The Evening Report - June 27
Denmark passes EV milestone. Salmon numbers plummet in Norway and Sweden.
**Editor’s Note - Publications will be a little sporadic for the next six weeks. Readers in Denmark know that we are entering summerferie (summer vacation) as school ends. Family commitments, hanging out with my son, and, of course, family vacation plans mean I won’t have a lot of time to put this together for the next little while. Thanks for your understanding.**
🍃Environment & Energy⚡️
🇪🇺
The heat wave rolling across Europe, with temperatures reaching as high as 38 degrees in some areas, is contributing to large-scale power outages. There were outages in Montenegro, Croatia, Albania, and North Macedonia this week. It was so hot in North Macedonia that people were urged to stay inside and avoid physical activities and heavy work during the day.
The power outages were the result of a sudden and severe increase in electricity consumption as people tried to stay cool. In Montenegro’s capital city of Podgorica, the power outage knocked the pumps out at the city’s main water utility. Many people were completely without water for most of the day as a result.
🇩🇰
Temperatures reached 27.1 degrees in Langø on Lolland Thursday before pushing past 30 degrees in mid-Jutland later in the day, making Thursday the hottest day of the year so far, according to the Danish Meteorological Institute.
The hottest day of the year so far ended with a huge thunderstorm. The Danish Meteorological Institute recorded at least 31,000 lightning strikes across the country on Thursday evening. The lightning caused several fires in Southern Jutland, two of them fairly serious blazes at a house and a farmhouse in two separate locations in Padborg.
🇸🇪
The Swedish national weather service (SMHI) has issued wildfire warnings due to the summer heat. It rates the wildlife risk as “extremely high” in parts of Sweden.
An out-of-control fire is already burning in a peat bog on Surahammar near Stockholm. The fire was reportedly caused by a tractor Thursday afternoon and then spread quickly. Swedish emergency responders say the fire is burning out of control and is difficult to deal with due to strong winds whipping the flames. No homes are under threat yet, and more firefighters and helicopters were dispatched to battle the fire.
🇩🇰
More help is coming for Denmark’s marine environment. A new political agreement was reached today to unlock 500 million Danish kroner (about $98.2 million Cdn) for marine restoration work. It consists of "concrete restoration initiatives for the sea and data and knowledge efforts," according to the press release.
Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke:
“Centuries of exploitation of the sea's resources have left their mark below the water surface. Now is the time for us to give something back. We are therefore going full speed ahead on the restoration of our marine environment, and already this year you will be able to see real results at Taarbek Reef, which is being restored and expanded to more than double its size. This will benefit the animal and plant life in the area. At the same time, we are starting a comprehensive mapping of the seabed to learn more about where the Danish Marine Fund should prioritize restoration efforts in the future, so that we can initiate efforts where it makes the most sense.”
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Oil companies in Denmark have been given the green light to begin pumping CO2 deep underground in several locations. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an important component of Denmark’s climate strategy to reduce emissions. The Danish Energy Agency has granted exploration permits for carbon storage in underground caverns in Rødby on Lolland, Havnsø in Sjælland, and near Randers. Two other applications are still awaiting approval. The Danish Climate Ministry states that permits will be approved if “it can be done in a safe, responsible manner with an eye to both people and the environment.”
Climate, Energy, and Supply Minister Lars Aagaard:
“We must capture the CO2 from waste plants, cogeneration plants, and the industry that is most difficult to convert, and stuff it into the underground to reach our climate goals.”
As part of the application process, oil companies have six years to conduct seismic surveys to determine suitable carbon storage locations. Caverns must be a minimum of 800 meters below the surface and under a dense layer, of clay, for example, that seals in the CO2. Once a site is found and an application is approved, companies can pump carbon into the underground chambers for the next 30 years.
CCS is complicated and very expensive. Companies expect to make money through large state-level subsidies from the Danish government as well as other nations that wish to transport CO2 into the country for storage.
The reaction to CCS is mixed. In several areas of Denmar, potential carbon storage sites have been blocked by irate citizens. Environmental groups are also split, with some being outright opposed to the idea while others believe the money would be better spent on other climate initiatives.
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Textile recycling has begun in Denmark, but there are still some wrinkles that need to be ironed out. Nordværk, a waste disposal company, says a good chunk of the clothing people are leaving out to be recycled ends up being burned as garbage. Sales Manager Claus Espersen says that 20 to 30% of the recycled clothing his company collects in north Jutland ends up being burned as garbage. He says that is because the clothes are not being wrapped correctly and then get wet when it rains. Clothing being recycled should be wrapped tightly in a bag or container that offers some protection against the elements to keep the clothing dry.
