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Article Name: Romania sees surge in "flu-rona" cases

Source: Euronews
About: This article focuses mainly on the diagnosis of a man in Romania who has COVID-19, the flu, and an unknown virus causing him to be the first case in Romania to have a triple viral infection. This patient was discovered in Iasi, Romania which is on the eastern side of Romania close to the border of Moldova. The article continues that there have been 7 total deaths from the flu alone in Sibiu county.
Important Facts: There is a raise in concern over the increasing number of cases of what they are calling "flurona" the double infection of the flu and coronavirus.
Geographic Factors: This is causing the minister of health, Alexandru Rafila, to advise wearing masks in public places along with topping up their vaccinations and being conscious of their illnesses and the spreading to others.

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In lasi, Eastern Romania, a patient was diagnosed with a triple viral infection. The man has the flu, COVID-19 and a virus. The doctors are worried about him. This is the first case of this kind in Romania.

The number of patients succumbing to the flu is also increasing. The Directorate of Public Health Sibiu confirmed a new death. A 58-year-old man, unvaccinated, died at the hospital, which brings the total number of deaths to 7 in Sibiu county alone.

There are also concerns due to the increase in the number of cases of flurona - double infection with influenza virus and coronavirus. The most recent diagnosis of this kind was made in Constanta in the south-east of the country.

The Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, stated that such cases are worrying if the patients also have other serious chronic problems.​

Public health specialists claim that the number of respiratory infections will continue to increase until the middle of February. They expect the incidence of infections will then decline as the weather becomes warmer. Romanian health officials are urging everyone to top up their vaccinations, to wear a mask in public places and to take sanitary measures to avoid spreading the infection.

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In lasi, Eastern Romania, a patient was diagnosed with a triple viral infection. The man has the flu, COVID-19 and a virus. The doctors are worried about him. This is the first case of this kind in Romania. The number of patients succumbing to the flu is also increasing.

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Article Name: Volunteers plant mini-forests in Paris to slow climate change, tackle heatwaves

Source: France 24
About: A boy wanting to make a difference in climate change
Important Facts: A 9 year old boy and a group of volunteers come together to plant a Japanese method mini-forest. This is in order to combat the increase of climate changes in the world.
Geographic Factors: Geopolitical factors such as climate change. Taking the little steps we can take to make the world a better place. Taking matters into our own hands because of government controversy with climate change matters.

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My article was titled Czechs Picking Successor to Milos Zeman in Presidential Vote.

Source: The Independent

The article is about Milos Zeman and who his his predecessor will be. The Czech Republic is in the middle of their presidential campaign now.  There are 8 candidates and if there isn't a majority vote they will pick the top two and have a runoff between them. The second round of elections is scheduled for the 28th of January.  This article was posted on the 13th.

Geographic Factors: This is a political factor because this has to do with the presidency and re-election.

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Article Name: Jump in antibiotics consumption in Latvia.
Source: Public Broadcasting of Latvia
About: The inappropriate overconsumption of antibiotics.
Important Facts: There is a shortage of medicine. Antibiotics are harmful to the body when misused.
Geographic Factors: Economic factors because there is a shortage of medicine. There is also an education factor. Latvians are not health literate. Latvians received health education in the 90s but it has since changed.

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Antibiotic consumption increased significantly last year. According to data from the State Agency of Medicines (ZVA), more than 2.2 million antibiotic packages were sold between January and November, excluding December, in 2022. In 2021 - more than 1.5 million, in 2020 - around 1.6 million.

Ilze Aizsilniece, president of the Latvian Medical Association, said that usually, the statistics reflect doses, but the packages tend to be different sizes, so operating with these figures is not exactly correct.

Aizsilniece said: "The defined daily dose has been confirmed in the world since 1996 and is accepted everywhere, and then statistics on the consumption of any medicinal product in the country are also carried out. It would also be recommended to the Latvian State Agency of Medicines."

However, the quantity of packages to be measured in millions is a sufficiently illustrative indicator, believes ZVA Deputy Director Sergejs Akuličs. He also pointed to other circumstances why there had been such a jump in consumption: "It is increasing because in the last two seasons, colds may not have been as noticeable as Covid. There were a variety of restrictive measures - with physical distancing, wearing masks, and particularly careful hand washing. Consequently, there was also less demand for medicines normally needed during the cold seasons. It should also be noted that last season the flu started not in autumn or winter, but the epidemiological threshold in Latvia was actually reached only in March. But this year, this season, we saw pretty big, solid numbers already in December."

In "simple terms", Akuličs said that not only Covid was spreading this season, but also influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and other virus causing upper respiratory disease; very many are suffering.

However, the ZVA representative noted that antibiotic use is not effective in viral diseases, but in practice, antibiotic treatment is prescribed even for prevention, ensuring that the patient taking them will not suffer anything more serious.

The explanation is the overload of doctors.

The head of Jelgava Polyclinic, Kintija Barloti, said: "The queues are huge, the doctors are not enough, and the family doctors are overloaded. They prescribe a lot on the phone. You have symptoms like this? Then we prescribe. It is much easier to prescribe medicines, antibiotics, and to know that there will really be no problems than not prescribing and fighting patients who are not conscientious."

Antibiotics, as a first-choice drug for respiratory virus diseases, are not the right tactics; the use of these powerful medicines should be targeted and appropriate for the patient's health status, said Uga Dumpis, an infectologist at Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital.

"Another thing is that viral diseases can be transformed into bacterial complications, especially influenza, but in such a situation blood tests need to be carried out. Other inflammatory indicators typically appear in the tests. There may be situations where antibiotics have to be prescribed, but antibiotics do not mean prophylactic in such situations," explained Dumpis.

According to ZVA, antibiotics that have been prescribed unnecessarily in conditions of medication shortages may mean that someone else who really needs them will have to seek it for a long time. However, even if there is no shortage of medicines, the use of antibiotics without indications is dangerous.

Dumpis said: 'Antibiotics also act on normal bacteria, normal microflora. Therefore, antibiotics, whether needed or not, change the human microbiome. The microbiome is a very important thing in modern medicine. Changing this microbiome can lead to all kinds of other health problems that we don't even know about. Most importantly, why antibiotics should not be used unnecessarily is the breeding of resistance in bacteria."

It is true that in Latvia the consumption of antibiotics is not as high as elsewhere in Europe; it is even below the average level of the European Union, however, currently the situation has a tendency to deteriorate - mainly due to the poor health literacy of people, considers the President of the Latvian Medical Association Aizsilniece.

