Photo : Fabrizio Bensch/REUTERS
By Samruddhi Pathak
FRANCE
Government issues advisory for citizens in Lebanon
On 04 August, France joined the US and the UK calling its citizens back from Lebanon. It asked them to: “Leave the country as soon as possible.” The advisory comes after the Israel and Hezbollah conflict has transformed into a broader regional conflict in the Middle East. According to Le Monde, around 23,000 French citizens lived in Lebanon and 10,000 citizens visited in July. Meanwhile, the US is moving its fighter jets and warships to the region to protect American personnels and Israel. The escalation comes after Israel claimed its strike near Beirut. On 03 August, Hezbollah launched around a dozen rockets at Israel. (“France calls on citizens in Lebanon to leave 'as soon as possible',” Le Monde, 05 August 2024)
GERMANY
Protestors gather in Berlin against government policies
On 03 August, thousands of protestors gathered around the Kurfürstendamm shopping street toward Berlin-Tiergarten to protest against Germany’s rising defence budget. They shouted slogans: “We are peace ready, not war ready.” Defence Minister of Germany, Boris Pistorius, in an interview said that the country needs to be ready for a war against Russia by 2029. The protest was peaceful, with no violence, arrests or accidents. Berlin police had deployed around 500 officers to monitor the demonstration. They were carried out by a group called the “Lateral Thinking movement” started during COVID-19 to originally protest against vaccine requirements and the government’s lockdown policies. (Richard Connor, “Berlin: Thousands march in COVID-19 pandemic skeptic protest,” Deutsche Welle, 03 August 2024)
Germany and the Philippines to sign a defence agreement by end of 2024
On 04 August, during his visit to Manila, the Defence Minister of Germany, Boris Pistorius, and Defence Minister of the Philippines, Gilberto Teodoro, committed to sign a defence deal before 2025. This is the first time a German defence minister has visited the Philippines. Pistorius focused on a rule-based order and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region. The statement and commitment are after Chinese presence in the South China Sea gained momentum. The Philippines has already signed defence deals with the US, Japan, India and Sweden to contain Chinese presence. On 02 August, Germany joined the UN Command in South Korea led by the US. Thus, with increase in defence budget and involvement in NATO, Germany is also expanding its influence spheres in the Indo-Pacific. (“Germany, Philippines commit to defence deal by end of year,” Deutsche Welle, 04 August 2024)
MALTA
EY warns energy exhaustion by 2035
On 04 August, a data firm EY issued an analysis wherein it suggested that the rising sale of electric vehicles could compel Malta to completely exhaust its energy by 2035. The former chairperson of Enemalta, a Maltese energy company, said that the country needs to increase its ability to produce energy to meet the already peaked energy demand. He recommended greater investment in renewable sources. He also emphasised on educating people on using renewable sources and promotion of photovoltaics. Luciano Mulé Stagno, the head of University of Malta’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, said that they need to be more aggressive with the use of PVs. He also suggested building energy storage facilities so surplus energy can be used during peak demand or sold to other countries. His suggestions for EV charging include incentivising off-peak charging by variation in tariffs. (“Energy demand could exceed supply by 2035, experts warn,” Times of Malta, 04 August 2024)
THE NETHERLANDS
Sea mammals in trouble along the Dutch Coast due to climate change
On 04 August, SOS Dolgijn reported a drastic rise in the number of sea mammals being rescued. The organisation stated that every year the number has been rising. However, this year the number has already touched 150. Also, they could not specify any particular reason. However, climate change has been cited as an indirect cause. Climate change has made sea mammals’ immunity weak. Therefore they become more susceptible to diseases. Also, in many cases animals were deafened by noise pollution. However, almost two third of the cases involve animals being estranged. This is the first news about maritime activities affecting aquatic lives. In July too, there were reports about sharks along Florida coast intaking cocaine due to traffickers disposing of them in the sea. Thus, lack of security and surveillance along the trans-atlantic coastal region poses serious dangers to innocent aquatic animals while most of them are occupied with naval activities in the Indo-Pacific. (“More reports of sea mammals in trouble; Reason unclear,” NL Times, 04 August 2024)
THE UK
Riots in the three cities after death of three minors
On 04 August, more than 90 people were arrested by the Police for riots in Liverpool, Belfast and Manchester, which turned violent. The protests sparked after three minor girls were stabbed to death by a teenager. This follows after false information was circulated that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker. Particularly in Liverpool, around a thousand people gathered to shout Islamophobic and anti-immigrant slogans. The police were seen in riot gear and with dogs to contain the riots. According to the BBC, far-right forces are behind organising these violent protests. Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has stated that there is no excuse for violence. In Bristol, protesters were shouting slogans: “We want our country back”. Meanwhile, they were encountered by anti-racist protesters. However, beer cans were thrown at anti-racist groups. In Belfast, there were protesters outside a mosque. There were at least 30 demonstrations planned by far-right people. Meanwhile, Shadow Home Secretary, James Cleverly, has asked the government and Starmer to “send a clear message to thugs.” (Alex Binley, “Dozens arrested after protest disorder spreads,” BBC, 04 August 2024)
INTERNATIONAL
US deploys missiles in Germany
On 04 August, Annalena Baerbock, the Foreign Minister of Germany, wrote an opinion piece for a German weekly magazine wherein she defended the government’s decision to allow the deployment of American missiles on their territory. She cited European defence against Russia as a reason. The US has stationed long-range cruise missiles in the country. The Missiles include SM-6, Tomahawk and developmental hypersonic weapons. The range of these missiles is longer than those in European militaries. Several parliamentarians, including those in the government, have criticised it and called for the plan to be debated and ratified in the parliament. This is the first, since the unification of Germany, that the US has done so. Most countries consider deterrence as peaceful and a way to avoid a full-scale war. However, there is a grey area that the countries make use of to develop and deploy more weapons. (“Baerbock calls US missiles in Germany a 'credible deterrent',” Deutsche Welle, 04 August 2024)