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Some 30,000 Danish volunteers have won the European Union’s Greening Award for their work to keep Denmark’s coast and its ocean waters clean. Volunteers with the Marine Guardians group clean up the country’s beaches, collect floating garbage at sea, and report any oil or fuel spills they spot. The group was formed in 2006, and in winning the award, its many volunteers were hailed as people who make a difference, making every beach and Denmark’s ocean waters cleaner than when they found them.
🇳🇴
Norwegian authorities have ended salmon fishing across 33 different rivers and even in a swath of the ocean due to worryingly low salmon return numbers.
Director of the Norwegian Environment Agency, Ellen Hambro:
“It is with a heavy heart that we stop salmon fishing. We know that summer salmon fishing is an important tradition and a great joy for many, but now, simply put, every salmon counts. It is our responsibility to ensure that enough spawning fish enter the rivers so that there will be enough young salmon next year to carry the stock forward. It is crucial in order not to risk a long-term collapse of the salmon population.”
Hambro says that salmon returns have been at historically low numbers for years, but this year’s return “looks even worse.” The salmon fishing ban came into force as of midnight Sunday. In small areas of the ocean where salmon fishing is not banned, it is catch and release only.
“There is a risk of serious damage to the salmon stocks, and therefore we believe that we must take these measures. In many rivers where large salmon make up a significant part of the population, the catches so far are well below half compared to recent years, despite the fact that water flow and water temperature indicate that the fishing conditions should mostly be good.”
Hambro says climate change, “in combination with other man-made influences,” is to blame for catastrophically low fish numbers.
The Norwegian Environment Agency says this is the earliest it has ever closed salmon fishing. The agency will reassess the decision next month when more data on fish populations comes in.
🇸🇪
Swedish authorities have banned salmon fishing on six of the country’s 16 salmon-bearing rivers due to alarmingly low return numbers. Thomas Johansson, chair of the Baltic Salmon Rivers Association, told Radio Sweden that last year’s salmon returns were “a complete disaster’ and this year “the situation is alarmingly bad.”
So far, scientists have been unable to pinpoint why salmon stocks are plummeting. However, they are zeroing in on a Baltic Sea that is under incredible pressure and suffering catastrophically low oxygen levels. One working hypothesis is that young salmon reaching the Baltic simply aren’t able to find enough food.
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The World Wildlife Fund says it has already spotted toxic algae blooms in the waters off the Swedish island of Gotland. The agency says it is unusually early for the algae blooms to be beginning in the Baltic. The sea waters are suffering an imbalance of nutrients due to sewage pollution and agricultural fertilizers washing into the Baltic. The sea, along with the Kattegat separating Sweden and Denmark, is suffering catastrophically low oxygen levels.
🇫🇮
Finland will likely miss its lofty climate goals, according to a new study from the Technical Research Centre of Finland, the Natural Resources Institute Finland, and the Finnish Environment Institute. The Finnish government has set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035, a goal the study says is slipping out of reach. Researchers say that the current environmental initiatives and energy transition policies simply aren’t enough to reach Finland’s climate goals. According to the study, additional measures reducing up to 19 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere are needed to get Finland back on track.
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Recycling is clearly popular in Finland. According to the Finnish Returnable Packaging Company 2.2 billion plastic and glass bottles, along with aluminium cans, were returned to be recycled last year. That is a record-high number. The company says that equals a return rate of an unbelievably high 97%.
Finland has been recycling glass bottles since 1950 and aluminium cans since 1996.
🇸🇪
Wetlands and peat bogs play a vital role in sequestering carbon. This has led to renewed efforts to restore wetlands and bogs as part of the fight against climate change. However, Statistics Sweden found that while the government spends billions on restoration work for every reclaimed and restored wetland and bog, an equal number is being lost due to the building of new roads, homes, and other development.
Matti Ermold is with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency:
“It's a bit worrying to see the numbers; the climate benefit that we are creating now might disappear in another place.”
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A largely plant based diet reduces the risk of dying prematurely by up to 30%, according to a new study from Harvard University. Researchers collected data on the eating habits of over 200,000 Americans over a period of three decades. They found that those whose eating habits were close to what is called the ‘Planetary Health Diet’ had a significantly lower risk of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and lung disease. The diet is largely plant-based but can include modest amounts of meat, fish, and dairy products.
