A group calling itself 'Danish Patriots' carried out this Tuesday a new burning of a copy of the Koran in Copenhagen (Denmark), in front of the Egyptian embassy, according to Arab media.. This is the third incident of this nature that has occurred in the Danish capital in the last week.

The day before, the same group had burned another copy in front of the Iraqi embassy, which led to harsh diplomatic tensions and disorder in Baghdad.

In Sweden, there were two Koran burnings last month, also sparking tensions. In Baghdad a group of protesters violently entered the Swedish embassy and set it on fire.

Also in Yemen, thousands of protesters staged a protest in Sana'a against Sweden and Denmark for allowing anti-Islamic activists to desecrate and burn copies of the Muslim holy book in Stockholm and Copenhagen.

Diplomatic relations, in tension

Iraq had called on Monday the countries of the European Union to “review the so-called freedom of opinion and demonstration.” Other Muslim-majority countries, such as Iran and Turkey, have also condemned the burning of the Koran.

For its part, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Swedish charge d'affaires in Cairo on Tuesday to express the African country's “strong condemnation and total rejection” of “the unfortunate and repeated” burnings of the Koran that have taken place in recent days in Stockholm.

“Egypt had previously warned of the dangerous and negative repercussions of repeating these events, which contribute to the growth of Islamophobia,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to the Egyptian department's statement, allowing such acts “causes an increase in hate speech, extremism and encourages the destruction of civilized communication between the peoples and societies of the world.”

He also pointed out that the burning of the Koran “in no way represents the right to freedom of expression”, since it must “not offend the beliefs of others or desecrate their sanctities”.

In the same way, the Swedish diplomat was informed of the “need” for the authorities of Sweden and other European countries “to take measures to prevent such unfortunate incidents from being repeated” and asked that those responsible for these acts “be held accountable.”

Europe is experiencing one of its worst fire seasons and, in particular, Italy, Greece and Turkey. The flames paint the map almost continuously, jumping from northern Algeria and Tunisia to southern Europe. Hundreds of active lights that force thousands of firefighters to fight the flames and prevent their advance in tourist areas, the most affected in the height of the high season and from which more than 70,000 people have already had to leave.

It all started with 'Charon' and 'Cancerbero', the two consecutive heat waves that have hit Europe in the last two weeks, and that contributed to generating the —even more adverse— conditions in summer, in the countries that today are experiencing their particular battle with fire. The three countries exceeded 45ºC this week for several days and temperatures are being especially high on Greek soil, where the strong wind has combined with 46.4ºC, the highest temperature ever recorded in the country.

Greece is the worst of the three sources. Since Sunday, almost a hundred fires have accumulated and the authorities estimate the total number of tourists who have left the islands at 70,000. In Rhodes, the authorities have confirmed that the area burned – some 14,000 hectares – is equivalent to 10% of the total for the island and the fire continues uncontrolled for the eighth consecutive day. “There is no magic solution,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis lamented this Tuesday in a statement on ERT public television.

“We know things will probably get worse, not better”

The president foresees a “difficult summer” due to the “unprecedented heat” that is plaguing the area, a product of the climate crisis, which he blames for the fires. “We know that things will probably get worse, not better, with higher temperatures, more drought and strong winds.. The morphology of our terrain makes extinction extremely difficult in many cases. So we have a tough summer ahead of us,” he warned.

The images there are devastating, where dozens of deer are seen wandering uncontrollably or dead on the side of the island's regional roads, as well as turtles and other wild and farm animals.

The situation is also critical in Corfu and Euboea as a result of the wind and the difficult orography of the islands. In the first, the flames reignited during the morning on Mount Pantokrator, forcing the temporary evacuation of Lutses and the surrounding towns, where some 2,500 tourists were located.. In Euboea, a few kilometers northeast of Athens, nine towns have been evacuated and several houses have been burned, according to regional authorities.

There, a hundred firefighters fight for the third day near the coastal town of Caristo, where a rancher has been missing since Sunday. In addition, a tanker plane, which was participating in efforts to control and put out a forest fire, has crashed on the side of a mountain near the town of Platanistós, with two people inside (pilot and co-pilot), according to local media.

Outside the islands, smaller outbreaks spread throughout Hellenic territory, mobilizing firefighters throughout the country in the face of extreme alert due to dry conditions, strong gusts of wind and unusually high temperatures, at least until Thursday.. According to local media, it is estimated that, in the last week, at least 34,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land throughout the country have been razed.

