UK swelters as hottest day of the year confirmed,” BBC, 31 July 2024)
REGIONAL
FRA report condemns the incapability of EU member states to protect human rights
On 30 July, POLITICO reported on the “damning report” published by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) which pointed out the incapability of the EU countries to investigate cases of human rights violations. The report condemned the countries for “serious, recurrent and widespread rights violations against migrants and refugees during border management.” The report singled out Croatia, Greece and Hungary for their ineffective investigations, citing several cases in 2020 and 2022. The FRA report said: “The low number of investigations of such cases, despite the high number of credible allegations, casts a negative light on border management authorities’ operation.” The countries haven’t commented publicly on the report. (Seb Starcevic, “EU countries fail to probe beatings, sexual assaults on migrants by police, report says,” POLITICO, 30 July 2024)
Eurozone’s economy grows in the second quarter; Germany’s stagnation to impact the growth
On 30 July, POLITICO reported that the eurozone economy grew more than expected in the second quarter. There was continued growth in the economies of France, Italy and Spain. Germany’s current contraction of 0.1 per cent and inflation poses difficulties to the European Central Bank (ECB) as it prepares for its next meeting. Overall growth was steady at 0.3 per cent in the three months through June, and at 0.6 per cent compared to the second quarter of 2023. Spain had the highest growth of 0.8 per cent and was followed by France and Italy with 0.3 per cent and 0.2 per cent. Surveys of S&P and the Ifo had pointed out further decline in Germany’s growth. The ECB also acknowledged that the bloc’s recovery could be affected by any global slowdown through trade or geopolitical tensions. (Johanna Treeck and Carlo Boffa, “Eurozone economy grows faster than expected in Q2, POLITICO, 30 July 2024)
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