The study has caught the eye of Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet.
Public Health Sciences Professor Liselotte Schäfer Elinder:
“So we would gain many healthy years of life if the population adjusted its diet in this way. We really need to think about this to protect our own health.”
Elinder notes that health and the environment are linked. If populations changed their dietary habits, it would equate to a net positive for the environment.
“We would get reduced greenhouse gas emissions and reduced eutrophication, water consumption, and land use. Then we could use the land to plant forests, which in turn absorb greenhouse gases. So it is very much connected. It will take a while to change the population's dietary habits, but there is no doubt that we must go in that direction.”
The Swedish Food Agency is currently updating the Swedish dietary guidelines. New advice is expected in the autumn.
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The energy transition away from fossil fuels is seeing more benefits in Sweden. The air quality in Stockholm is much improved, and a new study directly links the reduction in pollutants and particulate matter in the air to a lower incidence of asthma in young children and adults in Stockholm. It was also found that improved air quality led to better lung development, which reduced the risk of other chronic diseases later in life.
The Swedish Karolinska Institute conducted the study. It followed 1,200 newborns over a period of two decades.
The Institute’s Doctor of Pediatrics, Erik Melén, is one of the study’s authors.
“Hopefully, this will send a very clear message to policymakers and city planners. All these efforts aimed at reducing traffic and reducing air pollution levels actually do have consequences. I think it is utmost important to show real life data that if we can reduce air pollution, it has beneficial effects on children’s health.”
🇩🇰
The EV revolution passed a major milestone in Denmark this month. A quarter of a million electric vehicles are now on the roads across the country.
Dansk e-Mobilitet Director John Dyrby Paulsen:
“We have reached 250,000 passenger cars that run on electricity. The development in the past few years is quite remarkable.”
To put that achievement into context, at the beginning of 2020, there were approximately 16,000 EVs on the road.
Paulsen also credits savvy buyers who are snapping up used EVs not only in Denmark but also from neighbouring countries for helping add to the numbers.
“In particular, it is worth noting how popular it has become to buy a lightly used electric car, that has been imported from, for example, Germany or Sweden. Danes have found that a good deal can be made if you buy a one- or two-year-old used electric car at a big discount.”
One out of every three imported vehicles is now an EV.
Denmark has set a goal of having one million EVs on the road by 2030. Dansk e-Mobilitet says the country is on track to reach half a million EVs by 2026 and estimates the number of electric vehicles will not only meet the 2030 target but exceed it. That said, Paulsen cautions that the Danish government is going to have to keep EV taxes low if it wants to achieve its goals.
“We know from our neighbouring countries that tax increases negatively affect the sale of electric cars. In Denmark, tax increases are looming in 2026, but they must be postponed if the electric car party is to continue.”
The EV revolution is also having a very real impact on the environment. According to Dansk e-Mobilitet, the over 78,000 used electric vehicles imported into Denmark will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 194,000 tonnes all on their own.
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If you are a customer of Fjernvarme Fyn, you better prepare for a much higher district heating bill this fall. The company says customers in Odense and other areas of Fyn could see their bills shoot up by 24% beginning October 1.
CEO Louise Høst:
“We recommend that Odense Municipality raise the price of district heating so that we can secure Fjernvarme Fyn's finances and thus our delivery of heat to all our customers. Since 2023, we have seen too great an imbalance between our income and costs. Therefore, a price increase of this magnitude is necessary.”
The proposed increase must still be ratified by Odense Kommune.
🇪🇺
It is full steam ahead on the energy transition in Europe. Last year, renewable energy was the leading energy source in the EU, accounting for 44.7% of all electricity production, according to the statistics agency EuroStat. In 2023, 1.21 gigawatt hours of green electricity were generated, a year-over-year increase of 12.4%.
Conversely, fossil fuel generated electricity in Europe dropped by 19.7% last year.
Nuclear power edged upward, accounting for a 1.2% increase in electricity production.
🇺🇸
Hawaii will transition to a carbon-neutral public transportation system by 2045. That is part of a settlement the state’s governor has reached with a group of young people who sued the state. The climate suit was based on the grounds that Hawaii’s use of fossil fuels in the public transportation system violates the constitutionally protected rights of young people to a clean and healthy environment. The settlement admits that the state violated those rights and that it will prepare a comprehensive plan to transition its public transit system to clean energy within 20 years.
