Maps from satellite imagery show how record heat and drought are depleting Europe’s rivers, threatening regional economies and energy production. / The Wall Street Journal [$] “With 20 minutes and enough rifles,” it would only take knocking out nine substations on three electric grids to plunge America into darkness. / The New
President Trump orders a reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea, citing its unwillingness to help in the Iran war and his “very good relationship” with Kim Jong Un. / The Associated Press Watch: A documentary on how North Koreans are getting jobs as IT workers at American companies and
Since the start of the summer, nearly 500 people have been arrested in France on suspicion of starting wildfires. / The Guardian Drought is declared in three-quarters of England and all of Wales. / NPR A new study finds that swapping even a two-year-old gas car for an electric
ICE plans to equip officers with shock gloves that can incapacitate people, and it’s obvious from the manual that some of those people will be badly injured or worse. / 404 Media At least two Florida sheriff’s offices have purchased Meta glasses, but it’s not entirely clear how
Nearly two and a half million girls have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power five years ago. / DW UNESCO says over 90% of 10-year-olds in Afghanistan can’t read, with national literacy rates around 37%. / Reuters Regarding this summer’s record-breaking
Construction on President Trump’s wall in Texas will bulldoze the site of the Porvenir massacre, “a hundred-year-old crime scene” and a sacred place for the victims’ descendents. / Texas Monthly An interactive overview of plans for how the gaps will be filled in Trump’s border wall. / The
Turkey says its new pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is basically the same as NATO’s mutual defense agreement. / Reuters Worth noting, the accord doesn’t appear to include Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities. / NBC News Iran says it won’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States
Israel approves a plan to seize some 70 historic sites in the West Bank, looking to sever Palestinians from any historic connection to the land. / Al Jazeera Iran-linked hackers are attacking water utilities in the United States only a few years after opponents scuppered Biden-era proposals to ramp
The US oil embargo causes another blackout in Cuba, with people sleeping by the sea for relief from the heat. / Associated Press Unrelated: “The expansion would make Stargate one of the largest fossil fuel power plants in [Texas] ... emitting more annual greenhouse gases than nearly 2 million cars.” / The Texas
Europe is having a low wildfire year at the same time that some parts of the continent are battling huge outbreaks. Meanwhile, its rivers are drying up. / By the Numbers, The Week Ice areas on Mount Kenya, Africa’s second-highest peak, have shrunk 96% in the past 115 years.
