A Fire Burns Down almost an Entire Shopping Center Housing 1,400 outlets in Warsaw

Representation photo: Fire at a factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 9, 2021. (Reuters)
Representation photo: Fire at a factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 9, 2021. (Reuters)
TT

A Fire Burns Down almost an Entire Shopping Center Housing 1,400 outlets in Warsaw

Representation photo: Fire at a factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 9, 2021. (Reuters)
Representation photo: Fire at a factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 9, 2021. (Reuters)

A fire broke out on Sunday morning in a vast shopping center housing 1,400 shops and service outlets in the Bialoleka district in Poland's capital.
The fire brigade said more than 80% of the center was on fire, and rescue operations were being carried out by 50 teams, including chemical and environmental rescue specialists, The Associated Press said.
Footage aired by private broadcaster TVN24 showed thick black smoke rising over the area.
Authorities sent a text message warning Warsaw residents about the fire and to stay home with the windows closed.
A police spokesperson told the news agency PAP there were no injuries reported.
Shopping centers and large shops are usually closed on Sunday due to a ban on trade installed by the previous government which had close ties to the Catholic church, viewing it as a day of worship. Such outlets are exempt from the ban only about half a dozen Sundays a year, giving people the chance to shop ahead of Christmas and Easter and other events.



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)
TT

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.