Thursday, August 1, 2024

#England: Labour to raise taxes, rewards public sectors and builds public housing, @RealConstable @BatchelorShow Occitanie.

By SIMON CONSTABLE 



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Falkland Islands 1928 General Archive of the Nation 
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

FRANCE: Heatwave, cooling stations in Paris, pollution in the Seine and sunflowers, @RealConstable @BatchelorShow Occitanie.

 By SIMON CONSTABLE


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NYT: Olympic Men’s Triathlon Postponed Because of Pollution in the Seine

Water-quality tests early Tuesday showed that the river running through Paris was unsafe for swimming, organizers said. 

Olympics organizers postponed the men’s individual triathlon race that had been scheduled for Tuesday morning, saying water-quality tests had shown that the Seine, the river that traverses Paris, was unsafe to swim in. Read more here.



Saturday, July 27, 2024

Fox Business: 2024 Olympic Games commence in Paris, but will they make money?

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

FRANCE — The world's finest athletes have arrived in Paris to compete in what will no doubt be a spectacular event. The organizers even made the novel choice of holding the opening ceremony Friday evening via boats along the Seine River rather than a stadium, as has been traditional.

But an important question for everyone in cash-strapped France is whether the Olympic Games will go over budget, leaving epic debts for French taxpayers. It’s not a trivial matter. 

"It’s expensive, and French public finances are not in the best state," says Leo Barincoua Paris-based senior economist for Oxford Economics. The country’s budget deficit hit 5.5% last year, far beyond the European Union limit of 3%. Read more here.

Paris: Carlos DelgadoCC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons