Monday Briefing

Published: August 14, 2023

A summer season of ferocious climate throughout a lot of the U.S. has now yielded the nation’s deadliest wildfire in additional than a century. On the Hawaiian island of Maui, at the very least 93 folks have been confirmed useless, greater than 2,200 buildings have been leveled and many individuals on the island stay unaccounted for after what started as scattered brush fires shortly escalated.

The dying toll may improve as rescuers journey to elements of the state which have been blocked by fires or by closed roads, and a exact determine will not be recognized for weeks. Dozens of individuals have additionally been injured, some critically.

No trigger for the hearth has been decided, however consultants stated one chance was that lively energy strains that fell in excessive winds ignited the wildfire that in the end unfold to Lahaina, a coastal city of 13,000 in western Maui that was leveled. Low humidity and powerful mountain winds, in addition to worsening drought situations, most likely additionally contributed to the hearth, as did invasive plants.

Related: Those staying close to Lahaina say they’ve obtained much more assist from volunteers than from federal and native businesses.

Lacking vital air energy, can Ukraine’s grinding counteroffensive prevail? Military officers and consultants say sure — however it’s more likely to be far tougher with out F-16 fighter jets, a sophisticated plane and a pillar of the warfare techniques that the West has urged Ukraine to undertake.

The Biden administration waited greater than a yr earlier than letting NATO international locations ship the jets to Ukraine. By the time pilots are skilled, it is going to be too late for them to help and defend floor forces slogging by this section of combating.

Some consultants stated that the dearth of air energy had put Ukraine at an obstacle in opposition to Russian assault helicopters, which have picked off Ukrainian tanks and armored autos. With extra warplanes, one Austrian intelligence officer stated, Ukraine may higher defend its floor troops from such assaults. Neither Ukraine nor Russia has achieved air superiority for the reason that conflict started final yr.

In different news from the conflict:

  • Russian shelling killed at the very least seven folks, together with a household of 4, within the Kherson area of southern Ukraine, officers stated.

  • Ukraine’s navy has made “tactically significant” progress in its counteroffensive, analysts say, making beneficial properties which have pressured Moscow to divert forces from different elements of the entrance line.


At least 16 our bodies of migrants hoping to succeed in Spain had been recovered in Dakar, the capital of the Western African nation of Senegal. Their our bodies washed ashore about three weeks after the migrants’ wood fishing boat struck a hoop of underwater rocks. It was the newest in a string of tragedies to befall folks risking the treacherous ocean path to Europe.

The boat was being chased by patrol vessels from Spain and Senegal in near-total darkness when it hit the rocks, a witness stated. Senegalese officers stated they had been investigating, and a spokesman for Spain’s Interior Ministry denied {that a} Spanish patrol vessel pursued the pirogue, saying their patrol boat alerted the Senegalese authorities {that a} boat was sinking after it ran aground.

The clear vitality future is arriving sooner than imagined amid a pivot from fossil fuels and towards wind, photo voltaic and different greener types of vitality. Renewables are actually anticipated to overhaul coal by 2025 because the world’s largest supply of electrical energy.

For extra: Resistance to wind and photo voltaic tasks from environmentalists is among the many impediments to widespread conversion to renewables.

In her native Italy, the novelist Michela Murgia was a voice for minority teams and a lightning rod for political debate. She has died at 51.

Old Trafford redevelopment: Manchester United’s stadium wants pressing work, however plans stay in limbo.

World Cup accidents: Dealing with the heartache of being dominated out of the most important soccer match.

McLaren’s revival: How Lando Norris has been central to the F1 workforce’s enchancment.

Twenty years in the past this month within the U.S., the facility went out throughout the Northeast and the Midwest, turning weddings into chaotic however fulfilling occasions. The blackout stranded company who had been en path to weddings, turned off a blow dryer as one bride was preparing and minimize the lights and sound at reception halls. For The Times, Sadiba Hasan requested {couples} who married that weekend: Did a marriage day disaster arrange your marriage for fulfillment?

For Dr. Dvasha Stollman, the reply is sure. At her wedding ceremony, mild got here solely from candles and from boats outdoors the window of the seaside occasion house. Caterers stored meals scorching with moveable heaters. A band performed conventional Jewish music acoustically, and company shed layers of clothes to deal with the dearth of air-conditioning.

“It was a very campy feel,” Dr. Stollman stated. “Anyone who went to our wedding had really the best time.”

Source web site: www.nytimes.com