Italy suffers from heat and fire

The flames also devastate the Italian island of Sicily. According to the president of the region, Renato Schifani, 43 fires were declared last Monday, several of which are still active.. “Attention continues to be very high considering that today the heat wave is maximum,” said the president.

Palermo airport has been closed from 4:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. this Tuesday, although only some departures have been allowed. Las llegadas permanecen restrictidas, which implies a notable tur´sitico impact on the island.

The tourist capital of Türkiye begins to burn

The tourist region of Antalya, in southern Turkey, is also suffering from fire pressure. In the early hours of Tuesday a violent fire was decreed that has already burned more than 60 hectares. According to the region's governor, Ersin Yazici, six people have had to be taken to hospital for respiratory problems caused by smoke and ten houses have been evicted.

Antalya is considered the tourist capital of the country, although for the moment the fire does not threaten the most visited facilities, as Munir Karaloglu, deputy interior minister, has assured.. “Guests can continue their vacations in peace,” he said, although the conditions could be reversed, since the thermometers there are also around 45ºC.

34 dead and 19 detained in Algeria

The situation is no better in North Africa, where we are once again experiencing a summer conditioned by forest fires and temperatures of 50 degrees in the shade, which so far have left 34 people dead (a dozen soldiers, among them) and an undetermined number of wounded.

In addition, the Algerian authorities have arrested a total of 19 citizens on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in these fires.. If the criminal nature and sabotage are proven, the case will be referred to the department for the fight against terrorism and organized crime of the Sidi Mohamed Court, located in the capital, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

The fires are located in at least 16 cities in the northwest of the country, where some 1,500 people from Fenaya and Zbarbar have also been evacuated. In addition, the weather forecast does not improve and a new heat wave of up to 48 degrees is expected in the shade, which will affect the entire country and will last until Monday.

Despite those affected and the weather forecasts, the Algerian Ministry of the Interior has indicated that “Civil Protection services have managed to extinguish most of the forest fires (80%) after an uninterrupted mobilization throughout the night and the reinforcement of land and material operations in addition to the coordination of efforts between the wilayas”.

Spain collaborates in Tunisia

In Tunisia, several outbreaks remain active in the province of Yenduba, near the border with Algeria, where the authorities have deployed numerous military personnel to stop the advance of the fire. Also in Tabarka, with 150 evacuees, and several fires in the areas of Bizerte, Béja and Siliana.

In the next few hours, Spain will send two firefighting planes and 27 military personnel —including crews, technicians and liaison personnel from the Emergency Military Unit (UME)—, after the Government of Tunisia has requested assistance from the European Union Emergency Response Coordination Center (ERCC).

A new sighting of sharks off the Spanish coast, this time in the province of Girona, according to Telecinco reports, has once again set off all the alarms in a rough summer due to the sighting of sharks off the Spanish coast. With the invaluable help of cinema and popular culture, these episodes have revived interest in sharks.

Bathers' fear of meeting one of these animals on the beach or in the sea is more frequent in some areas of the planet, where these species are more frequent or come closer to the coast.. What are the places in the world with the most sharks?

The six countries with the most shark attacks

As published by CNN, the possibility of suffering a shark attack is one in four million, so it is something quite remote and improbable.. However, according to reports, some countries have outstanding statistics in terms of shark attacks.

CNN shares a statistic of shark attacks recorded between 2012 and 2021. 761 incidents resulting in 60 deaths. These are the six countries with the most shark attacks, according to data from the International Shark Attack File:

Are there sharks in Spain regularly?

The truth is that there are sharks in all parts of the ocean, which is why, obviously, there are sharks in Spain. The Mediterranean is, in fact, the habitat of a large number of species, up to 80, that precisely in spring and summer frequent these waters. The most common species are the blue shark, the dogfish and the dogfish, but species such as the bull shark or the most famous of all, the great white shark also inhabit this sea.

However, despite the fact that there are sightings every year, sharks do not usually approach the coasts where there is human activity.. In fact, according to eltiempo.es, it is more normal for these sightings to occur in the Cantabrian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, due to their colder waters and less activity on the beaches.

As published by La Razón, there is only evidence of three shark attacks in Spain since there are records. These episodes are recorded in the archives of the specialized website International Shark Attack, and occurred in 1986 in Tarifa, in 1993 in Arenas de Valencia and in 2012 in the Bay of Biscay. None of them resulted in a fatality.

