Wednesday

The just officially confirmed figure was recorded on the Italian island of Sicily on August 11, 2021.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations agency specializing in weather, climate and water, officially confirmed on Tuesday that a temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius measured on the Italian island of Sicily on August 11, 2021, represents a new European temperature record.

This was revealed in an article in the International Journal of Climatology . The previous temperature record of 48.0 degrees was recorded in Athens and Eleusinus, Greece on July 10, 1977 .

This record was based on official Greek government sources and was included in the WMO’s Global Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes at its inception in 2007. However, there has been no independent verification by this UN agency.

An international team of atmospheric scientists verified the temperatures observed by an automated weather station in Syracuse, on the island of Sicily, on August 11, 2021. And the WMO confirmed that this 48.8 degrees is the new heat ceiling in Europe.

This WMO expert committee conducted an in-depth evaluation of available data and metadata, including independent analysis and calibration of the Syracuse sensor and associated data logger and sunshield.

ANALYSIS

The Sicily temperature sensor was sent to the Italian National Institute of Metrological Research for analysis . The action consisted in calibrating and evaluating the whole system (sensor, sunshield and data logger) in the same configuration in which it was recorded during the occurrence of the extreme temperature. The tests followed all WMO standards and recommended practices.

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In a ritual that’s more celebration than science, hundreds of people revived a tradition made famous by the movie “Once Upon a Time” this Friday.

Phil, the famous rodent meteorologist from Punxsutawney , Pennsylvania, emerged this Friday from the den where he was wintering, saw no shadow of himself and predicted that Americans would have an early spring.

Hundreds of celebrants gathered before dawn on Gobbler’s Knob hill cheered and applauded when, at 07:22 (12:22 GMT), the ritual’s attendants read the message Phil supposedly chose.

“No doubt spring will come early,” said one member of the Groundhog Club , interpreting the animal’s grunt, who seemed surprised and confused.

Since the tradition began in 1887, this is only the twentieth time a groundhog has failed to see its shadow. According to legend, when there is enough sunlight for an animal to see its shadow, there are six weeks until winter arrives.

Although tradition remains strong, Phil’s predictions have a 36% chance of success according to the Stormfax Almanac.

According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, a groundhog has seen its shadow 107 times, not seen it 20 times, and there is no data for about 10 years in the late 19th century. In 1942, Phil only partially saw his shadow and did not leave the den again the following year. Between 2013 and 2023, the groundhog predicted an extra six weeks of winter seven times, and of those, he was right only once.

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“The verdict is a triumph for the right to demonstrate,” said a Greenpeace spokeswoman.

Greta Thunberg was acquitted by a British judge for taking part in a sit-in protest against the Energy Intelligence Forum (EIF) at the InterContinental Hotel in 2023. The Swedish activist was detained for several hours and was issued a summons along with others. four protesters.

Thunberg was detained under police powers granted by the new Public Order Act and has been criticized by civil rights groups for her draconian measures against the protesters. Judge John Laws ruled that the prosecution had failed to present sufficient evidence against activists exercising their right to demonstrate in a “non-violent” manner.

Along with her, Greenpeace activists Jeff Rice and Pete Barker (who rappelled down the walls of the hotel on ropes and hung a banner reading “Earn Big Oil Wages”) and Fossil Free London members Christopher Kebbon and Joshua James Anwyn were acquitted. . 21 other activists arrested at the same protest are due in court in the coming weeks.

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday that in the face of rural protests, a worsening situation and a lack of support in both the European Parliament and the Council (i.e. national governments), the decision has been taken to withdraw the new pesticide regulation proposed last year. ” Conservation can only succeed through a bottom-up approach based on incentives, because only if our farmers can live off the land will they invest in the future. And only if we meet our climate and environmental goals together can farmers continue to make a living. Our farmers know this very well, and we need to trust them more. Let me give you an example. The SUR proposed by the Commission to reduce the risk of polarization of phytosanitary chemicals was rejected. There is no progress in the European Parliament and in the Council either. That is why I will propose to the College to withdraw this proposal,” he said, speaking to MEPs.

Von der Leyen’s move has two angles. The first, correction. For the first time, such a powerful president, who is unwilling to correct herself or admit mistakes, is admitting that her approach has led to a dead end. She is convinced it is the right thing to do, but after seeing the demonstrations, listening to leaders like Emmanuel Macron and, above all, feeling immense pressure from her own political family in the weeks before the European elections, the German is correcting course. “Effective conservation must provide generous incentives to intervene. Farmers need a worthwhile business case for taking action to improve nature ; we may not have presented it convincingly,” he added.

Last week, farmers and landowners across Europe shut down the European Quarter in Brussels as the continent’s leaders met at the European Council. Just as they laid siege to Paris last week. The European People’s Party called for a “regulatory pause” for a year to slow the legislative and regulatory battery for a year or two, but von der Leyen and the commissioners did the opposite, speeding up the process in view of the imminent end. of the legislature.

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The animal, which died at the age of 39, belonged to a critically endangered species.

Barcelona Zoo has lost Zebo , an elderly gorilla who lived 39 years, which exceeds the maximum lifespan of his species in its natural habitat.

According to the zoo, the animal, born in Rotterdam Zoo (Holland) in 1985, died due to a weakening process that could not be reversed despite the intervention of veterinarians and caretakers of the center.

Arrived in Barcelona from Rotterdam in 1996, this gorilla lived for 27 years with females (he had four partners), children and a granddaughter at the Barcelona Zoo.

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