"The interesting thing was that at the end of the 90s, Latvian schools taught health, and also in the early 2000s, health teachers talked about the rational use of medicines, about the use of antibiotics. It was a very big discussion. This could be seen - both children knew and young people knew, parents and teachers, and attitudes to antibiotic use changed. Currently, these results are not the worst, but have slightly deteriorated regarding the use of antibiotics in Latvia. It may have been affected by the events of recent years relating to the pandemic, but it is absolutely clear that health literacy in Latvia is the lowest in Europe. If there is no health literacy, there is also no knowledge of the correct use of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance."

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Jump in antibiotics consumption in Latvia

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Antibiotic consumption increased significantly last year. According to data from the State Agency of Medicines (ZVA), more than 2.2 million antibiotic packages were sold between January and November, excluding December, in 2022. In 2021 - more than 1.5 million, in 2020 - around 1.6 million.

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Article Name: France knocks down seaside building symbolic of coastal erosion
Source: France 24
About: France is forced to knock down coastal buildings that were once safe from the ocean.
Important Facts: Building that have been close to the coast for generations are forced to be torn down. Members of the community feel as though their memories are being taken away from the coastal erosion that is happening.
Geographic Factors: Geopolitical factors such as climate change. Although the coastal erosion was going to happen anyways, the people of France and scientists believe that this process has been sped up do to the climate change that is happening throughout the world.

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Article Name: Fire breaks out at US-owned drone factory in Latvia
Source: Deutsche Welle (DW)
About: There was a fire at a drone factory outside Riga, Latvia.
Important Facts:

It was an unmanned aerial vehicle plant.

Produces aerial vehicles (or drones) for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

They sell to 70 countries.

They sell to Ukraine and NATO countries.

Geographic Factors: This could be related to geopolitical reasons. This factory supplies drones to Ukraine. These drones are essential in modern warfare.

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Large plumes of black smoke were seen at the "Edge Autonomy" drone production plant on the outskirts of Riga. The cause of the fire is unknown

A US-owned drone factory near Riga airport in the Baltic nation of Latvia was ablaze Tuesday, according to emergency services in the small Baltic nation.

The Edge Autonomy unmanned aerial vehicle production plant was partially engulfed in flames, with large plumes of dark smoke reaching towards the sky.

The AFP news agency reported more than 20 police cars, nine fire engines and five ambulances were at the scene of the blaze. Latvian broadcaster LTV shared video taken from the road showing black smoke belowing out of the burning factory.

Residents were advised to steer clear of the smoke. State Fire and Rescue Service told state news agency Leta that they received a call shortly after 3:00 p.m. local time (1300 GMT) that the facility was alight.

On Twitter, the fire service said, "A high-risk fire has occurred in the production building, sparking a lot of smoke."

The Edge Autonomy facility in Latvia

The Edge Autonomy factory is located near Riga airport, though flight operations were not affected by the fire. A representative of the airport Ilze Salna said one of five of the airport fire brigades had been dispatched to the scene to help put out the blaze.

The facility delivers unmanned systems technologies to academic, commercial and government clients in 70 countries, including Ukraine and NATO allies. According to the company website, the California-based company produces long-range unmanned aircraft for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

The company was founded in 2009.

Latvia - Between everyday life and war anxiety

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
AFP contributed to this report Edited by: Rob Turner

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Fire breaks out at US-owned drone factory in Latvia - DW - 02/07/2023

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Large plumes of black smoke were seen at the "Edge Autonomy" drone production plant on the outskirts of Riga. The cause of the fire is unknown

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The title of the article I found is Czechs to end checks at Slovak border amid migration decline.

Source: The Independent.

About: The article was posted on February 1st. The article talks about border controls and regulations that are in place in Slovakia but will soon be ending.  The main reason the regulations were in place in the first place was that there was a big problem with smuggling and the mafia trying to cross other borders.

Geographic factors: The main factors are political.  This is having to do with border control and how the government in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia are trying to handle it and deal with these issues.

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Czechs to end checks at Slovak border amid migration decline

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Officials in the Czech Republic say the government will end checks on the country’s border with Slovakia that were renewed last year amid a new increase in migration

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Article Name: Romania sends second search and rescue team to Turkey

Source: This article was written by Irina Marica, a Romanian journalist who has lived her whole life in Romania.

About: This article is about the search and rescue team Romania sent to help the trapped victims in turkey.

Important Facts: The main facts are that there was a devastating earthquake in Turkey on Monday, February 6th which was closely followed by an aftershock nearly the same force as the original earthquake. This left a lot of people trapped in rubble and unable to free themselves. Romania sent an additional Search and rescue team on February 8th. They were able to find a family of three and save both parents although the 10-month-old child did not survive.

Geographical Factors: Although my country is Romania, this took place in Turkey. This was all brought about by the natural disaster of realistically 2 back to back earthquakes.

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Romanian authorities decided to send a second RO-USAR team to Turkey to help with the search and rescue of survivors of the earthquakes that killed thousands of people in Turkey and neighboring Syria. The specialized rescue team will be accompanied by two doctors and two nurses, and four canine teams.

According to the same decision of the National Committee for Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Defense (MApN) has been authorized to ensure the transport of rescue teams and equipment from other states that provide support to Turkey, Biziday.ro reported.

The first RO-USAR team left for Turkey on Monday, February 6, and was sent to the province of Hatay, in a locality close to the city of Antakya. In their first mission, they found and recovered a family of three (husband, wife and child) from under the rubble. According to information from the Department of Emergency Situations, the parents were rescued alive, but their 10-month child did not survive.

Last night, the RO-USAR team was assigned a new intervention area in the North-West part of Antakya. There, the Romanian rescuers managed to save a 40-year-old man with a leg stuck under a concrete beam. At the time this story was published, they were working to save a 16-year-old from a collapsed building.

A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and neighboring Syria early Monday morning, followed by an almost equally powerful quake hours later. Thousands of people were killed, and the death toll keeps climbing by the hour, despite the rescuers' efforts, as thousands of buildings collapsed.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Facebook/Departamentul pentru Situatii de Urgenta)

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Romania sends second search and rescue team to Turkey

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Romanian authorities decided to send a second RO-USAR team to Turkey to help with the search and rescue of survivors of the earthquakes that killed thousands of people in Turkey and neighboring Syria. The specialized rescue team will be accompanied by two doctors and two nurses, and four canine...

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Sweden: Anti-Turkish protests have increased attacks threat is the name of the article and it is from ap news. The article is about the continuation of the problems Sweden joining and the UN. Turley needs to approve Sweden to join the UN and because of that, there have been anti-islam protests in the streets. A few weeks ago there was a demonstration where they burned the Quran which is the Islamic holy book. Sweden says they are increasing its security because they think a retaliation terrorist attack could be coming. This has been taking place over the last few weeks but this alert came out today. The main geographical problems come from Sweden wanting to join the UN. Turkey is a very different geographical and ideological country from Sweden.