The governor of Florida (USA) and Donald Trump's main rival for the Republican primaries, Ron DeSantis, suffered a car accident in Tennessee on Tuesday, although he was unscathed, as were his companions, according to his campaign team.

“We appreciate the prayers and good wishes,” said Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for DeSantis, who also added that DeSantis had planned a meeting in that Tennessee city (southern US) with donors.

The governor, who is in second place in the polls for the 2024 presidential primaries but far behind first, former President Donald Trump, was on his way to a campaign event in Chattanooga when the accident happened.

Last Saturday, a national survey by the Harvard Harris Poll showed that the Florida governor, who only a few months ago seemed like he could overshadow Trump, is 40 points behind the former president and only two ahead of businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, according to that poll.

For his part, Trump completely dominates the panorama ahead of the primaries, with 52% of voting intentions, even despite having lost seven points compared to the previous poll.

He also has a five-point lead over incumbent President Joe Biden, with 45% support versus 40%, respectively, heading into the November 5, 2024 presidential election.

“Don't try to scare me, I defend my rights with all my heart”. Parmida Shahbazi, a German teacher in Iran, has rebelled against the country's Moral Police after being rebuked for not wearing the hijab on the street and later ending up being arrested.

In the video broadcast by Bisimchi Media, a member of the body tells the teacher, while recording her, that she has insulted the Police. In response, Shahbazi protested for her rights as a woman: “Remember that, I am a woman, and I will always defend my rights.”. I'm not afraid of you or anyone.”

The woman stressed the independence and courage of Iranian women: “The days of being afraid are over. What a shame”. The man, who was chasing her with the camera, continued to blame her: “You are a criminal and I will not listen to a criminal.”. Faced with this accusation, Shanbazi yelled back: “How am I a criminal? What laws have I broken? I am an adult, I make my own decisions for my life.”

On the issue of the obligation to wear the veil on the street, the woman claimed: “I choose what to wear and the rest is not your business”. Immediately, the teacher walks away and stops arguing with the man.

The video has gone viral on social networks and organizations such as Action and Communication on the Middle East (ACOM) have denounced that “Iranian women are subjected to repressive laws for not wearing a veil: jail, washing corpses or undergoing therapy”.

The United Nations Organization (UN) issued a statement on July 21 in which it ensures that “climate change is taking dengue to areas where it did not exist before”. For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) has requested European countries and the American continent to be alert and prepared for possible outbreaks.

“Global warming, characterized by increased average temperatures, rainfall and prolonged dry spells, could cause a record number of dengue infections worldwide,” says the WHO.. And it is that, according to the director of the World Program for the Control of Tropical Diseases of the agency, about half of the world's population “is at risk of contracting dengue, which affects some 129 countries.”

An incidence on the rise by “altitude and latitude”

The countries of the European continent have already registered dengue transmissions by the 'Aedes aegypti' mosquito. Other factors that would explain its spread, in addition to the climate crisis, would be the flow of movement of people, goods, urbanization, pressure on water and sanitation.

“We estimate that each year there are between 100 and 400 million cases. This is basically an estimate, and only in the American region some 2.8 million cases and 101,280 deaths have been reported,” says Raman Velayudhan, the head of the Unit of the Global Program for the Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases at the WHO.

Dengue is a more common disease in tropical and subtropical climates, but “its incidence has increased dramatically worldwide in recent decades,” he added.

The spread of the 'Aedes aegypti' mosquito, which can transmit dengue, Zika and chikungunya, has grown. “With climate change, it has been increasing by altitude and by latitude. So now we're seeing streaming where we didn't before. So, for example, in South America, in Argentina, in the south of Brazil, Uruguay, and so on.. And if we go to the northern hemisphere, now there are autochthonous cases reported in southern Europe, for example,” says the WHO expert, Diana Rojas Álvarez.

Increase in vector-borne diseases

“The mosquito manages to survive even when there is a shortage of water,” says Raman Velayudhan. “So, in both a flood situation and a drought situation, dengue can increase. The virus and the vector multiply faster at higher temperatures. It's a well-known fact.”

Climate change causes “deaths and illnesses from increasingly frequent weather events.”

As detailed by the WHO, climate change is affecting the health of the population in multiple ways. “Causing death and disease from increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as heat waves, storms and floods, the disruption of food systems, the rise of zoonoses and food-, water- and vector-borne diseases, and mental health problems.”

“Ticks are moving across Europe”

But dengue is not the only vector-borne disease threatening the European continent.. As noted by Meteored Portugal's meteorology experts, “the spread of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a deadly tick-borne disease, is accelerating in Europe due to climate change.”