🦠Outbreaks🦠
🇩🇰
There was a significant increase in COVID activity across Denmark last week. According to the latest wastewater surveillance results coronavirus concentrations were “at a higher level than the previous week.” According to the Statens Serum Institute the average weekly growth rate nationally shows a “strong increase.” However, it adds that virus activity is still on the lower end of the scale “indicating that the circulation of COVID in the population is low.”
There is a corresponding uptick of coronavirus infections in some of Denmark’s largest workplaces. The Statens Serum Institute has been running a voluntary testing program at some of the country’s largest employers. Employees who are sick can get tested and it allows for another way for the agency to try to get a handle on COVID activity.
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The first case this year of TBE, a tick-borne disease, has been confirmed in north Sjælland, according to the Statens Serum Institute. TBE (tick-borne encephalitis) is a viral infectious disease that attacks the central nervous system and can result in long-term neurological symptoms, and, in some cases, even death.
The SSI says the person was infected by TBE due to a tick bite in May. Northern Sjælland has seen an increase in TBE cases in recent years. However, the institute emphasizes that the ticks responsible are spreading out to other parts of the country. Last year, Denmark recorded nine cases of TBE.
Two big vaccination operators, Danske Lægers Vaccinations Service and Copenhagen Medical, are also reporting “a tremendous increase” in the demand for the TBE vaccine.
🇸🇪
In Sweden, the number of COVID hospitalizations (59) has dropped slightly (-2) while the number of intensive care patients (2) has nudged upward (+2).
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The winter respiratory virus season was much less intense in Sweden this past winter compared to the two previous winters during the pandemic, according to the Swedish Public Health Agency. It said the country dodged a bit of a bullet this winter because the COVID, RS virus, and influenza infection waves didn’t arrive and peak simultaneously, as was the case the previous winter.
The agency says the winter COVID wave peaked much earlier than usual, allowing for a bit of a breather before the influenza and RS virus waves arrived. It also helped that the influenza and RS virus waves were also less intense than in previous years.
State Epidemiologist Magnus Gisslén:
“Overall, the winter season was less intense than the previous year. We saw an early increase in COVID that reached the highest levels for the season already in November, followed by influenza and the RS virus in December.”
Young children continued to be hardest hit by the RS virus this past winter. The Swedish health agency says 36% of all virus-related intensive care admissions this winter were infants under the age of one.
The agency says that the number of confirmed coronavirus infections and deaths over the winter was lower than previous years. That said, it also adds that COVID continues to cause severe infections and deaths, especially among vulnerable seniors.
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The Swedish Public Health Agency is keeping its vaccination recommendations for COVID in place. Sweden continues to recommend that seniors over 65, seniors in care, and vulnerable populations over the age of 18 continue to get COVID booster doses.
Sweden will also continue to administer booster doses six months apart with a spring and fall vaccination campaign. This fall’s inoculation effort will begin in mid-October.
🇳🇴
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health have conducted an assessment of how Norway managed the pandemic in relation to schools. The report found lots of room for improvement, but especially in two areas. First, education and health authorities need to be better at working together during a public health crisis. Secondly, the pandemic response should have also included better communication with both student and teacher organizations.
NIPH Senior Doctor Margrethe Greve-Isdahl:
“We wanted to convey the knowledge we had about infection in schools, but communication in a pandemic is difficult because there will always be some uncertainty, and the risk of measures must be balanced with benefit in every situation.”
The review also revealed challenges in interpreting evolving knowledge and then effectively communicating the changes as the pandemic developed. It also found that there was missing data that could have been useful, especially around school absences and how many students were in quarantine at any given time. Finally, coordination, communication, and cooperation can be improved between all parties involved in the pandemic response.
🇺🇸
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate a steady rise in COVID activity across the United States, albeit at relatively low levels. According to the CDC's COVID Data Tracker, the positivity percentage for the week ending June 15 increased to 6.6%, up by 1.2% week to week. COVID-related emergency room visits also rose by 14.7%. The CDC's weekly snapshot revealed that coronavirus infections are either increasing or likely increasing in 39 states and territories, while remaining stable or uncertain in 10 others. Hospitalizations and deaths have shown notable upticks, with hospitalizations up by 25% and deaths by 16.7% from the previous week. Despite these increases, the rates of hospitalizations and deaths are still considerably lower compared to the peak periods of the pandemic.