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Erdogan: Sweden can’t join NATO if Quran-burning is allowed

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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed Wednesday that Turkey won’t allow Sweden to join the NATO military alliance as long as the Scandinavian country permits protests desecrating Islam’s holy book to take place.

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The title of the article is Ukrainian refugee stream down to a trickle on Latvian-Russian border. The link is https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/society/ukrainian-refugee-stream-down-to-a-trickle-on-latvian-russian-border.a497200/

The source of the article is LSM. LSM is a Latvian Public Broadcasting. Latvia is a relatively small country, they do not have a lot of news outlets. This article is about Ukrainian and Russian refugees moving to Latvia. The two main points are Latvia helping refugees and refugee numbers slowing down. This event is ongoing since February 2022. The event specifically mentioned in the article is occurring on the border between Latvia and Russia. The main geographic factors are geopolitical issues and physical geography. This issue involves the geopolitical issues between Russia and Ukraine. This issue involves physical geography because Latvia is physically close to Ukraine and Russia while also being in the EU.

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France goes 31 days without rainfall, unprecedented in winter

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20230221-france-goes-31-days-without-rainfall-unprecedented-in-winter
Links to an external site.

France 24

About: the residents of France in all areas of the country

Important Facts: There is a record amount of days in the winter months without rainfall in France. The temperatures are rising every year with this being the third hottest January that has ever been recorded. There is a severe drought going on which is affecting the amount of ground water and crops that are being produced.

This event has been a continuous event throughout the month of January and February. The event took place all throughout France

Geographic Factors: This is another example of climate change that is happening in France. This can exemplify how each year, the temperatures are getting warmer and warmer and is affecting people's lives and livelihoods. With no rainfall, France could take a hit in a lot of different ways such as economically and ecologically.

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Article Name: Romania Suspends Activity of Russian Center for Culture and Science in Bucharest

Source: BNN Anonymous Writer

About: This article is about the Romanian Ministry of Foreign affairs.

Important Facts: The main facts are that the Romanian Ministry of Foreign affairs suspended the activity of the Russian center of culture and science. They did this because of the decisions Russia has been making recently and decided that the Russian center was currently full of propaganda and false information.

Geographic Factors: This event's main geographical factors are political issues and relationships between countries.

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Romania Suspends Activity of Russian Center for Culture and Science in Bucharest

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The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador to Bucharest on Tuesday, where he was notified of Romania’s decision to suspend

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As Spain advances trans rights, Sweden backtracks on gender-affirming treatments for teens

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As Spain advances trans rights, Sweden backtracks on gender-affirming treatments for teens

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The article is about Sweden's gender transition laws. Sweden has been a front-runner in progressive gender transition policies since they made it legal in the 1970s. Recently they have been seeing lots of data showing that these gender transition therapies have been harmful to individuals. They have caused liver problems, obesity, and depression. They are limiting the number of surgeries that can be done for youth because of these harmful side effects. This has been taking place over the last couple of years but is finally going into effect now. This is going on in Sweden and has to do with mental and physical health issues.

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While Spain pushes ahead with laws making it easier for teenagers to change gender, other European countries that previously championed transgender rights are quietly backtracking.

The U-turns come amid a sharp rise in people reporting gender dysphoria - where people feel that the gender assigned to them at birth is not the one they identify with.

Sweden, known as a pioneer in LGBTQ rights, started restricting gender-affirming hormone therapy for minors - allowing it only in very rare cases - a year ago.

In December last year, it also limited mastectomies for teenage girls wanting to transition to a research setting, citing the need for "caution".

'The risks outweigh the benefits'

Back in 2015, the Swedish health authority had stated that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones were "safe". These treatments are designed to help people with gender dysphoria transition from their biological sex to the gender they personally identify with.

Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare explains that the reason behind the rollback is that little is known about the effects of these treatments over the long term and "the risks outweigh the benefits currently".

However, experts say those treatments were designed for exceptional cases in the first place.

"We had a protocol in place which was designed for very rare and extreme cases and suddenly the demand exploded so we continued to use that protocol," said Mikael Landen, a psychiatrist specialising in gender dysphoria who contributed to the scientific study on which Sweden's health authority based its decision.

"Maybe we shouldn't have done that. But I wouldn't be the one criticising the clinicians for doing that because it was difficult, they wanted to help these patients," he told AFP.

Sweden, like many other western countries, has in recent years seen a sharp rise in diagnoses of gender dysphoria.

According to the Swedish health authority, the trend is particularly visible among 13- to 17-year-olds assigned female at birth, with an increase of 1,500 per cent between 2008 and 2018.

Experts say the reasons for this increase remain largely a "mystery".

"Tolerance has been high in Sweden for at least the last 25 years, so you can't say it has changed," Landen said when asked if it was simply a result of a more accepting society.

'Serious side effects'

In 2019, there were at least 13 minors who suffered from "serious side effects," according to Swedish reports.

One of them had developed osteoporosis - a health condition that weakens bones - after taking puberty blockers. Others have suffered from liver damage, significant weight gain and depressive symptoms.

This was revealed by investigative journalist Carolina Jemsby, who directed the documentary 'The Trans Train'.

She believes the current debate shows the issue of gender-affirming care for trans teens is "more complex than the healthcare system and society had hoped".

"One aspect of this dilemma is that it has become a political issue," she told AFP.

"It does a disservice to this group who need scientifically proven medical care to help them and give them a better life, and a better ability to live who they are".

A Swedish paediatric endocrinologist, Ricard Nergårdh, recently told the country's public broadcaster that the procedure teenagers with gender dysphoria go through was "chemical castration".

'Hormones save a lot of people'

The change is all the more notable as Sweden was the first country in the world to authorise legal gender transition in 1972, paving the way for sex reassignment surgery to be covered by its universal healthcare system.

As the government revisits its policies, some in the transgender community are concerned.

"These people might need more care and invasive procedures in the future, because the decision could not be made earlier, even though the medical need was there," said Elias Fjellander, youth representative of RFSL, the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Rights.

"What we're really seeing is that in some cases, the hospitals do not have resources, that teams giving gender-affirming care do not have the resources to follow up in the way that is needed".

Antonia Lindholm, a Swedish transgender woman, is worried for those who no longer have access to hormone treatments.

"Hormones save a lot of people, and yes I do feel upset that if I were to come out and be 13 right now, I wouldn't have a chance".

Hot-button issue

Several European countries are stepping back from gender-affirming care.

Finland, which recently passed a new law allowing trans people to change their legal gender with a simple declaration, restricted hormone therapy for minors in 2020.

France followed suit by calling for "the utmost reserve" on hormone treatments for young people.

Broadly speaking, transgender rights have been a hot-button issue across many countries. Hungary passed a law in 2020 banning trans or intersex people from legally changing their gender,

Just last month, the UK government blocked the Scottish government's Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which made it easier for people to self-identify as transgender without the need for a medical diagnosis. The reform championed by Nicola Sturgeon caused a major political row and played a role in her shock resignation as first minister on Wednesday.

One country, however, is bucking the trend: Spain has just passed a controversial law allowing anyone over 16 to freely change gender on their ID card.

Until now, adults in Spain could only request the change with a medical document attesting to gender dysphoria and proving they had undergone hormonal treatment for two years. Minors needed judicial authorisation.
For more on this story, watch the video in the media player above.

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Why is Sweden restricting hormone therapy and surgery for trans teens?

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While Spain pushes ahead with laws making it easier for teenagers to change gender, other European countries that previously championed transgender rights are quietly backtracking. The U-turns come amid a sharp rise in people reporting gender dysphoria - where people feel that the gender assigned to them at birth is not the one they identify with.

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The article is titled Czechs urged to repeal law denying rights to Kindertransport descendants.

Source: The Gaurdian

About: The article is about the decedents of jewish Czech citizens who were not able to be considered citizens because of a la that was made during WWII.  Even though the law has been repealed there are still decedents who are trying to get citizenship status. This article is from the 9th of February, but has been an on going issue for years.  The reason this is becoming more relevant is because recently someone has recently went to court and gotten their specific case repealed.

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The Czech government is coming under pressure to amend a communist-era rule that denies citizenship rights to descendants of Jewish refugee children who fled to Britain from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia on pre-second world war Kindertransports.

A law passed after the communists seized power in 1948 aimed to punish defectors who fled the dictatorship for the capitalist west by stripping them and any children they had afterwards of the right to citizenship, unless registered at a Czechoslovak embassy within a year of their birth.

Campaigners say the regulation - which applies to anyone of Czech parentage born between October 1949 and May 1969 - has had the unintended effect of barring citizenship rights for potentially thousands of children and grandchildren of young Jewish refugees who escaped Czechoslovakia thanks to the efforts of the British humanitarian aid worker Sir Nicholas Winton and other noted volunteers, including Doreen Warriner and Trevor Chadwick.

Between March and August 1939, eight trains evacuated a total of 669 mainly Jewish children from Prague to London, until the outbreak of war stopped the transports.

The cold war-era law punishing defectors for "unauthorised abandonment" of Czechoslovakia was abolished in 1990, the year after the communist regime was toppled in the Velvet Revolution.

Those forcibly deprived of citizenship have since had it restored, but the regulation barring unregistered children remains in effect.

A 2013 citizenship law granted those born in the 1949-69 period a year-long amnesty to submit applications but the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), a British-based charity for Holocaust refugees, says the vast majority of Kindertransport descendants knew nothing of the temporary window and remain excluded.

Officials say more than 500 people born to Czech parents successfully gained citizenship before the amnesty expired in January 2015.

The association is now pressing the government of Petr Fiala, the Czech prime minister, to adopt an amendment tabled nearly two years ago by an MP, Karla Šlechtová, that would grant a new five-year amnesty for unregistered applicants.

The amendment stalled after the 2021 general election that brought Fiala's coalition administration to power and has been further stymied by the new government's focus on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Amid growing frustration, the UK government's special envoy for post-Holocaust affairs, Lord Pickles, recently wrote to his Czech counterpart, Robert Řehák, urging that matters be accelerated by tacking the amendment on to unrelated legislation, such as the government-sponsored finance bill.

The AJR has enlisted the support of Czech Jewish groups to bolster a lobbying effort aimed at overcoming what it perceives as a lack of political will. "There is much sympathy," said Michael Newman, the organisation's chief executive. "There is also the text of a law and the intention to promulgate but no timeline when. This is what is frustrating."

The restrictions contrast with recent descendants' citizenship rights extensions in Austria and Germany, where the offspring of Jews in or displaced from the Sudetenland at the time of its annexation by Hitler from Czechoslovakia in 1938 are able to claim German citizenship, even while they are ineligible for Czech nationality.

Aspiring applicants invoke emotional ties to their parents' or grandparents' birthplace, but some also express a desire to restore EU rights lost due to Brexit.

Naomi Yandell. Her father was a Czech citizen who was sent to Britain in May 1939.

Naomi Yandell, 61, who lives in Cambridge, had her citizenship application rejected despite having been invited to a ceremony at the Czech embassy in London to unveil a portrait of Winton, who was awarded the Czech Republic's highest honour before his death in 2015.

She was inspired to apply by the story of her late father, George Fuller (originally Fuchs), who was sent to Britain in May 1939, at the age of eight, by his parents, who later perished at Treblinka.

"I was born in 1961, the daughter of a Czechoslovak citizen," she said. "I am sad that my children and I no longer appear to have an opportunity to claim Czech citizenship, given my family's deep roots with the country over many generations. It seems most unjust."

David Lowy, 56, who lives in Vancouver, said he was denied citizenship despite his father, Otto, having served in the Czechoslovak squadron of the RAF after fleeing Prague as a 17-year-old. Otto later emigrated to Canada, where he became a broadcaster noted for his programmes on Czech history and culture.

"I want this because I'm Czech - it's the environment I grew up in," said Lowy, who holds Canadian and British citizenship. "Those Kindertransport children were Czechs who were got out as nine or 10-year-olds by Nicholas Winton, who is one of the most honoured people in the Czech Republic. Yet their own children, born 20 years later, cannot become Czechs - it's terrible."

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Czechs urged to repeal law denying rights to Kindertransport descendants

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The Czech government is coming under pressure to amend a communist-era rule that denies citizenship rights to descendants of Jewish refugee children who fled to Britain from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia on pre-second world war Kindertransports.

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This was written by Irina Marica on the Romania Insider news website. This article is about a public center that was opened for Ukrainian Refugees in Bucharest's District 2. On March 10 this center was officially opened and offers space to house 100 refugees Along with housing, this center provides meals, hygiene products, psychological counseling, medical assistance, employment help, and more. This center was built because of the influx of homeless Ukrainian refugees still in Romania due to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

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A public center that can house 100 Ukrainian refugees was inaugurated in Bucharest's District 2 on March 10. The Edmond Nicolau Center opened following a partnership between District 2 City Hall and civil society through the involvement of Habitat for Humanity and UNICEF Romania.

In addition to accommodation, meals and hygiene products, the refugees also benefit from counseling and support services at the new center, such as help with documents, psychological counseling, medical assistance, help with employment, and more.

