Europe/ Numerous requests for asylum
The number of asylum seekers in Europe for countries like Norway and Switzerland is no longer so high, but still remains at over 500,000 thousand. According to EUAA, the EU's Asylum Agency, from January to June 2024, there were 513,000 new applications. This means 6,000 requests less than in the first half of last year.
These statistics also include countries that are not part of the bloc, such as Norway and Switzerland. The largest number of applications was registered in Germany, where there were 124,000 applications. According to the data, about 71,000 asylum seekers were registered from Syria; 45,000 from Afghanistan and 37,000 from Venezuela.
Austria/ The highway of Vienna is flooded
Strong storms seem to have invaded Europe. Various episodes of flooding have been recorded in Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland, but the situation also looks chaotic in Austria, where a 75-year-old man died after falling into a flooded basement. Also, the area around Vienna has been declared a disaster area.
Vienna's highway is flooded and it looks like the situation is pretty chaotic. Around 4,500 different firefighting operations, helicopters and rescue teams are in the area around Vienna to help residents. Evacuations have taken place and people have left their homes due to the risk of flooding.
Gaza/ 45,000 students will not be able to attend the school year
According to UNICEF, at least 45,000 children in Gaza will not be able to attend the new school year. While those who go to school, learn in a makeshift classroom, while listening to Israeli airstrikes. The teachers have expressed that the children are eager to learn and that the parents are very interested in the children's education.
"We have war, we don't have schools... However, children are eager to learn. Parents also come and ask about their children's progress in writing, asking if they are improving," teacher Oula Al Ghoul told CNN. She, seeing the urgent need for education, set up a classroom in the tent where she lives.
Due to the humanitarian crisis and the war that started since October 7 of last year, many children will not be able to be educated. Educational services have stopped in much of the country, as have hospital services.
Turkey/ Erdogan calls on Putin to return Crimea to Ukraine
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, in a statement, said that: "The only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry and Israeli state terrorism is an alliance of Islamic states", adding that Turkey has taken concrete steps to improve relations with Egypt and Syria, thus aiming to create a line of solidarity.
This statement has been contradicted by Israel Katz, the foreign minister in Israel, who has called the statement a dangerous and inflammatory lie. Erdogan has also called on Vladimir Putin to return Crimea, a territory occupied by Russia, to Ukraine.
