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Heat Waves are Getting More Dangerous in Europe for Tourists

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Heat Waves are Getting More Dangerous in Europe for Tourists

Mary Beth Walsh believed she was used to hot weather as she grew up in Texas. Heat waves are common in her hometown of Dallas, which is now experiencing intense heat waves.

However, the 21-year-old was taken aback by the “unbearable” 98 Fahrenheit (37 Celsius) heat waves she experienced when she traveled to Athens with her companions in mid-June. She told CNN, “It was pretty surprising because I had no idea about the heat waves that were going on until we were there.”

“I always joke around that in August (in the US), I bring my sweatshirt to class because I have such a high heat tolerance,” she said. However, she was living in an apartment without air conditioning, and it was too hot during the day to explore the city. “We didn’t have as much energy as we had anticipated,” she said.

Walking in the intense heat waves felt pretty awful.” Many visitors are aware that Europe will soon experience scorching summers due to the climate problem. According to analysts, record heat waves and wildfires in 2023 caused a decline in interest in travel to the hotter Mediterranean countries, while interest in more moderate places increased.

This trend northward might be exacerbated by recent heat-related fatalities and disappearances in Greece, such as the British TV personality Michael Mosley’s. These events have an impact on travel plans.

Southern European nations, many of which depend on tourism to support their economies, are beginning to face more challenges regarding the travel industry’s and travelers’ ability to adjust to the increasing effects of climate change.

Night Shift

The recent high temperatures have pushed the climate catastrophe to the forefront for several European visitors. “The climate disaster that we had feared would occur in 10 or 15 years has already occurred in certain regions. That’s the terrifying bit,” Roo Clark, 28, of Suffolk, eastern England, told CNN while visiting with his girlfriend on the Greek island of Skyros.

“Five years ago, me and my friends wouldn’t have even spoken about it (climate change), whereas now it’s more of a conversation.” Authorities in Greece have frequently advised visitors not to underestimate the severe heat waves, particularly during the middle of the day. Hiking in hot temperatures has been a common thread connecting recent tragedies nationwide.

According to CNN meteorologists, temperatures in Greece are expected to range from 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (low to mid-30s Celsius) during the next several weeks, a few degrees above the summer norm. However, rain is predicted for one or two days, which will bring temperatures down.

The owner of Greece’s biggest outdoor-focused travel business, Stefanos Sidiropoulos, advised travelers not to dive right into activities. It’s more challenging for those traveling from Canada or northern Europe, which have colder climates. They need time to get used to these circumstances,” he said to CNN.

Trekking Hellas, Sidiropoulos’ vacation firm, now offers some activities during lower temperatures, including dawn and dusk. “Or with torches at night,” he continues.

Infatuated with travel

Certain nations that rely on tourism-related revenue would suffer greatly from climate change’s impact on where visitors choose to holiday. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, Greece’s tourism industry makes up around 20% of the nation’s total GDP, or over 38 billion euros ($41 billion).

In Italy, where the highest degree of warning, level three heat warnings, has just been issued for the cities of Rome, Perugia, and Palermo, according to current data, 10% of the nation’s GDP is attributed to tourism, with one in every eight jobs related to the sector.

Following Europe’s 2023 summer heat wave, which forced thousands to flee wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes, the European Travel Commission (ETC), a nonprofit organization in charge of promoting Europe as a travel destination, reported a 7% increase in expressions of concern about climate change among European travelers.

According to ETC, this followed a drop in interest in southern Mediterranean holiday spots during the summers of 2022 and 2023, as colder places such as the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Denmark became more enticing.

“Travelers are increasingly aware of extreme weather events and their potential impact on their vacations,” Eduardo Santander, CEO of ETC, told CNN, adding that in the future, this could lead to more travelers visiting southern Europe in the spring and late fall rather than the hotter summer months.

Santander said that visitor fears over climate change are often short-lived. “Travelers are concerned after the summer but tend to forget about those events when booking their next holidays in the spring,” he told me.

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The Canada Gun Ban Trudeau Adds 325 New Firearms

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The Canada Gun Ban Adds 325 New Firearms
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the Canada gun ban takes effect immediately

The Canada gun ban by Trudeau and his Liberals has added three-hundred and twenty-four firearm makes and models and variants to the banned weapons list, on Thursday.

“It is no longer legal to use, sell, or import these firearms in Canada,” Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc informed reporters.

According to RCMP Deputy Commissioner Bryan Larkin, the models evaluated and included on the list are assault-style guns as defined by the government in 2020. In the past, the Liberals prohibited 1,500 models using that criterion.

Current owners will have until October 30 of next year to comply with the ban during an amnesty period. The government’s intended buy-back program will include the new models.

The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR)’s Tracey Wilson blasted the Trudeau administration, claiming that the Liberals have not learnt anything from their eight-year effort to seize firearms from their rightful owners.

“They know they are out of time and Canadians are out of money, so this is just typical Liberal Party divide-and-conquer politics,” she added. They are aware that in less than ten months, the Conservatives will repeal everything.

They haven’t responded to law enforcement’s pleas, taken action against violent offenders who commit the same crimes repeatedly, or used an Order in Council to address the daily violence that afflicts Canada. Nothing.

Wilson also took issue with the government’s summary implementation of gun control laws through orders-in-council rather than through legislation.

Nicolas Johnson, a policy analyst and editor of thegunblog.ca, stated that he is not aware of any gun owner who expresses any desire or motivation to surrender their lawfully acquired firearms.

He told the Toronto Sun, “The Liberals have no idea how to carry out their confiscation fantasy, no money to pay for it, and no way to enforce it.” “With this most recent measure, the Liberals are coming across as more extreme, desperate, and weak.”