The rise in COVID-19 activity seems to be driven by the spread of the KP.3, KP.2, and LB.1 variants, which now constitute 71.4% of sequenced cases, up from 61% last week. These variants, stemming from the JN.1 lineage, include mutations that might help them evade antibodies. The CDC's National Wastewater Surveillance System reports low national COVID wastewater levels, although several states in the West are seeing high viral activity, with Alaska, Hawaii, New Mexico, Missouri, Florida, and Connecticut experiencing very high levels.
🦠
Marijuana use is associated with an increased risk of severe health outcomes due to a COVID infection, according to a new study. The study, published today in JAMA Network Open, found that marijuana use was linked to a higher risk of a severe infection requiring hospitalization or intensive care. The study is challenging the perception that cannabis is a healthier alternative to smoking tobacco, with strikingly similar risks of severe coronavirus outcomes between the two groups.
Senior Study Author Li-Shiun Chen:
“What we found is that cannabis use is not harmless in the context of COVID. People who reported yes to current cannabis use, at any frequency, were more likely to require hospitalization and intensive care than those who did not use cannabis.”
Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis analyzed data from 72,501 COVID patients across a major Midwestern healthcare system during the first two years of the pandemic. The study's participants had an average age of 48.9 years, with a majority being female (59.7%) and white (69.6%). The researchers noted that 68.8% of participants had at least one comorbidity, such as obesity, diabetes, or heart disease, which are known to exacerbate COVID outcomes. Within the cohort, 13.4% were current marijuana users, and 9.7% reported using cannabis in the past.
While cannabis use was linked to more severe COVID outcomes, it was not associated with increased mortality, unlike tobacco smoking, which was tied to higher death rates. The findings underscore the need for further investigation into how cannabis affects health, especially as its availability increases due to legalization.
🇺🇦Ukraine/ Russia War🇷🇺
🇪🇺🇸🇪
The European Union and Ukraine have reached a security agreement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj was in Brussels today to officially sign the document.
The agreement cements the EU’s long-term support and aid for Ukraine.
The signing of the agreement comes just days after Ukraine and Moldova took a big step toward joining the EU. The EU has granted both countries the right to begin accession negotiations. At a press conference, Zelenskyj expressed his gratitude for Europe’s support.
“Thank you for this historic outcome. We have been waiting for this for a long time. All the civilians and our heroes on the battlefield.”
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the negotiations will be long and challenging but also full of immense opportunities for both Ukraine and Moldova.
Ukraine applied for EU membership on February 28, 2022, four days after Russia's invasion.
🇺🇸🇺🇦🇸🇪
The United States is prioritizing the delivery of Patriot air defense systems and missile ammunition to Ukraine. So much so that the White House says all other orders for the air defense systems and ammunition have been paused in order to get Ukraine as many Patriot batteries and missiles as soon as possible and as fast as possible.
Sweden uses the Patriot air defense system, and its Defense Minister Pål Jonson and Foreign Affairs Minister Tobias Billström both told SVT that they are in conversation with the United States about how this impacts orders that Sweden has already placed.
With Russian missiles and drones continuing to rain down on Ukraine, air defenses have become a major priority. In the last few months, four Patriot systems have been donated to Ukraine by the U.S. and Germany, and a fifth is on its way from Romania. The Netherlands has also launched an initiative to team up with other countries that have spare parts to see if they can build and donate to Ukraine a Patriot air defense platform from scratch.
🇩🇰/ 🇷🇺
The Danish Center for Cyber Security is advising all companies, agencies, and authorities across Denmark to stop using antivirus software from Russian cyber security company Kaspersky.
Deputy Director Mark Fiedel:
“Our advice is to take a critical look at whether Kaspersky should be supplying one's antivirus product. Especially if you operate with information and data that you would rather not have fall into the hands of the Russians.”
Security and intelligence agencies across the Western world have been warning that the Russian cyber security company poses a significant risk. The concern is that the company is headquartered in Moscow and is governed by Russian legislation.
“It will probably be difficult for Russian companies to say no if intelligence services come and ask someone to cooperate. We have a lot of information that we believe would be really, really bad if foreign powers, including Russia, got access to it. An antivirus product, which by its very nature has access to our network and our systems, we are not interested in that being administered by a Russian company.”
However, an online security expert and Chief Information Officer at Clever, Peter Kruse, thinks Denmark should be taking it a step further and banning Kaspersky altogether.