The building was made available by the City Hall of District 2, while the space's renovation and fitting out were possible thanks to the contribution and sustained efforts of the two non-profits, according to a press release. Basically, an office building of the Edmond Nicolau Technical College was transformed into a welcoming, friendly and comfortable home for people who fled the war in Ukraine.

Habitat for Humanity responded promptly to the City Hall's proposal to renovate and transform the E building of the Edmond Nicolau College and came up with the right technical solutions for this building to become a welcoming center for Ukrainian refugees.

The upgrading works lasted four months and were carried out by a team of 100 people (skilled workers, volunteers, beneficiaries). Habitat for Humanity contributed to the setting up of the Edmond Nicolau Center with an investment of EUR 350,000.

UNICEF Romania also made an essential contribution to the project. With the support of IKEA, they furnished the Ferdinand Center, which later became the Edmond Nicolau Center, and currently support its operation by covering the salaries of three Romanian and three Ukrainian employees. In addition, UNICEF Romania offers social vouchers for city hall employees who work overtime with refugees. To date, the non-profit supported the center's operation with approximately USD 160,000.

Also, in partnership with several non-governmental organizations, UNICEF Romania supports educational activities organized in the center and facilitates periodic medical check-ups for refugees.

Four refugee centres are currently operating in District 2 with a total accommodation capacity of over 400 places. According to data from February 23, 255 people currently live in these spaces. However, most of the refugees in District 2 are housed in private locations: roughly 2,400 people are staying in 611 apartments, from those registered in the 50/20 program.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com (Photo source: PR)

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Public center for Ukrainian refugees opens in Bucharest's District 2

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A public center that can house 100 Ukrainian refugees was inaugurated in Bucharest's District 2 on March 10. The Edmond Nicolau Center opened following a partnership between District 2 City Hall and civil society through the involvement of Habitat for Humanity and UNICEF Romania. In addition to...

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The article is titled, "Latvia gets a perfect score" On Legal Economic Gender Equality. https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/society/13.03.2023-latvia-gets-a-perfect-score-on-legal-economic-gender-equality.a500526/

The source of the article is from the Latvia Public Broadcasting. The article is about female Latvians. The main important facts are women being completely equal with men and the high score Latvia received.  This event is took place this year (2023). This event occurred in Riga. Riga is the capitol and was used to determine the gender equality score. The main geographic factors are economic factors and population. According to the World Bank: "An economy is stronger when all citizens can contribute equally". Latvia being one of the poorer countries in the EU, it makes sense for women to be treated equally. The Latvian government needs them to work as well. It is also a population factor because the population is declining. Latvia need women to work and be well.

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The report, titled 'Women, Business and the Law' (WBL2023) presents an index covering 190 economies and structured around the life cycle of a working woman.

"In total, 35 questions are scored across eight indicators. Overall scores are then calculated by taking the average of each indicator, with 100 representing the highest possible score. Data refer to the laws and regulations that are applicable to the main business city (Riga). Different rules may apply in other jurisdictions so local legislation should be reviewed. Based on this approach, Latvia scores 100 out of 100. The overall score for Latvia is higher than the regional average observed across OECD high-income economies (95.3). Within the OECD high-income region, there are 14 economies that score 100 out of 100," says the report.

"When it comes to constraints on freedom of movement, laws affecting women's decisions to work, laws affecting women's pay, constraints related to marriage, laws affecting women's work after having children, constraints on women starting and running a business, gender differences in property and inheritance, and laws affecting the size of a woman's pension, Latvia gets a perfect score. Latvia attains a perfect score on all of the WBL2023 indicators," says the report.

In the wider world, According to the World Bank: "An economy is stronger when all citizens can contribute equally. By revealing how laws affect women's economic participation, Women, Business and the Law 2023 presents persuasive evidence that an equal sharing of legal rights and freedoms is also instrumental for better economic performance.

In 14 countries worldwide, women have 100% of the legal rights of men:

Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain & Sweden.

Read the 2023#WomenBizLaw report: https://t.co/tNzmoDt1R5 pic.twitter.com/i0zEh1ckCH
- World Bank (@WorldBank) March 11, 2023

"This year's study delivers some promising news. Despite multiple overlapping global crises, most regions are advancing toward legal gender equality across all areas measured. To guide in the pursuit of gender equality, Women, Business and the Law 2023 offers some lessons from the past. An impressive analysis of five decades of reforms shows where and how countries have adopted more than 2,000 laws to enhance legal gender parity. However, at this pace, it will take another 50 years to close the legal gender gap."

The full report is available to read here: https://wbl.worldbank.org/en/wbl and the presentation of the data can be viewed below.

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"Latvia gets a perfect score" on legal economic gender equality

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The report, titled 'Women, Business and the Law' (WBL2023) presents an index covering 190 economies and structured around the life cycle of a working woman. "In total, 35 questions are scored across eight indicators. Overall scores are then calculated by taking the average of each indicator, with 100 representing the highest possible score.

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France 24

The pension changes have created different union strikes in France. This has included a lot of the disposal services within Paris specifically. Because of the age change in the pension, it has created trash build ups on the streets. People refusing to work has increased the littering because of the trash that has been on the streets of Paris. There is a lot of controversy surrounding this topic with the public. This has been an ongoing issue for awhile but the article was posted on March 13, 2023. I think that this is an economic issue. It could also be considered a political issue because of how the government is stepping in to try to balance out the pensions.

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Ukraine war: A year on, refugees in Czech Republic strive to integrate but miss home

Source: Euro News

About: This article is mainly about the refugees that have come from the war in Ukraine to the Czech Republic. It said that there were over 460,000 people there several months ago and now there are 300,000.  They are mainly staying in the capital, Prague, staying at universities.  They are beginning to get resources for children to resume lessons.  There are a lot of people who are offering their homes and resources for people.

Geographic factors: This is mainly a geopolitical issue.  This article mainly has to do with issues relating to the war in Ukraine.

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After the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army in February last year, over 460,000 refugees were registered in the Czech Republic.

It is mainly women and small children who need to be taken care of. Today there are about 300,000 of them and the Czechs are welcoming them.

Campus accommodation

Most of them still live in hostels or on college campuses like the campus of Charles University in Prague. They live in rooms of two or three and use a common kitchen and social facilities.

Liudmyla Pohretska, a teacher from Kharkiv, lives there with her 13-year-old daughter Yulia.

"This is my place, this is hers," she shows us. "We have in principle all we need."

Liudmyla takes care of children from 3 to 12 years old after they come from Czech school.

"We have textbooks in the Ukrainian language so we can help children who are still learning online in Ukrainian schools," she explains.

The aim is that children not only retain their mother tongue, culture and customs, but also that they can better integrate into a new society.

