Fatalities crossing the channel
27 people have drowned whilst attempting to cross the channel; seven women and three children were found whilst the rest of the victims remain yet to be discovered. Little else of their identities is known and it is still unclear what caused the boat to sink. Whilst the French police have made five arrests, Boris Johnson says that France must do more to stop migrants attempting to cross over to the UK. This comes after the news that the UK has reached the highest level of asylum seekers since 2004. This September there were 37,562 asylum applications: an 18% increase from 2020. What’s more, Home Office figures show a backlog of 67,547 cases of asylum seekers yet to have reached a decision.
Europe could be facing 700,000 deaths before March
The World Health Organization warns that 700,000 people could die across Europe and parts of Asia due to “high or extreme stress” in Intensive Care Units in 49 nations by March 2022. The recent surge of Covid cases in Europe has prompted countries such as Austria to go back into lockdown and other to increase measures. Alongside the UK, there have been several countries that have started to offer the vaccine booster jab. Three doses of the vaccine are said to cut the risk of infection by 93%, and everyone over the age of 40 is eligible to receive it.
Highest rate of deforestation of the Amazon in over 15 years
The Brazil Space Research Agency found that deforestation had increased by 22% since 2020. Approximately 13,235 sq kilometres have been lost from 2020 to 2021, the biggest lost the forest has experienced since 2006. The Amazon houses three million species of plants and animals, in addition it is one of the worlds biggest climate stores and integral to slowing down global warming. However, Brazil was one of the nations that agreed to commit to ending and reversing deforestation by 2030 during the COP26 summit.
The first female prime minister of Sweden resigned in 24 hours
The leader of the Social Democratic Party in Sweden, Magdalena Andersson became the first female prime minister of Sweden on Wednesday, 24th November but unfortunately resigned after just 24 hours. Having won the election by forming a two-party minority government with the Green Party, Andersson was forced to quit after their budget was rejected due to a one vote difference. The devastating defeat resulted in the Green Party leaving the coalition and consequently Andersson’s resignation.
