The Economist Continental Europe Edition July 24, 2021

Politics The worst flooding to hit Europe since the second world war left at least 200 people dead, with many more still unaccounted for. The bulk of the deaths occurred in Germany, where days of exceptionally heavy rains caused rivers to burst their banks. Belgium saw at least 36 deaths. Germany’s complex federal system, with responsibility divided between federal, state and local governments, seems to have been a big part of the problem. Earlywarning systems failed. Flooding caused by torrential rain forced the evacuation of more than 200,000 people in China’s central province of Henan. In three days a year’s worth of rain fell on the city of Zhengzhou, filling underground railway tunnels. Hundreds of commuters who had been trapped on trains in water over their waists were eventually rescued;…

A federal judge ruled that Indiana University has the right to insist that its students are vaccinated, a precedent that could affect other American colleges. Canada said it would reopen its border to citizens of the United States from August 9th, but only if they are fully vaccinated. Citizens of other countries will be allowed in a month later. New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, reported its biggest rise in infections for 15 months. The 2020 Olympics, delayed a year by the pandemic, were set to open in Japan on July 23rd. The run-up to the games has been beset by scandals, sexism, jokes about the Holocaust and the worsening covid-19 situation in Tokyo, the host city. They will be less fun than in previous years; spectators are mostly banned and athletes…

A federal judge ruled that Indiana University has the right to insist that its students are vaccinated, a precedent that could affect other American colleges. Canada said it would reopen its border to citizens of the United States from August 9th, but only if they are fully vaccinated. Citizens of other countries will be allowed in a month later. New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, reported its biggest rise in infections for 15 months. The 2020 Olympics, delayed a year by the pandemic, were set to open in Japan on July 23rd. The run-up to the games has been beset by scandals, sexism, jokes about the Holocaust and the worsening covid-19 situation in Tokyo, the host city. They will be less fun than in previous years; spectators are mostly…

Politics The worst flooding to hit Europe since the second world war left at least 200 people dead, with many more still unaccounted for. The bulk of the deaths occurred in Germany, where days of exceptionally heavy rains caused rivers to burst their banks. Belgium saw at least 36 deaths. Germany’s complex federal system, with responsibility divided between federal, state and local governments, seems to have been a big part of the problem. Earlywarning systems failed. Flooding caused by torrential rain forced the evacuation of more than 200,000 people in China’s central province of Henan. In three days a year’s worth of rain fell on the city of Zhengzhou, filling underground railway tunnels. Hundreds of commuters who had been trapped on trains in water over their waists were eventually rescued; 12 of…

IN 1745, AS the river Liffey, having broken its banks, clawed at the foundations of the house in which he sat, the young Edmund Burke experienced a strange, perverse thrill. The man who would go on to found modern conservatism drew inspiration from this experience in a later essay on the sublime, writing of the unmatched delight that terrible destruction could stir—provided that it is watched from a certain distance. The most terrible thing about the spectacular scenes of destruction that have played out around the world over the past weeks is that there is no safe place from which to observe them. The ground under the German town of Erftstadt is torn apart like tissue paper by flood waters; Lytton in British Columbia is burned from the map just a…

IN 1745, AS the river Liffey, having broken its banks, clawed at the foundations of the house in which he sat, the young Edmund Burke experienced a strange, perverse thrill. The man who would go on to found modern conservatism drew inspiration from this experience in a later essay on the sublime, writing of the unmatched delight that terrible destruction could stir—provided that it is watched from a certain distance. The most terrible thing about the spectacular scenes of destruction that have played out around the world over the past weeks is that there is no safe place from which to observe them. The ground under the German town of Erftstadt is torn apart like tissue paper by flood waters; Lytton in British Columbia is burned from the map just…