“Denmark plays an active role in the war in Ukraine, where we support and contribute to strengthening Ukraine. Therefore, we should deal with the situation we are in. And there, it is better to show timely care than to be foolhardy. Kaspersky has no malicious interests. It's about the company being caught in a crossfire where the Russian state can control Kaspersky. There is a lot of Russian software out there, and any digital bridge to Russia could create potential consequences for our society. Therefore, I would sleep better at night without those digital links to Russia.”
🇺🇸/ 🇷🇺
Add the United States to a growing list of western nations that have now banned Russian cybersecurity software from Kaspersky Lab. The U.S. and other countries have outlawed the company’s software due to security concerns over the company’s ties to Russian secret services. U.S. national security agencies have warned for years that Kaspersky is a national security threat because the Russian authorities can use the software to spy on the company’s customers.
🇩🇰
Last week, the Danish government issued recommendations for how people can prepare in the event of a crisis. It recommended three days worth of food and water, along with a list of emergency supplies every home should stock up on. However, the Danish Red Cross and the country’s version of the Salvation Army are expressing concern about those in the country who don’t have the resources to go out and buy all the required food and supplies. The two groups say that people who are sick, homeless, or financially disadvantaged simply don’t have the means to prepare for a crisis, especially when they are living one every day.
The two groups are asking the government to provide some clarity for organizations that work on the front lines with vulnerable populations. In a crisis, those populations would rely on these organizations, which also need to be prepared. They want to know from the government exactly how the recommendations translate to their work, so they too can be prepared.
🇷🇺/ 🇸🇪
Russian military aircraft buzzed Swedish naval vessels during a recent military exercise in the Baltic Sea. The Swedish Armed Forces wouldn’t say how close the Russian planes came but said naval vessels had “to adjust our readiness and presence” in response to the Russian flyovers.
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Russia continues to push the boundaries as it finds new ways to mess with western nations. Already responsible for GPS jamming over a swath of the Baltic, the Swedish Telecommunications Authority said this week that it had detected unique interference from Russia and occupied Crimea aimed at a Swedish satellite that mostly transmits Ukrainian TV and radio signals.
The disruptions, which occurred over a week-long period in early March, involved broadcast material interfering and going over television broadcasts. The images appear to be from the Russian Victory Day parade.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told Bloomberg News that the satellite interference was a “serious” issue. Queries by Swedish authorities to Russia have so far been ignored. The matter has now been referred to the UN International Telecommunication Union.
🇩🇪/ 🇷🇺
Three more people have been arrested in Germany for suspicion of spying on a Ukrainian citizen at the behest of an unnamed foreign intelligence service. According to the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the three have Armenian, Russian, and Ukrainian citizenship.
This is not the first espionage case in Germany this year. In April, two men were arrested for spying for Russia and three others for spying for China.
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Germany’s largest energy company is cutting all ties and terminating its long-term gas supply contracts with Russia’s state-owned Gazprom. Earlier this month, an arbitration tribunal ruled that Uniper had the right to terminate its contracts with Gazprom due to the Russian company failing to deliver gas supplies as obligated. The tribunal also awarded Uniper €13 billion in damages for the undelivered gas shipments. Uniper had signed long term gas supply contracts with Gazprom that weren’t due to end until somewhere around 2035.
Uniper CEO Michael Lewis says the ruling gave his company a legal off ramp to sever ties with Gazprom after it tried to weaponize its energy exports against countries, like Germany, supporting Ukraine.
“This ruling provides legal clarity for Uniper. With the right of termination that we received in the arbitration ruling, we are ending the contracts with Gazprom Export. Uniper's legal position was also confirmed on the issue of damages. Any amounts would flow to the German federal government. From today's perspective, it is not yet clear whether significant amounts are to be expected. Uniper has written off its share in the financing of the Nordstream 2 pipeline, its stake in the Russian subsidiary Unipro, and allowed its coal supply contracts with Russia to expire.”
The arbitration ruling is legally binding and final.
🇺🇦🇪🇸
Two beluga whales at an aquarium in the Ukranian city of Kharkiv have been evacuated to Valencia, Spain. In a complex operation, the two whales, who were increasingly stressed due to frequent explosions and bombings, were taken out of Kharkiv by truck to nearby Moldova and then put on a specially equipped airplane to Valencia. The Spanish city is home to Oceanografic, which is Europe’s largest aquarium.
