INTERNATIONAL: Onto news making international headlines now and reaction is pouring into the latest report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC says climate change is upon us and that the next decade will be critical if we are to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees celcius. More than that and the world faces catastrophic consequences with more frequent fires, floods, droughts and extinctions.
Climate Change Seen in Venice
For residents of Venice, there’s been more signs of climate change this week. Extremely rare summer flooding. The famous St. Mark's Square was flooded twice over the weekend. This so-called “acqua alta" is usually seen in autumn and winter, but not at the height of summer. On Sunday evening, water levels rose to above a metre, although tourists and locals made the most of it – alarming as it is. Venice's floods are caused by a combination of factors which are only exacerbated by climate change - from rising sea levels and unusually high tides, to land subsidence that has pushed down the city’s ground level.
Greek PM Apologises for Fire “Failures”
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has apologized for “failures” in tackling this month’s devastating wildfires. He’s approved a supplemental budget of over half a billion dollars to fund the relief effort and pay compensation to those who have lost homes and other property. Firefighters on the ground and in the air continue to battle wildfires on the island of Evia. Strong winds are fuelling flare-ups, while water-bombing aircraft are struggling due to the sheer volume of smoke. In the past week more than 580 fires have started, coming just as Greeks suffer the country’s worst heatwave in over 30 years.
Britain’s Prince Andrew Sued for “Sexual Assault”
And, Britain's Prince Andrew has been sued by a woman who claims she was forced to have sex with him on three separate occasions, all arranged by the late financier, convicted pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. In the civil complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Virginia Giuffre accuses the prince of abusing her about two decades ago, when she was 17. The prince’s office has made no comment, but he told the BBC back in 2019 that he had no recollection of meeting her. She has said that Epstein kept her as a "sex slave" for years. Her complaint accuses Prince Andrew of battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It seeks unspecified damages. Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Prince Andrew, who is also the Duke of York, has since stepped back as a senior, working member of Britain’s royal family.