"It makes us forget for a while what's happening at home," says Liudmyla. "Even if it's not quite possible. We appreciate all the more the happiness of being here."

Depression is an issue. The People in Need association provides refugee services.

"Studies show that about 45% of adults have manifestations of moderate or severe depression," says Migration Program Coordinator Jakub Anderle.

Host families

Many refugees live in Czech families. That's the case of Nataliia Slobodianyk and her sons Maksym and Nazar who have just received their diplomas. They are enjoying their time in the Czech school and are learning Czech well.

"It is not a big place but cosy, warm and quite practical for us," says Nataliia. "For some time it's quite good. We feel comfortable here and that's the main thing."

"I like to play football with my mates or play with Lego or cards," says Maksym.

"After dinner we are cleaning teeth, taking shower and going to sleep," says Nazar.

Hana Hillerova-Harper has been helping Ukrainians as a volunteer since the beginning of the war. She offered Nataliia a place to live and they became friends.

"I am very thankful to the Ukrainians that they really did open up our hearts," she says. "Made us be the best version of ourselves by being accommodating and helpful. This is the first wave of refugees that the Czech society really helped."

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Ukrainian refugees in Czech Republic strive to integrate but miss home

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After the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army in February last year, over 460,000 refugees were registered in the Czech Republic. It is mainly women and small children who need to be taken care of. Today there are about 300,000 of them and the Czechs are welcoming them.

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Analysis: Sweden faces recession as housing market troubles take toll on economy

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Analysis: Sweden faces recession as housing market troubles take toll on economy

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The article is about how the Swedish economy is going into a recession and it is affecting the housing market.

Over the past few years, Sweden has had a problem with their housing market and has not done much to fix it. They do not have enough housing and this is starting to affect their economy now that the world economy is down. The war in Ukraine is leading to high inflation rates and increased mortgage rates as well. This will have a large impact on who can afford housing in an already pricy market.

This has taken place over the past few years. Recently the bad economy has picked up because of the war in Ukraine. This is occurring all across Sweden. This is mainly affected by geopolitical issues across Europe and Asia. It also has to do with the policies of Sweden providing bandage fixes but no real change.

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STOCKHOLM, March 15 (Reuters) - For years, Sweden has been warned that its dysfunctional housing market, plagued by under-supply and kept aloft by low rates and generous tax benefits, was a risk to the wider economy.

Now those risks are becoming reality. Households with big mortgages are reining in spending as interest rates rise, and house-builders are pulling the plug on investment, tipping Sweden into recession.

The country is set to be the only EU economy experiencing outright recession this year. The crown is trading at around its weakest level against the euro since the global financial crisis, partly due to housing market worries, making the central bank's job of curbing inflation more difficult.

"It's not that no one saw this coming," Riksbank Governor Erik Thedeen said at the end of February. "The Riksbank has warned about this ... for a long time. And now it is clear that it is a problem."

After years of ultra-low borrowing costs, the pandemic and the Ukraine war have served up a toxic cocktail of high inflation and rapidly rising interest rates to many countries.

But in Sweden, the structural problems rooted in its housing market are magnifying the effects.

House prices in Sweden have almost quadrupled in the last 20 years, easily outstripping wage growth, boosted by generous mortgage tax relief, almost non-existent real estate taxes and a rental market with limited supply because of tight regulations.

Debt levels are among the highest in the European Union at around 200% of disposable incomes, much of which is mortgage debt. And around 60% of Swedes have floating-rate mortgages, meaning rate increases have an immediate impact on the majority of households.

Banking group Nordea (NDAFI.HE) expects household consumption to fall around 2% in 2023, while the National Board of Housing expects housing starts to fall around 50% in the coming year compared with 2021.

Many home-owners are already struggling with higher mortgage repayments alongside surging food and energy prices - even though the full effects of interest rate rises over the last year have yet to be felt.

Philippa Logan, a single mother of two, bought her 89 square meter (958 square feet) apartment in Ostberga in the south of Stockholm in 2017 and paid off some of the mortgage after getting divorced in 2020.

"However, in the last few months, the interest rate has almost tripled making it almost unaffordable to survive," Logan said.

"The stress has been indescribable," she said, adding she had been forced to take on extra work to make ends meet.

The central bank expects further rate increases in the coming months. Markets expect borrowing costs to peak at 4%, up from 3% currently.

"Our forecast is for the Riksbank to raise rates to 3.75 as a peak," Gustav Helgesson, economist at Nordea said. "I think at that level we are very near some kind of pain threshold for households."

HOME TRUTHS

The European Commission expects Sweden's gross domestic product to contract by around 1% this year - the only country in the 27-member bloc likely to see negative annual growth.

Nordea expects GDP to contract by around 2%.

House prices are down around 15% since their peak in spring last year, a bigger drop than during the global financial crisis. Some regions have experienced a fall of as much as 40%, the real estate division of insurer Lansforsakringar said.

While Sweden is not alone in seeing big house price falls, its households are almost uniquely sensitive to interest rate hikes because more than half have floating rate mortgages.

In Germany, for example, most borrowers have fixed mortgages and rising rates have largely been shrugged off.

"No, we don't have any fear with the mortgages," said Hannah, a teacher in the city of Bochum, in the west of the country, whose joint mortgage with her partner is fixed at 0.9%.

"We have 15 years to pay back and it was all planned in a way that we could pay back even if interest rates rose," she said.

In Canada, while debt levels are high, variable rate mortgages only account for about one-third of total outstanding mortgage debt, according to the Bank of Canada.

While some economists predict a mild recession in Canada, the OECD think tank expects the Canadian economy will grow around 1.3% in 2023.

A FIXER-UPPER?

Sweden's housing problems date back decades, but have proven hard to fix.

Plans to ease rent controls have been fiercely opposed by the political left which believes introducing market forces would increase social division by pricing many people out of desirable areas of Sweden's cities.

All the main political parties agree an overhaul of mortgage tax relief is needed, but none are prepared to give their rivals a stick to beat them with when elections come around.

Reintroducing a property tax, abolished in 2008, is seen as another sure-fire vote-loser.

Financial regulators have introduced tougher lending practices and tightened mortgage repayment rules. Sweden's banks are among the most strongly capitalised in Europe - partly as a result of worries about the housing market.

These should prevent falling real estate prices from triggering a financial meltdown as happened in Sweden in the early 1990s.

But Sweden's economy is likely to remain a hostage to imbalances in the housing market while its structural problems go unresolved.

"It's up to the politicians to decide whether they want to deal with these problems and, more than anything, when," Nordea's Helgesson said. "In the current situation, it is very hard to tackle them."