According to the aquarium, the 15 year-old male beluga named Plombir is doing well and has begun eating again, while the 14 year-old female, Miranda, is still adjusting to her new surroundings. This isn’t the first animal-related evacuation from Ukraine, with different zoo animals in the conflict zone being taken to various facilities in Europe, including Knuthenborg Safari Park in Denmark, which has taken a number of lions.
🇷🇺
Russia continues to endure staggering losses in Ukraine as it keeps dispatching waves of soldiers in to the ‘meat grinder.’ According to western intelligence agencies, on average, 1,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded every single day in the month of May. However, the agencies also estimate that Russia is recruiting up to 30,000 soldiers a month, meaning it can keep sending new waves of soldiers into the front lines.
Russia’s strategy of accepting massive losses to overwhelm Ukrainian troops by sending so many soldiers that Ukrainian forces can’t kill them fast enough has allowed for some small advances along the front lines. However, that tactic has been less and less effective over the spring.
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Western sanctions and the unexpectedly high cost of catastrophic losses of weapons, equipment, armour, and soldiers in Ukraine have put massive pressure on Russia’s finances. The country has a flat tax rate, but that is about to change as the Russian government looks for more money. The Russian government has introduced a new tax system where the tax rate increases the more you earn.
What it means in nuts and bolts is that as of January 1, 2025, the wealthiest in Russia will see their tax rate rise from around 15% up to 22%. For businesses, the tax rate will increase to 25%. The change is expected to bring the state another 2.6 trillion rubles (about $40.5 billion Cdn) in 2025 alone.
Odds & Ends
🇩🇰
The Danish municipality of Vesthimmerlands is sinking some serious money into a historic Viking ring fortress in northern Jutland called Aggersborg. 19.7 million Danish kroner (about $3.8 million Cdn) has been set aside to buff up the historic sight with the hope it will become a big tourist attraction. Last year, the Ring fortress was added to the UNESCO world heritage list. The money will go to everything, from improving parking to an information campaign to promote it as a destination.
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The most popular holiday destination for Danish tourists is Spain, again. Statistics Denmark regularly tracks the most popular destinations for Danes heading out on summer vacation. Spain has been the most popular destination for Danes for the last 22 years. According to the agency, Danes made 6.7 million trips to destinations in Spain last year, which is still well below pre-pandemic travel numbers. After Spain, Italy was the second most popular choice, followed by Greece, as sun-starved Danes sought the solace of warmer climates.
🇸🇪
The pushback against mass tourism has spread to the Swedish island of Gotland. One idea being raised is to apply a tourist tax to the hundreds of thousands of people who visit the island every summer. Currently, a tourist tax is not allowed in Sweden, but Meit Fohlin, chairman of the Gotland regional board, wants to change that.
Fohlin spoke to SR Ekot.
“It is important that tourism continues to be an important industry, and then you need contributions to the local area. That you have the opportunity to pay tax in those months, and that tax accrues to Gotland or where you have a summer house. This is done in some other places, and it would be a fairly simple solution.”
Protests against mass tourism have taken place in Spain, the Canary Islands, and Mallorca in recent months.
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Food prices in Sweden remain high, and at least one Swedish member of parliament is threatening to set up a parliamentary inquiry to investigate the big companies making up the food supply chain. During an interview on SVT’s Morgonstudion, Vänterpartiet's Nooshi Dadgostar said that “food prices must go down.”
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Travel numbers continued to improve in Finland after the COVID pandemic all but ended international tourism for almost two years. According to Statistics Finland, the number of people in Finland taking overnight trips, both domestic and international, between January and April this year has increased by 10% compared to the same period a year ago. The agency says there were nine million trips involving overnight stays this past spring. The statistics agency says that the destination of choice is also changing, with fewer trips to two former travel hot spots in Turkey and Thailand.
Conversely, it says the number of people visiting Helsinki is still well below pre-pandemic numbers. While COVID bears some responsibility, the closure of the Finnish border with Russia has all but ended tourism from Russia. The closure of Russian airspace is also having an impact on travel to and from certain destinations, especially in Asia.
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Inflation crept up in Europe last month. Across the EU inflation in May was 2.7%, up slightly from April’s 2.6% according to European statistics agency EuroStat. Latvia, Finland, and Italy registered the lowest inflation while Romania, Belgium, and Croatia had the highest.
EuroStat says that inflation decreased in 11 EU countries from month to month while it rose in fourteen others.