1,500 deaths were linked to climate change, which made the heatwave more severe

International News via Reuters:

Around 2,300 people died of heat-related causes across 12 European cities during the severe heatwave that ended last week, according to a rapid scientific analysis published on Wednesday.

The study targeted the 10 days, ending July 2, during which large parts of Western Europe were hit by extreme heat, with temperatures breaching 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) in Spain and wildfires breaking out in France.

Of the 2,300 people estimated to have died during this period, 1,500 deaths were linked to climate change, which made the heatwave more severe, according to the study conducted by scientists at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

“Climate change has made it significantly hotter than it would have been, which in turn makes it a lot more dangerous,” said Dr Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London.

The study covered 12 cities including Barcelona, Madrid, London and Milan, where the researchers said climate change had increased heatwave temperatures by up to 4 degrees Celsius.

The researchers used established epidemiological models and historical mortality data to estimate the death toll, which reflects deaths where heat was the underlying reason for mortality, including if exposure exacerbated pre-existing health conditions.

The scientists said they used peer-reviewed methods to quickly produce the estimated death toll, because most heat-related deaths are not officially reported and some governments do not release this data.

Last month was the planet’s third-hottest June on record, behind the same month in 2024 and 2023, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a monthly bulletin on Wednesday.

Western Europe experienced its warmest June on record, with much of the region experiencing “very strong heat stress” – defined by conditions that feel like a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more, Copernicus said.

“In a warming world, heatwaves are likely to become more frequent, more intense and impact more people across Europe,” said Samantha Burgess, Copernicus’ strategic lead for climate.

Researchers from European health institutes reported in 2023 that as many as 61,000 people may have died in Europe’s sweltering heatwaves in 2022, according to new research, suggesting countries’ heat preparedness efforts are falling fatally short.

The build-up of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere – which mostly come from the burning of fossil fuels – means the planet’s average temperature has increased over time. This increase in baseline temperatures means that when a heatwave comes, temperatures can surge to higher peaks.

Reporting by Kate Abnett and Alison Withers; editing by Mark Heinrich

Beijing has rejected the claim, saying there is no evidence of hostile action

International News via Reuters:

The European Union has summoned the Chinese ambassador following an incident in which China’s military allegedly targeted a German aircraft with a laser during an EU security mission in the Red Sea. China has denied the accusation.

According to Germany, a Chinese warship used a laser to target a German patrol aircraft taking part in Operation ASPIDES, the EU-led mission tasked with protecting commercial vessels from Houthi rebel attacks. The incident reportedly occurred in early July during a routine flight, with no prior warning or communication from the Chinese vessel.

“The Chinese military’s use of a laser to target a German aircraft patrolling with EU Operation ASPIDES in the Red Sea is dangerous and unacceptable,” said Anouar El Anouni, spokesperson for the EU’s Foreign and Security Policy. “This act put personnel at risk and compromised the aircraft’s mission.”

While German officials have reported multiple encounters with the same Chinese warship in the region, Beijing has rejected the claim, saying there is no evidence of hostile action.

China has previously denied accusations of firing or pointing lasers at U.S. planes. Incidents involving a European NATO member and China are more unusual.

Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; editing by Philippa Fletcher

EUIPO originally rejected the applications on the grounds that the mark lacked distinctiveness

International News via Reuters:

The European General Court on Wednesday ruled against German company sprd.netrd.net in its bid to trademark the “I love” sign, with a heart symbolizing ‘love,’ for clothing items such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, and pullovers.

The Court upheld the European Union Intellectual Property Office’s (EUIPO) 2022 rejection of sprd.net’s trademark applications. The company had sought to register the “I love” sign, featuring a red heart, in specific positions on garments, including the left chest, the back of the neck and the inside label.

EUIPO originally rejected the applications on the grounds that the mark lacked distinctiveness. According to the office, the “I love” expression is immediately understood as a general message of affection and not a sign capable of distinguishing the clothing as originating from a particular brand.

The Court, the EU’s second-highest, agreed.

“The sign in question is commonly used and universally recognized as meaning ‘I love’,” the Court said. “Its placement does not give it a distinctive character that would allow consumers to identify it as originating from a particular business.”

Sprd.netrd.net did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Bernadette Baum

Leo, who was elected on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis, said the world was experiencing an “ecological crisis”

International News via Reuters:

Pope Leo interrupted a two-week vacation on Wednesday to celebrate a special Mass exhorting Catholics to exercise care for creation, in the Vatican’s second major appeal in a week for the world to address global climate change.  

“Today … we live in a world that is burning, both because of global warming and armed conflicts,” the pontiff said in a small outdoor ceremony in Castel Gandolfo, an Italian hill town about an hour’s drive from Rome where he is spending his holiday.

“We have to pray for the conversion of many people … who still do not see the urgency of caring for our common home,” said the pontiff.

Leo, who was elected on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis, did not mention specific natural disasters caused by global warming but said the world was experiencing an “ecological crisis”.

The new pope said the 1.4-billion-member Church was committed to speaking about the issue, “even when it requires the courage to oppose the destructive power of the princes of this world”.

The Mass included a prayer for victims of the flash flooding in Texas, where at least 109 deaths had been reported as of Tuesday.

Leo, the first U.S. pope, celebrated Wednesday’s Mass according to a new Catholic rite that exhorts people to care for creation, first published by the Vatican on July 3 in its latest push to address climate issues. 

Cardinal Michael Czerny, a senior Vatican official who helped to organise the Mass, told Reuters that Leo’s decision to interrupt his vacation was a sign of the importance the new pope will place on environmental matters.

“By offering this Mass … at the beginning of his holiday, Pope Leo is giving a beautiful example of thanking for God’s great gift and praying that the human family learns to care for our common home,” said Czerny.

GARDEN MASS

Francis, who died on April 21, was also a firm proponent of care for creation. He was the first pope to embrace the scientific consensus about climate change and urged nations to reduce their carbon emissions in line with the 2015 Paris climate accord.

Leo is reviving a centuries-old tradition of popes taking holidays in Castel Gandolfo with a July 6-20 vacation in the sleepy hill town of about 8,900 residents on the shores of Lake Albano.

Residents told Reuters earlier this month they hope Leo’s visit will help boost tourism, with visitors coming to take part in public religious celebrations with the pope on July 13 and 20.

Wednesday’s Mass was held in the 55-hectare gardens of the papal villa, which Francis opened to visitors and turned into an ecological institute. 

The ceremony included several senior cardinals and about 50 staff members of the villa, gathered in front of a statue of Mary among tightly trimmed hedges in the garden.

Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Sharon Singleton