($1 = 10.6895 Swedish crowns)

Reporting by Simon Johnson, additional reporting by Maiya Keidan and Fergal Smith in Toronto, Anna Koper in Warsaw and Maria Martinez in Berlin. Editing by Jane Merriman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Analysis: Sweden faces recession as housing market troubles take toll on economy

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STOCKHOLM, March 15 (Reuters) - For years, Sweden has been warned that its dysfunctional housing market, plagued by under-supply and kept aloft by low rates and generous tax benefits, was a risk to the wider economy. Now those risks are becoming reality.

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The title of this article is We highly value Canada's contribution to Latvia's security.  The link is: https://www.baltictimes.com/we_highly_value_canada_s_contribution_to_latvia_s_security_-_kalnina-lukasevica/
This article is about Canada and Latvia.
The main facts from the article is Canada is helping Latvia through financial and military means. And Russia is using disinformation to discredit or mislead the conflict Russia is involved in. This took place in Latvia as well as NATO and UN meetings. The main geographic factors are geopolitical issues and economic issues. Latvia is a poorer country that needs financial support from a richer country such as Canada. The geopolitical factors come to play with the conflict in Ukraine. Latvia is physically and culturally close to Ukraine.

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RIGA - We highly value Canada's contribution to Latvia's security, Saeima Vice Speaker Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica (New Unity) said during a meeting with Canadian Senate Speaker George Furey.

"I would like to thank Canada for its invaluable contribution to the security of Latvia and thereby also of the whole Baltic Sea region. Latvia's society is aware of and highly values the contribution of Canada and each one of your soldiers. This ensures a convincing presence of NATO forces in Latvia," the Saeima press office quoted Kalnina-Lukasevica as saying.

The lawmaker indicated that boosting allied presence on NATO's eastern flank in accordance with the decisions taken at NATO's summit in Madrid is essential for Latvia's security.

Commenting on Russia's war against Ukraine, Kalnina-Lukasevica said that the ad hoc international tribunal to be established by the decision of the UN General Assembly would ensure that Russia and its leaders be held accountable for the crimes committed in Ukraine. Also discussed were the possibilities of finding a legally justified solution for diverting the frozen Russian funds to reconstruction of Ukraine.

"Bilateral political relations and special ties that have linked Latvia and Canada through cooperation in NATO provide opportunities for close economic cooperation, drawing investment, as well as for fight against disinformation and protection of the rules-based international order," said Kalnina-Lukasevica.

She emphasized Latvia's interest in continuing cooperation with Canada in combating disinformation - both bilaterally, within NATO, and in the European Union-Canada dialog. Democratic countries need to stand united against Russia's attempts to use disinformation and propaganda to gain international support for its war against Ukraine.

Russia has relied on disinformation for a long time, both in Russia and beyond, to justify its brutal aggression against Ukraine and make everything look questionable. Battles take place not only on the battlefield, there is an equally active and cruel battle taking place in the information space, said Kalnina-Lukasevica.

Speaking of economic cooperation, Kalnina-Lukasevica and Fury agreed that critical infrastructure, including mobile networks and data centers, was essential for security, and discussed opportunities to develop and produce joint high-tech solutions and products. The Saeima deputy speaker emphasized Latvia's success in the development of 5G solutions, and also encouraged Canadian businessmen to invest in the Latvian economy.

Also participating in the meeting were Saeima Deputy Secretary Antonina Nenaseva (Progressives), Saeima National Security Committee Chairman Janis Dombrava (National Alliance), Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee Chairman Janis Vucans (Greens/Farmers), and NATO Center of Excellence for Strategic Communication Director Janis Sarts.

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We highly value Canada's contribution to Latvia's security - Kalnina-Lukasevica

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RIGA - We highly value Canada's contribution to Latvia's security, Saeima Vice Speaker Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica (New Unity) said during a meeting with Canadian Senate Speaker George Furey. "I would like to thank Canada for its invaluable contribution to the security of Latvia and thereby also of the whole Baltic Sea region.

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French Court Orders Fishing Ban After Hundreds of Dolphins Wash Up on Coast

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230321-french-court-orders-fishing-ban-after-hundreds-of-dolphins-wash-up-on-coast

There have been multiple accounts of dolphins washing up on the shore in a city called La Rochelle in France. A lot of these dolphins are washing up dead with injuries that are obviously from fishing boats. Because of the multiple accounts, a lot of environmental organizations have been trying to take action and get the governments attention. This has been an ongoing event but this specific article was written on March 21, 2023 when there were hundreds of sea life animals washing up that week. The court gave the government 6 months to implement no-fishing zones in this area. This is a geopolitical issue because of the need of government intervention.

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Romania's prime minister has hired the world's first AI government adviser. What will it do?

This was written by Sophia Khatsenkova, an author for Euronews. This article talks about the Prime Minister of Roamnia adding a new government adviser that will be joining his team. This new advisor is named Ion and is run entirely on artificial intelligence. This happened earlier this month and was a very important event not only for Romania but for the entire world. This makes Romania the first country to have a government advisor running solely by artificial intelligence.  This will have an effect on other countries and their political relationships.

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Romania's PM has hired the world's first AI government adviser

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"My role is now to represent you, like a mirror," Ion the AI adviser said at its launch event in Bucharest, Romania. But what will it do in reality?

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Article Name: Germany wants Romania in Schengen this year, chancellor says during Bucharest visit

Source: This article was written by Radu Dumitrescu, an author for Romania insider.
About: This article is about the President and Prime Minister of Germany talking to the German Chancellor about joining the Schengen area.

Important Facts: The main reason for this desire is that Romania has a lot of Ukrainian refugees, so if Romania joined the Schengen area then the refugees would be able to cross over the other Schengen countries without a passport. This would also help unite Romania and the rest of the Schengen area countries. This discussion took place in Bucharest, Romania on April 3rd, 2023.

Geographical Factors: This involves human geography as Romania currently has a very high population density with all of the Ukrainian Refugees.

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German chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Bucharest on Monday, April 3, and met with Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, prime minister Nicolae Ciuca, and Moldovan president Maia Sandu. During the visit, he said that Germany wants Romania in Schengen this year.

"Romania and Germany will support Ukraine militarily for as long as necessary," the German chancellor said in Bucharest after a meeting with Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, cited by RFE Romania.

"It's good to have a partner like Romania that we can rely on. Germany stands firmly by Romania's side. This also means getting Romania into Schengen this year," he added.

Olaf Scholz noted that this partnership also applies to the position of the two countries towards Russian aggression in Ukraine. "We will support Ukraine militarily for as long as necessary. I want to express my gratitude to Romania for taking in numerous Ukrainian refugees," he said.

Roughly 3.8 million Ukrainians transited Romania fleeing from the war. Over 110,000 decided to stay in the country. Germany hosts over a million Ukrainians at the moment.

