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Brazil’s Congress Gives Hamilton Honorary Citizenship

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain attends a news conference at the Baku circuit, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday, June 10, 2022. (AP)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain attends a news conference at the Baku circuit, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday, June 10, 2022. (AP)
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Brazil’s Congress Gives Hamilton Honorary Citizenship

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain attends a news conference at the Baku circuit, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday, June 10, 2022. (AP)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain attends a news conference at the Baku circuit, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday, June 10, 2022. (AP)

Brazil’s congress passed a symbolic motion on Thursday to make seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton an honorary citizen of the South American nation.

Congressman Andre Figueiredo first made the suggestion in November after last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix, which Hamilton won at Interlagos. The Mercedes driver carried a green and yellow flag on his victory lap and at the podium to celebrate with local fans.

“Speechless. Today I was granted honorary citizenship to one of my favorite places in the world,” 37-year-old Hamilton said on Instagram, posting pictures of himself with the Brazilian flag. “I don’t really have the words right now. Thank you Brasil, I love you, I can’t wait to see you again.”

Hamilton has many fans in Brazil due to his F1 racing and his respect for three-time world champion and local hero Ayrton Senna, who died in an accident at Imola, Italy in 1994.

Hamilton, who lost the 2021 drivers’ championship to Max Verstappen on the final lap of the season, is struggling this year. He is in sixth position with 50 points ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the eighth race on the calendar.

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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.