For this reason, the WHO classifies this disease as a threat to public health.. Professor Ali Mirazimi, a virologist at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, underlines in statements collected by an article from the European Commission that “ticks are moving across Europe due to climate change, with longer and drier summers.”

Ticks that can be carriers of the FHCC virus are migrating to other areas of the world due to climate changes. The first death in Spain caused by Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) occurred in 2016. It was a 62-year-old man who was bitten by a tick, which carried the disease.

The human remains found this weekend in three suitcases in an intracoastal canal in the city of Delray Beach (Florida) belong to a woman, possibly Hispanic, and the Police are asking for citizen collaboration to clarify the crime, the authorities reported Monday.

It was a passerby who called the 911 emergency line to report the presence of a suspicious package in the waters of the intracoastal waterway located on Palm Trail, in the aforementioned city.

Police detectives went to the scene and found a suitcase with human remains floating in the water. Shortly after they found “two other suitcases with human remains in places close” to the first.

The remains were taken to the coroner's office for examination and it was determined that they belonged to a white, possibly Hispanic, middle-aged woman with brown hair and tattooed eyebrows and approximately 1.64 meters tall, police said on social media.. She was wearing a flower print tank top and shorts.

The investigation is still ongoing and the Delray Beach police provided a phone number and requested public cooperation to solve this murder case.

The General Staff of the Aviation of Greece has confirmed the death of the two officers who piloted the tanker plane   that crashed this Tuesday during the tasks of putting out the forest fire on the island of Euboea.

The two soldiers, aged 27 and 34, were the pilot and co-pilot of a Canadair-type tanker plane that crashed near the town of Platanistós, shortly after dropping water on the flames.. The Greek Armed Forces declared three days of mourning for the deaths of the two officers.

In a video published by public television ERT, you can see how the plane crashes after throwing water on the fire front, and how seconds later a large explosion occurs.

As can be seen in the recording, after making a very low flight over the fire, the right wing collided with a tree and lost the right float, the part of the planes that prevents the wings from touching the surface of the sea when they are supplied with water.

In another film, broadcast by private Open television, debris from the plane can be seen at the site of the accident from which thick smoke is coming out. Several fire teams and a helicopter have come to the area.

Critical situation on the island

Firefighters have been fighting for three days to control the huge fire on Euboea, the sixth largest island in the Mediterranean, located northeast of Athens.

The Greek Prime Minister, the conservative Kyriakos Mitsotakis, decided to postpone an official visit to Cyprus, scheduled for this Wednesday due to what he described as a “tragic incident”.

Greece has been battling dozens of wildfires since last week, with the largest out of control on the islands of Rhodes and Corfu, where tens of thousands of people have had to be evacuated.

Taiwan's Ministry of Defense announced the cancellation of some military exercises scheduled for Wednesday as part of the annual Han Kuang exercises, due to the threat of Typhoon Doksuri, which is approaching the island with winds of more than 170 kilometers per hour.

Among the suspended exercises is the deployment of fighter jets at the civilian Fengnian airport in the eastern county of Taitung, which was to be used as an alternate mock base in the event of an enemy attack, the island's news agency CNA reported on Monday.

Defense Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang explained that the decision was made for security reasons as the typhoon could affect the operation, which was part of the live-fire component of the annual Han Kuang exercises.

This is the first time that the Taiwanese Army has canceled this type of air operations due to a typhoon since the Han Kuang maneuvers began in 1984.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense indicated that other naval and land exercises could be affected by bad weather, such as the amphibious landing drill on a beach in the Pali district, north of Taipei, or the takeoff and landing of AH-64E and UH-60M helicopters, the local Liberty Times reported.

The Han Kuang maneuvers, which began on Monday, are intended to assess Taiwan's defensive capacity against a possible invasion from China.

The Defense portfolio declared this Sunday that it will “strengthen” its “resilience in the skies, in the waves and on land” and warned that it is “fully prepared” to “stand firm against everything and protect the nation.”

Taiwan's National Meteorological Center warned on Tuesday that Typhoon Doksuri will cause heavy rain and strong winds in the eastern part of the island on Wednesday, by which day, however, “it will already have weakened.”

For its part, the Philippine Department of Meteorology indicated Tuesday that Typhoon Doksuri increased its intensity to the maximum level, 5 out of 5 and classified as a super typhoon, as it approaches the north of the archipelago, located south of Taiwan.