Even Liberal MPs opposed the Trudeau Liberals’ earlier attempts to impose universal gun control laws because they were so unpopular.

The Liberals subtly introduced two amendments to their gun control bill C-21 in 2022, which would have prohibited the lawful guns used by sport shooters and hunters on a daily basis.

Following strong resistance from hunters, sports shooters, and First Nations, the Liberals retracted those proposals. The opposition Conservatives called this a “humiliating climb-down” for the prime minister.

As of this writing, there is no list of the Canada gun ban for these 325 prohibited firearms.

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Man Leaps onto Polar Bear to Defend His Wife in Northern Canada

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Polar bear, Canada
The unnamed man suffered serious injuries but is expected to recover

Police say a man in Canada’s far north is recovering from injuries sustained when he jumped atop a polar bear to protect his wife from mauling.

The incident occurred at Fort Severn First Nations, a small community of approximately 400 people in far northern Ontario.

The nameless man was seriously injured but is likely to recover, according to a First Nations police officer.

On Tuesday, about 05:00 local time (11:00 GMT), the couple exited their house to find their dogs, when a bear on the driveway sprang at the man’s wife. He instantly jumped onto a polar bear to defend his wife from getting mauled.

“The woman slipped to the ground as her husband leapt onto the animal to prevent its attack,” police said in a statement. “The bear then attacked the man, causing serious but non-life-threatening injuries to his arm and legs.”

A neighbour arrived with a rifle and shot the bear multiple times. It retreated into the neighbouring woods, where it perished from its injuries.

He was later was transferred to a community nursing station and treated for his injuries.

Police stated they “continued to patrol the area to ensure there were no other bears roaming the community.”

According to Alysa McCall, a scientist with Polar Bear International, polar bears rarely attack humans.

When an attack occurs, the bear is frequently hungry, young, and ill, she explained. Normally, bears avoid human towns and prefer to hunt ice seals at sea.

“If you’re attacked by a polar bear, definitely do not play dead — that is a myth, “you fight as long as you can.”

According to Wikipedia, Fort Severn First Nation is a Western Swampy Cree First Nation band government located on the Severn River near Hudson Bay. It is the most northern community in Ontario, Canada. In 2001, the population was 401, consisting of 90 families in an area of 40 square kilometres.

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Macron of France Will Complete His Tenure And Choose a New Prime Minister Shortly.

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Macron
AFP

(VOR News) – The current French President, Emmanuel Macron, reportedly promised on Thursday to stay in office until the end of his term, which runs until 2027.

Moreover, he said he would appoint a new Prime Minister within a few days after Michel Barnier left, which explained his dismissal from the Prime Ministerial post.

Macron emerged the day following the unheard-of National Assembly vote of no confidence. The vote of no confidence left France without a functioning government. Instead of owning the flaws in his own government, he blamed his opponent on the extreme right for the downfall of Barnier’s rule.

They arrived at a decision. He described using the phrase “not to do but to undo”. “They preferred anarchy.”

According to the US President, the far-right and far-left have teamed to produce what he calls “an anti-Republican front.”

Furthermore, Macron’s carelessness will not be blamed on him.

Although he did not say anything about the name of the next prime minister in his statement, he said that he would choose a new prime minister during the next days.

The Elysee presidential palace’s communiqué said that President Macron “acknowledged” the resignation Barnier had turned in earlier that day. According to the statement, until a new government is chosen, Barnier and other ministers will keep responsibility for current affairs. The sentence included this phrase.

Following just three months in office, Barnier was obliged to resign as prime minister, hence shortening his tenure in modern France. Support for the no-confidence resolution—which the National Assembly finally approved—was shown in 331 votes overall.

In a parliament without a majority, Macron must choose a successor able of running a minority government. This is a difficult project. President of the National Assembly Yael Braun-Pivet, a Macron party member, advised him to act quickly.

Braun-Pivet made a statement on Thursday that France Inter radio carried. “I advise that he promptly pick a new prime minister,” she said. Regarding political issues, uncertainty had no place. Essential is a leader who can successfully interact with all the stakeholders and help to approve a new budget item.

Still, the approach could be difficult. French media claims that a shortlist of moderate candidates with ability to appeal to both political extremes has been produced. Still, Macron’s government has not confirmed any of the recommended public post choices.

Concerns have been voiced regarding possible delays this time resulting from Macron’s extended two-month term to name a replacement to Barnier following the June legislative elections’s loss by his party.

Following the no-confidence vote, Macron has been called on to resign.

Leading far-left France Unbowed party member Manuel Bompard said on BFM TV Wednesday night, “I contend that stability necessitates the resignation of the President of the Republic.” Bompard was addressing the matter involving the Republic’s President. Bompard was considering the matter at that moment.

The head of the National Rally, the party with the most Assembly seats, Marine Le Pen said that “the pressure on the President of the Republic will intensify” but did not demand Macron’s resignation. This happens even though she refrained from advocating Macron’s leaving.

On the other hand, Macron has rejected these demands and declared that under his government there would not be any further legislative elections. The French constitution states that should their administration be ousted by the National Assembly or should the National Assembly decide to dissolve the government, a president is not obliged to retire.

“I will execute that mandate; I was elected to serve until 2027,” he said to reporters earlier this week. “I will totally meet that mandate.” “I will fulfil that mandate.”

The constitution says that fresh legislative elections cannot take place before July. For those assigned policy formulation, this might cause an impasse.

Political unrest has heightened worries about France’s economy, especially with relation to the national debt, which, should significant action not be taken, may equal seven percent of GDP.

The collapse of Barnier’s government could cause a rise in French interest rates, therefore aggravating the debt load of the country. This is grounded in analysts’ evaluations.

SOURCE: VA

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