Scholz also said the German community in Romania, as well as the Romanian one in Germany, are bridges between the two countries.

Romania's president Klaus Iohannis said, in turn, that Germany is not only the most important economic partner but also a reliable ally.

President Iohannis also stated that Germany and Romania share a common vision regarding the expansion of the EU: "We share a common vision for the expansion to the east of the EU, with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine."

After the meeting with Klaus Iohannis, the German chancellor is also scheduled to meet with prime minister Nicolae Ciuca. Afterwards, Scholz and president Iohannis will meet with the president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, for a joint discussion. They will address issues related to continued support for the republic of Moldova.

After the meetings at Cotroceni and Victoria Palace, the chancellor will also meet with the president of the Chamber of Deputies and PSD leader, Marcel Ciolacu. Finally, chancellor Scholz will meet with representatives of the German minority in Romania.
radu@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Presidency.ro)

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Germany wants Romania in Schengen this year, chancellor says during Bucharest visit

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German chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Bucharest on Monday, April 3, and met with Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, prime minister Nicolae Ciuca, and Moldovan president Maia Sandu. During the visit, he said that Germany wants Romania in Schengen this year. "Romania and Germany will support...

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France Braces for New Protests After Pensions Deadlock

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230406-france-braces-for-new-protests-after-pensions-deadlock
Links to an external site.

France's news articles are still polluted by reformation protests. This article specifically outlines how France's citizens are losing the momentum for their protests. A lot of people are hoping for a huge turnout on the 11th day of action. Everyone is waiting for April 14th when the final decision is announced and the reformation is either approved or denied. A lot of citizens are commenting on the issue saying that it is a lost hope and the government has already made their decision. Either way, the protests are continuing and everyone's eyes are on President Macron.

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The title of this article is March in Latvia was wettest in 15 years. https://eng.lsm.lv/article/weather/weather/04.04.2023-march-in-latvia-was-wettest-in-15-years.a503626/the source of the article
This article is about the Latvian people and the weather. The main points are that Latvia experienced high levels of precipitation. Latvia has been slightly warmer on average. This event is taking place in the entirety of Latvia. The main geological factor taking place is climate.

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The total precipitation in Latvia was 59.6 millimeters in March, which exceeds the climate rate by 62%.

The average temperature of the month was +1.6 C, which is 1.4 degrees warmer than the climate norm. Aalthough cold weather prevailed in the first half of the month with frost and snow, there were warm days in the middle of the month when a total of 17 peak temperature records were set in all regions of Latvia. On March 10 in the east of the country, as temperatures slipped below -20 C, five cold records have also been set.

On the coldest morning of the month, March 10, the temperature in Zosēni reached -26.4 C, while the warmest afternoon, March 20, was +14.6 C in Skrīveri.

Due to the large amount of precipitation in the winter months and wet weather that continued in March, Latvia experienced flooding. At the beginning of April, flooding will continue in the Daugava and downstream in the municipality of Augšdaugava.

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The total precipitation in Latvia was 59.6 millimeters in March, which exceeds the climate rate by 62%. The average temperature of the month was +1.6 C, which is 1.4 degrees warmer than the climate norm.

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Greta Thunberg and other "young activists" in Sweden have been approved to Sue the country of Sweden for not making enough efforts to decrease carbon emissions. They say that Sweden needs to cut emissions by 6.5 to 9.4 million tonnes of co2 a year. They say that Sweden needs to shut down any greenhouse gas-emitting forms of energy and switch to renewable energy as soon as possible. They say that science is theirs but politics are not allowing this to move forward. This took place yesterday in Sweden and it has to do with the geography of the whole world.  Sweden lives in a country where they burn coal and oil. They can move to more wind-powered sources of energy and hydrodynamic energy as well.

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Sweden needs to cut emissions by at least 6.5 to 9.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year starting from 2019, lawsuit says.
A Swedish court has given Greta Thunberg and hundreds of other climate activists the go-ahead to proceed with a class action lawsuit against the Swedish government for "insufficient climate policy".

Thunberg and 600 other young activists in a group called Aurora sued the Swedish state in November, claiming it had to do more to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) in order to live up to the European Convention on Human Rights.

On Tuesday, Nacka District Court said the lawsuit could go ahead after the group made adjustments to the claim.

"The district court has today issued a summons in a high-profile class action lawsuit," the court said in a statement. "In the case, demands have been made for the district court to determine that the state has an obligation to take certain specified measures to limit climate change."

The Swedish state has three months to respond to the lawsuit before the case could be heard or settled in writing, the district court said, adding it could not say when the suit might be decided.

Aurora wants the court to decide that Sweden needs to cut emissions by at least 6.5 to 9.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year, starting from 2019.

"The health and future of the planet, and that of ours, is directly dependent on whether or not our politicians recognize the seriousness of the climate crisis, and so Aurora wants to do everything we can to get you to do so," the group said in an open letter to the Swedish government last year.

'Choices we make now'

On Monday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the " climate time bomb is ticking " as he urged rich nations to slash emissions sooner after a new assessment from UN scientists said there was little time to lose in tackling climate change.

"This report offers hope and it provides a warning," chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Hoesung Lee said. "The choices we make now and in the next few years will reverberate around the world for hundreds, even thousands, of years."

Alex Rafalowicz, executive director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said the only way to prevent the "worst-case climate change scenarios" is to immediately constrain hydrocarbon production.

"The coal, oil and gas we already have under production will blow us past our climate goals," he said.

"The summary for policymakers is simple: stop new fossil fuel projects, phase down existing polluting projects, put renewable energy access into hyperdrive. The science is unequivocal, the problem is the lack of political will that prevents us from acting boldly to reverse this crisis."

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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Greta Thunberg, climate activists greenlighted to sue Sweden

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Sweden needs to cut emissions by at least 6.5 to 9.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year starting from 2019, lawsuit says. A Swedish court has given Greta Thunberg and hundreds of other climate activists the go-ahead to proceed with a class action lawsuit against the Swedish government for "insufficient climate policy".

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Why are so many Swedish women having babies in their late 40s?

This article is from euro news and is about women in Sweden.

For the first time in Swedish history, more women are having babies after the age of 44 than women that are having babies before 19. This is kind of a weird comparison because this is comparing 45+ women to women ages 15-19. I am not sure that a lot of women are having babies 15-19 on purpose. I think it is mostly pointing out that Sweden's family planning has gotten very good to the point that women can choose to have babies later in life and still have healthy births. This has to do with there development of the medical system and the push for women to work more.

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Why are so many Swedish women having babies in their late 40s?

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New data shows Swedish women are increasingly giving birth to babies after 45 years of age more than teenagers under 19. Here’s why it is happening.